JOYFUL LOCS! MY LOC JOURNEY & HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

My Sister Dia rocking her fresh locs!!!

Peace & Blessings! Well! An unexpected journey of starting locs has begun. So my sister friend told me that she’d begin her loc journey in June & although it had crossed my mind, I really wasn’t interested at first, I think because of fear and it’s a drastic hair lifestyle change! I mean, I have NEVER considered myself to loc my hair! But as I begin to inquire and ask questions and consult with Dia, her sister and anybody I knew who had locs, I felt that my own journey had begun.

All my hair goodies!!! Me trying to figure out how to install because of my hair type.

So I asked anyone I knew who had locs the ultimate question, “WHY?”, the maintenance, products, what to do, what not to do, what to buy, what not to buy, what’s the best installation method, and of course, I used ole faithful, YOU TUBE!!!! So the key for me was COVID. As much as I felt I think I wanted to go to a loctician, that simply was not a risk i was willing to take. Then I became discouraged before I even started! Then I was like, welp this is a sign this aint for me. I voiced my concern with Dia & she led me to her sister Amber. And BAY BAY!!! All she had to do was tell me there was no reason I couldn’t start them MYSELF. Amber was so patient! She answered 3-4 days of my questions. Between her and you tube, I had muscled up the confidence to prepare to install my baby locs.

Day 2…

I went to the hair store, bought a large hand held mirror, jojoba oil, black castor oil/coconut oil, large duck bill clips and smalls clips, 2 small spray bottles, some aloe vera gel and loc gel(just in case I felt I needed it- I didnt use any), the typical combs used for comb coils. I already had olive oil and vitamin E oil. I knew I wanted to install my locs at the end of July. I also purchased some castile soap( Tea Tree) and some stocking caps as I know how I am gonna wash my hair due to its texture and ensuring there is no unraveling. After Amber mentioned to me it took her 2 days to install her own, I was like ok, no significant pressure needed to start and complete in 1 day. I mean, I still wasn’t really sure what to expect, but after she mentioned her own timeline, & me knowing how I have to run my household, I already knew I wasn’t gonna finish in 1 day.

Then the day arrived!! I started like 5-6pm on July 27, 2020. I had decided my method would be finger coils. My sister Dia, mentioned she had 64 locs, & knowing our hair was similar & after seeing her pics of the size of her locs, I was like ok. So I can guess I’ll have somewhere around the same amount. They weren’t too large or too small. I am aware to consider hair texture, density, length, & thickness of hair. I had seen a few videos where there were a few ladies who had a count on their locs. So I decided I was gonna begin keeping count of my locs immediately upon installation. I ended with 90-91 finger coils! I didnt think I’d have so many so I am hoping since some may be smaller than ideal that I’ll combine some as time goes by. Otherwise, I’m still VERY pleased with the results!

Day 3

After 3 days of manipulating mirrors, making my own concoction of mixing my oils water for spritzing my hair, making sure I finger coiled all my locs clockwise, taking breaks, rehydrating my hair between days, still asking questions and you tubing, I finally completed my locs on July 29, 2020. I must say, I am quite proud of myself. I wanted to consult with a few locticians, especially if I knew I wasn’t going to nobody shop. But after all the research I had gathered, and all my inquiries, I learned locs are for the most part low maintenance. I had learned what products NOT to use, keep products that you do use to a minimum, know that no 2 people have the same journey, be patient and trust the process! (OH!! AND FRIZZ FRIZZ FRIZZ!!! LOL)

If you wanna know my personal WHY, here it is. 2017 marked a significant life changing time for me. Since then, I have faced significant losses of relationships or dramatically changed relationships, a jarring start of a spiritual journey, multiple bouts of depression with having a3rd baby in 2018 contributing to one of those bouts of depression, the beginnings of being a yoga practitioner, to a yoga instructor to now a novice entrepreneur of a yoga and wellness business, Joy Of Santosha, LLC. I begin to learn how to be truthful with myself and not apologize for being truthful with others. MY TRUTH, is exactly that, MINE. And I had to learn & am still learning not to be so damn apologetic about everything! And there are just a few other things that are going on that I was like, NOW is the time. I want to seal in this energy of my life right now. A sense of renewal, confidence, being unapologetic, not being afraid to embark on new challenges, not being afraid to be creative & being in a space where it’s time to minimize my life! I’ve been purging with regards to clothes, things, habits & people. And once I realized I wanted locs and WHY, I begin to think about my chakras & my skin. I begin to think about so much of what we put in and ON our bodies, to include our heads, is processed in & through our bodies like anything else. Products I use on my hair are near my brain & Third Eye and Crown chakras! I was like I need to not put these chemicals in my head anymore! I want my thought processes to be as clear as possible so that I can show up as my best self for myself and for others as I begin to serve my community through not only yoga, but through whatever else is within my capacity! This was my logic.

I have gotten rid of just about all my hair products but held on to a few to bless someone with once I figure out who can use them. So here I am! On this journey! I’m truly excited! And I hope that you tag along with following me and my loc journey! Please feel free to provide your own input as I am still learning & working with the bare minimum which I have no issues with! And lastly, I’m unsure of my timeline with regards to when I may wash and retwist, but I want to be mindful of the nature of my hair. I may simply do an update in about 4-5 weeks & possibly another update and retwist on week 6. Either way, I will surely be keeping a diary of my journey. I have a feeling this will get interesting. Be well.