I Definitely Did Not Know What I Was Getting Into
This Is My Complete Loc Journey Series
I created this series to bring together what I learned from starting my locs, making a few memorable mistakes, figuring out maintenance and eventually settling into a routine that became much easier to live with. Keep reading to explore the series.
When I decided to start my locs, the plan seemed simple enough.
Grow some hair. Choose a parting system. Get my sister to work her magic. Stop giving the barber a portion of my salary every week.
Beautiful plan.
What I had not accounted for was everything that happens between “I want locs” and actually having a mature head of locs that behaves itself.
There were decisions about size and parting. There were starter methods I knew very little about. There was the awkward stage, the budding stage, the maintenance, the products—and one particularly enthusiastic shampoo session where I apparently decided my scalp contained buried treasure and nearly scrubbed my starter locs back into an afro.
Fortunately, they survived.
More importantly, so did my sister.
What started as a practical decision to simplify my hair routine eventually became something I genuinely enjoyed documenting. Looking back at the early pictures now, I can see much more than a hairstyle changing. I can see all the little lessons that came with figuring things out as I went.
And there were quite a few.
Somewhere Along the Way, It Got Much Easier
The biggest thing I learned about locs is that the beginning can make them seem considerably more complicated than they eventually become. Starter locs need patience. They shrink, frizz, loosen, bud and occasionally seem determined to convince you that something has gone terribly wrong.
Then, eventually, they settle.
Mine became stronger. Washing stopped feeling like a high-risk activity. Retightening became less mysterious. I learned what worked for my hair, what I could comfortably do myself and what was better left to someone with considerably more patience than me.
My routine became simpler too.
I didn’t need a bathroom cabinet overflowing with expensive products. A dependable shampoo and conditioner, something light for moisture and sheen, a product for palm rolling when needed, a few maintenance tools and some clips were enough to make the process manageable.
That simplicity is probably my favourite part of having locs now.
What originally began partly because I was tired of constantly going to the barber eventually gave me something even better: a routine that feels like mine.
Simple enough to maintain.
Flexible enough to change.
And, most importantly, no weekly barber appointment to pressure my wallet.
So I Put Everything I Learned in One Place
The more I wrote about my locs, the more I realized that there wasn’t really one article that could tell the entire story properly.
Someone considering locs for the first time probably wants to understand starter methods, sizing and parting systems before worrying about which spray oil I use.
Someone already in the starter stage might be considerably more interested in hearing what happens when things unravel—and whether the awkward stages eventually end.
And once the locs mature, the questions change again.
What do you wash them with?
How do you maintain them?
What products are actually worth keeping around?
That is what this series is for.
It combines what I learned before starting, what actually happened after I started and the products and maintenance habits that eventually made the whole thing much easier.
Some of it is practical.
Some of it is educational.
And some of it is simply me admitting the mistakes so you hopefully don’t have to repeat them.
Want to explore the complete loc journey? Whether you’re thinking about starting locs, already surviving the starter stage or simply looking for a maintenance routine that doesn’t require half the beauty-supply store, these are the stories and guides that make up the series.
How to Start Locs the Right Way: 5 Starter Methods, Parting Systems & Beginner Tips
My Loc Journey: From Starter Loc Mistakes to Low-Maintenance Freedom
Loc Care Products That Work: Budget-Friendly Essentials That Made My Journey Easier
Where Are You in Your Loc Journey?
Where are you in your loc journey—thinking about starting, figuring things out, or finally enjoying the low-maintenance stage?
