Had To Learn It The Hard Way

[sonshinescoils]

i am almost a month into this locing thing. and while i haven't mastered anything yet, i have learned some valuable lessons from making mistakes.

1. do not spritz hair/take a shower then immediately tie hair down for bed. this results in vanishing locs which turn up smushed beyond recognition in the flat fro.

2. when doing the doggy shake to dry, it is best to do said shake with one's mouth *closed*. otherwise, one gets spit everywhere :lol

3. if one decides to wrestle with the furbabies with an uncovered head, please be not surprised when they leave furry essence behind in your hair.

okay so here are mine, so far. what mistakes, large and small, have you made with your baby (and not so baby) locs? op

[locdbutterfly]

just because the product in the store say "for locs" doesn't mean you have to buy it and throw it in your hair...oh wow, in the beginning, i was putting too much goo in my hair...i was a product junkie...everytime i saw something that said 'for locs' i bought it and used it...finally one time i washed my hair and oh man i had a big ol' mess...my hair was sooooooo gooey and when it dried, i was extra hard...that's when i was instructed to use a clarifying shampoo and the acv rinse...my locs loved that...my loc mentors (toy and patrina) taught me well...

i no longer learn the hard way...i do my research first before i put some product in my locs...

[sangoma]

The biggest mistake I made with my first locs was not doing enough research before I loced my hair. I knew nothing about how different hair types (loose or tight coils, z pattern, s pattern and so on) affect the end result. My hair unravels very easily and bradelocs and finger latching seem to be the best way to get locs.
I also knew nothing about beeswax, except it can be used for locs (with some bad results) until almost too late.
One thing I now know, Research, Research, Research, Research, Research (have I said this enough?) is the best way to learn.

[flybutter]

Listening to someone who told me to condition my locks after one year (heck, some stylist told me the same thing last week) or they would break off. Wrong! Major unraveling!

Using products because it said formulated for natural hair and had a woman who looked Black on the bottle. Never, ever buy Dark & Lovely products that are supposed to be for natural hair. Mega alcohol!

Not finding Nappturality.com until 2 years into my locking journey!

[FreshStart]

1. Using ACV in my hair rinses. Just because sooooo many people use it with (+) results and people all over the place recommended it, doesn't mean it'll do your hair any good. It was awful for me. Protein treatments have helped..

2. Don't lay my head anywhere my cat likes to hang out.

3. It's good to test products on your hand before putting it in your hair - see how well it rinses off.

-Listen to your hair. Learn what it likes & dislikes. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Keep it clean & moisturized.

[sharynleigh]

1. I have learned that spritzing with water makes me look like a scared cat. Instant fuzz and unravelling. I love the way it feels but it ain't working for me.

2. I have learned to keep it covered whenever I do anything dusty or cooking. That stuff flies straight to your head.

3. I have learned to use a blow dryer on cool to blow out any dust that might be sitting on my head.

4. Gotta clip down some of these puppies before wrapping up at night or I look like I have been electrocuted in the morning.

5. Don't sit down with my cat behind my head. Instant scratching post

[sonshinescoils]

wow. don't be a scratching post. that's gotta hurt!

[Schiffon]

Getting velcro too close to my locs

Using Dr. Bronners on my locs (once made it very clear that although a staple for many, it was no good for me)

Using an ACV rinse (my locs don't like it)

[Lyn]

I made a boo boo with velcro, I learned that spritzing causes my locs to mesh at the roots.

While sitting in a high back chair or a sofa I learned to make sure my locs are not sitting between my shoulders and the furniture or I could lose a loc or get a headache just by moving my head.
When one of my cats walk on the back of the sofa I had to learn to move my head.
I learned that I should leave them alone and not twist so much or they will suddenly get thin and thinner and thinner and then vanish :-P

[LBellatrix]

I haven't made too many boo-boos that I know of...thanks to the wise women of this forum!

Oops, I just thought of one: In the early days I went too long without separating my roots and I used scissors to separate. One day I accidentally snipped a chunk out of a loc while trying to separate two others. I tied the damaged loc into a knot but it looked worse so I ended up cutting it. Now I have one loc that's about half as short as the ones around it. :doh