Transitioning From Locs To Loose Natural Hair

ka · 08-20-2006, 05:24 PM

I've had my locs for just over 3.5 years and i've decided that I'd like to cut them off and rock my natural hair. I'm entering a new stage in my life so I feel like it's time for a change. My main concern is how to go about cutting my locs in order to preserve enough hair for a small fro - 2 inches would be ideal.

I'm considering just growing my hair out till the end of the year and not retwisting it during this period. I'm concerned that the new growth will lock on it's own even though I'm not twisting it since it's a natural tendency for the hair to loc when it's not being combed.

Another idea is to just cut my locs down to about 2 inches or so from my scalp and use tweezers (or a similar object) to unravel it. I'm not trying to unravel all of my locs since I'm not concerned about having a lot of length and I'm definitely not trying to deal with days of unraveling locked hair.

Am I deluding myself in thinking I can unravel some of my loced hair? Would it be wiser to just wait it out till I get some length then just chop my locs off. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

**Leecee** · 08-20-2006, 05:41 PM

I think you should just wait it out. You should be able to grow two inches in no time. I met a girl who was "transitioning from locs". She was way past the two inch mark, but she kept her hair brushed back into a ponytail. When I met her, only the hair hanging from the elastic was locked. I never did see the end results. But I assume she had a lot of patience. I'd get bored wearing a ponytail all the time.

**Shawnta715** · 08-20-2006, 05:59 PM

Since length isn't really a concern, if you wanted to be "free" now I would cut my locks about 3 inches from my scalp and unravel from there. The hair that close to your scalp shouldn't be that difficult to take out, and I don't think it would take as long as coming from the bottom.

**Alisondra** · 08-21-2006, 10:27 AM

No you aren't deluding yourself. Several people have posted about unravelling their locs so it is possible. And may be less time consuming for you since you plan to cut off most of the length before unravelling.

Best wishes to you on whatever route you take.