Help With Self Maintaining Locs

[victoriab]

i started my locs in February 2007 and i have been going to a loctitian approximatley every 3 to 4 weeks. due to my schedule and some other things in life lately i haven't been in almost 6 weeks and the other day i started looking on this site to see if i can find info, basically i want to start doing my own hair, so what i need to know is what process should i do on my own. i hear about spritzing and oiling and no poo and shampooing and conditioning and i need to know what routines people use when they self maintain their own locs. i did twist them the other night but i didn't have any clips so it did make them neater but not as neat as the loctician, plus i didn't have any products accept for some glycerin stuff that was used on wavy styles . so i guess i just need advice on how to start taking care of them myself. what products i should use.

[ChaoticSoul]

Hey sis, I just wanted to point you in the direction of the pinned topic Must read for all Lockers... it has tons of info and links to the various threads on maintenance. You can also do a search on it as well.
Hope that helps :2cents:

[zahraliberation]

Hey Victoriab,

My routine is fairly simple. I run a lot, so I wash my hair once per week. I use diluted Dr. Bronner's shampoo (I switch up on the scents depending on how I'm feeling). My locs are almost 2 years old, so I use L'Oreal Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture conditioner. People say you shouldn't put conditioner on new locs, and others say you shouldn't put it on locs at all because it can get inside the locs and create build-up, but I haven't had any problems and the conditioner is super rich, so it really makes my hair softer and more moisturized. Once per month, I do an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse, which is one cup of ACV and one cup of water. I also add a few drops of jasmine or ylang ylang essential oil because it covers up the vinegar scent and leaves my hair smelling good :P . After that, I wrap it up in a pillowcase to soak up some of the water (better than a towel because it doesn't leave any lint in your locs). Then, I have this concoction that I make with 1/2 shea butter (microwaved for about 1 minute so it'll liquefy), mixed with a few drops of sweet almond oil, some avocado oil, some jojoba oil, and a bit of olive oil. I also add a few drops of jasmine to this. I stir it all up and put it in the fridge for a day. It solidifies into a nice pomade consistency, and when you rub some between your palms, it's clear. I put this on my hair once a week after I wash and condition it. Then I just separate my roots rather than re- twisting (the roots don't look super-neat like they do after you re-twist, but I think it's better for your hair because it generally only needs to be re-twisted every couple of months or so if at all. Plus, I like it looking kind of fuzzy and wild). I put the pomade on each loc and rub it in all the way to the tip. The moisture lasts me for the whole week, but it doesn't feel too heavy. And that's it! All done. Sorry to leave such a long post, but when you're trying to decide what to do with your locs, I figure too much info is better than not enough.

Good luck. Peace.

P.S. Oh yeah, I might spritz my locs a few times a week between shampoos - the spritz is just water and olive oil with some drops of grapefruit and jasmine essential oil for scent. Love that jasmine... :wub:

[victoriab]

Hey Victoriab,

My routine is fairly simple. I run a lot, so I wash my hair once per week. I use diluted Dr. Bronner's shampoo (I switch up on the scents depending on how I'm feeling). My locs are almost 2 years old, so I use L'Oreal Nature's Therapy Mega Moisture conditioner. People say you shouldn't put conditioner on new locs, and others say you shouldn't put it on locs at all because it can get inside the locs and create build-up, but I haven't had any problems and the conditioner is super rich, so it really makes my hair softer and more moisturized. Once per month, I do an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse, which is one cup of ACV and one cup of water. I also add a few drops of jasmine or ylang ylang essential oil because it covers up the vinegar scent and leaves my hair smelling good :P . After that, I wrap it up in a pillowcase to soak up some of the water (better than a towel because it doesn't leave any lint in your locs). Then, I have this concoction that I make with 1/2 shea butter (microwaved for about 1 minute so it'll liquefy), mixed with a few drops of sweet almond oil, some avocado oil, some jojoba oil, and a bit of olive oil. I also add a few drops of jasmine to this. I stir it all up and put it in the fridge for a day. It solidifies into a nice pomade consistency, and when you rub some between your palms, it's clear. I put this on my hair once a week after I wash and condition it. Then I just separate my roots rather than re- twisting (the roots don't look super-neat like they do after you re-twist, but I think it's better for your hair because it generally only needs to be re-twisted every couple of months or so if at all. Plus, I like it looking kind of fuzzy and wild). I put the pomade on each loc and rub it in all the way to the tip. The moisture lasts me for the whole week, but it doesn't feel too heavy. And that's it! All done. Sorry to leave such a long post, but when you're trying to decide what to do with your locs, I figure too much info is better than not enough.

Good luck. Peace.

P.S. Oh yeah, I might spritz my locs a few times a week between shampoos - the spritz is just water and olive oil with some drops of grapefruit and jasmine essential oil for scent. Love that jasmine... :wub:
[/b]

Hey sis, I just wanted to point you in the direction of the pinned topic Must read for all Lockers... it has tons of info and links to the various threads on maintenance. You can also do a search on it as well.
Hope that helps :2cents:
[/b]

thank you so much, i will check out the pinned topic on must read for all lockers , that does help. and thanks also for advising me of your routine