Readers Emails Answered

Hello! My name is Lee and I had a brief question. I recently braided my hair into "braidlocs"..I started with about 3 1/2 inches of hair...eventhough I made them small...they seem to grow out so fast! I had to wash and retwist only after 1 week! Is this normal? I mean I really want locs and I've tried the other methods already and I'm pretty much dead-set on these braids....I wanted to know if there were any tips for : 1. Dryness 2. Shampoo I also sweat alot iin my head so some of them unravel..is there anything to prevent this? I would really aprreciate any knowledge and feedback that you have! Thanx!!!! :}

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Hi Lee!

Welcome to the Queendom, and congrats on your decision to loc! Lets get right to it shall we?

Now, your method of braid-locing is a wise and simple choice to loc. Why? Because it is one of the simpler methods to loc, which you do not have to worry about twisting and retwisting the roots. In fact the easiest way to handle those roots which are growing in quickly is to latchook that newgrowth. Click here for information and the how-to, to latchook. This is the same method I use to maintain my daughters braidlocs. This is one way to remain organic by avoiding the use of products on the hair.

You ask if it is normal for you hair to grow so fast, girl not only it normal, but it is great! It means you will definitely have a full head of head of healthy locs! Now to combat dryness, its important to hydrate the hair. You should use your favorite leave in conditioner daily! Do not oversaturate the hair but mist the hair lightly to keep it soft. For shine, I like to use a bit of olive oil, or my favorite mixture of oils plus essential oils for a light scent.

If you are in need of shampoo just trot right on down to your favorite health food store and pick up the bottle of your choice! Depending on the stage your locs are in you may should be able to condition them if you are in the teen stage or beyond which will also aide in the hydration process.

Your braids should not be coming down, if they are then dare I say your hair type is maybe 3a-3b? Which mean your curl pattern is a bit looser? If this is the case then you will just have to rebraid those ends, or place something on the ends (which isn't very attractive in my opinion), but hey its on you. Don't you worry about the sweat punkin, unless its really a BIG problem. When I work out I sweat in my head too. But it dries by the time I leave the gym. This is why bi-weekly shampooing is a good thing.

Look out for my loc book that will be coming soon, it is sure to be your, go-to manual while you are locing. I share all my tips, tricks, and recipes for loc success!

Hope this helps!

Stay Blessed & Happy Locing!