Month 16

Current Hair Stats:

Colour: Dark Red (click here and here for more info)

Big Chop: 5th January 2012

Loc Birthdate: 3rd April 2012

Starting Method: Comb coils

Number of locs: 51

Length: 3-4.3 inches (unstretched)

   

 Hope you like the new colour. I can't believe I'm writing to you, celebrating sixteen months of loc'dom from right here in Marseille. Locs are pretty popular amongst the masses here too.

I was still washing my hair on average twice a week but as I've just recoloured it (faded colour in previous post) I don't want to wash it that often. When I do wash it it's in cool-cold water, that way the colour doesn't run.

I'm also still trying to palm-rub my locs more often because they're still pretty fuzzy. Other than that though my tips have completely sealed and they're looking very healthy. I think they've condensed a even further this month as I can hardly describe them as "puffy" anymore. They're of course much easier to manage than they were twelve months ago and I haven't had to anything to them all on this trip, though I imagine the 40˚C heat will take it's toll eventually.

  

Since I'm really attached to washing my hair a lot, and short, thick locs don't stay twisted for very long I've been using a different maintenance technique to help my new growth form. I've been crocheting for around four months or so and I think I've improved on my technique enough to share it with you.

Compared with conventional retwisting I've found that crocheting:

- allows you to wash your hair more frequently without new growth unravelling
- lasts longer/indefinately
- controls loose hair, especially around the hair line
- causes less tension on the scalp
- can allow for a less groomed appearance, if that's your thing
- allows you to manipulate your hair immediately afterwards, without unravelling
- requires no product(s)
- is best done after washing on completely dry hair
- shouldn't be done immediately before washing otherwise it'll come undone to some extent
- can take longer to complete but easy to do over a couple of days as and when you have time
- doesn't require clips so can be slept on straight away
- is harder to master

When I first tried it I didn't really know what I was hoping for I was just tired of unravelling. After a few goes with a micro crochet needle (not a crochet hook), I learnt that the best results come from light and infrequent crocheting that way locs don't become stiff and rigid. If you crochet just enough to form the beginning shape they'll still have a soft spongy feel being pretty hollow in the middle but they thicken up and fill in over time. Also I've learnt that there is such a thing as 'over crocheting' which can lead to hair loss. Each section of hair should only be crocheted once; so each time you do it you should only crochet loose new growth. The most important lesson I've learnt was to never crochet to the root/scalp. I like to differentiate between "roots" and "new growth" just for my own clarity on this method. I think of "roots" as being the first 1 inch section from the scalp and the "new growth" as being the loose hair from that inch to where the loc has already formed.

I tried to find related videos for use of the crochet technique on afro/black hair but I could only find one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOZqBWwkng

frizz after several days of swimming in the ocean

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission**

Month 15

Today makes one year and three months for me and my locs. I never thought I'd say it but time is flying.

Hair end of May (just washed):

Now that I'm back exercising regularly I rinse my scalp every week but I'm only using shampoo 1-2 times a month. As you've probably noticed I'm not really sticking to a formal routine, I just base my decisions on what actives and events are happening at the time.

People are starting to instantly recognise that I have locs. My gran however is still baffled by the whole thing but at least she's very pleased with the growth. This month my locs have indeed out done themselves in that department and I finally have a good 3-4 inches un-stretched.

Aside from the odd basket weave, to keep the front out of the way, I'm not really sure how to style my locs. They're just not at that length yet and the side effects from forced tension aren't worth the effort. We'll see what I'm working with by the end of the year.

Recently I've amped up my loc grooming as I'd kind of let the fuzz and frizz go by the by. I've been trying to palm-rub every week to help them grow cylindrically. I found that not tending to them was certainly beneficial while they firmed up but as a result some of my locs in the back had become flat (I wanted to do a separate post on the topic but flat locs proved difficult to photograph). Also the frizz was stringing off to the point where I'd been left with this:








 

At first I wanted to keep them and see how they'd develop but then they got too stringy and made it seem as though I was thinning so I snipped them off a couple of weeks ago. Now all my tips are even and fortunately non have unravelled.

 

 

I have a new favourite that I had to take a snap of:

in love with thickums here, all nice and  loc'd

Hair in June:

Next post: Red locs, excitement all round!

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission.**

Month 14

Hello to all of you old and new. I've been on this journey to loc'dom for fourteen months today. Though the changes are subtle from month to month I think my locs are maturing at a steady pace these days. They're still unruly and shrinkage is still with us but my hair has been considerably more managable recently.

Research into loc extensions has firmly drawn to a close. I found it to be an expensive affair wherever I turned. Buying the hair for a DIY job is pricey and seemingly hard to find and salons (or even at home hair enthusiasts) charge hundreds if not a £1000 or more for installation! Although a worth while investment for some, I had to ask myself; (as I do with most purchases being on student budget) what is the value of true contentment...?

...And so I wait for length. The locs in the back are surpassing those in the front in growth and maturity but developments are happening all over. My locs feel different every month. Now they feel firmer than before, less spongy somehow. They're certainly a long way from the hollow coils I started out with and the compact density really makes them look like locs.

shrinkage and bed head

I used to get a lot of straggly loose hair at the tips when
I washed them but I palm-rub it back in often

On occasion I catch myself toying with thoughts of what I'd do if my hair were loose but it still doesn't really appeal to me. To be honest I don't know if my locs really appeal to me at this stage either but I'm growing with them and I do see potential.

I've seen a good many loc wearers in and around my home town recently (probably due to the warmer weather) and it's really opened my eyes to how popular this style is in the UK. But no matter how many loc'ers I see, somehow dreads still achieve that individual look. I've observed moderate uniformity and trends that various loc wearers prefer but they're all worn in very different ways. Now that I think about it, it's the years of growth and maturity that make them appear so individual and I'm sure baring through without extensions will be just as rewarding. Even when they're groomed and moulded consistently they grow naturally according to who that person is.

I like that.

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission**

Month 13

My locs are at an incredibly awkward length now. In the back they've reached the base of my neck for the first time in seven years. Everywhere else seems, to me, shorter than it was at Christmas but I think it's because they don't hang as easily at this size. They seem to be quite rigid but still spongey and they still want to grow up and out. I imagine thicker locs need more time to get heavy enough to hang but it's not easy having 4" tentacles sprouting up every morning.

Speaking of mornings, my getup and go routine is a little more complicated now. The added length makes it just on the cusp of style-able but it's luck of the draw as to whether it'll co-operate two days in a row:

bantu knots

scarf bun

scarf headband

Loc extensions are still on my mind. I know my hair will get to ponytail length eventually but I need to get back to low maintenance sooner rather than later. When I become a student in the autumn I want the carefree hairstyle that allows me to spend time doing more important things. I've seen a ton of DIY extension videos but we'll see where we're at come September 1st.

This week I re-lightened and re-coloured the loc I experimented with in the back after it'd finally faded enough over the last five or so months. I just wanted to be sure of the shade I'd chosen before going all the way in July.

re-lightened

rough ponytail and re-coloured

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission**