How To Achieve Loc Growth on Loose Hair

Locs achieve their length because low-no manipulation, leads to no breakage, which leads to length retention. With this understanding, I adopted a very low manipulation regimen for our hair. This is the only thing that I am consistent with so I contribute our growth success to closely mimicing a loc regimen, meaning I leave it alone for extended lengths of time allowing our hair to grow. When I do refresh our hair, I do everything I can to minimize hair loss and breakage so that we can retain the growth we achieved during the extended time our hair has been left alone.

I've personally found box braids to be the best style for this kind of regimen. Having extremely coily hair, I found that I could not leave twists in our hair for really extended lengths of time because our hair would loc and we would lose hair in the detangle. Box braids de-coil our hair, stretching it smooth so that we don't lose hair that isn't shed hair in the detangle. I still do twist and twist-outs from time to time. I just can't let them stay in past two weeks.

This may surprise you but I never wear my box braids out, yet my hair is in box braids everyday. I will put 20 or more braids in my moisturized hair during the weekend. This gives me a defined braid-out that I can keep going for up to a month. The way I do this is I take those braids down the next day and braid them in larger chunks (10 braids) adding more moisture to my hair if needed. I don't comb, brush or part, I just grab large sections, add more moisture if needed and braid. I put on a satin bonnet and go to sleep. Monday morning, I take the braids down, finger through, shake and go. I repeat the process at night, never combing or brushing. Sometimes I will style my hair in an updo. There are many styles that I do none involve combing or brushing.

My scalp loves Aloe Vera and stays exceptionally clean and dandruff free when I spray my braids and scalp with Aloe Vera Juice. It must be the healing effect that aloe has on skin. I have Dermatitis brought on by the extremely acidic nature of chemical relaxers and Aloe has allowed me to heal my scalp and maintain the health of my scalp while keeping my box-braid regimen going for up to a month.

Hair does attract dirt so I clean my braids with a wet cloth during this phase if necessary and sometimes do very diluted ACV rinses while my braids are in (ACV can be very irritating if it's not diluted enough). ACV is also great for maintaining a clean, healthy scalp. Other natural ingredients great for cleansing the scalp are baking soda dissolved in water and witch hazel.

The key to this regimen is keeping the scalp healthy and the hair in a moisturized and stretched state so that when it is time to wash and detangle, it isn't traumatic to the hair. We want to maximize growth and minimize breakage.

I never wash all of my hair loose. I take one braid down, co-wash, finger detangle also using a wide to comb to help remove shed hair if necessary, rebraid and move on to the next.

As for my youngest seen on this blog, I simply leave her box braids up as long as possible using the same cleaning and washing techniques.

I am no product junky and am not loyal to anything. I just like anything that helps with moisture. The only thing I use on a consistent basis is Aloe juice and olive oil. I like my hair moisturizers thick. I also like shea butter because it's heavy and our naps like heavy products because our hair is naturally dry and sucks product in. Heavy products also help to smooth out our coils so that our hair can maintain it's stretch. I use cheap conditioner for co-washing and detangling. When I make my own, I use canned coconut milk, oil (usually olive), honey and sometimes an egg yolk when I think we need a protein treatment.

That's pretty much it. I hope you are finding success in cultivating your beautiful, glorious, natural hair.

Pray what ever prayer...

...this photo inspires you to pray.



Donate $5 to Wyclef Jeans Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.)

Angels Over Haiti

My mind is hurting and my heart is broken

I don't how much more you can endure

I pray hope is in abundance

I pray miracles pour down from the sky

God send an army of angels

made of the many that have gone from you

who now plead your case in heaven

so that a new dawn will shine upon you

it will surely come

may the tears of mourning cried

baptize the ground under your feet

so that every step you take

will forever be

on holy ground

on sacred ground

on hallowed ground

on blessed ground


Donate $5 to Wyclef Jeans Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.)

Growth

4th birthday


2 months after 5th birthday


6th birthday

My Baby's Royal Treatment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Here is a photo video of my daughter having her hair done at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World. She had it done when she was 3 as well. I took her 5 braids down in the morning. It was nice and moisturized with no tangles. Her stylist used "Let's Jam" and a hair brush that I brought. I asked the stylist not to completely get rid of her braid parts so that I could get it back into her 5 braid style with ease the next day. She did a great job of covering the parts without getting rid of them. My daughter loved this both times. She will be going back next trip.

Here is the pic...

That I took of my youngest's daughter's hair when i Decided to length check it. It accompanied the blog that bglhonline talked about on Sunday January 10th. Since I am aware that most of you found me because of that post, here is that blog in it's entirety entitled "My Daughter's Beautiful Naps".

Holy Followers Batman!!!

For real though!!!

I logged in here to post something and my followers have more than doubled!!! It's the bglhonline effect poppin off to the fullest. It's my favorite site for natural black hair. The work that they put into it is amazing. I read them every day for inspiration and to continue my education in caring for the 4 heads of beautiful African hair in my home (3 daughters and my own, hubby rocks a low fade). I love seeing beautiful pictures and reading the stories of black women who have learned to love themselves. We are just so cold when we let go of the conditioning that we have been under. I'm addicted to our beauty.

Let me just tell all you beautiful people that I am not like them. I'm lazy. I up date randomly. I'm mad opinionated and raw up in here but I say everything I say out of love. I may offend because I do hold some strong opinions and I do come here to let off. Many times I write when I'm aggravated so don't take me to hard. Sometimes I come back and read my own stuff and think dang I could have been more diplomatic about this or that but I leave things as they are and ride out.

Thanks for taking time out of your precious lives to read me. I hope that at some point I can give you inspiration and something to use on your journey through this life. We are family on this planet. We have to help each other make it.