Hi everyone! Over the years, quite a number of people have come to me, wondering if they should get sisterlocks. I always tell every person the exact same thing: it depends. I know this doesn’t seem to be a very good answer but it’s honestly the truth. That is why I came up with a fun short quiz to help you decide if to lock your hair. After taking the quiz, read the information below.
Quiz:
After completing the quiz, watch this video or read the information below.
Do you like changing your hair often?
Sisterlocks (or dreadlocks) are not temporary hair choices. If you decide to lock your hair, be sure that this is what you want for the foreseeable future. While locks are very versatile when it comes to styling, at the end of the day it is still locked hair. In addition, if you decide you want to have unlocked hair again, it will be difficult to undo the locks, and you will lose a lot of growth when doing so.
Do you have the money to invest in it?
Finances are a touchy subject for most people but it is usually one of the biggest factors in any decision. While dreadlocks can be diy-friendly, sisterlocks are not. If you decide to get them installed by a registered consultant (and please do!), it will require quite a bit of money. Pricing varies by country/region, so you should research how much it would cost where you live. You should also research how much retightening (i.e. locking the new growth as it appears) will cost. It is possible to learn how to retighten your own hair for a fee. There are R-certified consultants that regularly hold workshops to teach you your own lock pattern, and how to do it yourself. You could also learn to do a slightly different version of locs called microlocs (See my post: Types of dreads: the truth about microlocs) which is very diy friendly. All in all though, if you have the funds to do locs, it is definitely worth the investment.
Do you have the patience to wait for them to mature and settle in?
I have seen many people try locking their hair, especially with dreadlocks, and before they mature they take them out because they don’t like how it looks. When you first start out, your locks will look a little weird. Everyone goes through this phase. If you don’t have the patience to wait it out, you probably shouldn’t start the process in the first place.
Do you like locks in general or do you just like the locks of the person you admire?
A lot of times, people don’t realize that every person’s hair will look different. Your locks won’t look exactly like mine and that should be okay with you. You should like the look of sisterlocks or dreadlocks in general, not just how it looks on someone else. Be ready to embrace your own hair type.
Until next time!
∼Jay
I have twos strand twists at the moment but I want smaller locs. Can I undo the twists and start locking the individual matted strands or that will cause slippage?
Hi! If understand correctly, you want to undo the twists and not comb them out completely so you can use the now divided locs to create smaller locs? There’s no reason that this should cause slippage since slippage comes from the roots of your hair which will be freshly retightened when you’re done. If you’re worried about it unraveling which starts at the ends then it’s best to palm roll the entire loc shaft until it mats and locks together more. Please let me know if you have any further questions!
This is very helpful. I’ve recently put in sisterlocks. I can’t wait to read your next blog.
Just realized that I liked the comment but forgot to reply (/.\) Thank you for the support and I’m glad that I could help (: