Hi everyone! Loc extensions are something that people often want to know about. It is a huge pain waiting for your locks to grow. Others just want to switch things up with a different look. For me, it was a little bit of both. I wanted a new hairstyle for Cropover in Barbados, so I asked my loctician: can you put faux locs on real locs? It turned out that you can, but in order to not damage your locks, you should follow a few guidelines which will be discussed in this post.
Initially, my loctician was not a fan of the idea. She advised me that if I did put on the faux locs, I should only have them on for 2 to 3 weeks maximum. Of course me being the adventurous locs enthusiast that I am, I didn’t listen. Don’t judge me! I wanted to get as much value for my money as I could! So I ended up keeping them on for almost 6 weeks. This is what they looked like right before I took them off.
I decided not to push it any longer for fear of damaging my locs yet again. And good thing I did, because when I took off the faux locs, my hair was lifeless. I immediately saw why my sisterlocks consultant told me 2 to 3 weeks.
As is customary with any type of extensions, I let them breathe for 2 days before washing them. They fully came back to life after 2 separate washes (2 weeks apart), including a protein treatment and a deep conditioning moisturizer each time.
So do I regret it? No. Would I shorten the length of time I leave on loc extensions next time? Eh, probably not, if I’m being honest. But at least now I know what to expect. I definitely wouldn’t leave them on for longer than 6 weeks though.
Key takeaways:
- Don’t do the faux locs too tight, as to avoid them pulling on your locs too much.
- Get them done a few days after retightening. This will relieve some of the soreness. It also helps to avoid the pull on your locks.
- Don’t leave them on for too long. You don’t want to risk any permanent damage.
- Wait at least 1 day after taking them off before you wash your hair.
- Do a protein treatment and deep conditioning after removing the extensions.
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Have you ever put loc extensions or faux locs on locs?
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Related posts:
How to grow locks: my hair repair and growth regimen
Dos and don’ts for locks
3 ways to remove lint/buildup from locks
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Until next time!
~Jay