Hi everyone! While it is perfectly fine to be free form in your lock journey, a lot of men and women prefer their locs to be groomed. The frizziness mostly happens with beginner locs; however, sometimes due to your specific hair type or just natural causes, your locks can get a little fuzzy. Loc grooming, rather than loc pruning, is the key to fixing frizzy locs.
What is loc grooming?
A lot of people don’t realize that retightening or retwisting is not the same as grooming. Retightening deals with unlocked new growth while grooming deals with your already locked hair. Loc grooming means making one’s locks appear neater than they were before. This involves taking the fine hairs sticking out of your locs and bringing them back to the loc shaft, thus eliminating the frizz.
Most locticians groom when they retighten your locs, especially those who retighten palm-rolled locks or coiled locks. With interlocking, grooming does not happen as often, and can be seen as an additional service.
What is loc pruning?
Loc pruning, on the other hand, has to do with cutting the frizz off. This is not recommended. Pruning the frizz from your locs could slow down the locking process and may even cause more frizziness. It is better to try to bring the hairs sticking out into the lock (i.e. loc grooming) rather than prune them, i.e., cut them off.
Can I groom beginner locs?
Yes you can, but depending on your locking method, you should be careful. With interlocking especially, grooming is not necessary. Frizzy locs are normal in the beginning. Your locs are now starting to form and will eventually thin and fall on their own. The less manipulation, the better.
How do I groom my locs?
Loc grooming can be done using different techniques, the most popular being:
- the Wrapping technique
- the Rolling technique
Most times, people combine the two techniques, first wrapping then rolling. If you roll first, clusters of hair might not straighten out. See below for the before and after using the 2 techniques.
How often should I groom my locs?
I would recommend that you do it no more often than every time that you get your hair retightened; so on average, no more than every 6 to 8 weeks. Personally, I don’t even groom every single lock; I only groom when I can feel that a specific lock is fuzzy. However, if your locks have already matured, feel free to set a routine that works best for you.
Related posts:
Should you trim your locs?
How to repair a hole in your lock
Self-retightening tips: interlocking
How to maintain locks in long periods between retightenings
3 ways to remove lint/buildup from your locks
Until next time!
~Jay
Could you recommend products to use on locs when using rollers to curl locs. I have been spritzing my locs with water before applying rollers, however I believe this is causing the bunches in my locs. Want the curls but not the bunches. I find some bunches after washing my locs also. Should I just use hot curlers to make curls instead of rollers?
Hi! I’m not sure what you mean by bunches. But you shouldn’t need to use hot curlers on your locs. Maybe try flexi-rods instead of traditional rollers. You can still use water or better yet our Rose water Revitalizing Spray
Hi Jay, thanks for responding back. What I mean by “bunching” is when a thick ball of hair form in the middle of my locs. My locs are almost three years now. The bunching is less now, but still presents from time to time. I just thought spritzing water On my locs was causing this to happen. I will try using the rose water that you recommended. Thank you.
Hi Arnita! Thanks for explaining. I wasn’t sure if we were thinking of the same thing when using the word ‘bunching’ but it turns out we are lol. It’s strange that you are experiencing this from curling your locs, especially if you’re almost 3 years in. What type of locs do you have?
I have Sisterlocs. I have been on their website but have not been able to get a clear answer of what cause the thick bunching of hair. I have been palm rolling to try to lessen them. I was also told I could use a special tool to try to pull the hairs back into the locks. This procedure is so time consuming and really did not work that well.
This is very strange. You shouldn’t be getting bunching with mature Sisterlocks. Maybe you need to try a different locking pattern. The tightest would be 4 point rotation, if you aren’t using it already. It’ll make your sisterlocks thinner but at least you shouldn’t get the bunching since it’ll be a tighter locking pattern. Also for your already existing bunching, you could try wetting the loc and then pulling on the section that’s bunching, right before you palm roll it. Let me know if this helps.
My loctition is using a 4 point rotation pattern.( she showed me in case I wanted to try locking myself) I have also noticed my locks are thinner now then last year. I will try the procedure you suggested. Hopefully I will be soon rid of this bunching completely.
Oh okay. Good luck!
i get my done everyfour weeks is that normal this is the beginning of my journey when can i wash my locks my hair styling washes my hair
It depends on how fast your hair grows. Typically, people get theirs done ever 6-8 weeks but if your hair grows fast or you have fine hair that unravels easily, 4 weeks may be best for you. Trust your loctician as they would know best. In the beginning I washed my locs every 2-3 weeks. I’ve heard people stretch it to a month. I recommend using our Rose water Revitalizing Spray which will help to keep your locs moisturized and smelling fresh, and will also help with any itching. Also banding your locs while washing will help then to unravel less – see our post “How to wash beginner locs” for how this is done.
l hope for answer to my question