Locs

Topic guide

Locs

Locs are a decade-long commitment you make in an afternoon. The method you start with sets the size and the shape for years, and the way your new growth gets tightened every few weeks decides whether your edges come through it. Everything else is washing.

Read this first

Your retwist is the whole ballgame.

Almost every loc that thins, breaks off, or swings loose at the scalp got there the same way: retwisted too tight, too often, or both. Traction alopecia is hair loss caused by pulling, and locs apply that pull to the same fixed points every single time, because a loc can only be tightened where it meets your scalp.

Interlocking, where the loc is pulled through its own root with a tool, holds longer than palm rolling but takes more off each time. Done every two weeks it will thin your roots. Done every six to eight weeks it's one of the better things you can do for locs that hold.

The signals are easy to read once you know them. A root that feels sore the night after a retwist is too tight. A loc that has gone thin and stringy where it meets your scalp while the rest stays thick is being over-tightened. Small bumps along your hairline mean the same thing they mean in braids.

None of that is an argument against retwisting. It's an argument for doing it less often than you probably are, and for leaving your hairline alone.

You're in the right place if

You're deciding whether to loc, and which method to use

Your starter locs keep unraveling and you're not sure that's normal

You don't know how often you're supposed to wash them

Your roots feel thin or sore after a retwist

You want the look without locking your own hair

You've had them for years and you want them out without cutting

Your path

Start here

Four guides, in order. The first is the decision; the rest are living with it.

Dreadlocks: the complete guide

The whole picture in one place, including how to start locs without wrecking the hairline you're going to want back if you ever take them out.

7 ways to start locs

Comb coils, two-strand twists, interlocking, freeform, and the rest. This is the decision you can't undo without cutting.

The 5 stages of locs

Baby, budding, teenage, mature, and rooted. Read this before the fuzzy months convince you something has gone wrong.

How often to wash your locs

The one people get wrong in both directions, and the reason locs start to smell, because a loc that never dries fully will sour no matter how often you wash it.

Common questions

Which of these sounds like you?

Start from where you are right now.

I want locs but I can't pick a method

The method you pick sets your loc size, how long the awkward stage runs, and how much of your time it costs every month, so it's worth a few minutes now rather than a regret in year two.

Which loc method is best for your hair 7 ways to start locs Instant locs vs starter locs

My roots are thinning where the loc meets my scalp

Deal with this now, because of everything in this section it's the one that stops being reversible once you've left it long enough.

Locs thinning at the root Palm rolling vs interlocking Regrowing your edges

My locs smell, or they feel heavy and coated

Locs hold onto product and oil in a way loose hair doesn't, and a musty smell is usually trapped moisture rather than dirt.

Why locs smell, and how to stop it Dread detox: deep cleaning locs How often to wash your locs

I'm choosing between microlocs and sisterlocks

Both are small and both cost more to install than standard locs, but they're maintained differently, and the difference shows up every few weeks for the rest of the time you've got them.

Microlocs vs Sisterlocks Microlocs Sisterlocks

I want the look without locking my hair

These are styles that come out again, so they're worth wearing for a few weeks before you commit to locking your own hair permanently.

Butterfly locs Faux locs Loc extensions

I'm ready for them to come out

Depending on how long you've had them, you can usually comb them out over a few patient evenings instead of cutting them off.

Removing locs without cutting Taking out soft locs

What this section covers

Four stages, and the guides that belong to each one, because what your locs need in month two isn't what they need in year five.

Starting locs

Comb coils, two-strand twists, interlocking, and freeform, plus what each one costs and how long it takes to settle.

Pick a method →

Sizes & systems

Standard locs, microlocs, and Sisterlocks, plus what each one costs to install and maintain. Size is the one choice you can't reverse without cutting.

Loc size chart →

Washing & upkeep

Wash frequency, detoxing, drying, retwisting, and the problems that come from getting any of them wrong.

Washing your locs →

Styles & take-down

Color, loc styles, temporary versions that come out, and how to remove real locs without cutting them off.

Loc styles →

Free tool

Which Loc Method Is Best for Your Hair?

The starting method decides your loc size, your maintenance schedule, and how reversible the whole thing is. Answer a few questions about your hair and how much upkeep you want, and it'll narrow it down for you.

Open the matcher Look up a term

More specific situations

Getting lint out of your locs Dandruff flakes in locs What mold in locs looks like Bleaching locs at home Choosing a color for your locs Sleeping with starter locs Locs in the military Where locs actually come from

Before you loc, and while they settle

What you do in the first year matters more than anything you buy later.

Deep conditioning How to stop hair breakage Moisturizing starter locs How long locs take to grow

If you're locing for length retention

Locs keep hair you'd otherwise break. These cover the rest of that.

Regrowing your edges Protective styling Shedding vs breakage

Who's behind these guides

Kira Byrd

Licensed barber, hairstylist & natural hair educator

This section is reviewed by Kira Byrd, a licensed barber, hairstylist, and natural hair educator. It matters here because most loc damage comes from technique at the root rather than from any product, and technique is the part you can only judge by having done it.

When to see a professional. Bumps, sores, or pus along your hairline, or roots that have stayed thin for months after you stopped retwisting, are worth a dermatologist or trichologist. Traction alopecia is treatable early and permanent late. This section is educational and isn't medical advice.

Our editorial guidelines

Free guide

The Loctician Consultation Checklist

One page to take to your consultation. What to ask about method and size, how to check the retwist tension before you leave the chair, and the questions that tell you whether a loctician is right for your hair.

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