Loc'd Up Thursdays: Locs and Summer

Hey all! I know it's been a while. It's the middle of June and warm weather is here to stay. Thank goodness!

My maintenance for my locs changes a bit in the summer. Instead of using a mixture of coconut, olive and castor oil, I stick to using coconut oil. It's a much lighter oil that stays a liquid at room temp. I usually apply it every couple of days instead of every other day.

You know what's also good for locs? WATER! Drinking it and spritzing it on your locs when you wake up in the morning. Ahhh, moisture! Whether the weather is cool, hot, humid, rainy or windy, your body needs water.

Might I suggest the app "Plant Nanny" if you need reminders...

Now that my hair is longer, I have more occasions where I need to get my hair off of my neck and face. I've love my locs but they sure know how to make me hot. (Also, when it's humid and my hair brushes up against my neck and shoulders I'm more likely to think that some giant bug is crawling on me.)

So, to remedy that, I do my version of messy bun. It's my go to do when I'm chilling at home, showering or sleeping. Nothing is ever tight. It's always very loose and I make sure that the bun is on top and not "slouching" so that it pulls on the locs in the front.

I think my profile looks funny

As far as washing, I still stick to washing my hair once a week and I still use Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Shampoo. I still do a deep clean ACV rinse every 1-2 months when I'm ready to retwist them, followed with a wash and conditioner. 

To this day I still retwist with water and it works for me. Not only is there less gunk to wash out later, but I save money by not having to go out and buy loc gel. I will say that I have used it a couple of times to retwist locs in the back of my hair (where the hair is much softer and the curl pattern is looser) that have come undone a day or two after I retwisted my locs . I don't do this often, only when water has proven not to work.

And that's it for now. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in the comment box below or on my Facebook page. :)

3 year, 9 month old Locs

Hey all!

My locs are almost 4 years old. Most of them are sitting a little past my shoulders and others on my upper back.

I'm wearing a dress, btw.

I've been getting more compliments and questions about my hair regime from other women and men in passing. Which makes me wonder what will my hair look like in December 2015 or even December 2016.

Confession: I often dream about letting my locs grow really long, dying them red, being a stronger swimmer, buying a mermaid outfit, and pretending I'm the Little Mermaid at a beach. *hee hee*

When I wash my hair, I still use Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Shampoo and I wash it weekly. During a wash, I give my locs a really, really good rinse before I'm done. This is to make sure all of the shampoo or debris is rinsed out completely and to give my locs the moisture that it needs. When I'm done washing it, I use a plain t-shirt to absorb excess water and let them air dry.

During the week, I keep my scalp moisturized with a combination of castor oil, coconut oil and olive oil. It's important to note that I don't use a lot of this oil. Just enough to massage into my scalp and edges. When I style my hair, I spritz the roots and locs with water. Never style on dry locs.

Every 1-2 months, I do a pre-wash ACV rinse with apple cider vinegar, warm water, baking soda, sea salt and lemon juice. I massage the scalp and squeeze the locs in the rinse mixture for about 10 minutes. After that, I wash my hair normally, use conditioner and give them a final generous rinse.

When it's time to re-twist them, I only do it every 4-6 weeks and I only use water. No locking gel, no locking butters.

When I sleep or shower, I gather my locs together and make a messy bun on top of my head. Or, in the case of sleeping, I just gather and place them in a way so they're behind or lying above my head.

That's basically how I maintain my locs nowadays. One thing that I would like to do, is to semi-permanently dye my locs a different color, perhaps like a deep red or copper color. However, I want to use something that's natural and has no animal products in it. We'll see. ;)

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below and be sure to like the CBLV Blogger Facebook page.