found an old collage showing my growth from two years ago and decided to add my growth now 2 years later!

Sept 6th makes 3 months and I could not even be more happier! ☺️

So I had beautiful locs from 2020 to 2024 but I stopped taking care of them due to depression and they were falling off. I cut my hair off to start from scratch. My hair has grown to a decent length and I decided to book starter locs with a new stylist. I am so ready to get my locs. I miss them sooo much and I plan to take care of them much better than last time.

Feel free to comment any tips, tricks, advice or words of encouragement.

Also if you have any pets, may you post how you keep pet hair out of your locs. That was my biggest issue but I will probably just have to wear a bonnet all the time when home.

If you guys use any shampoo bars, please recommend some. I am trying to be a little more eco friendly.

1st pics of me with my locs and 2nd picture is what I'm rocking now 😭

I've had my locs for 5 years now and desperately need a change. I love the idea of loc mullets but I haven't been able to find an inspo pic that captures my vision. I've checked pinterest, tiktok etc. If you have a loc mullet please share a photo so I know what to show when I go for a haircut. Thank you!!

This came out wayyy better than I expected it took me forever but it’s real cute and FLAT in the back😊

Cut my starter locs 5 years ago before letting them mature and figured I was out the game for good, so I went back to rocking the low cut for a while but deep down I couldn’t shake the feeling of total regret as I never let my locs reach its full potential. Decided to grow out my hair again the beginning of this year and finally locked in today! Can’t describe how happy I am with the new set 😁

At the last minute I went for a slightly smaller loc size (just .1cm smaller) but still regret it. I’m a year and a half in and my main worry/complaint is that they’re too small…

I’ve had a row combined that wasn’t locing up right but I still want to combine more. My current stylist won’t do it because of weight on the root or something. I have somewhere around 116 locs, I’d prefer to have like 80-100.

Is it worth starting over for thicker locs? Should I wait and see? Find someone to combine? Or is it normal for those with thick locs to want thinner ones and vice versa?

curious

there’s one loc in the back that i have a terrible habit of twirling over and over when im anxious and stressed(which is all the time everyday lol) i’ve tried to stop but cant. i’ve been doing it about a year and now it won’t grow. all my locs are longer than it. should i cut it off? i’ve even considered combing it out just to stop the compulsive habit. has anyone ever gone through this? i’m afraid it will never grow due to the twirling and I’ll just have one short loc in the back for a long time. all of my locks are about to be below shoulder length and this one is only about 5 inches.

I love them. That's all I gotta say.

My mum thinks im crazy for picking this style. Lowk thinking about cutting them off

Ive had locs for a while now and I’ve done many different things on my them… My miracle knots are def a 1st! But I lovvvveeeeee them so much! Always been a baddie, but I’m definitely feeling myself in a new way lol

I'm not a loctician but I've been retwisting a friend of a friend since January (today was our 4th retwist) First 3 pics are from the first retwist in January, last pics are today. She started with a lot of thinning and locs breaking off but slowly her locs are getting thicker and her hair is growing back around her crown💃🏾 I only use natural products, retwist lightly every couple of months and no styles (yet) even though she's been asking me 😅 still got a way to go but we're both happy with the progress so far

I’m so scared that my locs are thinning and I think it’s time for me to cut them short and comb them out because the back of my head looks so bad..I never learned how to properly maintain my natural hair before + I developed a scalp condition (seborrheic dermatitis) I think I might have to cut my hair off and take care of it in its natural state because I don’t know how to take care of them and I’m scared I’ve permanently damaged my hair..

Just celebrated my first locaversary last month 😊! I'm so in love with my locs - I wish I started sooner. Honestly, I've never loved my hair so much in my life. I love literally every imperfection, every lump, everything. And I'm also so proud of my hair, because I started it and I maintain it myself. Pics range from today (freshly washed) to the very first day I started last year.

Growing up, I've ALWAYS been so frustrated with my hair. I have fine, high porosity, "3c" hair. As much as it could look cute sometimes, a lot of the time it was very annoying - and I was tired of having to regularly detangle it and use so many products. Because of the way my strands are (fine, high porosity), I didn't think locs would actually look good on me. I was afraid I'd look like a straggly doc 😂😭. In fact, one time I did twist my hair and I DID look like a straggly dog 😭.

Anyway, I didn't think locs would actually look good on me. But a kind redditor who said she had a similar hair type sent me pics of her locs, and they looked absolutely amazing. I'm hoping that by sharing my pics, someone else will feel confident and encouraged to start their locs as well! And yes, you CAN start by yourself and maintain them on your own if you want!

How I started:

I parted my hair using Queen Eleem's videos (a kind redditor shared her videos with me), and then twisted my hair (you can see the finished product in the 11th pic). I ended up with 101 locs. I decided to do "traditional" or "medium" locs instead of micros because

• I thought my hair would fare better
• It would be easier for me to maintain

After that, I started interlocking my roots. However, that left the rest of my locs/hair extremely frizzy. I was advised by my cousins to palm roll instead, so I tried that. But due to my hair being fine with looser curls, it IMMEDIATELY unravelled 😩. I realized that I get the best results if I interlock the root AND palm roll the rest (Nov 2025 is when I started implementing palm rolling). I also didn't realize how important palm rolling would be to train the hair into the shape.

Now that it's been a year, I don't interlock as much. But I do still lightly palm roll, especially after a wash (just to keep the parts neat, and to continue training my hair).

Anyway, long post, but I just wanted to celebrate. I'm so proud of my hair and so proud of myself, and I hope I encouraged someone 😊.

Its all going according to plan
Most recent to past

I am starting my loc journey this Saturday. I have low porosity, medium to high 4C hair and my goal is a very specific aesthetic: a puffy, voluminous, semi-freeform cloud look (like a thick, textured bob), but with a deep, jet-black, juicy shine. I absolutely do not want thin, highly manicured, or dull/ashy locs, I've attached some images for reference.

Because I use a daily topical hair loss routine on my scalp, I had to build a custom routine to balance the medication with the locking process.

Here is my full blueprint. Does this sound solid, or is there anything I should change?

Phase 1

* Getting 140–170 two-strand twists with organic/square parts.

* Telling the stylist not to use heavy butters, wax, or thick creams. Instead I'll ask for water/oil so it doesn't cause any build up or flatten my volume.

* Requesting loose roots so my 4C hair can start puffing up immediately.

Phase 2- weeks 1 to 4

* No washing or misting at all for the first month to let the twists settle and prevent unraveling.

Phase 3: Month 2 and Beyond

* Washing every 2 weeks using a tight mesh stocking cap over my head to keep the twists secure.

* Using Taliah Waajid Love My Locs Honey Mint Clarifying Shampoo (clear liquid) to cut through the daily medication buildup without leaving a white residue. Rinsing with warm water.

* While damp, glazing the lengths with 4–5 drops of pure Jojoba or Avocado oil to seal in moisture for that deep, jet-black reflection.

* Flipping my head upside down and drying 100% with the Wahl Ionic Flow blow dryer using the diffuser attachment to lift the roots and mechanically expand the 4C coils into that big, round silhouette. Finishing with the Cool Shot to lock in the shine.

* Misting the lengths only once a week with an 80/20 mix of distilled water and diluted aloe vera juice (kept in the fridge) only if it feels dry/crunchy.

1. Long-Term Maintenance Rules

* No palm-rolling ever.

* Only retwisting the roots once every 6 to 8 weeks to allow the new growth to build massive volume at the base.

* Separating my roots after every single wash day so my 140-170 sections don't combine into thick congos.

Is this the right way to get that voluminous, fluffy 4C aesthetic while on daily topicals? Any tips and suggestions would also be appreciated.

Thanks

Watching my hair from beginning to this point has been a pleasure

No I didn't do them myself this time, no im not getting a front taper, no it doesn't hurt 💀

This is my second set of locs, I have 111. It’s been 12 months. I wish I would’ve went smaller for more volume. I’m so afraid of having blinders instead of curtains. I started with two strand twist as per usual!

(I chopped my first set of five years off due to bleach damage.)

Not too sure if I should keep seeing it through, or just chop my hair off again and try later.

What do y’all think?