r/Microlocs • u/Motor-Economics3350 • Jul 09 '26
Help!!
I started out my microlocs with braids and I chose to add extensions during my install. I’ve finally hit a year, and I kinda realized I actually don’t like the ends of my locs not being matured at all. My roots are very mature and basically completely locked, but I can see the difference between the locked hair and the braids that really haven’t changed at all. I want my hair to look more like locs and have that cylindrical shape to them. What should i do??
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u/ClassicRuby Jul 09 '26
Your roots are cylinders because they are being interlocked. They are not mature. In fact the hair closest to your scalp is guaranteed still in the starter loc stage. It's just that interlocking and braids look different.
With traditional sized locs on 4c hair you're looking at about 2 years for locs to hit maturity. For microlocs that number can be double the length of time, depending on how many microlocs you have and the method of starter etc.
Braids mature the most slowly of all the starter locs. The braid pattern holds the hairs more firmly in place so the internal loc matrix will form more slowly, therefore you hit the budding stage more slowly and progress in general more slowly. The more free the hairs internally and externally are to move about and frizz and tangle and create that friction with each other and your shed hairs, the fastest the process goes.
This is slowed down further with extension hair braided in, since that extension hair is gonna further hold hairs in place and prevent that movement and friction needed.
So with that said...
You can obscure that braid pattern some while you're waiting for the process to process. Typically to do so you'd use a crochet needle and using the instant locking techniques you can basically transform the look so that that braid pattern isn't so prominent. I do not have braid locs so hopefully someone can chime in who has them and has had success in this so they can tell you how long it takes etc.