What was your go-to-hairstyle when you first got your locs installed?

I don't know if I had a go-to style, I pretty much wore it down and scraped it into a pony or half-up-half-down. I wasn't that adventurous back then.

How do you maintain your locs and what products do you use regularly?

I do the 4-point rotation interlocking method every 8-9 weeks, this depends on what other commitments I may need to prioritise. I regularly use some homemade concoctions to spritz my locs every other day also depending on what I feel my locs need at that point. For the daily spritz, I boil Rosemary and mix in a few drops of jojoba, peppermint oil and lavender oil. For the summer months, I'll add a nourishing tea-conditioning mix, which is a mix of preferred herbal tea, honey/glycerine and essential oils. Also, incorporate a hot oil steam every once in a while since my hair is chemically dyed. On wash days I dilute ACV in water and do a pre-poo before washing my locs.

What do you love most about your locs and why?

This is a tough one because, over 4 years, I see my locs differently every year from the day I had them installed. I don't just love a thing, I love EVERYTHING about my locs. I have even come to love retightening my own locs and take pride in doing it but I guess to directly answer the question I love that my locs are a physical manifestation of my healing journey.

What has been the biggest challenge or adjustment?

The biggest adjustment and challenge since having my locs was having the sole responsibility of retightening/maintaining my hair. This was not planned so I felt out of my depth. The DOs and DON'Ts I came across whilst doing my research overwhelmed me. Rather all they did was instill fear in me and I did not trust myself with the process which meant I couldn't trust myself with my hair. Sad really because I felt helpless and most of these rules have a strong basis for capitalising on our fears and frustration, especially as black women. But when you are new in this journey you really can't see the wood from the trees.

What’s something you wish you knew before getting loc’d?

I wish I had known that there was such a thing as micro-locs, the confidence to install my locs and that all the rules placed on our hair are made up anyway.

What advice would you give someone considering installing Sisterlocks or microlocs?

Well it would be, to find your whys so that you always can go back to them to help ground yourself. That has helped me so much. Otherwise, it's easy to still find yourself tangled up in the chains you are trying to free yourself from. Try not to villainize the process, tune in and listen to it, the loc journey is an inside-out experience, the magic is within you.

Shout out your loctician! Who does your reties?

I want to thank me for doing all this work LOL. I do my own reties so honestly the biggest shout goes to myself because it's not easy, it's time-consuming and no pay. The takeaway though is seeing my hair flourish and taking pride in knowing I did that. However, I will always give a shout-out to the lovely Fannella who installed my locs. She helped create a good foundation for my loc journey.