My 9 Month Microlocs Update
Date: 12/11/24
Update time: 9 months post installation
How do you feel today: Content
Describe your loc journey so far in one word: Unruly
How have things been overall:
Things have been okay. I don’t share a lot about myself personally outside of microlocs content on my channels, but my grandma who was the matriarch of the family and the mother to 10 wonderful children recently passed away. In late November, I had to privilege to travel back home for the burial, which was an incredibly beautiful celebration of life and culture in Nigeria. Up until that trip, I realized that I had not really had the opportunity to fully grieve my loss and appreciate her life and her impact on those around her. Instead I channeled my sadness into avoiding the emotional heaviness by staying busy, both personally and professionally. It wasn’t until my retie 4 weeks ago with my loctician that I started becoming more aware of how much stress I had been putting on myself, body, and hair to keep up with the demands of life. I made a promise to myself to slow down, engage in more rest, and appreciate my relationships which I’m hoping to carry forward into the new year.
My loctician continues to be such a gem and I’m truly grateful for the way that she always speaks life into me and my hair. As discussed in my 8 month update, at my last retie I decided to do a little experiment between the Locs Amplify Shampoo and the Swirly Curly Mango Moringa Moisture Max Shampoo. I did not tell my loctician that I did this at the start of my appointment. Instead as she was midway through my retie, I asked her how she thought my locs felt this time around. She told me she’d let me know when she was almost done. At the end, she said, "I don’t know why, but the left side felt kind of dry, and the right side feels soft.” Unbeknownst to her, I used the Locs Amplify Shampoo on the left side and the Swirly Curly Shampoo on the right side, which confirmed to me that the Locs Amplify Shampoo is a little bit drying. I still think it’s a great shampoo that I will incorporate in my journey, but I’ll need to make sure to follow it up with the proper moisturizing spray to keep my locs hydrated. For now, I’m also continuing to use the Swirly Curly Shampoo.
I’m really excited for the loc journey ahead especially as I inch closer to my 1 year anniversary. This year has really flown by and I’m encouraged by my progress in the video below.
What is your maintenance routine?
It’s been pretty consistent and hasn’t changed much. I spray my locs and my scalp a few times a week as needed. This month, I also cut a more significant amount of the heat damaged ends from the front of my locs. Doing this was bittersweet. Sometimes I have regrets since now my hair lays a bit weird in the front and is a lot shorter than the rest of my locs. But in the long run, I know it was the best thing to do, so I’m glad I finally ripped the band-aid off. It makes styling a bit more difficult since the blunt ends tend to stick up more and do their own thing, but it’s nothing a few perm rods and bobby pins can’t fix and it bothers me less and less as the days go by.
What has been your go-to hairstyle this month?
I didn’t do much styling this month considering all that was going on in my personal life. I just kind of let them do their own thing and wore them in the styles that were most convenient for that day. Two flat twists and half down continues to be a personal favorite that always frames my face really well, with minimal effort, tension, or manipulation.
Have their been any challenges with your locs this month?
I’m still experiencing dryness on my scalp in the front of my head. :( The region affected expanded due to the fact that I was in a drier and warmer climate over the last few weeks. Can’t believe I went from 95+ degree weather to below 30.
What will you do address those challenges?
I’m still working on making changes to my diet, which I want to give ~3 months to know whether or not this has helped with the issue. Those changes include cutting down on refined sugars and carbs. Additionally, I have an anti-dandruff and dry scalp relief oil that I purchased from Enibraids back when I installed my microlocs. I’ve been rolling it on select areas of my scalp as needed. I’ve noticed it helps, but the results don’t sustain more than a few days.
Have any locs fallen out? How many?
No, but I have noticed a bit more shedding of hairs ~0.5-1 inches long on the ends of a few locs. Not sure if this is breakage caused by dryness and too much loose ends creating weak spots in my locs or just normal shedding that’s part of the process. But I’m going to ask my loctician about this at my next retie.
When is your next retie?
This week! I discussed moving to a 6-8 week schedule in the new year with my loctician. She was apprehensive at first, but agreed that I didn’t seem to have a ton of new growth after 4 weeks (she asked me if I’ve been keeping up with my supplements). We decided that we’ll test it out in January, but the compromise is that after 4 weeks I need to retie the first ~3 rows along the perimeter (front and back) after 4 weeks by myself, to mitigate any potential issues I might have with slippage due to the longer time between sessions. I also realize that there’s a chance I may not love how my locs look after waiting 6 weeks for a retie. I will report back on how this test goes.
How much money did you spend on hair products this month?
Just the usual on my monthly rose water purchase.
Share some pictures of your hair from this month!
Since I didn’t do a lot of styling this month, I’ve included some more pictures of my loc/ hair texture. I love the little coils on the ends. And here’s a reel I made showcasing some of my favorite styles over the last 8 months. Enjoy!
