What Not To Do

I am learning good lessons about "our" locs.

1. DO NOT let your daughter (or do so yourself) dunk her head under the faucet, without then separating the locs.

A spritz does not always do the trick after waking up with bed-head. Naomi had gotten into the habit of a quick soak to let her hair dry hanging down and help combat the morning messies and her natural fullness. There was no rubbing or twisting or other manipulation so I was not encouraging separation afterwards.

2. DO NOT forget about the bundling and banding - and heaven-forbid - separating when going to the pool for hours of hair being wet and floating around freely.

The kids were on spring break recently and I was at work. "Can we go swimming?" Sure! Did bundling her locs even enter my mind? No!

3. DO NOT go for several weeks without separating just because you haven't "officially washed" the hair.

Up to this point, separating had been relatively easy and we have had few tangles. In fact, I wondered how it happened that people talked about locs combining together. Well! Last week we were scheduled for our second re-tightening. I had only washed and separated once since the last time, so the night before our appintment I dutifully got ready to wash and separate. Old habits may die hard, but new ones "live" hard! Can you believe I popped her in the tub without bundling and banding! I realized it as I was soaking down her hair. Too late! I washed gently and then we started the separation process.

It was horrible! The combination of all of the above had created mattes and tangles between almost every loc. It took us forever and there were several -- especially down by the nape of the neck where her hair is the most curly and it gets the most "rubbing" -- that I actually had to snip the locs apart! I think it will be okay, but it gave me a stomach-ache thinking about the damage it may do to the integrity of the locs in the future. Argh!

A valuable lesson in proper loc care.

Sunday the kids went to the pool again. I carefully braided and banded Naomi's locs. But even with taking great care, they were difficult to unbraid and had many tangles - though they came out fairly easily. Up to that point I had hoped that for summer when they swim every day, I could just make smaller braids and leave them in for a week at a time. I don't think so! The motion of the water causes all of the hair to float around into tangly patterns it would not ordinarily do, even with a shampooing. A swimming cap has been suggested, but it is difficult to get her to wear one as it pulls on her hair, is hot, and bruises her 9 year old ego.

Additionally, I am disappointed with how frizzy and fuzzy her locs get. Right after tightening they look really nice, but a few nights sleep or one trip to the pool and we are dealing with the same issues that we had with cornrows and braids. I think (and hope and pray) that when they are more mature and "locked" that this will not be the case.

I'm really looking forward to the consultant training in a few weeks when I can not only become more infomed, but can pose my questions to the professionals and hopefully leave with solutions. Don't despair, we still love the locs and just needs to get through these lumps and bumps (pun intended, which those with locs will understand)!