I was extremely excited and eager to learn everything when I went natural, and the same applied when I decided to loc my hair. Unfortunately, my excitement got dampened when I really immersed myself into the natural hair and loc worlds. There were a lot of so-called experts in the internet and social media arenas. There were so many rules that people tried to apply to every head of hair and every individual person when they didn’t. There are some key rules that we all should take to heart, but when it comes to the care of your hair and what you use to care for your hair – that is your decision alone.
What can be very daunting for anyone embarking on a new journey, be it hair, diet, lifestyle, or job is the amount of people who feel the need to push their rules and ways of doing things on you. It’s one thing to offer advice. If you have proven evidence to back up your advice, cool. But it’s a whole other thing when you present your personal advice as the rule. The constant rules from FB groups and blogs and YouTube channels are what caused me a lot of stress and anxiety. I was constantly questioning myself because someone out there was saying what I was doing was wrong, that you must do things their way and follow these rules otherwise your hair will fall out. And that’s no exaggeration! How are you supposed to enjoy your journey when you’re constantly bombarded by hair rules?
I think it’s natural when trying something new to want to follow the instructions to the letter. It’s in most of us to want to do things the right way especially when we are out of our element. I’m definitely that person. So when I embarked on my natural hair journey and my loc journey, I researched and I listened and I tried things out. The things that worked for me I kept doing, and what didn’t work for me I ignored. Sometimes the things that worked for me stopped working and I had to do something else. You have to be willing to make those adjustments throughout your journey.
My loc journey was definitely a journey. I was all in and ready to go through whatever I had to go through to reach my ultimate goal: the adult phase. The adult phase is also known as the mature phase and is the last phase of your loc journey. Once you reach this stage, all your locs will do is grow. There were a lot of bumps and bruises along the way that caused me stress and anxiety before I finally reached this phase. Not so much with my hair, but the locticians I entrusted to establish my locs and care for them afterward. I ran into a lot of shady people who were simply in it for the money. I was angry and distrustful for the first 3 1/2 years of my loc journey. Despite that, I never once regretted my decision to loc my hair. I just crossed paths with and trusted the wrong people. Now I’m happy and I’ve finally learned to relax and enjoy my hair.
My advice is to not do things that are detrimental to your hair. Don’t over process with coloring it too often. Don’t do a lot of tight hairstyles or any styles that cause a lot of stress on your edges or roots. This includes getting your locs retwisted or interlocked too often because you’re obsessed with your locs looking “neat” at all times. Don’t let a loctician convince you that you should get your locs retwisted or interlocked too soon/often, especially if there isn’t enough new growth to warrant a retwist or interlocking. Enjoy your natural hair or loc journey. Remember what made you go natural or loc your hair in the first place. That alone should make you smile with happiness.
Going Back to my Natural Roots 