Grooming Locs
Grooming can refer to different techniques and services for creating locks.
Locks (locs) is a technique of grooming hair that is interlaced or meshed in symmetrical, cylindrical, solid strands that are never combed or brushed. Instead, each individual lock is either twisted or interlaced at the base of the forming lock as the new growth comes in. This grooming or training of the new growth continues throughout the life of this hairstyle, which can be worn for a few years or indefinitely.
Locked hair is groomed differently than hair that is being prepared for braiding, weaving, twist-out styles, or cutting. A loc-tician grooms as well as cultivates locks for starting, maintaining, nurturing, and finishing natural hair and locks to enhance the overall beauty of the style.
INTERLOCKING
Section off first row of locs at the nape of the neck and secure the rest of the locs with a hair tie.
Use comb to expose and smooth out parts. In a sweeping motion move loose hairs above and into the sectioned off row of locs. Use clips to keep the loose hair out of the way.
Start with first loc and gather loose hair around it, smooth out the adjacent parts, with comb, and use clips to keep stray hairs in place and avoid webbing between locs.
Hold loc firm and straight out a 90 degree angle, and insert the loop of the tool through the new growth at base of loc dividing the hair into equal halves.
Pull up on the tool and make sure you reach the point where the hair is loc’d. Doing this prevents little air pockets of unloc’d hair from forming, which can cause weak points and lumps in the loc.
Place very tip of loc into the loop and pull the tool backwards out from the new growth guiding the loc with it and flipping it through.
Repeat in a counter-clockwise motion until Tool will no long pass through new growth, never repeat the same direction twice in a row. Keep in mind the time analogy described earlier.
Each manipulation will tighten the loc closer to the scalp. The number of manipulations depends on the amount of new growth the client has, which is based on the amount of time that has passed since the previous tightening. Normally clients return for tightening between 4-8 weeks, depending on how fast their hair grows.
4-6 weeks worth of new growth yields about 3-5 manipulations of the Tool
6-8 weeks worth of new growth yields about 4-6 manipulations of the Tool
The most optimal starting point for tightening is the 12 o’clock position, all though you can start at any position as long as you don’t repeat the last manipulation the loc was tightened in. Repeating manipulations in a row causes a split in the loc damaging it, and taking away from the uniformity of the loc.
After you have loc’d the new growth and tightened the loc to the scalp you must now manicure the loc.
There will be loose hairs that you tightened into the loc which create frizz around the loc. Also new locs mature in to a “frizz stage” as they are budding. This is managed by using the Tool, but still needs to be kept in check. We remedy this by wrapping or twisting the frizz hair around the loc with product (twist cream), from the base of the loc to the tip. This creates a very polished, professional look that will keep your clients coming back time and time again.
Note- WRAPPING IS ESSENTIAL TO LOC GROOMING! Budding locs will frizz, however this frizz will eventually integrate into the loc contributing to its size and density. Some stylists opt to trim this frizz, but trimming will only weaken the loc IF the loc is not mature. It is okay to slightly trim the frizz around mature loc but is not necessary. A lot of stylist interlock but they DO NOT wrap the frizz, and the locs don’t look as neat and polished. Wrapping will grant you an abundant, loyal clientele and set you work apart from the rest.