5 Stages of Locs/Dreadlocks.

The question has been asked in the Holy Book; "If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The answer would be "Nothing”! This sure holds true for every and anything we want to do in life. We need to always check the foundation for once the foundation is solid, we are good to fly!

To our hair, Locs/Dreadlocks are known to have different looks at different stages of its growth process, depending on the Hair Type and Curl Pattern. My clients know that I will always ask the question, 'Are you mentally ready for the locs/dreadlocks journey'? This is because having dreadlocks/locs is a journey that one needs to be ready for and committed to.

You all must be familiar with most typical Nigerian Salons, that just want to collect the customer's money without even talking them through the process of Starting Locs, neither would they educate the customer on what Chemical mixture (a.k.a Concoction) they are using on their hair. P.S: Beware, cause I don't trust Science Student!

Now, let me introduce you to the 5 stages of locs/dreadlocks you need to know if you are about to start Locs or you are already on the journey but you just don't understand what your hair looks like. Please note that your hair needs to be all in its natural state to start Locs, not permed or semi-permed hair. ALL YOU NEED AT THIS STAGE IS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, USE WATER AND OILS ON THE HAIR. NO CONCOCTION, WAX ETC... NEEDED


Starter Locs Stage;  Here, my first paragraph above comes to play. At this stage, you set the foundation for the dreadlocks/locs/dada for its other stages. Put differently, you set the tone for the hair at this stage. The most popular starter locs method used by the best of the LOCTICIANS in the word, is still the Comb Coils/Twist. It's the safest method for most African hair types. However, if you do not know how to identify your hair type, this method would always be your best bet to start your locs. The Comb Coil/Twist method is used after your hair has been shampooed and conditioned (using the appropriate product). The hair needs to remain wet during this process, then use oils and a good hair moisturizer.

I keep my methods organic, because the lesser the products you add to your locs, the better the growth. Other methods are "to mention a few";
 2-Strand Twist: This is very straight forward, but I don't recommend for all hair types) and
Interlocking: Most people using this method don't even understand the method nor its technicalities and cannot answer why they use this method. We will discuss this some other time.
In summary, this method is for certain hair types such as strong African kinky 4C hair type, which can withstand the tightening the method causes after a consistent four point rotation technique.


Budding/ Sprouting Stage; This is when and where your Starter Locs starts meshing together and gradually starts to form. Your budding/sprouting rate is directly proportional to your hair type and curl pattern. Mind you, this stage does not give the best of appearance. There is nothing you can do to tame your hair at this stage, the Guy go just wear Beats By Dre!. Note that not all your locs would bud at the same time, most importantly back one's cause of its position which is prone to sweat and all. The budding stage for Fresh locs can last up to 6months depending on your hair type, before becoming Teenage Locs/dreadlocks.

Teenage Stage; At this stage, the locs have a mind of its own. They don't care about your emotions. In simple terms THEY NO SEND YOU!, they become sticky up, coming out in directions they see fit and they don't have a smooth body at this stage (Please do not trim the rough body cause that is what would secure its perimeter and its Locs Body Mass Index at the Mature stage).
Anyways, if you have long Starter locs, you might not fully really experience this rebellion act, unlike those with short starter locs. This stage can last up to 2 years. you need to be deliberate about maintaining your locs consistently at this stage and do not bleach your hair at this stage.

Matured Stage; At this stage, your hair as formed  locs fully, and it offers you various styling options of your choice.  This stage you can really determine the true length of your locs and you can introduce other things to your locs such as coloring (coloring can also be introduced at the teenage stage), locs detox, hot oil treatment etc...

The last stage is Beyond Maturity; At this final stage, becomes evident whether or not you have been  taking care of your locs. This stage exposes all the wrong things your locs went through prior to this stage.

Thank you for reading and please drop your comments, for more information feel free to send in your questions to Ohenhelalocs@gmail.com. The images used were found on google for a better representation of the above-mentioned stages.

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