How To Properly Wash and Groom Your Faux LocsTo Keep Them Looking Fresh and Fab

In the last few years, the demand for faux locs has increased so much that they are now a popular go-to seasonal style like box braids. Women everywhere are getting faux locs and making them unique to their look. Because most women are new to faux locs, they are having trouble properly caring for them.

They’re not quite like real locs or box braids, but they’re also not a style you should just leave alone until you’re ready to take out. In fact, faux locs have their own set of rules when it comes to caring for them while they’re installed; and actually, it’s pretty simple!

Below are a few tips on how to wash and care for your long, gorgeous faux locs!

Washing

What you wash your locs with can heavily depend on what type of hair and install method you used to achieve your look. For an example, someone who used yarn and the extension method may have a totally different washing experience than someone who crocheted in marley hair for their locs. However, the wash routine and method is generally the same for all types of installs.

The first thing you need to do is gather two bowls of water, your preferred shampoo, and two wash cloths. One bowl of water and cloth is to scrub the shampoo on your scalp and roots; the other cloth and bowl of water are to rinse the shampoo from your hair. Make sure you don’t mix the cloths up or else you’ll get shampoo in the clean water.

Take the shampoo and squeeze it into a bowl of water, swish the small rag into the water until it is saturated, gently wring it out, and then softly scrub your scalp with the rag. Make sure you are solely paying attention to your scalp and any buildup you may have. After you are satisfied with your shampooing, cleanse your scalp with the clean water and towel until the shampoo is completely rinsed out.

If you don’t like this method, you can always put shampoo and water into a bottle with a thin applicator tip and wash your scalp with your fingers. Be sure to rinse with a cup of water or a detachable shower head to ensure you don’t wet your entire head.

Moisturizing and Sealing

Contrary to popular belief, protective styling does not mean that you can just leave your hair alone for ‘x’ amount of months and your hair will remain healthy. While rocking any protective style, you still need to moisturize and seal your hair –even if it’s just your roots.

Because cream moisturizers and heavy oils* can cause a ton of buildup, your best best is to use a liquid or spray on moisturizers like Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Refresher Spray and a light oil like grapeseed* or tea tree*.

To moisturize and seal you need to section your hair off after washing, spray on or apply a moisturizer with an applicator tip, and then seal with an oil in the same fashion. If your scalp and/or roots are damp or wet, keep your hair wrapped up in sections and allow it to dry before covering or styling.

Get Rid of Frizz

Frizz is an inevitable occurrence with faux locs, so a lot of women allow a small amount of frizz to make their locs look more natural. However, sleeping on your locs, manipulating them daily, and other things can cause a bunch of unwanted frizz.

To eliminate frizz, you can clip it with scissors, singe it off with a lighter, or roll it back into your hair with a locking hair gel like the ones from Jamaican Mango and Lime or Carol’s Daughter.

If your faux locs are crocheted in, burning an cutting are both a great method to rid your hair of frizz. If your locs were installed like singles, then you may want to be careful with burning or clipping so you don’t damage any of your real hair.

Keep in mind that it’s impossible to eliminate all frizz from your faux locs, so before you go crazy trying to snip every little fly away, remember that it’s okay to have a little bit of frizz on your locs.

Resealing the ends

Resealing the ends of your hair is something you’ll have to do at least every week if you plan on keeping your locs in for more than a month. Faux locs tend to stick to each other and they sometimes unravel after you pull them apart or run your fingers through it.

To keep your locs from unraveling completely, you’ll need to take a lighter and burn the ends, blow on the hair so it’s not too hot, and then roll it between your palms; this should keep it sealed for quite some time.

If you are not fond of using any type of fire on your hair, you can roll locking wax or gel on your ends or dip them into boiling water. If you’re going to use the boiling water method keep in mind that it won’t turn out like it should if you burned your ends immediately before.

Maintaining Edges and Baby Hair

Most women leave their edges and baby hair out when they get faux locs either so they can style them however they want, to avoid tension on their edges, or both. If you plan on leaving your edges out, make sure you have a great hair gel, edge control, and a toothbrush so you can style them how you normally would.

The only downside of using the product on your edges and baby hair is that product can get caught in the locs around your hairline and cause a lot of yucky buildup so be mindful of how much product you use and make sure you soften it with oil or wash it out afterward.