Let’s Talk Tips For Safely Removing Faux Locs

Faux locs have gained massive popularity lately. It seems they helped usher in the end of the uber trendy stitch feed-in braids. When one door closes, another opens. Visible celebs like Eva Marcille and Meagan Good helped to push the popularity of faux locs even farther.

Faux locs are easier to master than other, more complicated, braided styles. With a large number of YouTube videos showing how to easily DIY this style, they are sure to remain a popular go-to style for ladies looking to take advantage of protective styling, and those who simply want to rock a different look.

Because they are based on a layout similar to box braids, faux locs are very familiar to us and they are versatile. Whether you want jumbo sized ones or smaller locs, you can have these installed to your liking without feeling like you’re experiencing something foreign that your hair won’t take to.

Along with ease of installation, there is the wide range of styling options you can create. That’s another big bonus. But, as with most things that seem too good to be true, the takedown process seemed like something that would deter me from experimenting with this style.

To my surprise, safely removing faux locs is so easy, it’s scary. The takedown is also fast and your hair doesn’t have to be damaged in the process.

Let’s get into it. Tips For Safely Removing Faux Locs

How your faux locs are installed will play a part in how you go about removing them. Some locs are installed with a crochet needle and pre-braided and locked hair.  Other locs are installed by braiding Markley Hair into the natural hair and then wrapping additional braiding hair over the outer layer of the braid. These methods of installation are both effective, but the takedown of each will differ slightly.

When to take down your faux locs

We’ve all seen the pictures and video clips of the hair styles that have been left in far too long. So, to avoid that nastiness, be mindful of how long you leave your faux locs in. An average time to wear your set of faux locs is 6 to 12 weeks.

This time can vary, depending on how fast your hair grows and how well you take care of your locs. Washing them more frequently than less, will lead to fuzzy locs and looser roots. You’ll probably end up having to take them down sooner if you go this route.

Keep your scalp clean and your natural hair moisturized underneath your faux locs. You also want to avoid sleeping without tying your hair up at night.

How to safely take down faux locs

When you’re ready to take down your locs, moisturize your hands and you keep a little jar of oil or moisturizer near so that you can reapply a little moisture to your hands as you work.

This will help keep your hands from becoming irritated and it will help the braiding hair unravel more easily as you take your hair down.

First, separate your hair into sections. Take a single loc and cut the end of the loc, so that the hair becomes loose. You want to make the cut about ½ inch to one inch up from the bottom. Once the hair is loosened, you can begin to unravel it from the bottom up.

After unraveling the braided hair that was wrapped, take a bit of moisturizer and glide it over your braided natural hair. Again, this may vary depending on exactly how your faux locs were installed.  If you have braids under the wrapped loc which were created with braiding hair, you will want to remove that braid and then apply moisturizer directly onto your natural hair.

Last, take down the braid in your natural hair and finger detangle it lightly. Once you finish a loc, move on to the next. Repeat the steps on each loc within each section of your head.

When all your faux locs have been removed, apply a generous amount of oil to your entire head of hair. Add a plastic cap and apply heat to your hair for 10-15 minutes. This will help soften your hair and prepare it for you to wash and condition it.

After your hair is soft and pliable, you can go ahead and detangle, wash and condition your hair as you normally would. A deep conditioning* treatment will probably be needed too. Your hair has been wrapped up tight for many weeks and it will need a little extra TLC. Also remember that you will see more shedding than normal because the shed hairs have not been removed from your hair in several weeks. Don’t fret. That’s normal.

Faux locs are a great styling option for many reasons and you don’t have to worry about the takedown. It can be easy and painless if done the right way. If you’ve been eyeing those faux locs, you can go ahead and rock you a set and enjoy them.