How to Care for Locs
Key Takeaways
- Locs require a specific maintenance routine to stay healthy and strong throughout their various stages.
- Wash locs once every one to two weeks with products to prevent damage and maintain moisture.
- Refrain from using heat on locs and air dry, especially in the early stages.
- Use leave-ins and serums to keep locs hydrated, control frizz, and reduce breakage.
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How to Care for Locs
Maintaining strong and healthy locs requires a specialized care routine. Learn about the different stages of locs and how to care for them properly to keep them looking their best throughout their lifespan.
What Are Locs?
Locs are a type of hairstyle traditionally worn by individuals with coily hair. They’re created by twisting different sections over and over to mat over time to give them a rope-like appearance.
Getting locs is a multi-stage process that can take a year or more, depending on your hair type. The more coily the hair, the less time it takes to achieve the look since hair with a tighter curl pattern binds together more easily. Conversely, hair that’s curly or wavy takes longer to loc.
If cared for properly, locs can last for multiple years and even decades.
The Stages of Locs
You will go through multiple stages during your loc journey:
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Beginning stage (3 to 6 months). During this stage, you’ll get your baby locs. Here the hair isn’t fully locked in and is delicate, so you’ll want to take extra care to prevent unraveling. Low hairstyles, scrunchies, and box braids are your go-tos during this phase. Wait to wash at least a week or two after getting your starter locs. Choose a gentle shampoo like OLAPLEX® No.4 Bond Maintenance® Shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner like No.5 Bond Maintenance® Conditioner.
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Budding stage (6 to 12 weeks). This is the time when your locs start to form, and you can expect more flyaways and frizz. Keep locs in place until they are fully intertwined, and moisturize them. Incorporate a lightweight styling cream like OLAPLEX No.6 Bond Smoother® to control frizz, soften, and hydrate.
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Teen stage (12 to 18 months). At this stage, frizz and puffiness peak, but that’s only natural and temporary. Continue using products to reduce frizz and moisturize your hair. Consider adding OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Oil™ into your routine for 72-hour frizz control.
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Adult stage (15 to 18 months). Flyaways and frizz start to taper off in the adult or mature stage, and your locs will maintain their shape more easily without the need for frequent re-twisting and manipulation.
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Rooted stage. Your locs should be fully grown, strong, and thick. No unraveling should happen at this stage, and your locs will feel their heaviest. This is the final goal.
Loc-Maintenance Tips
Here are some essential tips to care for your locs.
Wash Less Often
Wash your locs every one to two weeks. Start by saturating your locs completely with water. Use a shampoo that gently cleanses, nourishes, and hydrates, like No.4, followed by a conditioner like No.5.
If needed, turn to No.4C Bond Maintenance® Clarifying Shampoo to remove a broad range of damaging impurities, product buildup, and oil from the surface of the hair.
Pro tip: Apply OLAPLEX No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask after washing your hair in place of conditioner once a week to replenish dry and dehydrated strands and repair broken bonds.
Air-Dry Your Hair
It’s best to refrain from using heat since it can damage locs. Let them air-dry, but wring them out with a microfiber towel after stepping out of the shower. How you dry your hair is especially important in the beginning stages of locs as they can unravel and even hold in water. The trapped moisture in the locs can cause a musky odor, so you want to get as much water out as possible.
Pro tip: Wash with a towel that’s a similar color to your hair to avoid showing lint in your locs.
Add Moisture with a Leave-In
You can’t overlook moisture in your routine when it comes to locs, as they are more susceptible to dryness and breakage. Treat your thirsty locs with the right hair products like OLAPLEX No.5 Leave-In™ Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner to quickly restore moisture.
To use, apply 1-2 pumps of leave-in to your clean, damp locs (preferably after washing with the No.3, No.4, and No.5 series).
Minimize Frizz with a Serum
Seal in moisture and control frizz and flyaways with OLAPLEX No.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum. This silicone-free, weightless serum is fast-absorbing, reduces tangles and static, and is especially helpful during the earlier stages when your locs are still forming.
Getting your desired locs takes time, but with the right products and routine, you can maintain healthy, well-defined locs. Take the Hair Quiz today for an even more personalized routine.