Now’s the moment to review the essential items to have in your home when it comes to maintaining your locs, especially if your appointment with your loctician has been postponed.
While you’re waiting for your next important meeting with your loctician, there are a few key maintenance tools to keep at home and handy, so your locs continue to grow strong and healthy. In a way, these hair care items are items you may not be able to do without!
Satin Head Scarf
A headscarf is essential when it comes to caring for your locs, even if you’re rocking free-form locs. A headscarf will protect your locs from lint, dirt and debris. When you protect your locs under a satin head scarf, you also protect your locs from build-up and frizz. Cotton is a no go when it comes to your locs, it is notorious for drying out your skin and locs.
Clips
If it’s time to retwist your locs you’ll absolutely need a fair amount of clips. The type of clip is up to you and your preference, but you can't go wrong with flat double prong clips. What’s most important is that you find yourself clips that will secure your locs in place and won't unwind while you're working through your locs. As you may know, we’re not big fans of the ‘no clip’ method, here’s why.
Hair Tie
Using the right hair tie will help keep your locs back without damaging the hair shaft. Many locticians recommend tying your locs back while you shower without a shower cap. Wait what? Well, in fact, the steam from your shower (which shouldn’t be too hot because it will dry out your skin, but we know, it’s hard to resist) will add moisture to your locs which are actually great for your locs. Adding moisture to your locs is not always about treating your locs to delicious oils, but also about feeding your locs some good ol’ steam without getting the hair wet. Sometimes, it’s just that simple.
Hair Dryer
Speaking of wet hair, we do recommend a hairdryer. There are a lot of great bonnet hair dryers out there at a relatively affordable price, depending on your personal budget. Leaving your locs to air dry can cause your locs to build up mildew and lead to a foul odor, not exactly what we’re going for here after a deep cleansing rinse. Many locticians are against dryers, however Dr. Locs is on the hair dryer team. If you’re using a handheld dryer, use the dryer at low heat and low speed for the best results.
Buildup Free products
And last but now least, buildup free products. You’ll need to wash your locs with a buildup free shampoo and conditioner. Don’t be fooled by the ‘all-natural’ labels, since they may have several ingredients that are far from natural that will damage your locs. It’s important to stick to your maintenance schedule whether you can make it to your loctician or not. If you stick to your schedule that works for you, you shouldn’t end up with any surprises by the time you can finally meet with your loctician, your friends, or your co-workers.
Takeaway
We recommend securing a loc-care maintenance package. This includes clips that work for you, a satin or silk headscarf, a hairdryer, a hair tie and build-up free products designed for locs. Our travel kit is a great start if you’re looking to test a new product. This way you can uphold your maintenance routine and look awesome both indoors and out. Keep your locs looking healthy, even if it is just for you, after all whose opinion matters more than your own?
What items have you found at home that are essential for your hair care routine?
