If you’re about to start your loc journey, and planning on starting from the very first stage, you’re going to pass through what’s unofficially called the baby stage. So buckle up!
There are a lot of factors that go into the baby loc stage. The experience is going to be different for everyone. Some people absolutely love this phase, while others have a harder time with it. If you love having short hair, then this phase will probably be very enjoyable for you. But if you’re used to having very long hair, this is going to be a big adjustment. But you’re ready for it, we totally believe in you!
The Very Beginning
You want to start by washing your hair. Then you can coil your hair up in your preferred size with a loctician. Your hair really needs a curl pattern to follow at this stage in order to start bunching.
As the weeks go by the hair will frizz - which is a goooood thing! It means your hair is doing what it's supposed to be doing. It won’t look the way it did when you left the salon, so please be patient. Frizz is not only normal but a great sign! Please do not trim that frizz because you need that hair for your hair to loc up.
You will want to go to the loctician around 6-weeks after your first appointment. What’s happening is, your hair is matting together inside those ringlets, this is the true beauty behind that frizz.
Psst, Tip for Frizz: cover your hair in the shower, when it rains, and when you treat yourself to a day at the spa. Don’t use a plastic cap in the shower, this creates steam under the plastic forcing the curls to come up. Treat yourself to a shower cap with an inner material lining, or a bonnet, to protect the hair. And cover your hair up at night to reduce frizz down the line. Typically, the more coarse the hair, the faster you will get to the teenage phase.
As the first weeks go by
The more you wait to wash your hair, the more likely your hair will knot together. If you’ve had box braids or kinky twists for around two months and then took them out to rock those matted coils or ringlets, then you know what we're talking about. The same thing is happening to your hair during the baby stage.
Your hair is matting together and it’s so important during this moment to avoid combing it out. You’ll then go back to your loctician to get your hair rewashed - BUT DO NOT LET SOMEONE RECOMB YOUR HAIR. A comb will disturb what’s happening within each coil. You should only use a comb if you want to stay in this phase forever. Just kidding, but seriously, you see how important it is to let your hair do her/his thing?
When you finally return to the salon
Instead of using a comb you want to use your fingers to reset the hair in place. Your loctician will wash and delicately shampoo your hair with their fingertips not to disturb your coils. You should get a triple rinse at this point in the process. Your hair will look like a fro with ringlets. Each ringlet is a guide for where you will retwist. You or your loctician will then detangle the ringlets with their fingers and retwist each loc into place.
Your loctician will then clip them down with 2 or 3 clips depending on your length. The best place to start is from the back of the nape and then make your way upward, no combs all fingers (in case you forgot!) Then you’ll sit under a hood dryer for 40 minutes depending on how your hair dries, take down the clips and you're done, yay!
Using Dr Locs buildup free line from beginning to end
Use Yaya oil after you dry, and the Pre-cleanse before washing. Let the Pre-cleanse sit for a bit and then shampoo. Then use the Jinan Leave-in Conditioner and locking spray for that re-twist. We recommend that you use the whole line to go through the process.
Repeat this process every time you get your hair washed and retwisted.
In the upcoming phases you’ll be able to wash and go. But for now you really can’t skip any of these steps, otherwise you’ll end up with problems and unnecessary challenges down the line. Your locs will be more defined each time you make it to the styling chair for a retwist after the sink. You’ll know you're in the teenage phase when the locs no longer come undone. The new growth is frizzy but the locs themselves shouldn’t have frizz.
Have you just made it to the teenage phase? What was the baby stage like for you?
