You might now always have the time, or the wallet to go to the salon to groom your locs. Or, maybe you’re on a trip somewhere and can’t find the right loctician to work your locs. Whatever the scenario may be, you know, and we know how important it is to really dry those locs. Air or sun drying can be done from time to time, but it’s certainly not a method we want you relying on, otherwise your locs will start to give off a bad odor.
So, how do you wash your locs at home? And how do you do it right?
Before Getting Started
Before getting started, know that it’s going to take some time for your locs to really dry. If you are new to locs and used to having loose hair, then this will be a really new experience for you. Your hair, now that it’s loc’ed, is matted and clumped together from within, so it’ll take some time and effort to dry. This also means that from the outside your hair may appear to be dry, but on the inside they’re still wet, which is how that bad odor can start to invade your locs.
First step to drying your locs
The first thing you’ll want to do when you get out of the shower is to wring your locs, to really get as much water out as you can. It’s like hand-washing your clothes. If you just let it dry after hand-washing them, they’ll start to smell because they won’t dry fast enough. Do it in sections. You can start with the locs closest to the top of your scalp and really wring out each section. When you’ve really worked that group, move them to the side and move on to the next layer. You can divide your locs into four sections and work from the scalp down to the bottom of each loc. Really work those locs to get that water out. You can use a microfiber towel or a t-shirt to ring out your hair. And know that you may need a few to really be thorough.
This is when you may think you’re done when you’re actually not done.
Next Steps after the first round of drying - if you’re not re-twisting
If you’re not going to be doing any re-twisting, you’ll spray your scalp and hair with the Jinan Moisture mix. You can massage your locs with the mixture. Then tie your locs into two pigtails. The ideal way would be to make it that your ends are pointing upward. Then you sit under the dryer with the ends on the top of your head. You do this so the back of your head and bottom of your locs are really getting dry as well, not just the easy-to-reach front sections. You’ll be drying your locs for about 40 minutes. Then you can squeeze the locs to see if they’re really dry from the inside out.
After 40 minutes you can take down the pigtails and then split them into two ponytails, one top section and one bottom section and sit under the dryer for another 20-40 minutes. Everyone’s hair will dry differently. Some may be able to skip this step, while others may need to sit under the dryer for longer.
Depending on how well your hair retains moisture you may need to dry your hair from an hour to an hour and a half. Feel the inner sections to ensure all areas of your hair are dry not just the top, outermost layers.
If you Are Re-twisting your Locs
If you are re-twisting then you’ll use the Leave-In Conditioner and the Imani Locking Spray. The locking spray works with the locs and sometimes can help the locs dry faster. Gels and other ingredients block the inner matrix of the locs and then makes it harder and longer to dry. However, the Imani Locking Spray dries with the hair under the dryer. Use your silver clips as you retwist and sit under the dryer with your clips in. You can set an alarm for 35 minutes and then check from under the dryer if your locs feel dry.
Next steps after re-twisting
If they feel ready, take the clips down and bring the hair into two pigtails. While you may think your hair is already dry, the hair in the back of your head is not dry and needs that extra time in a pigtail style to get dry.
If your hair is long you’ll also want to think about putting the ends of your hair up so the dryer can reach your ends and not just the top and outer layer of your hair. Flip your hair over and bring the ends of the pigtails to the top of your head. Sit under the dryer for 20-30 minutes and then squeeze your locs to see if they’re dry from the inside. There shouldn’t be any water dripping when you squeeze.
When you’re all dry, you can use the Yaya Oil adding a few drops to your palms. Rub your palms together, massage your scalp and then whatever oil is left over on your palms run through your locs and your set.
