TyteCurl is about the management, empowerment and education of natural hair which has not been chemically treated.  We are a group of young vibrant people who wish to encourage our community to love their virgin hair.  All the information on the site is put together by our members and freelance writers, who are sharing their experiences as being a part of the TyteCurl global community

A STEP INTO HOME GROWN LOCS

By Linda Kleida

Like many others, locing was a choice to give me the freedom to learn more about my hair, deepen my spiritual journey and expand my knowledge. It was a way of starting a hair routine that would provide me with the freedom of not having to rely on others, as I chose to maintain my locs by my Self. This was a personal choice that I decided to do.

Through months of research, I had tried several ways of starting locs, with no success. I was told that my hair was +too soft+ to loc and for a while, I believed it. My hair refused to stay in place for more than a day. Another concern was that I wanted the freedom to wash my locs from day 1, something that many told me not to do for the first 3 months of the locing process.

Stubborn as I am, I continued looking for a solution. There had to be a way to start locing that was right for me, suitable for my hair type, easy to maintain by my Self and will let me shampoo at regular intervals with no unravelling.

The day came -I discovered Braidelocz.

Braidelocz is a simple way to begin locing, and as its name states, locing is started by braiding your natural hair and letting it loc with time.

This was the best information I had received in all the months of loc research -and it seemed so obvious.
To start your Braidelocz:

~Section your hair evenly into the loc sizes you want <BR>
Do not make each section smaller than pencil width and bear in mind that your braids will become thicker as it locs. Making your locs too thin to start with can lead to damage in future.<BR><BR>

~Braid each section
Do not braid to tightly but make sure it is secure.

~Secure the ends with a small rubber band
This is an option but it definitely keeps the hair secure for the first few months. It can be removed later when your locs are starting to form.

~DONE!

Now leave your new Braidelocz in place. They will loc with time.

**Extra notes:
You can start Braidelocz at home or get a hair stylist to braid your hair for you.
Shampoo and wash your Braidelocz when it suits you -be gentle.
The hair will slowly matt and loc as time goes on.<BR>
The pattern of the braids will slowly even out to become mature locs.

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As I chose to have home grown locs, I did my braids at home with the help of my friend.
It kept my hair in place and I washed it that very same night without any problems.

Washing my Braidelocz was so easy. It never unravelled. I never had to use any heavy products on my hair -which was a huge plus as I didn't want to use wax. The fuzziness of the hair was all a normal process that came when my locs reached the teenage phases. I palm rolled my new growth and wrapped my loose hairs at the root. And by year 2, my Braidelocz started the mature stage.

I never went to a hair salon for any help -I kept my routine very simple and used minimun of products which was good (regular use of heavy products can cause build-up in locs).

Its been nearly 3 years now and I'm still in love with my Braidelocz.
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