Like You a Loc: Gorgeous Hairstyles You Can Create With Locs (2024)

FAQs

What is the best style for locs? ›

Palm Rolling

This look not only works great as a style on its own or for maintaining locs, but it's also a good choice for starting your locs. By leaving your palm rolls in, your hair will naturally loc over time.

Locs are an African hairstyle that consists of hair strands that have been coiled, braided, twisted, or palm-rolled to create a rope-like appearance.

Every hair type can loc, but the kinkier the hair is the faster it will loc - in most cases that is. Finer or straighter hair can take longer to loc and might look different from someone with kinkier hair.

Types of Locs

Traditional locs. Freeform locs. Two-strand twist dreads/locs. Interlocking locs.

Dreadlocks: Traditional dreadlocks require minimal maintenance, with practitioners avoiding combing or brushing their hair. The belief is that allowing the hair to mat and lock on its own leads to a more authentic and spiritually significant hairstyle. Locs: Locs can be more versatile in terms of maintenance.

Locs are visually similar to dreads; however, they are often more polished due to constant twisting, braiding, coiling, or palm rolling. Locs typically go through different stages of locking that result in a polished look — the second stage (buttoning) gives locs their unique look.

According to Erinn Courtney, a StyleSeat hairstylist and loctitian, butterfly locs are a distressed loc style with wing-like characteristics throughout the shaft of the lock.

Faux locs can be made from either synthetic or human hair, but typically, faux locs are made from marley hair. Marley hair is the preferred hair to use as its coarser texture achieves the most authentic aesthetic, although it can be more expensive. Faux locs can also be made from Kanekalon hair.

Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a hairstyle made of rope-like strands of hair. This is done by not combing the hair and allowing the hair to mat naturally or by twisting it manually. Over time the hair will form tight braids or ringlets.

Both hairstylists, Erinn Courtney and Chimere Faulk, agree that retwisting wet hair is both easier and better for your hair.

What is 4b hair? ›

Type 4b. Type 4b hair has densely packed curls that are tighter than 4a. 4b curls resemble tight curls that aren't as tight as the 4c curls. 4b curls bend in a way that makes them have a zig-zag pattern. If you grab a strand of 4b hair and gently pull it down, you'll find that it forms tight “Z” curls vertically.

Hair that's typically considered "Type Four" in the hair curl typing system will have a much easier time locking than "Type Two" or even "Type Three." If you're considering investing in a product that claims to help hair loc faster, Faulk says to proceed with caution.

Locs are one of the most beautiful styles for natural hair. You might be wondering, "aren't they called dreadlocks?", but that term is a bit problematic (the word dread certainly doesn't help, but more on that later).

Bohemian Locs tend to look that way and typically have a messy, non-uniformed look. I was about two months into having installed my Bob Bohemian Locs in the photo above.

The Difference Between Faux Locs and Soft Locs:

Faux locs can either be applied with a braid-in or crochet method. Soft locs also known as butterfly locs have a specific installation method with a softer finish, less tension and a lighter weight than traditional faux locs.

It isn't really true that loc'd hair grows faster; it just maintains all of its growth. Hair that is normally shed in the growth process and hair that breaks off at the ends due to manipulation are all retained within the loc.

Wet hair is more elastic and malleable to twist, says Courtney, whereas twisting dry hair can cause breakage and damage. And by "wet" hair, we don't mean just misting your hair with a spray bottle and calling it good—we mean freshly-washed hair that's super clean and residue-free.

Typically, you'll want to retwist them every four weeks during the starter phase, though you may want to retwist every two to three weeks the first month or month and a half. Overtwisting starter locs can lead to damaging, thinning, and breakage, so assess your hair care needs to avoid retwisting too frequently.