My 1 Year Loc Journey (+ Combing them out!)

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On June 12, 2020, I installed starter locs on my natural hair by doing two strand twists. And, on May 29, 2021, I combed them out! The last time I wrote a post about my loc journey was at the 3 month mark, so this update is well overdue! So, here are all of the details and pictures of my 1 year loc journey and why I ended up combing them out.

June 2020

This is the month that I started my locs with two strand twists. I didn’t really do perfect parts, and I washed my hair every 10-14 days, basically, whenever it was dirty. I loved the way my hair looked at this point, even though most people just thought I had mini twists. I did not have much shrinkage, and my locs were very low maintenance.

July 2020

In July, I was really feeling my locs! They had a lot of movement, and the two strand twist pattern was kind of disappearing, although the ends were still curly. Towards the end of this month, I started to notice some shrinkage, but I didn’t mind. To strangers, my hair still looked like twists, but I was loving my starter locs! I was still washing my hair whenever it was dirty, and I attempted my first retwist. It took a long time, but I really liked the results. In July, I also installed a set of box braids over my locs because I needed some versatility, but it was not the same. Because I already had locs, the braids felt really heavy on my scalp, and they were bulky and difficult to style. I’m not gonna lie, I was kind of disappointed because box braids are my favorite style, but on with the journey.

August 2020

By August, a lot of my twist pattern was gone, especially in the back. It was becoming more and more obvious that I had locs and not twists, and my retwist really looked like a real retwist! This was the first month were I started to notice frizz, but it was not a lot. I also started to notice some budding, and the shrinkage was real! I wanted to experiment with color, but I decided to wait a little bit.

September 2020

In September, I added some color, in the form of permanent box dye. At first, I really liked the color, but it faded very quickly. Not many updates at this stage, except that the frizz and webbing were crazy at this point! Doing my own retwists was difficult because of this, so my “parts” began to change a little bit, but that was fine with me. At this point in my loc journey, I looked back at my June pictures, and it looked so different! I was so excited for what was to come!

October 2020

Although I was still enjoying the journey and trusting the process, this month was probably my least favorite in terms of what my hair looked like. For some reason, my hair was getting stiff, and I had so much shrinkage that I could barely do a ponytail! Buns were definitely out of the question! So, I switched to wigs and half wigs for a while. The frizz was better, and I didn’t retwist so often, but if I’m gonna be real, I considered combing out my locs at this stage. The shrinkage and stiffness made me dislike the look, and I thought they kind of looked masculine, if that makes sense. Anyway, I decided to trust the process, which leads me to November.

November 2020

Like October, November was a month of protective styles as I worked through my “awkward phase”. I installed Marley twists over my locs, and like the box braids, they were pretty heavy and bulky, so I also wore wigs and half wigs. But, I was NOT prepared for what my hair looked like after I stopped the protective styles…

December 2020

After taking out the Marley twists, my locs looked AMAZING! This is really the first time I was in love with my hair on this journey. My locs had a lot of length and movement, and they looked like real locs! They were absolutely gorgeous! I had reached six months, and I was ready to enter the new year with my locs!

January 2021

January was pretty much the same as December. Even today, these two months were my favorite period of my loc journey. Maintenance was easy, and at this point, I was stretching retwists to every 8 weeks, even though I still washed when it was dirty. Again, I can’t complain in month 7! I was absolutely in love.

February 2021

By stretching the period between retwists, my roots were thickening up, and my locs looked really nice. But, I wanted to try something new, so I did faux locs over my locs. I literally HATED this style! It took so long to install, and the faux locs were so heavy and bulky. I couldn’t even style them! I retwisted my hair once I took them out, and all was well. I played around with styling, and my hair looked nice. However, at this point, I became frustrated with the lack of versatility I had with locs. I am someone who loves changing my hair a lot, and I love playing around with color, braids, twists, and other protective styles. I also missed the volume of my natural hair and styles like slick low ponytails and buns. I contemplated combing out my locs again here, but I ultimately decided against it.

March 2021

In March 2021, I decided to dye my locs again. This time, I wanted to go all black. I had my mom do it at home with a box dye, and it came out cute, exactly how I wanted. My hair was still looking great, and I was seeing the movement and length that I wanted.

April 2021

In April, I had Lasik Eye Surgery, so I was mostly focused on that. But, I did take the time to examine my hair. As my locs grew, I started to wonder how long my natural hair actually was. When I started my journey, my hair was almost bra strap length, so I really wished that I could see my growth. I also started to notice that my locs were all different shapes and sizes, and it really bugged me, especially in the back. I saw Instagram Reels of girls with perfect, small locs, and I really liked their hair more than mine. And because of the different textures throughout my hair, my locs looked “gappy” in some areas. At this point, I remember thinking, “At one year, I’m going to take my locs out, and end the journey”. I’m pretty sure this month was the beginning of the end for my locs.

May 2021

May was my first month trying barrel twists on my hair, and the style came out really cute. It was also starting to warm up outside, and I was transitioning back into wearing pastels and more feminine clothes. I found that I did not like the look of my locs with these types of clothes. As I mentioned before, my hair looked a little masculine to me, so I had a hard time styling it with my frillier, more girly pieces. It took so much work to get my locs up into a bun, and other styles didn’t look as “put together” for me. So, on Memorial Day weekend, I combed out one loc to see what my natural hair was looking like, and by the start of June…

June 2021

I combed out all of my locs! The process took around three days with my mom helping me on the last day, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy! Combing out locs is HARD, and my hands were in pain for at least a week! I used a rat tail comb and conditioner to take them out, and I have to say, my hair was really loc’d! I had an entire grocery bag full of shed hair! Throughout the year, I still used deep conditioners, conditioners, and moisturizers, which I talk about in my 3 Month Update and Loc Mistakes posts, but there was no dirt or buildup in my hair. In fact, taking out my locs was less buildup than when taking out two month old box braids! I felt more like myself, and everyone around me liked that I was back to my curls. I feel like I’m kind of known for them. But, after being in locs, my natural hair was not the same…

Back to curls…

When I first washed my hair, my curls were loose and squeaky–I had moisture overload! With locs, I pretty much wet and oiled my hair every day, but loose natural hair can’t handle that. My first braid out looked great, but I knew my hair was not healthy. It was long, but not the healthiest. What did I do to fix it? I went back to my routine! I washed and deep conditioned every week, and this conditioner practically restored my moisture/protein balance itself! It is now one of my holy grail products! Now, it’s almost August, and my hair looks better than it did before locs! I can easily achieve the perfect wash and go, my texture is back to normal, my hair is long, and my wash day is still under an hour long! Even though locs were easier to get up and go, I am loving the versatility and volume I have with my loose natural hair. I’ve already experimented with hair products and styles, and the box braids that I was longing for are on the way! Overall, I loved the process, and it’s taught me a lot about patience, commitment, and decision-making. And who’s to say I’ll never loc my hair again in the future? 😉

If you have any questions about my loc journey or how I revived my curls, leave them in the comments or message me on Instagram!