In the summer of 2003, after years of wasting money on expensive perms and a bad dye job that caused most of my hair to fall out, I decided to go natural. To my mother's dismay, I asked her to cut off all of my chemically treated hair and rocked a tiny afro all summer long. In 2004 I decided to loc my hair and haven't looked back. Shortly after I started blogging about my new natural hair journey and in 2006 made the leap to video. Since then I've filmed over 50 hairstyle videos and in 2009 launched my Chescalocs YouTube channel, dedicated specifically to hairstyling videos. My videos have been featured on numerous hair and lifestyle blogs including, ymib.com, naturalbeautifulhair.com, black girl long hair and Afrobella.com just to name a few. In 2009 I was named one of the best hair bloggers by blackvoices.com and most recently I was named the best video blogger for locs in the Afro Glitz 2010 web awards.
Since sharing my hair journey online, I've made friends around the world and regularly answer between 20 to 50 weekly fan emails and video comments and questions. Below are some common questions I answer about my locs. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me: chescaleigh@gmail.com
LOCS FAQ
(frequently asked questions)
1. How long have you had locs?
I started my locs in February of 2004. That makes 7 years in 2011.
2. How did you start your locs?
A family friend started my locs for me using comb coils. You can also start locs with two strand twists, braidlocs, freeform, backcoming or loc extensions. The method you choose depends on your hair texture and your personal preference.
3. How many locs do you have?
114. Don't think I'm crazy for counting them though! I've just been asked so often that I decided to find out for certain :)
4. Can I touch them?
Well, since you were nice enough to ask, yes. But if you touch my hair without permission you're likely to get a stern talking to and a dirty look. Check out my Loc'd up video collab for some common loc and natural hair faux pas.
5. Who maintains your locs?
I do! In almost 7 years of having locs, I've never been to a loctician or professional stylist. Check out my clip free loc maintenance tutorial to see how I maintain my hair.
6. How often do you maintain your locs?
I wash are retwist my hair every 2-3 weeks. It depends how lazy I'm feeling.
7. Wait, you WASH your hair?
But of course! Contrary to popular belief, locs aren't dirty or smelly. I wash my hair just like everyone else, with shampoo and water. The only difference is I don't wash my hair daily.
8. How long does it take hair to loc?
Since everyone's hair is different, it can take up to 6 months to a year for your hair to be fully loc'd root to tip.
9. My hair is permed. Can I start locs?
That depends on what type of locs you want. "Traditional" locs cannot be formed with chemically treated hair. You'll need to grow out your hair and cut the permed ends before you can start your locs. But, sisterlocs, which are a form of very thin micro dreadlocs, can be started with permed hair as long as you have at least 2 inches of natural new growth. For more info on sisterlocks visit sisterlocks.com
10. What can I do to speed up the loc-ing process?
Nothing. Sorry :( You just have to be patient! But it get's better and easier, I promise. Check out my Happy Birthday hair video embedded above for a timeline of the first 4 years of my natural hair journey to see what you're in for.
11. I hate the short phase! What can I do to make my hair grow faster?
Get loc extensions or just wait it out. Sadly, there's no secret formula for hair growth.
12. What hair products do you recommend for locs?
There are a lot of great products on the market for natural hair. It's up to you to decide what works best for you. I recently began using the Hair Rules
13. Can you do my hair? I live in New York!
Sorry, I'm not a professional loctician or hair stylist. I only do my own hair.