Here’s the thing about growing locks that people who grow them and have them may or may not tell you: It takes commitment.
I am now on my second set of locks, and this set I’ve had for about seven years. I love my hair. It’s now about the middle of my back, and dyed a light blonde.
However, as long as it is now, when I started growing my hair out, it took nothing short of patience. I have fine hair and am of mixed ethnic heritage it took something like two years for my locks to look like anything, and then another two years for them to fall.
The first phase, is where the hair continues to grow but still hasn’t quite locked together enough for the weight of it to pull it down into the second phase which is falling.
In any case, if you can survive the torture of waiting for your locks to fall, you will be rewarded. Loads of people can’t make it, because you wake up some mornings and hate not being able to have that nice length. During that phase your locks has ideas of their own regarding where they want to go in life and unless you train them regularly they will grow in unnatural directions that defy gravity.
Big Mami’s best advice babies, discover the glory and beauty that is head wrapping. In any case it protects your locks from DREADED linen fluff that get trapped and then become a part of your whole personal headspace.
Plus, head wrapping is a beautiful art. I wrapped my head and wore tams and berets for almost the entire two and a half year growing period.
Now a word about shaking. Shaking one’s locks is part of the whole art of getting them to grow heavy enough to fall. After your hair begins to mat together, when you wash your hair, shake the water out.
Just shake your head. Not so wildly your brain shrieks and you lose your balance and fall down and buss ya ass in the shower babies. No, Feel the weight in your hair and use enough force to expell it. Shake, shake, shake! What the shaking does is stretch your hair out which aids in it falling.
Also…. I loathe beeswax and mostly I find it makes my hair look like snot and often truly produces a waxy effect. MOST hair products for natural hair are crap and poisonous to boot. If you want to get your hair to grow healthy and strong here are a few ideas for nourishing.
Eschew too much shampoo. Try making a conditioner out of aloes, hibiscus leaves if you can get them, and what is called scrunchineel in Barbados and Rachet in Trinidad. I don’t know what else they’re called in other parts of the world. The aloes is a great conditioner. The hibiscus leaves help the locks to fall and the rachet helps the locks to stick together. Blend them together in a blender and add some sweet almond or light olive oil and a couple of eggs if you’re up too it.
Since I know these things are hard to find in the US and other non-tropical countries I won’t press you to get all that. It’s just this is how we do it in the part of the Caribbean I’m from. If you can just find aloes, that’s fine.
Avoid the commercial stuff as much as possible for moisturising. Try sweet almond oil, honey, light olive oil, and add essences of rosemary, tea tree, lavender. Experiment with pure scented oils like jasmine and ylang ylang. You can also try good quality lanolin, as this helps to thicken your hair. Another suggestions is to use pure, traditional shea butter (not Palmer’s allyuh!) which is EXCELLENT.
So there you go… a few ideas for growing out that beautiful crown of yours.
I know what I am suggesting is a good bit of work, but believe me in the end you’re rewarded for it, because you’ll be that beautiful head that causes other heads to turn. Nothing I love more than seeing a beautiful head of locks.
That said I am about to cut all this hair off.
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