Life Lessons Learned From My Locs: Locaversary

Today is my 6 year locaversary! Whew, if only y’all could see the pics of me in the 7th grade when my hair fell out and I wore a wig to school! 🥴

I am so grateful that I finally landed on a style that I absolutely love and that represents me.

As a Black woman, my hair is political. Everyone has a comment about our hair. Our identity is tied to our hair in many ways. And I am PROUD of my locs and the experiences that I’ve had growing them for six years.

Every Black woman’s hair journey is unique and often complex. But I found a newfound sense of peace, patience and confidence when I decided to loc my hair. 💁🏽‍♀️

Here are three life lessons that I've learned from my locs:

1. BE PATIENT

I've learned so much about trusting the process through my hair. I started my locs after wearing my loose natural hair out for two years, so I had a good amount of length to start. But it still took me a while to get used to my short locs. I began to maintain my locs myself about a year into my journey, after my locs began to bud (i.e. the twists actually became locs). Taking care of my hair instead of going to a hair salon helped me embrace the seasons of my locs more. I didn’t worry so much about the length, it feels like my hair began to grow really fast. When I became patient with my hair journey, my locs began to blossom.

2. PRIORITIZE SELF CARE

Maintaining my locs myself helps me save money, be mindful of the products that I use, and prioritize self-care. I am reminded that my hair (and body) needs water and natural ingredients! I have a minimalistic approach to my hair care, and I try to keep the products as natural as possible — water, an oil mix (with olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and sweet almond oil), rose water, and aloe vera juice/gel are my staples. My hair reminds me to pour into myself as often as I need to!

3. IT’S OK TO BE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

What I love most about my locs is how messy they can get, just like life. But they are still beautiful.

If I don't regularly maintain my locs, they began to get fuzzy at the roots. But even when they are a little rough around the edges, I still appreciate them for being a part of me, and making me who I am. I know that I can always pause and give my hair some TLC with a retwist, just like I can reset my life as much as I need to.

Thanks for reading my locaversary post! Cheers to growth!

I would love for you to follow @locloveletter, a hair diary of my loc journey. If you rock locs, are considering growing your locs, or just an admirer of locs, this is a space for you.