Natural Hair Beauty : Cheryl Harris (Locs Of Love)

1. Introduce Yourself

My name is Cheryl. I’ve had this set of locs for a little over a year. I love all type of locs, from cultivated, freeform, white locs, black locs, asian locs, who cares, they’re all gorgeousJ

2. Why did you make the decision to go natural?

Going natural wasn’t exactly my choice. In 2009, after about only 3 years of rocking a relaxer, I finally had the experience I thought would never happen to me. The hair dresser left the relaxer in way too long and totally damaged my armpit length hair. My thick healthy hair was left brittle and broken. After that my mom did the big chop for me against my will. Ever since then I’ve been natural. I started my first set of locs in late 2009. I picked that set of locs out in May 2012, rocked a GIANT afro for 3 months then started my last and final set of locs in July 2012. I plan on keeping this set forever. Well at least right now I don’t see myself ever cutting them.

3. How would you describe your hair texture?

My hair texture is confusing. I don’t know how to define it. When I wore it loose for that 3 months, I discovered that I had 4a texture based on a chart at the beauty salon. When wet, my hair hangs down and is manageable and spiral curly, but when dry I had a decent amount of shrinkage but not that much and the easiest way for me to deal with it was when I had a blow out. My edges are smooth but as I move toward the crown of my head the texture is very kinky and coily. Now that I have locs, my texture looks more 4c down the shaft of the loc but at the root my hair is straighter.

4.What’s your monthly hair regimen

 Locs can be the easiest hairstyle or the hardest depending on how one takes care of them. The key is to keep them clean. A month of loc maintenance consists of washing my hair twice a month and retwisting once a month if necessary. Retwisting isn’t a requirement for loc wearers but in my opinion washing is required and should be done often. When I retwist I just palm roll or finger twist my roots, clip them in place and let it dry. Some loc wearers interlock with a special tool to tighten their locs. Interlocking lasts longer and won’t come down when the hair gets wet. It is convenient but not for everybody.

5.What does you wash day look like?

 Typically washing my hair takes place on a lazy Sunday. I have really thick locs, only having about 88. The average amount for medium to small locs is 125-150 locs. My regimen for washing consists of shampooing and conditioning my hair with a natural product that won’t cause buildup in my hair later such as African black soap or Dr. Bronner’s clarifying shampoo and conditioner. After I do that, I do a hot oil treatment on my locs with different oils such as jojoba, coconut, olive, melted shea butter, etc. This moisturizes my scalp and adds nutrients, minerals, and shine to my locs. Nobody wants to have “ashy locs.” I don’t use gels anymore because most of them can cause buildup in locs. Buildup is what causes the appearance of “ashy locs.”  However, if you must use a gel, I recommend Taliah Waajid Lock It Up Gel. She only uses natural ingredients in her products that easily wash out as to not cause build up. After I get out of my hot oil treatment I spritz my hair with a oil and water mix and retwist my roots for a polished look.  I clip each loc down then sit under a dryer to set them in place. Once that is complete my wash day is over, I have a fresh retwist and I don’t have to do it again if I tie my hair up (which I don’t always do) until the next month or at least 3 weeks later.

6. Describe your favorite go to styles? 

My go-to styles are very simple. I usually do a basket weave to get my hair out of my face or a simple ponytail. A basket weave it a style a lot of loc wearers do. It’s very similar to a braid but much easier to do. You just layer the hair over each piece until you run out of strands. It’s a great way to get a simple updo. They go especially well for the elegant look. I’ve been experimenting with bantu knots, two strand twists, and roller sets. These styles create a wavy or curly hair pattern that allows me to get away with not retwisting my hair. Two strand twisting my hair gives me a 2 in 1 style. I can wear the twists for as long as I want and then when I finally take them out I’m left with a full head of spiral waves. I also like to pin half of my hair to the side and wear the other side hanging down now that it’s getting longer. Lately I’ve had an obsession with head wraps. They are quite convenient when I’m having a bad hair day. They come in many different colors and designs and can be quite fashionable if worn correctly and not like a night wrap for sleeping in.

7. How do you combat shrinkage?

 Shrinkage is no longer a big problem for me anymore. When locs grow they tend to gain some weight and start to hang. When wet they may hang a little lower but they don’t lose too much length when they dry once they mature. HOWEVER, during the baby phase of locs the hair isn’t completely locked yet. The unlocked natural hairs react the same to water as loose natural hair.  That process can be frustrating. There really isn’t a way to combat shrinkage. A part of locking you hair is going through the journey to get to the long flowing locs most desire. A person has to get through the “ugly phase” to get to the mature look. The process teaches you patience and acceptance of yourself through every part of the journey. Nevertheless there are other options for those who don’t want to go through the early phases of locking such as loc extensions.

8. What are some of your problem areas?

I wear a lot of ponytails and tight head wraps so some of my potential problem areas are the locs at the nape of my neck and the locs at the front of my edges. I probably need to start wearing my hair down more often to give my edges a break so that they won’t get thin and break or get damaged.That can all be prevented however. A lot of people help prevent this with the help of Biotin and Jamaican Black Castor Oil.   

9. Three Do’s for locs:

  Keep the hair and scalp clean, never be afraid to wash and condition your hair especially during the beginning stages 2) keep the hair/ scalp moisturized especially if you’ve dyed your locs before 3) love YOUR locs! Even if you are the only one who does.

10. Three Don’t for locs:

 don’t let the hair get dry, keep it moisturized so the locs don’t break or get damaged 2) don’t use products that can cause build up to accumulate in the locs. Don’t use waxes or heavy gels. 3) Don’t get caught up in comparing your locs to anyone else’s. Everyone’s journey, texture, personal preference for their hair is different. Lastly DON’T hate on anyone’s locs even if you think they’re ugly. Every locker is entitled to their own journey no matter what style, race, hair type, etc.

Yall can subscribe and follow my loc journey on youtube. My name is Cher Harr and my instagram is cher_harr !!!