Proper Hydration and Moisture are essential in achieving healthy locs. To establish a regimen that is beneficial, one needs to be sure to determine and consider the needs of ones specific hair type and scalp.
Hydration helps to prevent dryness, brittleness and breakage. All lending to locs that can grow and flourish.
- Frequent Schedule for Washing. The frequency will depend on the needs of your hair type, style of life, activities, etc., however, a regimen for loc cleanliness is something that should be high on the priority list. Cleansed hair and scalp provides a healthy environment for further steps in obtaining and maintaining healthy locs. My locs thrive using a weekly "wash day" schedule. What my wash day includes will be featured on a future blog post. Side Note: if your locs are large in size, be sure to provide what is needed for appropriate drying time, this too is essential for healthy locs.
- Adding Moisture to your locs. Water...can be your best friend, a major key to moisturizing locs. Is water, however, the only moisture that should be added to your locs? In some instances...water may be enough, but additional moisture properties can benefit the hydration of locs. You surely don't want to overdo it, however, there are many options available for providing locs with an added moisture boost, without weighing the locs down.
- Avoid Heavy Products. To piggyback off of the bullet point above, you do want to be cautious about products that may be too heavy for your hair texture. You want to avoid against causing buildup which can affect moisture in a negative way, which is what we're trying to avoid.
- Use of Oils. This seems to be a controversial thought for some. The correct oils, however, can play a very essential role in obtaining and maintaining hydrated locs. Rosehip, jojoba, grapeseed, argan, to name a few, are oils that not only provide the most noted ability to seal in moisture but are also oils that are easily absorbed, providing additional nutrients to your hair and scalp.
Since locs are more prone to dryness, they require special attention to maintain the proper moisture balance for health. Regular washing, adding moisture, use of lightweight oils and being conscious of preventing damage, are vital for maintaining the health and appearance of locs.
If you have any questions or thoughts about the information noted above, feel free to let me know or ask!