Let your hair down

March 24, 2010Edward Bowsercolumns by Tara, good hair0

Editor’s Note: This post is a response to a reader’s request. After reading Tara’s “Letting loose,” Ralphinathinks wanted to know how she could let go of her locs without a big chop.

Contributed by: Tara Walker

A lot of people, including myself at one point, believe that practically shaving your head is the only way to remove locs. That is so not true. Now I didn’t say taking my locs out was the easiest or quickest thing I’ve ever done, but with care and patience they can actually be combed or picked out. Remember that the locking method you used, the amount of time you’ve had them in and the length of your locs will all (among any other factors) contribute to the experince you’ll have taking your locs down. Here’s what I did:

-the first thing I did was grab the largest bottle of cheap conditioner I had. If you need to buy conditioner, I’d suggest brands like Suave or V05, because you’ll need a LOT of it but shouldn’t have to spend more than $4-$5 (even that’s stretching it) buying the amount you’ll need. When you’re first starting out and allowing your locs to mature the use of products that have a creamy consistency, especially conditioners, is discouraged because several are used to help detangle the hair. So once I was taking the locs out, conditioner was the perfect and only thing I used.

-I slathered a bunch of the conditioner all throughout my head, covered it with a plastic bag (just because I didn’t have a shower cap), and let it set for a good hour. The conditioner helped soften the locs so they’d be a little eaiser to pick out, so feel free to let the conditioner set longer.

-I then got a rattail comb and went to work. The pointed part I used to pick the ends loose, then as I picked the loc apart, I combed through to completely loosen my hair. As I went through each loc I would add more conditioner, which made it easier to get through the loc.

-I repeated those steps until my hair was loose, then I went through my wash routine and that was it! As I said earlier, how long it will take depends on several factors, but I took mine down in two days, which is actually pretty quick. My locs were between an inch or two long, and they weren’t completely locked, so that helped me tremendously. Also one key thing to remember is that if you feel there’s a lot of hair coming out with each loc, it’s completely normal. Most people can shed between 50-100 hairs per day, so just imagine how much shed hair you’d have just after a couple months, let alone a few years.

Should you have any more questions or maybe would like to see a visual, I’d go to YouTube and search for ‘taking down locs’. I also suggestNappturality.com, which is a natural haircare forum that I’m a member of and love dearly!

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