Lady Lovely Locs

Hey ladies (and gentlemen),

Here’s a little follow-up to yesterday’s post.

A pal of mine with gorgeous locs sent along this for some extra inspiration:

I started locking with little baby beeswax-coated twists back in 1998. Before that I’d gradually gone from a perm to braids to a short natural from about 1993 to 1998.

Grandma Addie describes our hair as “spider-web hair”. Tight coils, sandy brown, cottony, soft and not at all shiny, except with the beeswax. Anyway, the difference between the perm and locs is that during the perm I was always working to salvage my permed ends to coax it to survive and get to shoulder length, or growing out of bad color, layers, bangs, etc. I was always waiting impatiently for a change, and anticipating the inevitable 6-8 week touch up. It was only “right” every now and then, two or three weeks after a perm, usually when it was pretty dirty.

But since I started locing, I just sit back and watch what it does. I loved my shiny little twist-tendrils and seeing my freshly parted scalp in the early stages. I wasn’t crazy about the “bud” stage, but I liked the 2 and 3 inch stage when I started curling them into cute pixie-like styles. My “pineapple-top” ponytail — the first time I was able to gather the locs up on top of my head into a ponytail — was cause for celebration! Curly styles and updos were a fun, and then it grew long enough for a low, more sophisticated ponytail.

Now that it’s past my shoulder blades I can work it into intricate knots, buns and twists with little more than a brown elastic band or two, no bobby pins. I just tuck and wind and it stays like cotton rope.

My hair is what it is, and I more often marvel at it than wait for it to get right.