about a month since backcombing and...

Ahoy … Awesome, this method is the one I recommend the most. It was the approach that I took for the previous load of locks that I had and started off with for the locks that I have now. There is nothing wrong with lot’s of loose hair amongst one’s locks, but this is the best approach that I know of to have locks with no / very minimal loose hair, but at the same time not messing with the locks trying to manufacture them. If you are in the position to go this route, i.e. you can wear a tam / beanie as much as possible, keeping up the circular motion washing etc, you won’t be sorry.

As mentioned though, check out when the knots start forming at the ends of your locks, you may want to do some work to keep them from forming really big knots … that’s what happened to mine with the previous load, well I don’t mean like massive, massive knots, but just keep an eye on it so that you can decide to some extent how you want the knots to turn out. Also, the knots will have some loose hair at the tips; you can either work them into the knots or wait a bit longer for them to work themselves in … I didn’t wait, I eventually used a needle and needle threader.

I really don’t want to sound all air-headed, but it truly is a ‘mystical’ experience, as one’s hair actually has a mind of it’s own and the less you mess with it, i.e. crochet, backcombing, rolling / rubbing, the more it does it’s own thing. The reason people ‘generally’ interfere with their hair is to accelerate the locking process or to maintain some ‘neatness standard for the sake of other people’ … the irony is that the more one interferes the more it actually slows down the locking process.

The locks I have now are my third load, the first time I took the neglect approach for +2 years … no shampoo, just warm water, the second was this washing method that I recommend, for +3 years … and now the present load (well getting there as a load) has been +1 year of the same approach. However, I jumped in 2 months ago and started rubbing / rolling … a bit, as the locks had sectioned themselves, and working in the loose hairs in the knots at the ends with a needle and needle threader … and sometimes a ‘graphite’ crochet hook …

… seriously, I’m not kidding, stay away from heavy steel crochet hooks, apply as little pressure as possible if you do use graphite / very light alloy ones … and don’t go near the rest of your locks with them. I must admit that I have worked the odd loose hair into a lock with the present ‘striving to be a load’ of locks … but even then, seriously, there is a technique to using crochet hooks … and it’s not the violent abusive ones you see on youtube etc.

But to be honest, even though I have interfered, I keep the interference to a minimum, I was just a bit impatient … and the whole ‘neatness standard for the sake of other people’ nonsense that has kicked in, but it’s still the washing method, and at this stage I can wash and rinse and only the odd loose hair that is visible ... the locks are there.

The truth of the matter though, is if you take the patient approach, the loose hairs work themselves into the locks anyway … you won’t be disappointed. When I took this approach all the way with the previous load, the results were awesome, after 1.5 years there was hardly any loose hairs, just some from the knots at the ends … and the locks were awesomely parted, none of the locks shared the same bed, they were really strong, compacted and generally more neat than any manufactured approach can get.

… and the washing method is the one that you just continue using even once the locks have matured, just without the stocking ‘cap’, and as your locks grow the new hair at the base continually matts due to the washing process … what more could one want … and all you have to do is well, don’t mess with your hair.. Till today I am still grateful to those Rasta for passing on this method … Give Thanks And Praises To The Most High.

PS. When the ends of your locks start to knot, you will loose quite a bit of length … I generally loose between 1/4 – to even 1/3 of the length … don’t get freaked out, it’s what your hair will want to do, but this also depends on how long your hair is, on both occasions I started the washing method with short hair.