The Mystery of Locs And Why We Love Them

THE MYSTERY OF LOCS…..AND WHY WE LOVE THEM!

Perhaps it’s the thickness of some, and the thinness of others, I don’t know, its just that something uniquely special about a person’s locs. As an onlooker, some locs are to be admired and we secretly question what they had to endure through their loc journey, such as their changing looks, reaching the teenage phase, loc-popping, and so on.  Noone's locs are perfect no matter how “perfect” they may appear at that moment. Each person has had their own process of growth.  For those who’ve cut their locs and they are on their second or third set, you scratch your head and wonder, what it was that made them cut the first set in the first place? What look were they going for the second time around?  And even those who chose to cut their locs off permanently, or temporarily to experience loose hair again, you imagine how much they wrestled with that decision.

Sisterlocks are the tiniest of locs; those with several hundred plus on their head. What was their install process like? How was their hair-washing routine different than those who wore traditional-size locs? The new level of education they received in order to not only learn of the locing process, but learn of the nature of locs themselves. They are a community within a community, a sub-culture, just as loc-wearers form a sub-culture, if you will, within the natural hair community.  In addition, under that umbrella are those who chose to grow thicker locs, and knew they wanted their "locs to look like the original locs of back in the day".  Experimenting with the freeform element was so freeing and so natural without the care of the week-to-week grooming sessions the others choose to do.  Inside their mind, perhaps their is a bolder, confidence, which going against societal norms is tested even the more than those who wear nubian locs.  Then there is the nubian, or traditional, loc-wearers.  Those are the ones who like the neat parts, their hair just so, their edges laid, and sometimes wear elaborate styles. They have had their own journey, with people walking up to them asking, “Can I touch your locs? Are those extensions? How do you wash your hair?”  Having to grapple with answers for people in a friendly way was a challenge, since they simply did not know much about it in the first place, and appeared to admire them. And for all locers, the relationship with the opposite sex has been a consideration.  What is viewed as sexy comes into play.  I, myself, have been asked a few times, "How long are you going to keep those locs? You carry them well, but how long?"  And that's my sign to move on, as I realize immediately that that person would never love me for who I am.  And beauty in his eyes has been tainted.

The locs themselves are a mystery, because of a person’s head and how they fall. The mystery of locs is a mix between whats inside the head of the locer (their beginnings, their growth stages, and their goal length or style), and how the loc tends to form or mesh together due to the person’s hair texture, and whether they choose to latch/tighten their locs, palm roll their locs, sisterlock, or freeform.  The evolving journey is fascinating because we can put ourselves in someone elses’ shoes and imagine our “loc past”, or our “loc future”.  What’s inside the mind of the locer, and how they view their version of beautiful is a constant unveiling that we choose to celebrate with eachother. We wonder who this person is and what is their style? Whether corporate or artsy, they seem to have made locs work for them in their particular way.

Women adore men with locs, as over the years certain musicians, like Eric Benet and Bob Marley, has made them sexy.  They fortified a strong image at the start of their career of sexiness and mystery.  Female artists, such as Lauryn Hill, went against the grain with her thick locs throughout her career, setting a precedent for women with locs.  So whether the locer chooses to do their hair themselves or to go the salon, whether they choose to color their hair or wear their natural color, or whether they choose to use certain products to gain that finishing look they were going for, we are all in this together, and we can all appreciate our locs in their natural form however it meshes together!  

LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES? WHAT HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN LIKE AND WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR LOCS?

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