Category: Protective Style Maintenance

black woman wearing color 2 goddess faux locs
Protective Style Maintenance

What’s the difference between Goddess Locs and Bohemian Locs?

Princessfaith

Bohemian (BOHO Locs) and Goddess Locs are the most common variations of Faux Locs. “Faux” literally means “made in imitation” or “artificial”.

When you place the two together, it’s common sense what a Faux (pronounced as “foe”) Loc is. You might hear people say “Goddess Locs”, “Crotchet Locs”,  “Mermaid Locs”, “Soft Locs”, and “Boho or Bohemian Locs”. The only difference between each type is the techniques. Find out the technique and hair used for the Soft Locs here. They all fall under the Faux Loc category.  Faux Locs are typically done with Marley/Synthetic hair or Bohemian Human hair and are hand wrapped. Crotchet Locs are pre-made Faux Locs with a loop at the top for installation purposes. Some Crotchet Locs are reusable, depending on the kind you purchase. 

The photo below is my Bob Length Bohemian Locs. 

They were lightweight and flexible. I wore them for about 3 months and re-wrapped the roots of my hair when my natural hair started to grow at the roots. Click here to book yours today. The hair used for the Bob Faux Locs is included in the price!

bob-boho-locs
bob-bohemian-locs

Notice that each Faux Loc is rough textured and, as a whole, has a free-flowing vibe to it. Bohemian Locs tend to look that way and typically have a messy, non-uniformed look. I was about two months into having installed my Bob Bohemian Locs in the photo above. Keep in mind that Bohemian Locs might look just as rough, as mine, on the first day of installation as opposed to Goddess Locs.

Goddess Locs Have Wavy Curls at the Ends of Every Loc.

brown-and-black-faux-locs

As shown in the photo above, the Goddess Locs are a bit neater than my bob boho locs. The Goddess Locs have a slight texture to them. Don’t worry about the texture though. What makes a Goddess Loc is the wavy hair present at the end of every Faux Loc. I do not like making Faux Locs “smooth” and “shiny” looking. The texture adds character to each Loc. 

*When I say “Faux Loc”, “Locs” or “Loc”, I mean the same thing. 

Goddess Faux Locs might even look like these.

goddess-locs-with-curly-hair
Photo shown is a neatly wrapped Goddess Locs in comparison to faux locs shown prior

Remember the “smooth” and “shiny Locs? Look at the photos above. Yeah. They have absolutely NO texture. Some people just prefer Goddess Locs to look like that. No judgment here but, it’s just not my preference. Notice there is wavy hair at the end of each Goddess Loc. By the absence of texture, I mean that each Faux Loc is wrapped using a technique that permits it to appear neat. They do not look rough, messy or as some might say, “natural-looking and effortless”.

The hair at the ends of Goddess Locs is known for being wavy or loose-curled; hence the root name, “Goddess”. The idea is to bring out your inner Goddess through the expression of this hairstyle. Haha. This is why it is called “Goddess Locs”. Sometimes there is wavy hair sticking out halfway through the Locs, other times the wavy hair is just at the ends.

Bohemian Faux Locs: Are wavy ends involved?

It always depends on what the client decides to book for Bohemian “Boho” Locs. These locs are identified by their free-styled messy appearance. Boho Locs is an art and with that being said, there are absolutely no limits on where to position the wavy or curly hair.

Below are some more examples of some Bohemian Locs I did with either wavy or curly hair at the ends. There are two pictures with little to no hair at all at the end of each Faux Loc.

bohemian-locs-brown
Brown Bohemian Locs
brown-Bohemain-Locs
Waist Boho Locs Color 4-27,30,99j

Similar to the Goddess Locs, Boho Locs may have waves or curls hanging out of each Loc. The uniform length of Goddess Locs is a distinct feature that differentiates it from Bohemian Locs.  Bohemian Locs may be random in length. Towards the front of Boho Locs, there is a tendency, or lack thereof depending on your taste, for one or two Boho Locs to be much shorter in length, adding an accent to the entire style as a whole.

Distinguishing Faux Locs without curly ends may often cause confusion. People often refer to the photo below as “regular” Faux Locs because the “smooth” appearance is how Faux Locs originated. This all happened before different variations came to be. Notice the Faux Locs are without curly hair sticking out mid-way down. There is no curly or wavy hair at ends like the Bohemian Faux Locs (or Boho Locs). All Faux Locs done by the hand-wrapping method is designed to be worn for 3 months with proper care and maintenance. The variation of Faux Locs does not make one loc style better than another. It is all about preference!

distress-locs-in-black
Protective Style Maintenance

Ultimate Guide To Maintaining Faux Locs

Princessfaith

In a previous blog post, I discussed how to wash and maintain faux locs for those who are trying to figure out how to groom their faux locs and keep their faux locs looking fresh. When it comes to maintaining faux locs, it is easy to assume that just because your natural hair is underneath, there is not much that needs to be done on your part. Your stylist may tell you that your faux locs installed are the ‘Lisa Bonet-inspired faux locs’, or they might promote how their faux locs are lightweight. If you still desire healthy hair you need to be able to refresh your faux locs.

Since my beginner guide on how to wash and maintain your faux locs, I have come up with some new ways on how you can maintain Faux Locs. As a stylist, I receive a lot of questions about how to take care of faux locs and “how long can you wear them for?” But, I want you to consider the following things when it comes to refreshing locs.

A Clean Scalp is Your Priority

Oftentimes, ladies will want to rotate faux locs on a back-to-back basis. Yes, faux locs are a protective hairstyle, however, if you are not focusing on keeping your scalp clean, you are doing more damage to your hair. Whenever you have faux locs installed, you want to maintain the hairstyle by cleansing your scalp with a cleansing shampoo at least every 2-3 weeks. Like all protective styles, when you install faux locs, your hair is bound to grow. This growth is called “new growth”. 

 
(There are some affiliate links in this blog post and I may receive a small commision for purchases made through the links no cost to you. These are all products I highly recommend)

Without going into much detail, the way you cleanse your scalp will need to change as the roots of your hair start to grow out. The average the natural hair will grow per month will vary between a quarter of an inch to about half of an inch. That being said, if you used a cleansing shampoo within the first 2 -3 weeks of when you first have your faux locs installed, you would literally only be focusing on your scalp alone.

Why? Because you likely have minimal new growth. I recommend incorporating moisturizing shampoos and deep conditioners once the hair at the root of your faux locs has gotten to about a quarter inch or when you start seeing more hair at the roots of each faux loc. Learn more about when to use a moisturizing shampoo after deep conditioner when the root of your hair is reaching about an inch here.

Urban Hydration Deep Conditioner
Urban Hydration Deep Conditioner
urban hydration moisturizing shampoo
Urban Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo

Track How Often You Wash Your Faux Locs

If I had a dollar for every time people ask “How often should I wash my faux locs?” I would have more than enough to pay my student loans. No, but seriously, one of the most important ways you can maintain your faux locs (whether it’s my signature premium locs, soft locs, or any other crochet locs) is understanding the actual loc itself will not need to be washed every time you cleanse your scalp. What I mean by this is that during your faux locs wash routine, you are focusing more on the scalp and the roots of your hair that have grown out some.

Shea Moisture Coconut Leave In Conditioner
Shea Moisture Coconut Leave-in Treatment
Coconut water based Shampoo
Weightless Hydration Coconut Water Shampoo

There are daily routines you can do to avoid smelly faux locs and how to prevent lints or unwanted bed particles from getting on your locs. Aside from the necessary scalp cleansing, it is best to wash the actual faux locs with water-based shampoo and a water-based conditioner, especially for faux locs installed with synthetic hair. What this would do is allow you to eliminate any pillow or overpowering smells your locs may have latched onto from the daily things you do as you wear your locs.

You want to be attentive to how often you wash the actual loc by assessing what you are doing on a daily basis. For example, if I went swimming every single day, I might wash my faux locs after each or almost every swimming session because the water might either have too much chlorine or salt in it, which by the way, can alter the texture of synthetic faux locs, such as soft locs. Obviously, the example above is likely extreme.

Most clients that book with me are only going swimming for vacation purposes or they would mention a beach trip and would ask me about their wash routine for faux locs. Another way to track your faux locs wash routine is maybe setting aside a day to yourself once a month to improve your faux locs smell. The conditioner will leave your faux locs smelling soo good. If you travel a lot for work, there are quick low-maintenance routines for keeping your faux locs fresh and clean while on a busy schedule.

How Do You Sleep With Faux Locs?

Suppose you want to avoid having lints on your faux locs. In that case, you might consider not having cotton pillowcases or making use of a reversible adjustable satin bonnet every night.

I believe there is an ideal nighttime routine for faux locs and I will mention that way in a bit. In the meantime, another option on how to sleep with your faux locs is to have a satin pillowcase.

The ideal routine is to have a silk scarf around the perimeter of my head so that my edges are retaining moisture and then I would wear a reversible adjustable satin bonnet if I had bob faux locs, or an extra large adjustable bonnet if I have mid-back or longer length faux locs. Get a cute bonnet, though, if you are married and don’t want the bonnet to look outdated for your man!

  • extra large adjustable satin bonnet
    XL Adjustable Satin Bonnet
  • extra large adjustable satin bonnet
    Multi colored Satin Scarf

Your Locs looking Frizzy Aren’t Always a Bad Thing

I have come across people that say things like “help, my locs are frizzy” or “how do I get my locs to stop unraveling?” as a way of expressing the frizziness they either think they are experiencing or the kind that screams borderline “help me!”.

The truth about faux locs is that they will age as they get older and sometimes, appear “frizzy”. This is a dicey topic in that different people have different definitions of frizziness. I will attempt to nip it in the bud. Simply put, your locs will get frizzy. It is a good thing as long as they appear to age beautifully.

On the other hand, there is also a not-so-good loc frizziness that looks like excessive fly-aways causing your locs to look like a wet mop. These days, I hardly am shocked when I hear about faux locs being frizzy. This is because the extent of that claim being true all relies on how much the individual is careful about taking care of their protective style. Another area to take into account is if the faux locs are done with 100% human hair, synthetic hair only, or a mixture of both. If you are doing all the right things intentionally, then your locs will take on that aged and beautiful yet uniformed “messy” to them.

Make Sure You Refresh Your Faux Locs

As I mentioned earlier, the roots of your natural hair grow between a quarter to half an inch every month. When you wear a protective hairstyle, such as faux locs, it is important to re-wrap or refresh the roots of your hair so that they don’t look unkempt. Now, this idea of re-wrapping the root of your hair while wearing faux locs will vary from person to person.

For example, some people might need to re-wrap their roots after the first 4 weeks of the first installation of your faux locs. Some people might also need to re-wrap after the first 6 weeks of the first installation. The point here is that refreshing your faux locs is dependent on how fast the roots of your hair grow. That is why it is important to know when to schedule a loc touch-up appointment when you notice that your new growth is around a quarter of an inch all over.

If you are someone who either lives in a remote location, you might order loc kits where extra hair is provided for you to touch up the roots of your hair on your own.

Our Premium Loc kits, which are handmade distressed locs created with synthetic and human hair, are easy to install and take down. Check out my Youtube video on how I installed the handmade locs. If you did not purchase our Premium Locs kit, make sure you have vetted your stylist and have discussed their touch-up services if you plan to wear your faux locs longer than 5 weeks. The duration of how long to wear faux locs, however, must be demystified. Read more.

Protective Style Maintenance

Why Your Braids Cause Your Scalp to Itch: Here’s How to fix it!

Princessfaith
Kelly rowland in black box braids

Some of us reading this are going to realize that your scalp is sensitive to Kanekalon braiding hair or Marley synthetic hair, which might be used to do Faux Locs, Invisible Locs, or many other hairstyles done with Marley hair. While there are other reasons concerning why the scalp itches, it is important to be aware of the common causes of why your braids cause your scalp to itch. Keep in mind that everyone’s scalp is different and the level of scalp irritation varies from person to person.

Fix your dry scalp before doing a protective hairstyle

I’m not talking about scalp psoriasis! Some of us are concerned about getting our hair styled and looking “presentable”. Maintaining the longevity of the health of your natural hair weighs more, especially if you’re like me and love getting your hair into a protective style. A dry scalp inevitably leads to dandruff. If you are having dry scalp and dandruff, ask yourself about the last time you shampooed your hair with a really good clarifying shampoo or when you last got a soothing scalp treatment. There are times when both are needed or when you might need to do one over the other to combat your dry scalp. If you are not sure of how often you should clarify your hair with a clarifying shampoo, be sure to check out this article. I try my best to do this before I ever think of styling my hair.

Buy quality products for braids, faux locs, invisible locs

If you already have braids or Faux Locs in right now and your scalp is dry with dandruff, you want to try using a dry shampoo with great reviews to cleanse your scalp, followed by a light leave-in conditioner, and most importantly, an essential oil and carrier oil mixture to fight off the bacteria causing itchiness. In this case, I recommend either a great essential oil, like Tea Tree oil, or Peppermint oil, and mixing a ratio of 1 teaspoon of your essential oil to 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil, like Jojoba oil, Grapeseed oil, Hempseed oil, or Amla oil, just to name a few. You can get super creative with buying them all and creating your own mixture! You want to use the dry shampoo and condition your scalp while wearing braids as often as bi-weekly or as needed. The oil mixture after every wash routine is a given task. Only do not make this an everyday procedure. You will only do more damage than good doing that. Personally, I try to oil my scalp every 2-4 days, so around this time frame is not bad.

Having dry scalp from itchy braids could be an allergic reaction

One thing to never forget is that your braiding hair is synthetic. If I could write that a hundred times, I will. Some of us might be allergic to a certain brand or it could be a bad batch of that brand’s braiding hair. If you start to experience uncontrollable rash, followed by red bumps, and then flakiness from itching then you need to remove your braids pronto. It is simply unhealthy and it is likely the braiding hair used was either not thoroughly washed with Apple Cider Vinegar beforehand or the braiding hair was not a good brand or the braiding hair came out of a bad batch. It is tough to say because it all depends on how often you use that brand of braiding hair and if it is your first time getting your hair styled. If you either don’t get braids often or if it is your first time, I advise using braiding hair that is itch-free. Typically, braiding hair is manufactured with alkaline used as a preservative. The fibers for braiding hair are not what causes irritation, but the alkaline, which is really meant for fighting off the bacterial growth on braiding hair. If you cannot find itch-free braiding hair, you can wash it with an apple cider vinegar rinse and rub a quarter size of your essential and carrier oil mixture through the fibers before installing your braids. This method can be applied to the synthetic hair used for faux locs and invisible locs.

Knotless Goddess Braids in 1B or BlackToo much tension is just bad for your hair

I grew up for the first decade of my life in Nigeria, so I have had some experience of the struggle with hair stylists braiding way too tight! Even when I came to the U.S., I would still encounter many stylists that would just pull on the tender areas of my head. I think sometimes, we think that is part of the process. To a great extent, it is just not! Always remember, braids and faux locs are a protective style, not a battle-of-the-headaches time. Now, this topic can easily go sideways because I have encountered 85% of clients who tell me that I do not braid tight at all. The rest are simply tender-headed. I know this because I do my best to be careful to not do the major pulling that leads to breakage and sore scalp. If your stylist is yanking on your hair or if you are the one yanking and not combing your hair properly before doing a protective hairstyle, you are doing more damage than good to your hair. 

Your braids or faux locs might need extra TLC

We have to remember that we are wearing our protective hairstyles from anywhere between 6-12 weeks, give and take. Based on this, a lot of what was stated above focused on scalp to-do’s, which are awesome! That being said, let’s not forget to keep the actual braids or faux locs free of dirt. I like to go ahead and wash my braids on the same day I am washing my scalp just because it is more convenient that way. If you work out frequently or have an active lifestyle, you may have to increase the routine frequency.

 Some people might get faux locs used with synthetic hair or braids with synthetic hair and it might not itch at all! If you have not gotten braids at all and are a first-timer, chances are, your scalp might get slightly irritated if the synthetic hair is not properly washed prior to installation. I trust this article helped you a bunch!