Natural Dreadlocks - Standard methods in cultivating your locs may vary depending on how long or thick your hair already is and what I have to do to start ($125) or maintain ($70) them. Your input is always welcome however, after a professional experienced assessment of your hair, root and scalp, I will better be able to determine which modality is best to use. You will need an 1"- 2" of hair if it is tight and kinky to start the process. 3"-5" inches if your hair is loose and curly. About 6 inches if your hair is straight and or wavy. You are welcome to schedule a consultation ($25 = 30 mins). Hair locks because of shedding & by not combing, brushing or washing the loose hairs out.  Black soap is an essential loc hygenic that I use to safely shampoo and maintain healthy dreads. This is 100% raw african black soap... not the dudu osun you see sold in boxes at your local convenience store laced with dyes or lyes. As a style at first, I coil and if necessary backcomb the hair using a metal rat tail comb. You normally shed 50 to 100 hairs a day. Over a period of weeks your hairs become matted, knotted & tangled. I use this to my advantage to put you on the accelerated path to natural dreadlocks. I insist on using our honey aloe hydrosol mist to twist and loc the hair. This will minimalize build up or residue as left behind with most common over the counter gels. I use bornu butter to keep locs hydrated, from thinning & falling out.. made from pure natural organic shea butter, essential oils and emollients. For frizzies & unruly hair our clients prefer our natural beeswax balm to tighten the roots. Our fragrant hennas and powered herbs add colorful highlights, vibrance and energizing aroma to your mane. After some weeks as your locs start to grow they will bud, swell, sprout and look a bit scraggly. This is a necessary stage & precursor to the beginning stages of your hair actually locking. To keep them attractive looking you will need to come in at first every 2-4 weeks depending on what you can stomach financially and fashionably. We can successfully lock any hair type but the length of time it takes for the hair to actually lock depends on the texture, your lifestyle, and patience.

Bornu Loc Extentensions

 Bornu Locs - are signature styled designer dread loc extensions ($750) that pass as a fashionable alternative to natural dreadlocks. Bornu is an expert at applying wefts of human afro kinky hair extensions close to the root of the scalp in various sections & artistically creating a semblance of natural dreadlocks. On how to repair, replace, or add afro kinky hair to thin dreads one should consider bornu locs. This is a total natural custom weaving non-surgical hair replacement and restoration option for thinning dreads or balding men and women without the dangerous use of gel, lighters or glue. Customers should have atleast 2 inches of hair if your texture is kinky and ~ 3-5 inches if you are permed, straight or wavy. The afro kinky human hair comes bulk packaged in a plethora of different mixes & colors. One can request several of these colors to add highlights or blend varying hair color. I can add afro kinky human hair to already existing locs to make them appear thicker or longer or both. You can start from a perm & get bornu locs. You can keep them in as a transitional style until your own hair starts to grow out & then cut them to the part of your own natural hair. You do not need any additional products to put on your Bornu locs other than our bornu blends for retwisting & conditioning. For the scalp to relieve itching or flaking purchase our witch hazel tea tree mists to spray your locs liberally throughout the day and before you go to bed. My loc extension technique is very intricate and meticulous making it virtually undetectable. Bornu locs look very authentic to help ease your concerns if they appear natural enough to pass as real dreadlocks. The take down of Bornu Locs is labor intensive so you dont want to leave them in pass a couple of months or they will become permanent. You can leave them in and continue to grow them out and into your own natural locks and continue to cultivate them like real dreadlocks. After a period of months your own hair will begin to mesh and blend into the bornu locs. To put them in takes anywhere from 6 to 9 hours. This depends on how long or full you want them. I insist that you do not pull your new Bornu Locs into a bun or braidstyle for atleast 3 months. You will only pull the extension out! Give them time to adjust if you plan on keeping them in long term. When going to bed, it is best to sleep on a silk or satin pillow cover. You can pick up a scarf or bonnet at your neighborhood beauty supply store.

Continue

Pretty Is...: Locs & Locs of Rambling...

Pretty Is...: Locs & Locs of Rambling...

You must peep this Princess. She is going through it on her journey to long gorgeous natural dreadlocks but as you know with proper guidance she will prevail.  Lots of texting back and forth to answer questions and provide support - hand holding... not a problem she makes it fun & she has a lovely spirit.  Aspects of her divinity even poke out sometime in her video (click link). The key to success with this experience is to leave well enough alone and embrace the transitional stages.  It'll take some months to pass before she grows enough arms and legs on the steady to enjoy the hang time so many custies promote themselves after the aggression of starting locs subside. That's Loc Talk.  Ya done gone J. Hold tight. Nu

heres a lil inspiration. coming up as the same road as these friends of mine, an honor to say.

How to find a Good Loctician

What are the pros and cons or better yet harmful side effects to wearing loc extensions?  How might I find a reasonably priced loctician that is professional and knows what theyre doing?  What credentials might one have to say that they are proficient as a natural hair stylist who specializes in locking hair?

If you are contemplating getting Loc Extensions you should beware of counterfeit stylist who market what they cant produce. Impostors lack the skill set & professional credentials that would benefit the customer. Licensed Stylists have a knowledge base about how to protect clients from harmful pathogens and communicable diseases. Your stylist needs to be knowledgeable about how to deal with psoriasis, dermatitis, Seborrhea, eczema and be prepared to deal with these diseases if they are present. Certain synthetic hair types or human hair brands may leave you itching or may break you out. There are ways to pre-treat the hair and scalp to make it conducive to the style you are about to receive. An example of misuse of the mind on the part of the consumer is in bargain hunting for the cheapest price to pay someone who is not licensed to do hair. Then, they are susceptible to going into an environment with questionable sanitary conditions and where unlicensed practices are being implemented. In the end the customer gets exactly what they have paid for. Not just financially, but emotionally and spiritually as well. When you allow a person to do your hair you are taking on that persons energy, good or bad. One person gives, the other receives. I have gone behind the work of many hairstylists. The most common thing their former clients complain about are the aesthetic inconsistencies. In other words, the locs are bulky, lumpy, too fat or thin, sliding out, etc. To put in weave human or synthetic requires temperance, patience and self control. One needs to know where just the right amount of hair goes or it will either become too tight against the scalp for the customer to withstand & the loc will look imperfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Which mean you should definitely go to a licensed professional who has been working with dreadlocks for a long time. For productive members of society appearances are very important. There are tools and trade secrets used to enable the client who wish to sport loc extensions. If you decide to consider me for doing this style for you I will give you whatever I have in my arsenal to prepare you furthermore.

Considering dreadlock extensions

My dreadlocks are about 10" long. I am considering getting them extended. I started out with the sisterlocks and so they are very thin.  I want them thick and fuller all around my head.  Can I do that with the dreadlock extensions?
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To add length and girth to a full head of existing short, medium or long dreads I charge a labor deposit of $500 for dreadlock extensions. That does not include the hair.  I use 16" afro kinky human hair from a 2oz bulk package or 10" from a 1oz. The cost is $40 per bag for the 16" and $35 for the 10" so if i use 5 bags its ~ an additional $200. For any size lengths to or pass the shoulders it will take all day so block off calendar from 10-8. I may have you come in sooner around 8 am for this service may take as long as 12 hours to complete at times depending on how big, long, or wide your head is. You will get your moneys worth if you use the hair directly from me since I am most proficient using the brand I have had the most success with.

The Big Chop - What to Expect Going From Perm to Natural Hair

Im ready to do the infamous big chop and cut my perm out. How long after growing out my natural can I start locking my hair. Also, do you recommend any products to help prepare me for this?
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The BiG ChOP ($45) is a universal term amongst former perm devouts who decide to grow out their own natural hair and after months of new growth get the chemically treated part of their tresses cut off by a licensed professional natural hair barber-stylist in hopes of rocking an afro, some twists, braids, dreadlocks or some other funky styles. I suggest joining up with other bornu loc salon members on my facebook in which you are coming up the same road as. Reach out & interact with them. Listen to what they too have to say about the whole going natural bit. For perm devouts relieved of duty, i recommend shampooing your hair with our blacksoap and using our henna balm. Apply to the hair as if you were using any commercial hair product. Henna is a Leave powder that acts as an antiseptic with legendary curative properties. It has been used to treat acute dandruff problems and when used on the scalp has instant germicidal and antibacterial action that cures most common skin and scalp disorders like excema, excessive oiliness and nappy rashes. Moreover, herbal henna is an excellent deordorant for dreads. 
Click here to see how henna is traditionally applied. After about 6 weeks with repeated use, we can start the locking process.

How often should I come in for dreadlock maintenance?

I started my locs with the coil method and its been 3 weeks now. They are all fuzzy and i have alot of stray puffs of hair. I just wanted to know if you suggest i come and get it washed and retwisted or should i wait til it matures some more?.....................................................................................
Wait it out for another 2 weeks or so. Order our witch hazel-tea tree hydrosol to mist your scalp daily and let it air dry. Stay out of the mirror if it helps. You are already dread you just have to grow into them. Its going to grow with perpetual continuity. Sounds like the style is pushing out and attempting to manifest itself into its desired state. Try not to get in the way by twisting it with so called locking gels from a beauty supply store. It will only mat and cake up with dust and flakes which leads to itching and scratching.

 I recently started locs and I feel they are a little large.  My loctician said that it is because of my hair texture and as they become heavy she does not want them to break off. I have also heard from other people with dreads that as long as the hair is moisturized that locs can be maintained smaller no matter the hair texture. What is your take on this? Also if starter locs unravel after say 1 month, should they be coil twisted again or just palm rolled? 

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She is right about providing your locs with enough hair to anchor as support for long thick healthy dreads in the years to come. Successful dreads stem from neglect and are full of product and matted hair and down the road can become quite heavy. Your loctician obviously accessed what she thought would be the best way to start your dreads. All locs start out the gate their own size, strength and length depending on the texture and conditon of your hair & eventually end up doing their own thing as the weeks progress. In the beginning most clients with kinky hair start out with the coil twist. If theyre unraveling this may indicate your locs are budding and in their process. When you come in after your initial visit your starter locs should be shampooed with pure black soap. Dont let anyone tell you different or you will be faced with a compromising hygiene issue especially if you are using synthetic or commercial products. A bonafide loctician knows the technique associated with shampooing your baby locs without them coming out. Retwisting them involves a series of modalities that depend on how your new locs are progressing. At maturity they should be palmrolled from the root all the way down to the end. She also would have an umbrella program that consists of natural organic shampoos, waxes and gels used in the cultivation of natural dreadlocks. In the interim you should have at your disposal all the information a loctician has because it is a relationship not a secret mission with cloak and dagger tactics to make it seem as if it were rocket science. Its hair and a journey. Every client is different with a set of circumstances that requires a unique approach involving the basic fundamentals. Like, for example:

• do not put any thing in your hair you would not put in your mouth
• locs equals patience.. at the end of your patience you will find heaven
• anyones hair can loc because all hair sheds and locs form from shedded hair
• locs are historical.. history is a living organism which means shedded hair is not dead hair.. neither are your locs