Healthy, Moisturised & Shiny Locs
For Mature Locs
The V-Nus Look
We all want our locs to look and feel, healthy, moisturised, shiny and strong. Here are our tips on how to acheive Royal, Regal and Beautiful locs!
It all starts here
Scalp Care
The foundation of healthy locs is a healthy scalp and nothing is more important than maintaining optimal scalp health. Hop over to our Healthy Scalp Care article for tips on scalp care.
Keep it clean
Shampoo Regularly
It is so important to establish a regular washing routine to keep the locs nice and clean. We recommend shampooing your locs every 1-2 weeks once mature, using a clarifying shampoo such as our Cleansing Loc Shampoo to completely remove excess oils and dirt from your locs. If you are an active person and your locs get sweaty often, it's also good practice to rinse your locs with warm water after your workouts to avoid sweat and salt buildup. And remember to detangle your locs post-wash.
Shape your locs
Braiding Routine
Braiding your locs after washing or hydrating, helps shape the locs as it matures by compressing and rounding which minimises loc bunching and shrinkage. This is vital for a nice uniform loc from root to tip. Refer to our Loc Stages article for an example of this.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Moisture is Key
Hydrate your locs often to prevent dryness and wiry-looking locs. Moisture in the loc results in plumper strands and helps to maintain a healthy look. Use a water-based product such as our Rose Hydrating Loc Spray 1-2 times a week or as often as needed.
Use light oils
Seal In the Moisture
Use light oils, such as our Healthy Loc Oil Spray to seal in the moisture from your washing and hydrating steps. Or you can use a water and oil combination spray such as our Bi-Phase Moisturising Loc Spray, to moisturise and seal in one step. The light oils will coat the loc strands and slow down the evaporation of the water to keep it moisturised for longer. The oils will also give the locs a nice sheen, adding to the healthy look without causing heavy buildup in your locs. Use a light oil after washing or once or twice a week, but not too often as too much oil can cause the locs to go limp and styles such as braid-outs may not last as long.
Keep it strong
Use Protein
Protein treatments, such as our Fortifying Loc Treatment or our recommended DIY Loc Strengthening Treatment, are a great way to provide structural support for your strands to keep your locs healthy and strong. Protein treatments help to fill in any gaps in your cuticles that might compromise the integrity of your locs. Use once a month, before retightenings or as often as you feel is necessary to maintain a good protein balance in your locs.
Say no to buildup
Anti-Buildup Care
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to buildup, and we advise against using any creamy or white-looking products, such as conditioners, lotions, butters, waxes and emulsified leave-in conditioners, as well as gels and edge control products, as these are the prime culprits in causing buildup in locs. These can leave a white cast on your locs and heavy, greasy residue that can be very difficult to wash out. We also recommend using our Pre-Shampoo Loc Treatment or a DIY Vinegar Pre-Cleansing Treatment before retightenings, to remove light buildup and maintain shiny, pH-balanced locs. Additionally, a Bentonite Clay Deep Cleansing Treatment can be used once every 6 months to remove heavier buildup and infuse your locs with essential minerals.
Keep to schedule
Retighten Consistently
Make sure to stick to your recommended retightening schedule, whether it is every 6, 8, or 10 weeks, to maintain a strong foundation and even-looking locs. Each microloc is made from several strands of hair, fewer in smaller locs and more in thicker locs, which shed over time. It is important to secure the loc to fresh growth to maintain strong roots and prevent thinning and weakening, which can lead to loc loss and uneven, knobbly locs, where some parts of the loc are thinner than other parts. Retightening on time keeps the loc diameter even, ensuring a nice, healthy, beautiful look.
Easy does it
Handle with care
It is highly recommended that you handle your locs with absolute care. Having patience, taking your time and being gentle with your locs will enable and continue to encourage growth and beauty. So when detangling, styling, braiding and especially unbraiding, be gentle so not to snap or break your locs or pull them from the roots, as this can be so easily realised. This in turn can cause damage by loc loss, balding and an overall uneven look. So be gentle, gentle, gentle.
However, in the event that you find yourself experiencing loc damage due to loc loss please refer to our Loc loss article for more information on this topic.