This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
The journey from braids > mini twists > sister locs
My hair was in braids all of my life. The con about braids is that the extensions irritated my scalp and skin, which is also why I converted to french braids after a while.
As soon as I went to college, I converted to mini twists, which were excellent-except when you have a lot of African-American hair like myself, doing mini twists starts at 8–12 hours and continues to turn into days and then progresses into weeks.
After ten years of braids and ten years of mini twists, I finally listened to my mother, who told me to get someone else to do my hair for a change.
Boy, did I feel relief after I finally went to a stylist.
Getting sister locs installed took quite a while, but retightenings take a max of four hours each session, which is a f*cking breeze for me – especially when I’m used to standing or sitting in chairs for weeks at a time to complete my hair. No bueno.
I always loved my hair, but it was a frustrating experience since I never cut it. I just let it grow (my hair is down my back but has about 80–90% shrinkage) and break off.
And when I say to break off, that’s because I would re-do my twists every 3–4 months because of how extensive the process took, which meant my hair would get tangled since I kept the style in for such a lengthy period; the whole process of retwisting my hair was a total nightmare, seriously.
Finally, all of the insanity is over.
1. Product Simplification
I don’t do anything to my hair for six weeks except water and oil it each day. I use filtered water and jojoba oil. That’s it.
I know people recommend and say you don’t need to put anything in your hair once you loc it, but my hair is very different.
My hair becomes desert-like, frail, and dead if I don’t water it. To keep my hair vivacious, I water it daily and oil it at least every other day. Jojoba oil is so light that I can utilize it almost daily without product build-up.
Products I Utilize:
Jojoba Oil
Filtered Water
2. Quick Retightenings
I don’t have to redo my entire strand anymore like I did when I had twists or braids. My stylist only tightens the roots, which means it takes significantly less time to complete my hair appointments; it still takes her four hours since my sister locs are so small. But to me, four hours is a breeze.
I get my hair retightened about every six weeks, which equates to about eight times a year, which totals only 32 hours out of 8,760 a year.
It’s a no-brainer.
3. Growth Is Inevitable
When you first get sister locs, you probably won’t notice much growth due to the shrinkage and settling in.
I’ve had my locs for over seven months now. I couldn’t tell much of a difference in length for a while, but now I’m starting to notice it.
With less manipulation, outside of finger combing through my hair to ensure it doesn’t get tangled and wrapping it up in Bantu knots or braids each night, that’s all the manipulation I add to it.
Two products you can utilize to help accelerate hair growth include:
Trim by Modere
Liquid Biocell by Modere
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However, nothing will outperform a healthy lifestyle and diet; these will always take care of everything for you, but if you’re still seeking a booster, these have been helpful for me.
I always loved my hair, but it was so much frickin work to take care of it. I’ve been frustrated for most of my life with my hair. Yes, I could’ve cut it, but braids and twists have always been the look I desire.
Twists are great, but for some reason, my hair got old, tangled, and worn quickly in twists.
With locs, I can get them re-done more often with less effort. I wash my hair more frequently now (and it still looks great), and the maintenance is virtually zero.
Since I got sister locs, I’m able to manipulate my hair a lot easier, run my fingers through it, and the style is overall more attractive.
5. Don’t Wait
I’ve had my eye on sister locs since I was a kid. The first time I saw them, I was significantly intrigued. However, I never pursued the style because it was semi-permanent.
However, I wore braids and twists for twenty years; that shows I was pretty committed to the style. I could’ve saved myself a lot of frustration, stress, sleep, and time.
If you like the look, go for it. You can always cut them (or tediously take them out) if you don’t want them anymore.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.