Freeform Locs and Shrinkage: Loc Journey Update

Growing locs or dreadlocks is truly a journey.  Lately, everytime I wash my hair, I'm always looking forward to seeing my hair's true length while it's wet.  My hair shrinks -- a lot.  It always has shrunken a whole lot, especially at the roots.  But right now, at a time when my hair is beginning to reach my overall length goals, I really wish people could see how much my hair has grown on a daily basis.  Once my hair air dries or dries using a dryer, it curls up at the roots.  This is great for the locking process, especially since I have been freeforming for over a year now.  But as far as my true length shining through, that only seems to happen when my hair is either soaking wet or damp.

I realized this evening that this is another part of my loc journey:  early on, I dealt with a range of concerns.  At first, I felt bad for using conditioner on my starter locs.  Then I felt bad for not using conditioner every time I washed my hair since I washed it twice a week.  Later I felt uneasy about not palmrolling or interlocking anymore.  And after that, I worried about whether my hair texture was kinky and coily enough to lock together without retwisting, i.e. freeforming.  (You get the picture, right?)  =)  Most recently, my concern is my desire to make my length visible. 

In this very moment, I'm not really sure how or when I will move from this way of thinking.  It took time for me to accept and move on from all the concerns I mentioned above.  I know that with time, how I'm feeling about my hair right now will change.❤️

(My locs while they are freshly washed, damp, and air drying.  Date:  October 6, 2014)

(My locs while they are freshly washed, damp, and air drying.  Date:  October 20, 2014)

❤️ Miss Cherie Marie ❤️