Uniform Locs: A Must or Not?

I have heard loc wearers as well as locticians talk about uniform locs versus lumpy locs.  I told my new loctician that I personally am okay with "lumpy locs."  All of my locs are smaller than the traditional locs, and I still have relaxer left in some of my stringy ends.  Even the loc repair pieces that I attached to my bang area had some relaxer left in them which is probably why they snapped off where they did upon the certified consultant's ripping my knots away.

So to make a long story short, I wear an extra wide headband to keep my locs scrunched at night because I want texture and bents in my locs.  So if I have areas where I finger twisted versus interlocked, it is fine with me because I want to see movement and bends in my locs.  The only time my locs look good straight is when they are soaking wet.  Other than that, my locs shrink up and resist gravity.

So "uniform locs" should be a personal decision.  Some people want to eventually cut the relaxed hair/locs off.  I am planning to keep all of my loc length, fat or skinny, it is all good to me.  Honestly, if someone gets a razor haircut on their straight hair, then their ends are going to be thin and wispy, not blunt and not uniform.  So why must locs be uniform?

So I repeat, micro-locks do not have to be uniform; however, the larger the locs, the more lumpy the locs can look.  For example:

This picture from naturalselectionblog.com is a perfect example how traditional sized locs emphasize every lump in each loc.  These locs look a little too big to roller set or perm rod or even bantu knot.  So if you have large locs uniformity will need to be addressed.  Overall, this picture of lumpy locs look uniform when looking at them from root to end.  Of course, I do see smaller locs in the front and larger locs in the back.  However, most Sisterlocks are smaller in the front and medium to large toward the back.

For those who do not have my texture hair and curl pattern, then certain interlocking patterns will force some texture into looser textured locs to keep them from looking too stringy.

So again, people need to think "out of the box" with locs.  How do you want to style your locs?  If your answer is long and straight, then you need to keep your upkeep timing and methods consistent for uniformity, but if you are like me, I am always going to prefer some wave or curl in my locs, so don't worry - just be happy!

When is Styling Gel Expired?

With so many places to buy styling gels, from the drug store to the grocery store to the beauty supply store, how do you know if the gel is fresh? Very few have expiration dates on them.  Well, based on the consistency of the two "lumpy" gels above, I consider them expired based on the following characteristics:

1) jelly consistency
2) slight discoloration
3) slight stickiness

The two "expired" gels that are pictured are 1) NuExpressions High Sheen Styling Gel and 2) Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.  I had both gels for a couple of years or more.  I had not used them often and have since moved on to the IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel for the clear option.

The "fresh" styling gel should be smooth and spreads on like "soft butter."

Even the Ampro Pro Style brown styling gel which is an "old school fan" of many people has a smooth consistency when it is fresh.

Expired gels are not going to harm the hair, but it is not going to deliver optimum performance.  For example, when doing the quickweave, you need the styling gel to coat the hair uniformly and properly to protect the hair from the glue.

I do not know if anyone ever wondered about when to throw out gel, but the characteristics described within this article should be a guideline for twist and lock gels to styling gels.  So lumpy or jelly-like gels should be tossed into the trash.