The most common locking patterns: Pattern 4- Used for tightly curled hair 9, 6, 3, 12
Pattern 3- Used for loose curled hair 9, 6, 9, 12
The least common locking pattern: pattern 4 reversed- Used for excessive slippage 3, 6, 9, 12
Part squares : 1/8" to 1/4" - Micro to small locs Small locs in the front
Part squares: 1/4" to 3/8" - Medium to large locs Medium locs in the mid-section
Medium and large in crown and back
For interlocks : Braid and band when washing hair. Wet hair and with medium water pressure. Place shampoo on scalp and on each braided bundle. wash hair gently from scalp to ends of locs. After washing, Remove braids and bands and separated locs to prevent crawling of locs.
1. Use shampoos with out conditioner until locked.
2.Do not use oils on hair in the baby stage.
3. wash hair before retightening. Sippage occurs the most after shampooing.
Enter the loc at 3`o Clock to 9` o clock
Enter the loc at 6` 0 clock to 12` 0 clock
Enter the loc 9` 0 clock to 3` o clock
Enter the loc at 12` o clock to 6` o clock
Always enter the loc at the scalp. As you pull your loc through, always push loop down towards the loc to eliminate gaps in your lock. Repeat until you are at the scalp and cannot complete another rotation. Your retightening should resemble a fishtail and feel like a tight cord.
39 comments:
Great instructions. You can't loose with visuals!
Thank you Malaikablu! I `am all for sharing knowledge! I `am use to doing things on my own. My hair is no exception!
Yahooo! I have been searching for this information. I just got my sisterlocks installed in July, and while I have no plans to ever maintain my hair on my own completely, I have never understood why the how to for installing them is treated as this big secret. Its just wierd. I have 2 locks at the nape of my head that keep slipping. Its just silly to have to go my loctician to fix 2 locks or be forced to walk around with them hanging loose. Thank you so much for publishing this info, now I will have a go at fixing those renegades myself! I've added your blog to my favorites list. :)
bomb instructions :D they are really helpful
Thanks for sharing. You are helping so many people and you don't even know it. :-)
Hi there, I sincerely hope this does not cause any confusion, but U enter the opposite when U R using the SisterLocks hook tool. I'm not sure if it makes a difference whether U R using your finger, a hairpin or the NappyLocks tool. The instructions U give for the different patterns, with the clocks as the visual (which is excellent)is the instruction I got when I took the retightrening class. Different tools, different enrty points. Still beautiful locks.
Thanks
These are the only instructions I have ever seen They leave no doubts especially with your video.
I shall keep up with your journey.
oooooo. great. excellent. i pray protection over you from the powers that be for letting this out! lol!!!!! glad to c ya over here!!!
Thanks for posting this with the cloks for us visual learners. I have been promising myself that I would take the class and learn. I signed up and they cancelled on me. Like you, I plan to take matters into my own hands.
I have a question that I forgot to post. MsJamison2u stated that the tool should be entered on the opposite side. Does this make a difference?
Msjamison2u, I was taught when you use the SL tool, crochet hook or latch hook, when you are entering 9 and 3, you enter at the designated pts. When you are going 6 and 12, you enter opposite points.EG: enter at 12 to do 6 and enter at 6 to do 12. When you use a nappylock tool or a yarn needle, You follow the rotation as given.
thanks for the feedback. maybe my 3yrs old locks can withstand some coloring now.
Not too long ago, I stumbled across your video tutorial on youtube and it really helped me out. I tried interlocking years ago on my first set of locs and I didn't do that great of a job with the instructions I had found. Your instructions are very easy to understand. Thanks.
You are welcome M*Shawnte!
I`am into sharing knowlege, especially if I can help another person! I`am happy you could benefit from the tutorial!
I have questions about my locs and I am thristy for a second opinion. I had my locs started 2 months ago. I've noticed that some of my locs have a Y shape at the base. Some have spacing or holes in them. Now I must say that I have relaxed ends, so I don't know if the "holes" I see are where the natural hair and chemically treated hair meet.
Now, I absolutely love the person that put my locs in. She herself has nice healthy looking locs. I just want to be sure about mine. It took nineteen hours to put about 375 locs on my head. I've already invested time and money. I honestly just want healthy strong locs. Also she has told me that the Y shaped based comes from the 1st retightening being too tight, but I've had my locs retightens once more since then. Not as tight as the 1st one I thought, but I still have that Y shape in some of the bases of my locs. I have pictures on my blog: www.inthelifeofag.blogspot.com
Kicukalah, you should not have any Y`s visible at the base. Sounds like she is not crossing through the middle of your locs when she is looping a rotation and she may be entering the same hole twice! You can fix it by taking a tool and going through the y when you get some new growth. You should not have any holes in your locs. She is not interlocking properly. I would get a second opinion!
Thanks, for responding. I think I will start to do my locs myself. I just have to learn the techniques of interlocking, perhaps through you videos. Is there anyway to fix the holes I already have?
I have a posting called "Holey Dreads". Check it out and let me know what you think, please. I'm so thankful for you and Kalia-Dewdrop's blog page. You 2 are so imformative.
Hey. I recently tightened my roots for the first time and it was harder than I thought it was going to be. Since some of my partings are really small, it was somewhat hard for me to make sure I was not pulling my braid through the same hole twice. I managed to figure out a technique so that I wouldn't do that. Another thing I had a problem with was creating tension as I was pulling my tool (hairpin) down the roots. I didn't want to pull too tightly. Hopefully, my next tightening will go more smoothly. I always come back to your instructions for reference.
M*Shawnte,congrats! In the begining I use to forget if I completed 9,or 3. Now its second nature.
As long as you make sure you push loops down to the loc and you have no spaces within your rotations.You should be alright.
Just remember the newly locked hair should feel cord like and have no bumps. If so, you are not pulling your loc all the way through.
I must agree with M*Shawnte, it was not easy retightening my locs. However I did managed it and got rid of some of the Y shapes at the base of some of my locs. My next question is how do you start the interlocking pattern with short hair(1 to 1 1/2 inches)? I've watched your video and found it difficult to hold the hair in order to start rotating. It seems as though I need a tiny knot to start.
That is alright. I have had a loc at my hair line that would not keep the fine hair locked in. So I waited until I had enough hair to start a new loc. I had only an inch. I had to put a knot at the end because the pattern would just slip out!
Hi,
Thank you so much for posting and videoing these instructions! They have helped me to understand how to lock my hair soo much better. I was wondering between pattern 3 and pattern 4, which is the tighter pattern? Pattern 3 seems so much easier for me to do. But I want to use the tightest of the two.
very, very helpful. i've tried to use this method a gazillion times & was unsuccessful, which resulted in my taking three sets of braidlocs down due to frustration. after viewing your youtube tutorial & reading your blog, i went into the restroom & did it - successfully. YIPPY! i'm on my way...
PhePhi ! Hooray! you did it!
Thanks a million both for this post and for the video - it makes such a difference!
I have 9 month old locs that are about 3 to 5 inches long. So far, I've been twisting my new growth, but want to start latching or interlocking. If I start interlocking now, will my locs take on a different shape from the twisted or palm rolled portion of my locs?
Thank you for your informative blog and videos. I am currently researching locking techniques and came across twistylocks, but there is no information on this technique. It is said to be easier on the hair and my hair is badly damaged. Can you provide any assistance with this. The website does not offer much. I have called and recieved no response. What is the difference between the technique you describe here and the twistylocks? Any information would be appreciated. I have searched high and low and cannot find anything.
Thank your for your informative blog and videos. What is the difference between the technique you describe here and the twistylock technique. I have searched high and low and can't seem to find any information
Thanks. What is the difference between the technique you describe here and the twistylocks technique?
hi, thanks for the instructions. I have one question though, when would you know which pattern to use? Does each pattern give a different effect?
Hi, I just need a little clarification on tightnening my SLs. I use the 4pt pattern. Would I enter at 9, 12, 3, and 6 for my pattern? Thanks for your help.
My hair is exactly like yours. What pattern do you use on your hair-reverse 4 or 3 point pattern?
Are you on Facebook, I would love to speak with you. I too went through the same thing of paying over $500 for the cult based Sisterlocks and never got my money back even after doing a complaint with Home Office. And this was upon 2 consultants looking at my hair and noticing the installing one had not went by the patterns at all and I had not gotten what I paid for. I'm on facebook. Katrina Gaskins French
Thanks for your post. I'm in a bit of a bind because I'm out of the country and will be longer than I had originally anticipated so getting a retighten by my loctitian isn't possible. I can't ask her to divulge proprietary info and can't access YouTube where I am to see the various tutorials. That said, are your videos by chance available on Vimeo?
Thank you sooo much for your instructions. I've been searching for this and I finally found it. Thank you!!!
This is quite helpful .. I heard there a double three pattern how's that ?
Thank you for this post! So helpful! I have a question. What if you reach the scalp before you complete a full rotation? Is this ok, or should you always complete a rotation before stopping? I know that we should never overtighten. The reason I ask is because I heard that if your rotations aren't consistent then you will eventually end up with an uneven, bumpy lock that isn't as smooth. Is this true? I was thinking if this is true, maybe I should always feel my new growth first and estimate how many turns I will get so that this doesn't happen as often. Does this even matter always completing a rotation so that you always know to start back at 9?
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