By: Portia Cole | Photo: @NenChyna

A large part of your loc journeying is washing and retwisting. The right products tin can leave you with luxurious good for you locs and edges that look like they've been laid by magic. The wrong products? Well, those could pb you down the path of mildew locs with unsightly build upward. You've probably seen locs retwisted with all kinds of products, most with a gel or wax base. These products piece of work well for retwisting and the stop outcome is beautiful, just information technology's all-time to keep information technology uncomplicated. Recently, some ladies take been turning to oil and water equally a natural yet effective fashion to retwist their locs and they're getting excellent results that last for upwards to four weeks!

Using less product

Equally someone with locs, I can adjure that minimal product relieves the scalp of toxins and contributes to growth. When I was initially toying around with the idea of getting locs (I chose Sisterlocks), I was quite nervous virtually how my scalp would handle having minimal product or no product at all. I was someone who swore by all my deep conditioners, pomades, creams, and gels in order to hold my kinks and curls. I also oiled my scalp excessively due to seborrheic dermatitis. Little did I know that minimal product would not simply detox my scalp, simply I wouldn't demand to apply oil to my scalp as often equally I did as a loose natural.

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My locs are two days old here!

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Here they're 1.v months onetime.

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My locs at seven.v months former.

My oil and water loc retwisting mixture

Typically, Sisterlocks are re-tied with h2o, a mixture of essential oils and h2o, or nothing at all. My hair is sprayed downwardly from root to tip with a mixture of water, neem oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus oil. This non just calms my scalp, simply it likewise makes my hair a lot more than pliable and less painful during re-ties.

There are two benefits to retwisting your locs with oil and water: (i) yous avoid the dreaded buildup and (ii) y'all provide your scalp and pilus with the proper nutrients depending on the type of oils you choose to apply. Take a look at what the loctician and educator behind Curlynugrowth.com, Jocelyn Renee, has to say regarding the benefits of h2o and oil for loc retwists and re-ties

According to Jocelyn Renee, one of the almost pop loccing techniques that doesn't demand to use any product to get-go or retwist the loccs is–drum roll please–Sisterlocks! It's really best to not use whatsoever production at all because locs are supposed to rely on the natural sebum of your scalp to moisturize your scalp and pilus. Notwithstanding, I decided to slightly bend those rules and use water and oil considering that's what my hair prefers. My scalp cannot have the bare scalp arroyo and it appreciates me for realizing that. If y'all're similar me and need a bit of oil to become the job done just withal want to proceed things equally natural as possible, take a look at these 3 YouTubers who have had success using the oil and water retwist method.

 Locs are supposed to rely on the natural sebum of your scalp to moisturize your scalp and hair.

Sweet almond, black castor, lavander and rosemary oil

Youtuber IamLindaElaine, swears by the oil and water method and even has her own oil mixture that consists of organic sweetness almond oil, blackness castor oil, lavender oil, and rosemary oil. These oils initially helped Linda treat her baldness, but she has continued to use the mixture as a part of her retwist routine. After massaging the oil into her scalp, Linda puts all of her hair up into a bun and starts retwisting from the back, making certain to movement the oils from her scalp down her locs as she twists clockwise with her fingers.

But castor oil and water

Youtuber Keepin' Up with Chyna besides jumped on the oil and water bandwagon. This tutorial was her first time using the h2o and oil method so she didn't know what to expect. In the video Nenchyna shares that she didn't call back the brush oil and water alone would agree, but she was proved wrong. She fifty-fifty told a follower that she intends to stick with this method from now on.

After separating her hair into sections, she twisted her locs with castor oil and water (while using the rubber band method to stretch). After Nenchyna'due south hair dried, she couldn't tell the difference betwixt having product in her hair and not having it in. She besides said that her hair felt clean and very lite after using just oil and water to retwist her ombre locs. Not only did her locs feel clean, only they looked make clean and healthy to the eye. Nenchyna explained that typically, afterward a retwist, she tin can still meet the previous build-up of lint in her pilus, but that wasn't the instance after trying this method!

Tea tree and Vitamin Eastward oil

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Cejuanna A. Morgan mixes things up in her oil and h2o to loc retwisting tutorial. Although Cejuanna's pilus is much longer than when she initially published this video, the content is still relevant because she still uses this method. She sprays her hair downwards with a mixture of water, tea tree oil, and Vitamin East oil. Side by side, Cejuanna rubs her mixture of olive oil, Vitamin E oil, and tea tree oil onto her scalp before she retwists her roots in a clockwise direction. The end issue is a head full of soft and fluffy locs! Based on her most contempo loc update, we tin can tell that the oil and water retwisting method has served her beautiful locs well.

Oils and their benefits

Before yous experiment with the oil and water retwisting method on your own locs, have a look at a brief description of the different oils the ladies used and their benefits. (Nosotros also have this full guide on the best oils for natural hair because there are merely So many of them).

  • Organic Sweet Almond Oil – has hydrating and nourishing backdrop that make the hair shiny and lustrous. It as well reduces itchy scalp and breakage.
  • Blackness Brush Oil – helps treat thinning hair and contains omega-six and omega-9 fatty acids, which help hands brittle hair.
  • Lavender oil – promotes pilus growth and is antimicrobial. Likewise may help curb skin inflammation.
  • Rosemary oil – stimulates hair growth, prevents premature graying and dandruff.
  • Tea Tree Oil – helps preclude buildup of chemicals and dead skin.
  • Vitamin E Oil – boosts pilus'due south elasticity and prevents split ends.
  • Olive Oil – prevents hair from prison cell damage and weather the hair.
  • Neem Oil – controls dandruff and treats scalp weather condition like dermatitis, psoriasis, and other scalp irritations.
  • Eucalyptus Oil – controls dandruff and stimulates hair growth.
  • Peppermint Oil – stimulates hair growth.

Take y'all tried retwisting with oil and h2o? Did it work for yous? Let us know on Instagram or in the comments below.

Oh, and if you lot're thinking nigh starting your loc journey, cheque out our Locs 101 postal service!