This post is all bout loc anxiety.
Ever heard of locxiety (loc-xi-e-ty)? Probably not because I just made it up but, it’s the feeling of constantly worrying about the health of your locs. Speaking from my own experience, I feel like I’m always trying to make sure I’m not doing too much when it comes to my locs. Making sure I’m not tying my rubber bands too tight, not retwisting too much, or even being hesitant about wearing my emotional support bandana!! I LOVE MY BANDANA!! But the constant worrying…not so much.
This post is all bout loc anxiety.
It’s Normal.
As your fellow loc sister, I’m here to tell you that those feelings are totally normally. You can be 1 year in or even 5, if you want to have your locs for a long time, there’s going to be some type of anxiety around it. I find comfort in knowing that the loc community is filled with individuals like myself, sharing similar stories and emotions to relate to one another.
Let Them Breathe.
People with anxiety (like myself) know when things start to feel out of our control, the best thing we can do is close our eyes and breathe. From time to time, we have to do the same thing with our locs— let them breathe. I know it’s tempting to want to get a style with every retwist but the reality is, it’s just not healthy for our hair. Map out at least 1-2 months where you only get a retwist, or better yet, no retwist at all (only if your locs are mature enough). Doing so will give your locs space to breathe and be free, helping them keep its natural shape and form. Over styling can cause your locs to be irregular throughout the shaft, causing thinning overtime. On top of that, the rubber bands being used can eat at the ends of your locs causing thinning as well. So to ease that anxiety, just let them babies breathe.
It’s Just Hair.
Now I know our hair is everything to us black girls, but hear me out. Let’s say we have a loc where about 2 inches of it at the bottom is hanging on by a thread, we have the option to fix it or let it go. 9/10 the hair is dead anyways and needs to be gone, and just like anything else in life when it’s no longer needed— let. it. go.
It’s okay if you have to start over, or cut one off, or combine a few, because at the end of the day it’s just hair. It’ll grow back and when it does it’ll be stronger than before. Change is good and sometimes necessary for a better environment to grow in. So the next time you feel a bit of “locxiety”, remember this— you’re not alone, breathe, and understand, it’s just hair.
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