You know we are on all the social media platforms, so I'd be dumb not to be able to spot a trend. For two years Senagalese Twists reigned supreme as the protective style/extention technique that all the natural girls had to try. Now, FAUX LOCS or GENIE LOCS are the hot topic!
What are Faux Locs/Genie Locs? Simply it's wrapping your natural hair or a synthetic extension with synthetic hair to achieve a loc (dreadloc) look. Some people use yarn to wrap the hair which gives a more natural looking 'loc'. Wrapping with yarn (yes regular knitting yarn) is called YARN LOCS. (click here for a tutorial on yarn locs)
Faux Locs are the ultimate protective style. First you braid your hair, which is a protective style within itself. Then you wrap the braided hair with more synthetic hair to give it a smooth look. Each loc isn't perfect which adds to the traditional loc look and the appeal. Lots of ladies use faux locs as way to figure out if they want to loc their hair permanently.
So, what's the pros and cons of installing faux locs?
Pros: Protective style, long-lasting install, do-it-yourself-able, and versatile look (you can add/remove color while hair is installed)
Cons: Installation process can be 13-20 hours, hair can lose moisture being wrapped, synthetic hair can be stressful on real hair and cause breakage, synthetic hair is heavy when wet, and synthetic hair can snag on clothes due to the finishing process (burning the ends).
Should you install faux locs? Hmm, you hair should be ultra healthy and very strong. You should be ready to wear an install for more than six week. In addition, if you can't install the braids yourself, you should find a PROFESSIONAL to do the job. I know Braids by Ashanti can install faux locs if you live in Nashville.
Wanna do it yourself, check out the YouTube video below. KnottiKurls explains various techniques and her findings of installing Faux Loc DIY style.
(photos found on Tumblr)