Quick remedies to repair weak strands — flawlessly
The first time a loc snaps from your royal crown, it’s natural to freak out. Don’t. It happens. Too much stress, colour or negligence to locs can lead to this maintenance debacle. So, you can either fix the problem area(s) or wait patiently for broken and brittle strands to grow back. But for loc star problem-solvers who want to restore tresses to their elongated hair glory, these three fixer upper techniques work and nip future breakage in the bud:
THE BRAIDING METHOD
Once the loc has popped off, fluff and fray out the ends that detached from each other. Whichever broken end is the thickest, use that one to split into half toward the ends. Then place the other broken end in between the one you just divided in half. Next, rebraid the split locs with the other broken end, which will act as a third strand (like the typical three-strand braid technique). Smooth and finish off the reattached section by palm rolling it. For a more detailed visual of this method, I love Danielle Loxs’ YouTube demo, which is short, sweet and simple to accomplish.
THE SEWING METHOD
One of the best ways to handle severe loc re-attachment challenges is loop stitching locs back together. To begin, apply a gel or pudding like Soultanicals’ Loc Steady Vegan Gel-Lo Twist Pudding to the ends of both broken strands. Place one strand on top of the other, then start wrapping the ends around one another. Next, secure the re-attached section by taking your needle and thread to sew locs using the loop stitch technique, which tightens and bonds the ends. International locologist and educator Justin Kace’s demo revives locs back to their original state instantly. Note: I highly recommend consulting a professional loctician who specializes in reattaching broken dreadlocks using this particular method to avoid creating lumpy locs.
THE KNOT METHOD
If locs are literally hanging on by a thread, the knot-and-loc trick is a nifty solution to salvage weak or thinning tresses. Carefully, create a knot with the thinned loc. Then, slide the loose knot on top of the flimsy hair section. Continue to tighten the knot. Repeat the knotting process until the section of thinned hair is closed completely. Palm roll the area to bond and blend the strand more. PrettiPoison’s demo masters this technique smoothly to save delicate dreads.
If you liked these loc tips and tricks, check out more Black Beauty & Hair creative content from Cowgirl Candace by clicking here.
What did you end up doing? Where did you go?
I’ve been growing mine for about 12 years and the one at the very front of my head is “broken off” but somehow still attached to my hair and i do not want to cut it.
Thank you. My hair is just breaking off after 14 years. I'm not ready to rid if them all buy needed something to replace and repair my hair. COVID-19 quarantine and other issues stress released through my hair
What did you do? 13 years here, not wanting to chop them. But I also don’t trust anyone on my hair as I’m the only one to ever do it