How To Grow Thick Locs

One of the beautiful things about locs is that they come in varying shapes and sizes, from hundreds of Sisterlocks to those with only a few Organic locs. Despite the diversity amongst the sizing of locs, it is still very common to see smaller sized locs, and not so common to see thicker locs. This article is for those of us that prefer a thicker set of locs and wonder, “How Can I Grow Thick Locs?



WHAT I CHOOSE THICK LOCS

I always knew I wanted thick locs, but about 18 months into my journey my locs weren’t evolving into what I had envisioned so I went searching for solutions. I stumbled upon KOKABUTA’s series for growing thick locs and that helped me lot; I also learned a few other important tips along the way. So if you’re interested in learning how to thicken your locs, without combining your locs, check out the 5 tips that helped me to grow thicker locs.

Before and After results of growing thicker locs using the 5 tips

Month 1 vs Month 24

 

5 Tips on How to Grow Thick Locs

  1. Forget everything you think you know. Many people believe that they have to maintain their locs every two weeks or that they have to use tight hold products for retwisting their locs, and the list goes on; however, all of these notions, amongst others, are common misconceptions that actually prevent you from attaining thicker locs because those practices are more commonly used on small traditional locs.
  2. Throw away any unnatural products. Many of the products on the market that are specifically “for locs and dreads”, like Jamaican Mango and Lime, are actually horrible for locs. If you’re not using all natural products, like natural aloe vera gel or flaxseed gel, you’re likely causing unnecessary buildup in your locs. The excess buildup will prevent the loc matrix from forming and disrupt the stages of hair locking which can create points of weakness or thinning in the locs.
  3. Leave your hair alone. This is the most crucial factor in cultivating thick locs. It is also healthier for your hair and scalp that you don’t cause undue tension through constant retwisting or style manipulation. When you leave your hair alone, your locs are able to flourish and thicken up because they’re not constantly “made” into condensed retwisted or interlocked bundles. The ideal timeframe for a retwist is between 4-6 weeks— no earlier!
  4. Change your diet. Your skin, nails, and hair are all part of a system in your body that receives nutrients last, if at all, once your major systems are nourished. In other words, you need to be healthy on the inside first to see the benefits like, continuous hair growth, length retention and thicker hair, on the outside. Increasing your water intake to at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day and consuming a lot of vegetables are great habits to implement into your lifestyle.
  5. Feed your hair & stimulate your scalp. The key is to keep your hair hydrated with moisture daily, sealed with a natural oil and protected a night. You also need to keep your scalp clean and stimulated with techniques like loc brushing, and moisturizing on a daily (or at least every other day). Moisturizing your locs will help tremendously to prevent breakage and thinning, so you want to make sure it’s done properly!
  6. BONUS:No more going to bed without a scarf and drying out your locs! Protect your locs at night with a satin scarf, to prevent dryness, lint accumulation, and tension from rolling over your locs at night .

When you first adopt these tips into your regimen, if you’re not already using them, there are a few things to be mindful of, so be sure to check out the next post “3 Things to Know Before You Start Thick Locs“.
How to Grow Thick Locs

Share any other tips that you have learned in your journey to cultivate thicker locs!

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Jocelyn Reneé

Jocelyn Reneé is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Loctician and Textured Hair Educator. She was born and raised in the Washington DC area and is a graduate of the Aveda Institute Cosmetology Science program. With over 14 years in the Hair Care Industry, from Salon Assistant to Natural Hair Blogger to Professional; Jocelyn is passionate about cultivating healthy hair.

Blog Comments

[…] them up a bit without combining them you can do that too using the tips outlined in the “How to Grow Thick Locs” post. Once you decide to thicken your locs, be prepared for the transition to take awhile. […]

Looking at your pics above, how often would you say you retwist your locs? I go for about 3 times a year…

Every 6-8 weeks. I do not have the type of hair texture that can go that long without maintenance and remain healthy.

Love it. Very informative.

Peace Sharon,

Happy to hear you found the resource informational, thank you for your support.

Great tips

Utuber Adette Wellington very good advice to grow thick locs so easy you won’t believe. Bless.

[…] Locs to be Thicker” for more details on the method I used. UPDATE: Check out these 5 Tips to Grow Thicker Locs — what I learned after combining my locs. Previous Post Next […]

Hello loving the blog so far! And your hair is a work of art. I’ve restarted my locs with only 45 in counting, my hair is short but my babies are staying intact for the most part. To achieve thicker locs I started with bigger sections. Please help! Am I going about my journey the correct way??

Yes! Your parts, hair texture, and density will determine the size of your locs.

What are some specific items to use when twisting and washing your locs? I am having such a hard time finding A product that will successfully keep my hair locked and washes all residue out without over drying my locs and scalp …thank you in advance.

Check out the article “Products for Retwisting Locs

i love locs…. help me i wish to have healthy locs. which ways can i maintain healthy locs. im from Kenya

Peace Natasha,

I appreciate the support all the way from Kenya!!!!

healthy locs

Love from Kenya here too

Thank you for stopping by Sharon!

Thank you for this info. You are so beautiful!!!! Stay fly. God bless.

[…] with their locs after a few months because they’ve become too large. Related Article: How to Grow Thicker Locs My suggestion is to determine what size you want your locs to be once they mature, the type of […]

May you please tell me how to combine locs to make them thicker? Thanks a bunch!

I share how I combined one of my locs in this video “How to Combine Locs with Twists“, but this also isn’t a great idea for everyone. I will post an article soon about it, join the mailing list so you get notified when it is available.

Hi, i started my locs at home and i twisted one side clock wise and
the other counter clock wise. Is it safe to start retwisting them oneway or do i stick with what ive been doing

I would stick to what you’ve been doing until they are mature or start over all in the same direction.

How many locs do you have?

I have 36 locs.

First let me say thank you for always sharing your knowledge so freely. I am 4 months into my very first loc journey; your YouTube videos have been a tremendous guide as I navigate this new path.

I have a question I am hoping you can shed some light on.

As I mentioned, I am 4 months loc’d. I started with two strand twist and they are on the medium-small side (120 count). I experienced what I believe is budding at the roots, in my second month. Now that I am in my 4th month, the budding at the roots is gone and has been replaced with an extremely skinny dense/condensed section. This skinny section is alarmingly skinny. Skinnier than the circumference of its section.

I always assumed that my locs would thicken as they mature, not condense into “nothing”. Slight exaggeration, more like 3/4 the size of its circumference.
I don’t know if this is a part of the process..budd, condense, then thicken…??? Or if this is a sign of things to come? Super skinny locs.
If locs do not thicken after they condense perhaps now is a good time for me to comb out my locs and create a larger grid (60-70 count).
I’ve searched and searched and could not find a YouTube video or blog addressing this; which makes me think that once condensed the loc will remain that size.

I wash with shampoo that is 1 part shampoo to 15 parts water. I only use jojoba oil to retwist and Aloe Vera juice with rosemary oil to refresh/moisturize.

Please forgive the long comment/question. I hope I have given enough context. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Welcome to the journey! It doesn’t sound alarming to me, unless you area also noticing breakage and/or lots of shed hairs around your sink, in t your hand, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot advise you on this particular issue without a visual consultation.

I will say this though, the root is always and will forever be skinner than the shaft of the locs because it does not contain any shed hair that accumulates to form the locs. I hope that helps, but if not, please feel free to schedule a Virtual Consultation with me.

I have a problem with my dread, I started it with relaxed hair and it kept becoming fuzzy and dry. I wash n palm roll everyday but it keeps getting worse. I need help, I want my dread to lock please

Peace Stella,

Welcome to the loc journey, I understand that you may need specific guidance on how to secure your locs coming from a relaxed hair texture. You can schedule a virtual consultation with me at your convenience. VIRTUAL CONSULTATION

How can I make my dread made from relaxed hair thick n Lock?

Hi Stella,

Going from relaxed hair to thick locs is a transition as you start your jpurney please refer to the link below.
thick locs

I’m almost 2 years into my loc journey can i still make my locs thicker by following these steps without combining them?

It depends on how thick you want your locs to be. What isn’t mention in the article, but is important to know… thickness is determined by your foundation, not the grooming.

What products can I use to keep them moisturise

Peace Sharon,

Learning what works for your locs to keep them moisturized is important, please refer to the link below.
What products can I use to keep them moisturise
Also, here is the direct link to the products that can assist you in keeping your locs moisturized.
https://digitalloctician.com/shop/

Hello!
My starter locs were started by using the loc smithing method. I have not been able to find online other examples of people who have done the same. So I’m having a hard time envisioning what my hair might look like in the future. I have a low density here and my parts were done medium/small. I’m worried that they will not be able to expand if I continue to do this method. I plan to space out my re twist. What are your thoughts?

Peace Shaleena, the Loc Smything for starter locs is similar to coils. Your hair will expand because that is the nature of locs. however your parting system has everything to do with volume if that is your concern because you have low density hair. Check out this article for more info about parting systems: How To Part Your Hair For Starter Locs

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