Faux Locs from Khinky.com #teamnatural

Black women and hair is a topic that is often discussed. We wear our hair in diverse ways and many of us chronicle our journey online. For most of my life I’ve had “natural” hair aka no chemicals with the exception of color. Although during five of my teenage years I had a relaxer and a *gasp* jerri curl (curly perm for my light sisters who may not be familiar with this particular style). Being a natural hair girl was not always easy, when I first cut out my relaxer close to 20 years ago, natural chics were few and far between and I was often mistaken for someone from the Islands (I guess short afros were seen as a Caribbean thing) or even a lesbian (because of course no one would chose a short afro unless they were same sex attracted...NOT!). Today however, natural hair is something many are embracing and there are tons of products available if you choose to go sans chemicals.

After wearing my hair every way from two strand twists to blowouts I decided to loc (dreadlock) my hair and wore it that way for about a decade. I loved it but when I was entered a transitional point in my life - shedding 50 pounds of unneeded weight from my body and ending a failing marriage, I decided to cut off my locs because I felt they carried a lot of the “old” and I wanted to be a new and improved me! Over the past 4 years I have rocked braids, afros, curly weaves, purple hair and all things in between. I truly loved the flexibility but recently decided I wanted to return to locs.

Growing locs is a process and one that is not always pretty, particularly in the beginning stages. As you wait for the locs to take, you have to refrain from washing your hair and it often can look fuzzy and a little wild. Having been through this process before, I was really unwilling to do it again. I like having a “pulled together look” and didn’t want to go through the unruly hair stage. I explored options like faux locs which often entails twisting your natural hair and wrapping it with synthetic or human hair to give the look of having locs. But the more I read and discussed it with hair professionals, I realized that this option wouldn’t work for me because it puts a lot of tension on the hair and can cause breakage and damage. So what is a girl to do? I decided on faux loc extensions.

I did research and found Khinky.com, faux extensions that are made from human hair and attached to the ends of my natural hair. Khinky.com faux locs are completely customizable - color, length and thickness are all up to you and included in the purchase price of the locs. They look completely natural (as if the were locs grown from your head) and are a healthy alternative to other options out there. After visiting the website I immediately contacted the creator of khinky.com and we discussed my options. After a lengthy discussion I sent her pictures of myself with locs in the past, and photos of the look I wanted to achieve now. I placed my order and also decided to take a trip to New York to have the luxury service of having Tamara install the locs for me.

To say I am pleased is an understatement! I love my new locs and have been playing with them, handrolling them and trying out various styles. They are extremely light and perfect for individuals who might already have locs but experienced some breakage or loss, and also great for folks with alopecia who have bald spots. It is recommended that I keep my khinky locs for 2-3 years and as my own hair locs and grows out, I will cut off the loc extensions.

If you are considering locs but like me and want them immediately without the “unruly” stage, Khinky faux locs are for you. I am totally in love with my Khinky faux locs and will be giving updates periodically as my locs mature.  My hair journey continues and I couldn’t be happier!