Struggling with Dry Locs? Try the Loc Brushing Technique to Restore Shine & Sheen

One of the top two troublesome issues many of my LocStars face is dry locs and lint. It’s something that seems to creep up at some point in the course of one’s loc journey and many of you are suffering in silence.

Dry locs tend to plague us more so than loose naturals or finer hair textures simply because of the nature of the dreadlocking process.

What happens is the natural sebum from your scalp that would normally travel the length of the hair strand with daily combing and brushing gets sidetracked by all of the many twists and turns a dreadlock has and never quite makes its way down to travel the full trip.

As a result, hair ends up feeling dry and brittle.

This can not only leave a dull appearance, but can cause locs to break as well.

But that doesn’t have to be.

If you’ve been struggling with dry locs no matter which hair products you try, there’s good news! Read on to discover a healthier way to add shine & sheen back to your crown & glory.

How Loc Brushing Can Transform Your Loc Journey For Good

If you’ve yet to incorporate loc brushing into your hair care regimen, then you’re in store for something so simple but revolutionary. Loc brushing is by no means new, but it has gained a lot of attention in the past few years. 

What is loc brushing, you may ask? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like – using a brush to gently brush your scalp and dreadlocks. It’s a simple process that only takes a few minutes, but its benefits are remarkable.

Ready to learn all about the magical ins and outs of loc brushing? Keep reading…

Loc brushing is a practice that brings out the best in your locs when done with a soft-bristled brush. It’s even better if the brush is made of natural fibers. Hard bristles can snag and pull at the hair strands, causing thinning or breakage, which is totally counterproductive to our efforts.

Investing in a soft boar-bristle brush can truly be one of the best decisions you make for your locs, as they are gentle yet super effective in strengthening hair and increasing shine.

Using a clamp-style bristle brush can make things much easier, as the double-sided action helps you to get into both sides of the locs at the same time to remove any buildup and smooth the shaft of your loc. This is a great time saver if you have longer locs and ensures that you’re getting good coverage.

Loc brushing can be done either on wet or dry hair. The choice really comes down to your personal preference. Dry brushing is the basic method of brushing through your locs to loosen dirt, spread your hairs sebum and smooth your hair.

This method can be outside of the shower, and is perfect for those instances when you don’t have time to set aside for wetting and drying your hair. 

Wet brushing is more often used to add moisture and shine to locs. Using water and a light moisturizing spritz along with your loc brush helps to soften your locs and distribute your hair’s natural oils along the length of your locs. 

The  5 Key Benefits of Loc Brushing

1. Get rid of pesky buildup & keeps dust bunnies at bay

Loc brushing is great at loosening up and removing dead skin cells, dirt, oil and lint from your hair. 

Too much buildup can cause locs to appear dull and dirty, so brushing your locs regularly ensures that gunk doesn’t have enough time to build up and become intertwined with your hair. This way, your hair looks, smells and feels cleaner for much longer without you having to wash it so often.

2. Conditions and smoothens frizzy, wayward strands

Frizzy hair is hair that’s crying out for moisture from the air around it. With loc brushing, you help your hair to evenly distribute those nourishing natural oils, sebum, down your dreads.

This not only calms frizz and tames your locs, but because sebum is naturally a softening substance, you’ll notice more suppleness without the buildup that comes with using a heavy sealant to moisturize.

3. Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow

Whether you’re jut starting out on your loc journey or you’ve been on it for quite some time, there’s one thing that most of us are impatient for: growth!

We dream of locs that fall past our shoulders, chests and even our waists. If this sounds like you, then you’ve got all the more reason to add loc brushing to your hair routine.

Brushing your locs stimulates the hair follicles just like a hands-on scalp massage would. This stimulation causes more blood to flow to the scalp, delivering tons of oxygen and needed nutrients to your follicles for quicker growth. 

4. Prevents Breakage

The root-to-tip sebum coverage that loc brushing promotes is known to strengthen the loc and make it much more resilient against breakage and thinning.  Moisturized hair is far, far stronger than dry, parched hair.

Moisturized hair can bend, twist and stretch without breaking because its moisture level keeps it supple and elastic, but dry hair often snaps easily. 

5. It’s a great way to maintain your dreadlocks between loc maintenance sessions

Taking care of locs can be time consuming, and it’s not uncommon to want to place all of that responsibility into the hands of our favorite loctician and forget about it.

However, learning to take care of your own locs with ease doesn’t just help you become one with your hair – it keeps money in your pocket, too!

How To Loc Brush The Right Way

Loc brushing is pretty simple. We promise! 

Just start from the scalp and move down the hair shaft with your brush. Short locs can be brushed all together, while long locs can be split into sections and brushed separately if need be.

The bristles of your brush can make your scalp a bit frizzy if it’s just been twisted or latched because that area is not yet matted, so you can choose to skip your scalp and only brush your locs if this is the case.

Relax, take your time and enjoy your loc brushing!

The When & How Often Of Loc Brushing 

You should introduce loc brushing into your loc routine only after your locs have left their baby phase where they are prone to unraveling more easily. You don’t want to risk undoing your locs unnecessarily!

Instead, waiting until they hit the teenage phase is best – a.k.a., when unraveling is no longer an issue because the dreadlock has matted and become structurally sound.

Loc brushing reaps the best rewards when it’s done for about five minutes everyday or every other day before bed, whether done wet or dry. You can notice a change in your locs after as little as one week! Incredible, right? We couldn’t agree more.

Things To Keep In Mind.

• Cleaning your brush is super important. At least once a week, use warm water and soap to cleanse your brush of any oil and dirt.
• Using a satin head wrap or pillowcase at night can boost the effects of loc brushing by a mile. Satin materials keep frizz at bay, won’t dry your hair out, and they’re lint-free, unlike cotton!
• Protective styles can be your best friend. For a few days every week, keep your hair tied up or wrapped up to maintain your moisture levels and keep lint and dirt away from your locs.

There you have it! Everything you’ve ever needed to know about loc brushing all in one place.

Will you be adding loc brushing to your maintenance routine? Are you a fan of loc brushing? Let us know in the comments below…