(This post accompanies the monthly update YouTube video published in August 2026.
Watch the video here)
Eight months ago, I stopped retightening my Sisterlocks.
Today I want to take a closer look at my hairline.
My hairline is changing?
When I look at my hairline now, I can see that it has changed since I stopped retightening.
The most noticeable difference is around my temples.
These areas have always been finer and less dense than other areas, but I am noticing that there is more new growth now. One reason I believe this is happening is because the locs that sit behind the thinner areas is no longer being retightened. And no retightenings means I no longer experience the pain I used to face during and after retightenings.
All of this means that the area next to the thinnest areas can recover, which in turn impacts favourably on the adjacent shorter, thinner areas, even though those thinner areas were not being retightened (as they were too short).
The temples are particularly interesting to me because they are among the least dense or weakest areas of my hair.
I can feel the difference in this area, in other words, there is no pain. And while I don’t want to rush to conclusions about what this means, I will take ‘pain-free’ as a positive sign.
In my book, pain is information.
Goodbye to the fixed loc maintenance schedule!
As the new growth continues, the difference between my original Sisterlocks and the newer growth is becoming more obvious.
I’m continuing to combine some areas while leaving others alone.
My loc combining is not happening according to a fixed rota. I generally do it when the mood grabs me and often while I’m watching TV, without feeling the need to use a mirror.
All of this means that my roots are now at different stages. Some areas have been combined more recently, while others have had much longer to grow out. Some have a lot of visible regrowth, others have less visible regrowth.
So what am I noticing, 8 months on?
I’m becoming much more comfortable with not having everything neatly defined.
Eight months ago, I wanted to give my hair a chance to recover from painful retightenings to see what would happen if I did things differently. And where the journey would take me if I picked up the pebbles of information my hair and scalp were giving me.
The journey continues…
I’ve been documenting this journey on my YouTube channel.
Come and follow along over there: Love Those Locs on YouTube