Differences between Sisterlocks and Traditional Locs

Getting locs is not just a change of hairstyle but also a change of lifestyle. Locs are permanent in that they cannot be undone. Therefore, before deciding whether to get Sisterlocks or traditional locs, you should first understand how different they are from each other before choosing the one that will suit you best.

Differences between Sisterlocks and Traditional Locs

Time

Traditional locks are cultivated over an extended period. Twisting the hair’s roots is done as the hair grows. It takes several months before the hair starts locking on its own. It is a perfect hairstyle for women who want to experience the process of locking their hair first hand. Also, during a traditional maintenance session, it will take a loctition 45 mins to 1 hour and a half to palm roll a full set of traditional locs.

Sisterlocks are microlocs that are interlocked using a special tool. When sisterlocks are installed, depending on your hair length, your hair may be interlocked down the length of your hair, but definitely at the root. This allows you to have the locs without having to go through the different phases of locking your hair. Therefore, they are perfect for people who would find it challenging to grow traditional locks and prefer quick results.

Creation

Traditional locs are created through palm rolling or matting. This is whereby, strands of medium to large amounts of hair are matted together. They are easy to begin and the re-twisting process, which helps preserve the style, is not complicated.

Sisterlocks are installed using a special gadget on small portions of your hair. This is done only by trained, certified Sisterlocks associates. Installation can take more than 24 hours depending on your hair density and length.

Maintenance

Sisterlocks are quite expensive. The price of installing Sisterlocks ranges from $500-$1000+ and around $100 for re-twisting and maintenance. Sisterlock retightenings are done between every 4-6 weeks by a Sisterlocks consultant. However, you can seek the services of a Sisterlocks trainee as they tend to be cheaper than a Sisterlocks consultant.

The starting and maintenance cost of traditional locs ranges between $50 and $100 depending on your stylist. They are a low maintenance hairstyle since they do not have a standard maintenance and repair routine. You can quickly learn to retwist traditional locs by yourself.

Styling

Sisterlocks are light in weight and have a flatter root texture as compared to traditional locs hence very easy to style. Also, their small size makes it possible to style them into intricate styles.

It is a bit challenging to style traditional locs especially when they grow long. This is because they are quite bulky. However, if you are not able to style your traditional locs into perfect updos and other intricate styles, know that they also look gorgeous when left hanging down.

Hair texture

Sisterlocks can be installed on natural or relaxed hair. They are designer locs customized for your hair texture. You have to follow a very structured regimen for their maintenance. Traditional locs can only be created on entirely natural hair.

Origin

Sisterlocks are a hairstyle that was created by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell in 1993. Traditional locs have been around for centuries. The traditional locking method was common among the Rastafarian culture.

Products

Creating traditional locs requires twisting, palm rolling or backcombing the hair to create locs. In contrast, to create Sisterlocks, a special tool is used to interloc a person’s hair.