Butterfly locs

What butterfly locs are

Butterfly locs are a soft kind of faux loc. Soft locs are lighter, softer and more flexible than classic faux locs.¹ We use soft, textured fibre and a looping technique to create the butterfly effect, so each loc has little wings and movement.

Locs carry deep meaning in Black hair culture.¹ Butterfly locs are a temporary protective style, and a different thing from locs that you grow and keep.

Our faux locs guide covers the classic, structured version. Our goddess locs guide covers the curlier one.

How they look and feel

Soft, slightly messy and boho, with gentle loops and texture instead of a sleek, uniform finish. The look is full, touchable and easy to style up or down.

They feel light and soft rather than stiff or heavy. Soft locs are less heavy and less tense than classic faux locs, and they look natural straight from the chair.¹ Weight still builds with length and fullness.²

See the look.

These images are illustrations, not photographs of our clients.

Who they suit

Butterfly locs are a good choice if:

• you like a soft, slightly messy loc look with loops and texture
• you want a style that frames your face softly and works for casual and dressy outfits
• you prefer a protective style that feels light and touchable
• your routine allows simple weekly care: separating loops gently and wrapping at night

Wait, or talk to us first, if:

• your hair is very dry, thin or breaking easily, because wrapping adds friction to fragile strands
• your hair is freshly coloured or often heat styled and feels fragile
• you are prone to neck tension or headaches and want a very long or very full version, because extra length and fullness add weight²
• you want a style that needs no handling at all, because loops need gentle separation

A scalp or conditioning treatment first can help. See our treatments.

If your scalp is sore, itchy or inflamed, or you had a chemical treatment in the last one to two weeks, wait and talk to us first.³ The braid care guide explains how to tell if your scalp is ready.

Length and weight

We offer large butterfly locs at waist length.

Length and fullness decide the weight. Longer, fuller locs hang heavier from your hairline.² If weight is a worry, ask for a lighter version: shorter, or less full. Your stylist helps you choose at the assessment.

Your butterfly locs install, step by step

The whole appointment takes about 5 hours, and most clients read, work or watch something.

1. Arrival and chat. We confirm your look, length and hair history. You do not need to wash your hair first, because the wash is included.
2. Assessment. Before any braiding, your stylist checks strand support, density, breakage, your hairline and your scalp.
3. Wash, condition and blow-dry. Your hair is cleansed, conditioned and blow-dried straight, ready to braid.
4. Braiding the base. Your hair is braided into the sections each loc will be built on. Tension is checked section by section.
5. Wrapping and looping. Each braid is wrapped with soft, textured fibre, and the looping technique creates the butterfly effect. We watch the amount of fibre closely, especially on fine or coloured hair.
6. Finishing and home care. We check shape, loops and ends. You leave with a finished style and a walk-through of care and warning signs.

As your butterfly locs grow out

Looking after butterfly locs

The loops are the part that needs you. Heavy creams and oils weigh them down and make them clump.

• Mist lightly with a light leave-in or refresher on the mid lengths.
• If loops cling together, separate them gently with your fingers rather than pulling them apart.
• Wrap your roots with a satin scarf at night, and gather the locs into a bonnet or a loose ponytail so they do not rub on your pillow.²
• Cleanse your scalp every two to three weeks with diluted shampoo and let the roots and locs dry fully.³
• Pain, stinging, crusts or tenting mean the style is too tight. Tell us, or take them out early.²

The seasons in Pretoria, the gym, the pool, sleep and the warning signs are all in the braid care guide.

Taking butterfly locs out

Each loc is unwrapped before the braid under it is opened. The longer the style stays in, the fuller the locs feel and the longer a take-down takes.

Taking locs out yourself takes far longer than people expect. Each loc is unwrapped before the braid under it can be opened, one at a time, and the longer the style has stayed in, the more time it takes. Many people dread it, put it off and wear the style too long.

Why the take-down matters, and how a careful one goes, is in the braid care guide.

Butterfly locs against faux locs and goddess locs

Words used in this guide

Extension (or fibre): the synthetic or human hair added to your own hair to make a braid longer and fuller.

Edges: the fine, thin hair along your hairline at the forehead, temples and nape.

Strand support and density: how strong each strand is, and how much hair you have in each section.

Take-down: taking the braids out.

Unplait: to open braids back out into loose hair.

Tenting: the scalp pulled up into little peaks at the base of a braid.

New growth: your own hair growing out at the roots since the style was installed.

Protective style: a style that tucks your own hair away so it is handled less, such as braids or locs.

Tension: how tightly the style pulls on your roots and scalp.

Loc: a rope-like strand of hair.

Faux locs: imitation locs made with extension hair instead of your own hair.

Wrapping: winding extension hair around a braid to build a loc.

Loops: loose, curved pieces of fibre left to stand out from a loc.

Sources

1. Liesl Chapin, Soft Locs vs. Faux Locs: Hairstyle Differences Compared, StyleSeat Blog, published 22 March 2023, updated 11 August 2026.
2. American Academy of Dermatology, Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss. Updated 6 November 2024.
3. Diane C. Bailey, Milady Standard Natural Hair Care and Braiding, Cengage Learning, 2014.

Keep reading

If something here gave you pause, one of these may suit you better: the faux locs guide, the goddess locs guide, or the braid care guide.