Faux locs

What faux locs are

Faux locs are imitation locs. The loc look comes from extension hair, and your own hair stays braided underneath.¹

Locs carry deep meaning in Black hair culture, and many people see wearing them as a rite of passage.¹ Faux locs are a temporary protective style, and a different thing from locs that you grow and keep.

Ours are made by the braid-in method: your hair is braided, and each braid is wrapped with soft textured fibre from the root to the end.¹

Faux locs are the most structured of our loc styles, with more weight than twists and a softer feel than grown locs. Our butterfly locs guide and goddess locs guide cover the softer and curlier versions.

How they look and feel

Full, structured, loc-like strands. The finish is sleek at first and softens over the first days.¹

They are heavier than softer loc styles, and the weight builds with length and fullness.²¹ You can wear them down, or in simple buns, half-up styles and ponytails, though a tight bun can feel uncomfortable for the first few days.¹

See the look.

These images are illustrations, not photographs of our clients.

Who they suit

Faux locs are a good choice if:

• you love the look of mature locs and want to be able to take the style out when you are ready
• you want more structure and weight than twists
• your routine allows basic weekly care
• you want your ends tucked away from friction and frequent handling

Wait, or talk to us first, if:

• your hair is very dry, thin or breaking easily, because wrapping adds friction and weight to fragile strands
• your hair is freshly coloured or often heat styled and feels fragile
• you are prone to neck tension or headaches, because faux locs can cause headaches or scalp pain for some people¹
• you want a style that needs no handling at all, because locs need gentle separation and night care

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 faux 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 with fewer locs.

Your stylist helps you choose at the assessment. If a wrap feels too tight in the first days, tell us.

It can be loosened.¹

Your faux 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. Each braid is wrapped with soft textured fibre from root to end, with close attention to section size, the amount of fibre and tension.
6. Finishing and home care. We check shape, ends and neatness. You leave with a dry, finished style and a walk-through of care and warning signs.

As your faux locs grow out

Looking after faux locs

Less is more. The more you handle the locs, the more they unravel.¹

• Moisten your scalp lightly along the partings with a light oil or scalp mist. Heavy oils build up between the wraps.
• If two locs cling together, separate them with your fingers rather than pulling them apart.
• Cover your hair at night with a satin scarf or bonnet.²
• Wash your scalp, not the locs. Work diluted shampoo into your scalp, let the water run down through the locs, and dry them thoroughly.¹
• 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 faux locs out

Faux locs come out like other braided extensions: each loc is unwrapped, then the braid under it is opened.¹ The longer they stay in, the fuller they 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.

Faux locs against butterfly 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.

Parting: the line of scalp that shows between two sections of hair.

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.

Braid-in method: braiding your hair first, then wrapping extension hair around each braid.

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 butterfly locs guide, the goddess locs guide, or the braid care guide.