Industry Standard: How Are Locs Created?
Updated: Nov 7
I’m a September Virgo. My brain is wired for systems. I find comfort in categories, efficiency, and above all, logic. When I look at the loc industry right now, my inner perfectionist doesn’t just cringe. She wants to open a spreadsheet and fix the mess.
The so-called industry standard is less a standard and more a free-for-all. Everybody’s making up their own shit, rebranding basic mechanics to sound revolutionary, and gaslighting the client in the process. It’s time to bring some rigor back to the chair.
STARTER LOCS ARE NOT LOCS
The biggest problem is watered-down definitions. We’ve let marketing override mechanics. So let’s be clear: braids and double-strand twists are not locs.
They’re placeholders: affordable, accessible ways to set a pattern that may eventually become a loc. Calling a fresh double-strand twist a loc is like calling a pile of lumber a house. It has potential, but the structure isn’t there yet. When we don’t separate starting a journey from creating a structure, clients get confused about maintenance, longevity, and what to expect.
THE TECHNIQUES, NAMED BY WHAT THEY DO
If we’re professionals, we need professional language. Each method is defined by the mechanical action it performs.
Crochet. A mechanical process using a fine crochet hook (0.5mm to 0.75mm) to manually entangle the hair into an immediate, solid structure. No hook, no crochet.
Interlocking. A structural weaving process done by hand or with an interlocking tool. A series of 2-, 3-, or 4-way rotations creates a chain-link structure inside the hair. Precise and geometric.
Palm rolling. A friction process. Rotational pressure between the palms, plus a binding agent like gel or wax, helps the hair condense over time. Patient and organic.
Backcombing. An entanglement process. Hair is pushed toward the scalp under tension to create a dense, teased foundation that becomes the skeleton of the loc.
Freeform. A hands-off process. No tools, no manipulation. The hair’s natural curl pattern decides the size and shape.
Twisting (two-strand or comb coils). A directional process. Sections are spiraled around themselves with a comb or fingers. Unlike interlocking, it relies on the hair’s memory and product hold until the natural locking cycle begins.
CHEAP VS. INVESTMENT
Let’s talk price. Braiding and twisting get sold as the standard because they’re the path of least resistance: faster for the stylist, cheaper for the client. There’s a place for accessibility. But we can’t pretend these methods give the same immediate structure as crochet or interlocking. When we choose cheap and easy over structural, we get:
Slippage, because the hair isn’t locked, just organized.
Thinning, from freestyle maintenance with no consistent rotation logic.
Frustration, from clients sold a “loc service” who received a temporary style that needs months to actually lock.
WHY STANDARDS MATTER
No shared standard isn’t just annoying for those of us who love order. It blocks the whole profession from growing. When every stylist invents her own terms, the client loses. She can’t move cities, switch stylists, or troubleshoot her own hair, because there’s no common language.
Logic says:
Fixed definitions. We agree on what’s a loc and what’s a starter style.
Tool-based names. We name the service by the mechanical action performed.
Mandatory honesty. We stop selling “instant locs” that are really just tight braids.
BOTTOM LINE
The loc industry doesn’t need more influencers or secret methods. It needs some Virgo energy: systems, technical accuracy, and a refusal to settle for good enough. If we want to be seen as professionals, we have to speak and work like professionals.
Stylists: could you explain exactly what your loc method does to the hair, without the marketing name?
Thank you for reading.
Natasha Watterson, MPA | Owner, VANITY Hair Studio NYC
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BLOG | FEBRUARY 2025 · vanityhairstudionyc.com
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