Going full-blown from the ordinary you to a charming Goddess can be the work of butterfly locs. Most people consider conventional locs when new hair technologies seek to upgrade and modernize.
Locs don’t have to be the usual artificial if you wouldn’t like your natural hair permanently changed. Freely adopt the butterfly locs to unlock a new level of comfort and beauty.
However, beginners may find this style utterly mystifying. This article wants them to embrace butterfly locs, knowing everything that concerns them.
So, walk alongside us to the end to swing into this novel style with a conscious mind.
What are Butterfly Locs?
Just from their name, you already get a hint of what butterfly locs are. Now, straight to the point, butterfly locs are a variation of faux locs. In this case, the faux loc forms the solid loc strand, but small loops alternate on either side of the strand.
The looping alternation creates a beautiful distressed appeal. It gives the illusion of butterfly wings, hence the name “butterfly” locs. The loops look like hair unraveling at specific points of the shaft.
Well, that loopy, undone look makes butterfly locs different from other faux locs. But the kind of hair used applies to other types of faux locs like the goddess locs and passion twist locs.
Concisely, butterfly locs are just more artistic and outlandish for a touch of an exquisite demeanor. It’s more extra and fulfilling. Some hair stylists see it as the fluffier and more exaggerated boho locs, though soft and slightly messier.
The Main Benefits of Butterfly Locs
When fully interested in butterfly locs, you’re eager to also know the benefits you’d accrue. Being familiar with them will show you whether your hair interests align with this trendy hairstyle.
Protective Style
Every hair platform fails to mention how butterfly locs are an excellent protective hairstyle. It means the style protects and shields your own hair from moisture loss and fragility.
The natural hair is normally confined within the loc, whether you do the crotchet or the wrap method. Your hair being encased catalyzes its growth, which is a great sign of healthier hair.
Also, the fact that the style is minimally manipulative gives the hair a chance to breathe and thrive without disturbance. Frequent hair manipulations often pull the hair and break it. So, the encasing also helps retain the hair’s length and promotes healthy elongation.
Not forgetting butterfly locs are the low-tension style with a proper installation. And they are soft and lightweight, exerting less weight not to pull your delicate edges.
Versatility
The hair manufacturing industry poses a variety of choices when it comes to butterfly locs. Apart from multiple brands producing these locs, they ensure their product exits in an array of colors and lengths.
You want to go all loud and radiant with a spontaneous color, your wish will be fulfilled. You are not left out either if you desire cool and normal hues. Additionally, adorn any inches of hair whether you want the lusciously long butterfly locs or simply the bob style.
The versatility of the butterfly locs does not only cut across lengths and colors but also its seasonless nature. It suits every weather and season. Like it’s comfortable during summer, it’s equally comfortable during winter.
Effortlessly Chic and Stylish
Whichever butterfly loc hairstyle you rock will look stunningly beautiful and all-natural. The style has mastered the art of providing beauty effortlessly in all its forms.
If you love your updo to be neat and professional, they will meet your expectations. However, the messier and fluffier they are, the better they look for a chic and sassy self.
And one outstanding thing is that the style easily maintains its flair till the end of its life. You’ll only need to apply mousse at intervals to refresh the shine and overall appearance.
Low Maintenance
Wondering whether the style will satisfactorily serve you as a woman always on the go? Undoubtedly, it will because it demands minimal upkeep.
Caring for butterfly locs is easy and infrequent. Just cleansing and moisturizing when need be, and you enjoy the longevity of your butterfly locs. The hairstyle lasts 4 – 8 weeks before you take the locs out and maybe reinstall or opt for another style.
How to Do Butterfly Locs
First thing first, you can install your butterfly locs yourself in the comfort of your couch. But that’s totally okay if for sure you know how to do it, lest you wreak havoc on your beautiful hair. Otherwise, the safest option is to allow an expert loctician to do the work for you.
Either way, we’re sharing the installation process with you. Even if the installation is at the salon, you’ll tell on your own if the loctician is taking the right steps. Your hair’s safety is key.
Tip: Before installing, rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar after washing to remove the alkaline lye. This idea helps to balance the scalp’s pH to alleviate scalp irritation.
Crotchet Method
The first way to install butterfly locs is by crocheting them into your hair. In this case, you will ensure that the pack of hair you buy comprises pre-looped strands of butterfly locs.
What You Need
- Rat tail comb
- Crotchet latch hook
- About 6 packs of crotchet locs
- Oil serum of choice
- Edge gel
Installation Steps
Step 1: Grab the comb and part your hair into two halves. Plait 8 rows of individual three-strand braids in the front half for a more natural look.
Ensure you correctly position the middle and side parts. Join the rows of the braid to 3-4 plaited cornrows in the back half. And oil the scalp.
Step 2: Take the crotchet hairpieces and the crotchet hook. Insert the crotchet needle at the braid base, attach the loc’s loop to the hook, and pull it through the braid base.
Step 3: Pull the tail end of the butterfly loc through the loop’s hole by hand and make a knot. Then, tighten the knot.
Step 4: Repeat the crotcheting process on the other braids in the front half and the back cornrows. Once done, lay your edges using the edge gel and style the butterfly locs as desired.
Braid and Wrap Method
Here, the process is slightly more involving compared to the crocheting method. That’s why it takes more time and requires loads of patience.
What You Need
- Rat tail comb
- 6-8 packs of kinky/twisting/Marley hair
- Magnetic wristband (holding gel)
- Hair tie
- Crotchet hook
- Edge control gel
- Hair oil/serum
Installation Steps
Step 1: Starting from the back, section out your medium-sized partings in a row-like manner. They could be square, diamond, or triangular partings, and apply some gel to the section for neat partings.
Step 2: Take a piece of the braid hair from the first pack and use it to braid the sections into individual strands. Adding the braiding hair creates a good foundation for the wrapped hair to hold onto the braid tightly.
Step 3: After braiding your entire head, you wrap hair around the braids in a butterfly style. Hold all the braids up with a hair tie so you take them out one by one for wrapping.
Step 4: From your first braid, insert the crotchet hook at the braid’s base and pull through the braiding or twisting hair. Hold one strand of the wrapping hair to the braid and use the other to wrap onto the braid.
Step 5: At every 1-inch interval, position your thumb on the braid’s body and wrap the hair over the thumb to form the loop. After looping, wrap the hair twice below the loop to secure the loop before moving down the braid. Do the same wrapping to all the braids for a full hairdo.
The Best Way to Take Care of Butterfly Locs
Caring for your butterfly locs aims to maintain its look, realize its longevity, and protect your natural hair. Good thing the care and the maintenance principles are similar to most hairstyles. So, probably, it’s not something new that you must learn and train yourself to adapt to.
Washing
Logically, for hair to give you its best, it has to be squeaky clean most of the times. Clean hair readily absorbs oil and moisture, ensuring all-round health and robustness.
With time, your butterfly locs accumulate dirt and greasy oils. It even traps atmospheric dust since it’s often exposed and uncovered during the day while carrying out your activities. So these elements pose discomfort and an unruly appearance.
That necessitates washing them once weekly or every 2 weeks to clarify the scalp and the locs. When washing, clean slowly and gently, focusing mostly on the scalp and roots, not the locs. That’s because most of the dirt is harbored in these regions.
Target clarifying residue-free shampoos that lack harsh chemicals like sulfates and silicones. If you can, go for plant-derived shampoos for the healthiest results. The same advice applies to rinse-out conditioners.
It’s also more helpful to use apple cider vinegar for the hair rinse after shampooing. And if you don’t want water getting into your hair, you may use the dry shampoos but once in a bluemoon. For instance, you may spritz it after every two deep washes.
Moisturizing
Moisture plays a major role in keeping your butterfly locs soft, strong and lustrous. But then it’s lost over time, and replenishment is significant. The natural moisture may be stripped off if not replenished in good time, leaving the hair very brittle.
To moisturize butterfly locs, add water to the oils, as the synthetic hair draws moisture out of your natural hair. This ensures maximum hydration of the butterfly locs since the water helps the oils penetrate every strand making up the locs.
As you oil the locs, don’t leave out the scalp. Gently massage your scalp with the oils to keep the scalp moisturized and looking fresh. Your hair oil can be argan oil, castor oil, olive oil, or any other organic oil serum you like.
Reinstall
Sometimes, you may have to unravel a few butterfly locs and reinstall to refresh them. This is to extend their duration on your hair and rejuvenate the sleekness.
The butterfly locs you unravel are mostly at the perimeter of the hairline. However, a few may be in the crown area of your butterfly locs. But when reinstalling, ensure you work on the hairline’s perimeter.
Reinstalling deals with the premature frizz and super-loose strands at the roots. And apply the edge control gel while reinstalling for maximum hold of the hair and neat partings.
Sleeping with Care
Cover your butterfly locs with a satin bonnet every night you go to bed. If you don’t have a satin bonnet, you can wrap the locs underneath a silk scarf as long as all the locs are tucked away.
In case the cover slips down, ensure you also sleep on silk pillowcases. If the butterfly locs are bare, the smooth, frictionless sleeping surface will not harm the butterfly locs. That promotes optimal night care and protection.
Ensuring Dryness At All Times
Always kick out any excess moisture left after washing the butterfly locs and leave them loosely down. Or if you engaged in swimming, dry out all the moisturize for the locs to ultimately serve you well. We recommend blow drying over the locs if air drying does not suffice when in a hurry.
Butterfly locs tend to trap moisture in the encased natural hair. So if you’re not careful enough, you find that the locs are completely dry, but the braided hair is not. So, strive to give the butterfly locs ample time to dry.
If the moisture stays around, it creates a fertile environment for bacteria and mold growth. Later, you detect a mildewy smell. The infected scalp and hair may lead to scalp inflammations and hair loss. So watch out for any moisture even sweat after gyming.
Keep The Service Life as It Is
Avoid exceeding the expected life of the butterfly locs. In other words, don’t continuously wear your butterfly locs for more than 8 weeks, or you expose your hair to unforeseen damage.
Once the wear duration lapses, it’s best to take them out and reinstall new hairpieces. Only reinstall after cleaning and nourishing your hair. You want to ensure you avert breakage and frizz, especially at the roots.
How to Take Out Butterfly Locs
Butterfly locs don’t last forever, as there’ll come a time to take them out. Usually, this time is between 4-8 weeks from installation. Though it may be earlier if signs to remove them show up earlier than expected.
Therefore, when you notice 1-2 inches of new growth at the roots, know it’s time to take the locs out. Additionally, check for gunky buildup and if the hair is frizzy and itchy. If you also discover the butterfly locs are dull, and they now bore you, think of removing them as soon as possible.
What You Need
- A pair of hair scissors
- Pin tail comb
- Wide-toothed/detangling comb
- Hair tie
Step-by-step Procedure
Step 1: Let the butterfly locs lie loosely down. If tied, untie. On the first strand from whichever head section, hold the base with one hand and use the other hand to roll down the butterfly loc. You’ll be loosening the loc more to find the braid entrapped in the loc.
Step 2: Once you see the braid, lift it out of the butterfly loc to separate it from the butterfly loc.
Step 3: After separating, the fake hair will still be under the braid. So, pick your scissors and cut the butterfly loc at its base while you’re careful not to cut your real hair. Remove the butterfly loc pieces left.
Step 4: Repeat Step 1 to Step 4 on all the other locs. If the butterfly locs were crocheted, follow the same procedure even at the cornrowed section.
Step 5: Use the pintail comb’s pin end to undo the braids. Then, comb the knots out using the detangling comb to prepare the hair for a thorough cleanse. Meanwhile, as you wait to cleanse, tie the hair with the hair tie.
FAQs about Butterfly Locs
Do butterfly locs damage hair?
Your hair is a natural treasure. Butterfly locs, like any other hairstyle, will not damage it if installed correctly. For the style to be completely protective, involve stylists that avoid very tight wraps and tugging effects.
Also, in as much as the hairstyle is long-lasting, don’t let it last longer than 2 months. The more you exceed this duration, the more you run the risk of matting and product buildups weighing down your hair. Therefore, stay vigilant.
How much does it cost to do butterfly locs?
The price of installing butterfly locs is not a constant everywhere. It varies with location, stylist experience, level of service, and sometimes, loc length if you apply the braid method. All factors included, the average cost may be between $100 – $500
If you DIY install, you may find it costing less than $100, depending on how many packs of hair you’d use. But if you’re no pro, go to the salon for a satisfactory experience.
How long does it take to install butterfly locs?
Like the cost of butterfly locs, the speed of the stylist varies with work experience. Plus, the loc length and installation method determine how early your stylist finishes.
If you choose the crotchet method for premade strands, it will take a maximum of 2 hours to complete. But the wrapping-around method will have you sitting in a salon for 3-6 hours regardless of length and loc size.
What kind of hair is used for butterfly locs?
Honey, go for Passion twist hair, spring twist hair, or Marley braiding hair to look your best. The butterfly locs style uses synthetic water waves or twisting or braiding hair to develop the style. For thicker and extra-long butterfly locs, the braiding or twisting hair is incorporated into the base braided hair.
How many packs do you need to achieve butterfly locs?
Most hair stylists keen to create lightweight fullness advocate for 6 packs of hair for a whole head. The crotchet style will consume about 6-8 packets of pre-distressed crotchet butterfly locs. It doesn’t matter which brand you use; the quantity is the same.
How do you seal butterfly locs?
Once at the end of the shaft, you start wrapping back up along the loc. Upon reaching almost the end of the wrapping hair, tie a knot around the loc several times to optimally secure the loc. It’s the safest and most secure way of sealing butterfly locs if you want them to never come undone.
Are butterfly locs suitable for kids?
Intricate protective hairstyles like butterfly locs are perfect for kids more than 3 years of age. Butterfly locs are often tight and pull the hair, and for toddlers, it’s damaging to their tender scalp.
However, the decision lies with the parents since some may choose to put the style on their kids regardless of age. That’s as long as the locs are not tight and the hairdresser is gentle on the kid’s scalp.
Bringing it into Reality
With all the butterfly loc knowledge herein, you’re aware of the do’s and don’ts for butterfly locs. A well-informed mind will ensure you get the best butterfly loc look you’re looking for. Take up the challenge and experience butterfly locs for the first time.
Regarding how to style them, check up our list of butterfly locs hairstyles to try. Any questions or sentiments you have, post them in the comment section below.
