Baby Loc Saturday! Why do you want to loc?

So you're thinking about growing locs or new to locdom. One of the most important parts of growing locs is understanding why you want to grow them. Knowing why you are locing inoculates yourself against people who question your decision. It also provides strength, when your locs don't look the way you dreamed them. 

There is more to, "because it's pretty", "because they look cool" or "because I want long hair" than may appear. While some judge these as shallow reasons, I think they are valid, but it's good to look deeper. You're locs may not be pretty or amazing to you in the beginning and we're looking for a stronger anchor. Why do you think locs are pretty? When you quiet your mind and think of locs, what is it that you see? Why do you want them long? What does length represent to you?

While many people cite religious and spiritual reasons for locing hair as superior. I think all reasons, come from important parts of the psyche. If all you wanted was long hair... why spend a year looking like Sonic the hedgehog and being chewed out by family? Beauty represents a lot in our society. Self esteem, strength, love, success, acceptance and sexual attractiveness are all just a small sampling of what comes to mind when we see beauty. People are like onions... or was that parfait. Peel those layers to get to your core reasons and you will find greater patience and relaxation on your loc journey.

Why did I start my first set of locs? Because I wanted to be pretty. What was pretty to me? Being my authentic self, spiritually connected, graceful and letting my hair reflect self acceptance.

Why do you want locs? And for the elders among us, why did you want locs in the beginning and have those reasons changed?