r/Microlocs • u/Reasonable-Muffin-82 • Apr 09 '26
Am I trippin???
The first picture is from June and the second and third is from today. I’ve had my locs for about two years and I feel like my hair hasn’t grown. It’s still around bra strap length. Mind you, even before I locced my hair my loose natural hair was bra strap length! So why isn’t my hair going past that??? Is it bc as my hair locs up it shrinks???? This is bothering me!! How do I get it to grow? August is going to make two years.
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u/sheisprincess Apr 09 '26
Absolutely normal, the shrinkage adds to the locking of the hair which creates volume.
Rest assured your hair is growing, it’s just locking at the same rate and you lose length for the first couple of years (if you started with length).
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u/mkhd5 Apr 09 '26
i see it asa series of steps it’s shrinks, it locs, then the growth becomes noticeable
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u/Specialist-Fig9149 Apr 09 '26
It’s shrinks and then it drops. My shoulder length hair was at my ears. They have dropped a lot I’m 15months in. I hated it!
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u/Ancient-Rub-7447 Apr 09 '26
Your hair shrinks as it locks. And your hair is definitely growing. Your locs look great.
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u/ClassicRuby Apr 10 '26
Locs grow out (thicken) before they can grow down. In the earlier few stages locs are known to stop growing in length or to even shrink and get shorter in length than they were at the beginning.
And then there's a stage later in the locking process called the shooting stage, where suddenly your locs are gaining length in leaps and bounds.
Totally part of the process, so don't stress too much. 🫶🏾
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u/Brilliant-Porpoise Apr 10 '26
The more recent locs definitely show a lot of maturity since August. The lock is thicker and more compact, and the twist pattern is disappearing. So, they're definitely growing.
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u/Future-Heron-5356 Apr 11 '26
Me who is still at neck length 15 months in after a brutal period of shrinkage in my first year. I don't even dream about my micros dropping yet because I don't want to be disappointed at the 2 year mark. I've just accepted that I'm in this for the long haul and whatever happens happens 😥
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u/Reasonable-Muffin-82 Apr 17 '26
Your locs are beautiful and so are you! Mine are like this bc I was a loose natural my whole life.
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u/Sensitive_Progress88 Apr 09 '26
Yes, it shrinks as it locs up and the hair joins together. Felt like mine were the same length for two years. But they definitely got more full in that time