Are you torn between soft locs and faux locs? Trying to decide which protective style suits you best? In this guide, we will dig deeper into the differences and similarities between these two popular styles, exploring the pros and cons of soft locs vs faux locs to help you make an informed decision for your next protective style. We will cover everything from the type of hair used, installation methods & time, weight & tension, maintenance, cost and customisation.
my soft locs install, hair by Jorie in soft black
Hair used for Soft Locs & Faux Locs
The type of hair used plays an big role in the differences between soft locs and faux locs, influencing their overall appearance and feel. Soft locs uses crochet soft locs as the "primary hair," individually attached to your natural hair. You then wrap your natural hair and the loc with your chosen wrapping hair to achieve the soft loc look.
On the other hand, faux locs allow you to use your preferred hair as the "primary hair," which is then wrapped with the same or different hair around your natural hair and the primary hair to create your desired style. This may seem a bit confusing for beginners, so refer to the table below for a breakdown of the types of hair used:
| Soft Locs | Faux Locs | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Hair | Crochet Soft Locs | Faux Loc Hair (Afro Kinky, Marley, Kinky Human, Kanekalon) |
| Wrapping Hair | Afro Kinky Wrapping Hair, Marley Hair, Kinky Human Hair, Water Wave Passion Twist Hair | Afro Kinky Wrapping Hair, Marley Hair, Kinky Human Hair, Water Wave Passion Twist Hair |
Customisation
When it comes to customising soft locs vs faux locs, you have plenty of options. Let's look at how you can customize each style.
1. Length
Soft Locs: Soft locs come in set lengths like 36", 30", 24", 20", 18", and 14". You choose the length you want when you buy them. People have been known to attach pre-made lengths together to make them longer, for example, attaching 2 strands of 18" locs will create 36".
Faux Locs: You can choose any length you want, so long as you have enough packs of hair for your install. The length is normally created as you install the hair.
2. Color
Soft Locs: Soft locs usually come in preset colors, but you can add different colored wrapping hair to change the look and give your hairstyle more dimension.
Faux Locs: Although the hair comes in pre-set colors (e.g 1, 1B, 4, 1B/30) you can mix and match different colors together to create layers and depth in your hairstyle. Additionally, if you use human hair to create faux locs, you can dye them to customize the locs further.
3. Cutting
Soft Locs: You can cut soft locs to change their style without them coming undone. Make sure that you cut past where your natural hair ends to avoid cutting your natural hair.
Faux Locs: You need to take care when cutting, as you might cause the locs to unravel. If you cut them where the loc was sealed or knotted. You can avoid unravelling ends with some rubber bands or palm rolling the hair after your hair cut.
4. Additional Styling
Soft Locs: Style them in various ways, such as adding different color crochet locs, trying a peek-a-boo style, cutting them into different lengths, or adding wavy hair to create a bohemian style.
Faux Locs: They offer similar styling options, allowing you to get creative with different colors, textures, and finishes, such as mermaid goddess locs, distressed locs, or even boho locs.
Soft Locs Hair 30" by Jorie Hair
Tension
Tension levels for faux locs vs soft locs is generally similar, but it depends on the person installing your hair and their technique. To reduce tension, avoid wrapping too tightly at the roots, as this can cause unnecessary strain on your scalp. When using wrapping hair at the roots, limit the number of wraps to 2 or 3 (max). I like to wrap not too loosely or tightly to get tensionless install, and allow movement with my locs from day 1.
But if your locs are already installed and you want to relieve tension, consider taking a warm, steamy shower. The water will help weigh down your locs, while the steam works to stretch out the hair. This has a similar effect to stretching curly hair by dipping it in hot water to straighten it, but the steam from the shower provides a gentler alternative that doesn't involve using a towel with hot water to your hair and accidently burning your scalp.
Faux Locs on @Aqousuah20
Installation Method & Installation Time
In most cases, soft locs are quicker to install than faux locs. Why is that, you ask? When wrapping soft locs, you're only wrapping the base of your hair to tuck in your natural hair. With faux locs, you have to wrap past where your natural hair ends, all the way to the tip of the "primary" hair mentioned earlier.
However, there are situations where faux locs might be quicker to install. For example, if you're installing thick faux locs, which require fewer locs and less time. Additionally, using pre-made faux locs can also be faster since you don't have to wrap each loc individually. Instead, you simply attach the pre-made locs to your natural hair like the soft locs, saving time. But do keep in mind that the installation time for faux locs can still vary based on factors such as the desired length and thickness of the locs, as well as the skill level of the stylist.
Cost
When comparing soft locs and faux locs, the overall cost can vary. Different brands charge different prices, as quality can differ and the amount of hair you get per pack. When you are shopping around, you can compare prices in terms of a full head. As yourself 'what is a full head going to cost me?'.
If you are installing the hair by yourself, you will mainly need to consider the cost of the hair itself. While if you are getting the hair installed by a stylist, you will need to factor in the cost of their services. Stylists will likely charge differently for these styles as I mentioned that their installation methods are different earlier. Also, location tends to play a part in the overall cost, for example, hair stylists in the US tend to charge more than in the UK (even with the exchange rate difference), but places in Africa such as Nigeria, Kenya or Ghana tend to charge less due to differences in the cost of living.
Retouch
The good news is that both faux locs and soft locs can be retouched easily. This involves using a small amount of wrapping hair and applying it to the new growth or interlocking the loc strand using a crochet needle to pull the loc strand once through the root of the hair. I prefer the interlocking retouch method as it is easier to uninstall your hair.
Contrary to popular belief, this process will not cause your hair to loc when done just once. Why is that? Well, when locing your real hair, it can take several months for it to fully loc up. So, why would interlocking your roots once for a touch-up cause your hair to loc? This is coming from me, as someone who was on a loc journey and was able to comb out my locs after 3 months.
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Which one lasts longer?