Your Edges After Faux Locs: What Actually Helps Them Grow Back
Part of our guide: Protective Styles and Your Edges: How to Style Without Damage
Quick answer: Edges lost after faux locs can often grow back, especially if the damage is from tension rather than scarring. The key steps are removing all tension, keeping the scalp clean and moisturized, stimulating blood flow with regular massage, and being patient. Most women see early regrowth in six to twelve weeks when they stay consistent.
Who This Is For
If you took down your faux locs and your hairline looked thinner than when you put them in, this is for you. Maybe your edges were always your crown, or maybe they were already fragile before the locs went in. Either way, you are standing at the mirror now doing the mental math on whether they will come back. They might. Let me tell you what I know.
I wore faux locs for three months once, installed tight at the root because I wanted them to last. When I took them down, I had a visible gap right above my left temple. I spiraled. Then I got serious about what the science actually says and what genuinely helped. That is what this article is.
Myth vs. Fact: What People Get Wrong About Edge Regrowth
Myth: Your edges are gone forever
Fact: Most faux loc damage is traction alopecia, which the American Academy of Dermatology describes as hair loss caused by repeated tension on the follicle. When the condition is caught early, before scarring sets in, the follicles are still alive. Hair can come back. The window matters, though. The longer you leave the tension in place and the longer you ignore the early signs, the harder regrowth becomes.
Myth: The style itself was the problem
Fact: Faux locs are not inherently damaging. The installation is the problem. Locs wrapped too tightly at the root, heavy extensions pulling on fine perimeter hair, or leaving them in longer than eight to ten weeks, those are the culprits. The style gets blamed when really the technique needs to change.
Myth: Castor oil alone will fix it
Fact: Castor oil is a good sealant and many women swear by it. But oil sitting on top of the scalp does not reach dormant follicles on its own. You need mechanical stimulation, meaning actual massage, to get blood moving to the area. Oil plus massage is meaningfully better than oil alone. A small 2016 study published in the journal Eplasty found that standardized scalp massage done daily for 24 weeks increased hair thickness in male participants. The mechanism, increased dermal papilla cell activity from mechanical stretching, applies to follicle health generally. It is not a faux locs study, but the physiology lines up.
Myth: You should start a protective style right away to hide the damage
Fact: This one genuinely makes me wince because I understand the impulse. You do not want people to see the thinning. But putting tension back on hair that is already stressed is one of the fastest ways to push temporary traction alopecia into permanent damage. Your hairline needs a real break, at minimum eight to twelve weeks of no tension before you consider any protective styling again.
Myth: There is a product that will grow your edges back fast
Fact: No cosmetic product can guarantee regrowth. What a good edge product can do is create better conditions for the follicle, reduce inflammation, keep the scalp moisturized, and make massage more effective. That is real and worth something. It just is not magic and anybody telling you otherwise is selling you something.
What Actually Helps: A Step-by-Step Protocol
This is the routine I would tell my sister to follow. It is not complicated. It is just consistent.
| Step | What to Do | How Often |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Remove all tension | No tight ponytails, no headbands that grip, no bonnets with tight elastic sitting directly on the hairline | Starting now, ongoing |
| 2. Cleanse the scalp | Wash with a gentle sulfate-free shampoo to clear buildup, product residue, and any inflammation at the follicle opening | Once or twice a week |
| 3. Massage the edges | Use your fingertips, not nails, and apply steady circular pressure for four to five minutes along the hairline | Daily |
| 4. Apply a follicle-supporting product | Work a peppermint and oil-based cream into the area right after massage while the scalp is still warm and receptive. The Follicle Enhancer from Edge Naturale uses peppermint, argan, jojoba, and coconut in a cream base that absorbs without leaving a greasy film on your hairline | Daily or every other day |
| 5. Protect at night | Satin or silk bonnet, with the edge of the bonnet sitting back from the hairline, not pressing on it | Every night |
| 6. Feed the follicle from inside | Protein, iron, and zinc matter for hair growth. If your diet is lacking, talk to your doctor about whether a blood panel makes sense before adding supplements | Ongoing |
How Do You Know If Your Follicles Are Still Active?
Run your finger along the bare patch. If the skin looks smooth and shiny like scar tissue, that is a sign of follicular scarring, which is a different conversation and needs a dermatologist. If the skin looks normal, maybe just a little dry or tender, and if you see tiny baby hairs or peach fuzz anywhere in the area, those are good signs. Peach fuzz means the follicle is alive. It just needs the right conditions to produce a thicker strand.
If the thinning is significant, if it has been more than six months with no change, or if there is itching, pain, or scaling along the hairline, please see a board-certified dermatologist. Dermatologists who specialize in hair loss can do a dermoscopy or scalp biopsy to tell you exactly what you are dealing with.
How Long Does It Actually Take?
Honest answer: it depends on how much damage was done and how long it sat. Hair grows roughly half an inch per month on average. Many women notice soft new growth at the hairline within six to eight weeks of consistent tension-free care. Visible, fillled-in edges often take three to six months. Patience is not optional here, it is part of the treatment.
How to Protect Your Edges the Next Time You Get Faux Locs
- Tell your stylist explicitly: no tension on the perimeter. The body locs can be snug. The hairline cannot.
- Ask for a lighter extension hair for the first two rows along the face.
- Do not leave them in past eight weeks if your edges are already fragile.
- Take them down yourself if you feel pulling or tightness at the root.
- Moisturize the hairline throughout the wear period, do not wait until takedown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my edges grow back after faux locs?
They very well may, especially if the damage is recent and the follicles are not scarred. Traction alopecia caught early is one of the more reversible forms of hair loss. Consistency with a tension-free, follicle-supporting routine gives you the best shot.
How long should I wait before getting another protective style?
At minimum eight to twelve weeks of completely tension-free wear. Many hair loss specialists suggest waiting until you see clear regrowth at the hairline before putting any tension there again. I would wait until the new growth is at least a centimeter long.
Is peppermint oil actually good for edges?
Peppermint oil contains menthol, which increases local circulation when applied to the scalp. A 2014 study published in Toxicological Research found peppermint oil promoted hair growth in mice more effectively than minoxidil in that specific model. It is animal research and you should not read it as a human clinical trial, but it supports the idea that peppermint may help stimulate follicle activity. Dilution matters since undiluted essential oils can irritate the scalp.
Can I wear a wig while my edges recover?
Yes, with conditions. Skip the lace glue entirely, it is one of the harshest things you can put on a fragile hairline. Use a wig grip band instead, and make sure it sits back slightly from the very edge of your hairline. Glue and tight elastic on already-stressed hair will slow everything down.
What foods support hair regrowth?
Protein is the building block of hair. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional causes of hair shedding in women. Zinc supports follicle repair. Biotin gets a lot of attention but the evidence for supplementation is only strong if you are actually deficient. Before adding anything, a simple blood panel from your doctor can show you where your levels actually stand.
When should I see a dermatologist instead of managing this at home?
See a dermatologist if you have had no regrowth after four to six months of consistent care, if the bare patches have smooth shiny skin, if there is pain, itching, or scaling at the hairline, or if you suspect the loss is caused by something other than tension, like an autoimmune condition or hormonal imbalance. A specialist can diagnose you accurately instead of guessing.
This article is for education and is not medical advice. If you are worried about hair loss, see a board-certified dermatologist. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Edge Naturale products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.