Faux locs are a sexy and stylish protective style that allows you to see how you would look if you decided to rock real locs. Faux locs are a protective style that creates the illusion of real locs by winding extensions around sections of your own hair. They are growing in popularity and as more women rock them, some are finding out there may be concerns on whether or not they are damaging to one’s own hair. So I wanted to find out if this lovely and hot style is worth the beauty or too damaging to take the plunge?I hate to sound like a story on Dateline discussing the dangers of the latest and the greatest, but are some women finding faux locs may be harming their tresses? Well, yes, some are but while there are plenty who do not it is only fair to see what all the hype on the damage is?Some women are having a hard time adjusting to the extra weight of the added hair, since the style requires double the hair compared to a braid. Many assume that after they are installed that she would get used to them within a few days, but she did not and actually suffered neck and back pain. From hair? Yes, from hair! nine bags of hair compared to her regular four bags when she had her hair braided in the past was just too much for her to handle. Extra strain on your scalp with the added hair can cause excessive tension. I’ve had long box braids before and never suffered from extra tension but I did suffer from thinning edges, which is a result of poor installation and/or not giving my hair a break. I cannot fathom what double the hair on my head would have done to my edges. When you figure the length of time you have them in, styling, flipping them around (of course you will, who wouldn’t”>, you can see how the strain may be too great for your hair and especially your edges.If kept in too long your hair could naturally lock. This can happen with braids or a sew-in too, so this is more about protective styles but it needs to be mentioned. Worry less about saving money by keeping them in longer than you should and more about the health of your hair.
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Conclusion
Faux locs are no more damaging than any other hairstyle that adds hair to your own hair with too much tension on the scalp. You cannot neglect your own hair and assume that no further maintenance is necessary. Your own hair must still be cleansed, moisturized, and conditioned.
You must also understand that there is more hair on your head than a normal application of added hair and length is a factor when getting them installed. The longer the locs the more tension will be applied to your scalp. If you already have damaged hair then adding that extra hair may not be a good idea and that goes double for thinning edges as that extra tension will only make your edges worse. This style is not a good idea if your hair is already damaged.
Aside from those precautions, this is an amazing and gorgeous style that is no more damaging than any other style if you practice proper hair care. Know what you are getting into and crave versatility. Enjoy your faux locs!
K-Beauty trends have dominated the feeds, cosmetic counters, and online moodboards for the past few years. At the same time, blush is having its moment, with looks such as sunset blush, blush contouring, and cottage-core makeup doing rounds across beauty circles worldwide.
Makeup artists in the global editorial sphere, such as Chinese MUA Valentina Li whose work can be seen on the cover of W Korea, have used blush and bright pigments to color outside the lines, so to speak. Meanwhile in the States, cottage-core and strawberry makeup blush trends were gaining traction in tandem, as well as sunset blush and bright under eyes through American creators such as Alissa Janay and Naezrah. The culmination of the two developments results in one of many techniques of interest for international beauty lovers: the undereye blush trend.
The particular way soft pink blush is placed under the eyes and across the apples of the cheeks is a growing technique born out of K-beauty circles, through the rise in influence of K-pop groups such as Aespa and NewJeans. A slight evolution from the Aegyo Sal K-Beauty technique that accentuates the under eye for a youthful look, this lifting blush trend shares more similarities with Western blush placements, and therefore may speak to its global traction.
While the practice existed amongst many Korean MUAs (namely Jo Eun Bee, MUA to many K-pop stars and actresses), its large-scale popularity cemented by 2022, around the time global sensation NewJeans debuted and took off. Bee’s utilization of Clinique’s Cheek Pop blush sent the internet into a frenzy and prompted the trend that Sharon Lee, Korean American beauty and cultural creator, believes harnesses a key aspect to K-pop’s allure.
As far as the late 2010s to 2020s are concerned, K-pop groups have commanded the global zeitgeist. Consider: Aespa’s Coachella 2022 performance, NewJeans’ historic performance at Lollapalooza 2023, BLACKPINK’s global sold out tour, highly visible collaborations with Western artists such as Selena Gomez and Megan Thee Stallion, and fashion and beauty ambassadorships with the likes of Chanel — the influence is undeniable. Everyone is talking about them, everyone loves them, and everyone wants their look.
Lee believes a large element of the K-pop beauty influence is its stars’ ability to balance both cute and sexy aesthetics, as executed through traditional and editorial influences.
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“We’re definitely seeing the Hallyu in action,” she explains, across cultural elements including language, food, film, beauty, and music. Hallyu, or “Korean Wave,” which originated in the 1990s refers to the circulation and acceptance of Korean culture globally.
“I feel like global audiences are hypnotized by Korean dramas, K-pop, K-food, K-beauty, and anything that’s a vessel for Korean culture because Koreans have a way of making people and things aesthetically pleasing. We deeply care about outward beauty as a society. In Korean culture, beauty means success.”
She speaks to Korean culture’s affinity for the cutesy, girl next door vibe, as exemplified by K-pop girl groups, in relation to the way these groups are adapting for global audiences. With global popularity increasing, many K-pop stars are opting for a more “editorial” look, which helps to balance the more innocent and conservative aesthetic with an edgier, yet elevated twist. The blend of Korean and global beauty standards results in the popularity of a fun and flushed approach to blush application.
Of note, is the influential “soft bunny aesthetic” which also adapts a high blush placement to emulate rounded bunny-like cheeks. While this cutesy aesthetic pulls from many influences including Japanese culture, its reach was expanded by NewJeans, whose utilization of bunny motifs is almost synonymous with their brand.
“I’ve been seeing bunnies EVERYWHERE—Sandy Liang, New Jeans, hip hop artists wearing bunny hats, etc. All this peaking in 2023, aka the year of the rabbit, is also funny and probably connected,” Lee contemplates. “I think the soft bunny fashion trend is a response to folks finding the softer life ideal, especially post-COVID with recent economic turmoil and political upheaval.” This plausible correlation sits in the same conversation of the cottagecore trend which rose in the U.S. for similar reasons.
Today, the K-beauty blush trend has positioned many K-beauty makeup brands to take center stage alongside Western brands that historically have dominated global markets. Korean brands such as AOU Cosmetics (helmed by Jo Eun Bee), JSM Beauty, Hince, and Fwee to name a few, are excellent places to start if you’re interested in trying the rosy blush look for yourself.
