My Hair Loss Story: How I Saved My Thinning Locs

oktober 12, 2026 Mireille Liong

My Hair Loss Story: How I Saved My Thinning Locs

After losing my sister, stress and neglect took my locs to the breaking point — literally. Here's the exact routine that brought them back, confirmed by my loctitian: 'I see no more scalp.

My braidlocs are back. And getting here was the hardest thing I've done in my loc journey — not because the remedy was complicated, but because of what it took to admit I needed one.

The rough years

In 2016, my sister Tineke passed away. It is no secret that I went through a seriously rough time. Although there were plenty of happy moments at her bedside, and I will always feel grateful for the celebration of her life on the day her body was laid to rest, emotionally it was a very stressful time. A time when I honestly couldn't bring myself to care properly for my hair.

I did notice that my locs were thinning at the roots. I knew I was overdue for a retightening. In the end, I did go to a salon — but by then, my hair was seriously damaged.

The loctitian in Paramaribo, Johanna, owner of Salon The Hair Box, did a great job fixing my locs — but that was all she could do. When you've neglected your hair to the point that it starts breaking, it's your personal responsibility to make sure it heals. A hairdresser can only do so much. I was truly thankful that Johanna saved what could be saved.

The wake-up call

My next visit to my staple loctitian in New York was much tougher. Adenike of The Woven Wool didn't see the need to keep my still-stringy hair — she pulled at least three thinning locs out.

Ouch. It didn't just literally hurt. It pained me immensely that my braidlocs were doing so badly, and all I could do was watch.

Months later, Adenike — who has always done my locs — was genuinely concerned. There was no improvement. She saw too much scalp.

Saddest day of my loc journey. 2 locs pulled out on this side.

I knew very well that emotional stress can disrupt the normal cycle of hair growth, and I began to worry that my hair wouldn't grow back at all in those thinning spots. So finally, I got into action. To make a clean start, I decided to start with a deep cleanse, an ACV and baking soda detox.

The remedy: my exact recovery routine

Step 1 — The detox. I started cleaning my locs with an apple cider vinegar and baking soda rinse, and it did work. All cleaned up: the water was murky and my locs felt much lighter. The trade-off was that they felt extremely dry, my scalp was itchy, and my braidlocs felt rough.

Step 2 — Replace what the cleanse strips away. With that level of dryness, more locs would only come out or break off. I desperately needed something to hydrate and soften my hair — but I needed more than moisture. I needed a product that would nourish my hair back to health. A formula to heal my follicles, make my super-dry locs feel soft — and leave no residue, because buildup was the enemy I was trying to stay away from in the first place.

Step 3 — The serum. After months and months of research, trying things here and there, I came up with a hyaluronic hair serum. If you haven't heard of hyaluronic acid, your skin has — it's the moisture-binding molecule your own body produces to keep skin plump and hydrated, and it's famous for holding many times its weight in water. Exactly what my parched locs were missing.

It was also the only kind of moisture that fit my rules. Oils and butters would coat my locs and bring back the residue I was trying to escape. Hyaluronic acid is water-based — it sinks in, hydrates the hair shaft and scalp deeply, and leaves nothing behind. No weight, no buildup, no film. Just moisture exactly where it was needed.

Step 4 - The packaging. The one challenge I have with serums and actually all products that need to be used on the scalp, is how to effectively apply them. That is why for years I've used rollers when I had braids. I had to find the right size but when my formula was done, I knew the roller would be perfect for leaving no spot behind and massaging the scalp.

I started rolling it onto my scalp regularly — every day or every other day — paying extra attention to the special spots. What I noticed was not only that my hair felt much softer but my scalp was also hydrated and my locs were supple. The elasticity of my locs was just incredible, the dryness that was making my hair snap had nowhere left to live.

Although I was happy with my hydrated hair, I was still concerned about my scalpy locs. That is, until it was time for my next retightening appointment.

The proof

Adenike — who is also a Reiki practitioner and a raw food chef, and very picky about what she puts her name to — became cautiously hopeful. She noticed my hair was doing much better.

Another three months later, my loctitian was really surprised.

"Your hair is really coming back, Mireille. I see no more scalp."

What was really exceptional was that during the retightening, my strands would not snap! My hair was so flexible that the tangled strands would easily go from one loc to the other, no pain, no snapping.

That is when I told her about the hair serum. Impressed by the hair growth she'd seen up close, Adenike ordered the first bottle then recommended it to all her clients.

Needless to say, I was elated. The What Naturals Love Hair Serum was officially born.

Tineke's inspiration

This formula is super special because it feels like coming full circle. My sister Tineke always had thick — very thick, long hair — and she loved her hair.

Even as her sister, I can't recall ever having seen her with messy hair. Rollers? Yes, plenty of times. Messy hair? My sister, NEVER. Her hair was always healthy, always looked good, and she never had a problem growing it.

Every bottle of What Naturals Love Hair Serum carries a piece of her.