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Butterfly Locs: What They Are, How Long They Take, How Long They Last

By Tyca · October 26, 2026 · 2,219 words

Butterfly locs are the faux loc that is supposed to look undone. The loops, the frizz and the uneven wrap are the style, not a mistake, and that is exactly why so many first timers buy the wrong hair and end up with locs that look neat and flat instead of soft and lived in.

Butterfly locs are a temporary loc style made by wrapping water wave braiding hair around a braided base, leaving loose loops along each loc for a distressed, boho texture. Plan for a long install day, expect six to eight weeks of wear, and buy water wave hair, not straight kanekalon. I do butterfly locs in the studio, and this post covers everything I wish clients knew before they sat down.

What butterfly locs are

Butterfly locs are a protective style built on your own hair. Each section is braided or twisted with braiding hair for a base, then wrapped from root to tip with water wave hair. The wrap is deliberately loose in places, so small loops and curls pop out along the loc. Those loops are the butterfly part. They catch the light and give the locs a soft, fluffy edge that a smooth faux loc does not have.

They belong to the faux loc family, which also includes goddess locs, boho locs and soft locs. What sets butterfly locs apart is the texture of the wrap. Goddess locs are wrapped tight and smooth with curly ends left out. Boho locs add loose curly strands along the whole length. Butterfly locs are the messy one on purpose, with the loops built in rather than added on. I break the differences down in butterfly locs vs boho faux locs.

Because the wrap sits over a braid, your hair is fully tucked away. No heat, no daily combing, no leave out. That is why they count as protective, and it is why the take down matters as much as the install.

Who they suit: anyone with hair long enough to braid, any texture from 3A to 4C, and anyone who wants a loc look for a season without committing to real locs. They are a favorite for vacations, for the weeks after a color job when the hair needs a rest, and for brides who want a boho look on the day without a wig. They are not the style for someone who wants a sleek, polished finish; that person wants goddess locs or a smooth faux loc.

How butterfly locs are installed: wrap vs crochet

There are two ways to get butterfly locs, and the one you choose changes the install time, the price of the hair and how the locs feel on your head. The braid and wrap method is the original. The crochet method uses locs that were made in advance.

Braid and wrap

Your hair is parted into sections, each section is braided with a little braiding hair for length and grip, and then water wave hair is wrapped around the braid from the root down. The stylist controls the tension, where the loops fall, and how distressed each loc looks. The result is lighter at the root and more custom, because every loc is built on your head. It is also the slower method.

Crochet

Your hair is cornrowed flat, and pre made butterfly locs are hooked through the braids with a crochet latch. The locs come in packs already wrapped and looped, so the install is mostly the cornrows and the hooking. It is faster, the locs are uniform, and the look is a little heavier at the root because each loc is attached at a single point instead of growing out of a braid.

I prefer the braid and wrap for a first set because the locs sit flatter and the parting is cleaner. Crochet is the answer if you want the style for a short trip and do not want to spend a whole day in the chair.

How long butterfly locs take

The honest answer is most of a day for the braid and wrap method, and a few hours for crochet. The exact time depends on the size of the locs, the length, and how much hair you have to braid down first. Here is how I think about it when I block out the day.

1. Crochet with pre made locs: about 2 to 4 hours, because the cornrows are the slow part and the hooking is quick.
2. Braid and wrap, medium locs at shoulder length: about 4 to 6 hours.
3. Braid and wrap, small locs or waist length: 6 hours and up, because every extra loc is another full wrap from root to tip.

What adds time: tiny parts, very long hair, a detangle on arrival, and a wash because the hair came in with product. What saves time: arriving with your hair clean, detangled and stretched, with the hair already bought and in the right texture.

Your session length is set when you book, so pick the loc size and length first and tell me what you want. A client who wants medium locs to the collarbone is a different day than one who wants small locs to the waist, and I would rather schedule the right block than rush the ends.

What hair to buy for butterfly locs

This is where most first sets go wrong. You need two kinds of hair for the braid and wrap method: braiding hair for the base, and water wave hair for the wrap. For the crochet method you need pre made butterfly locs and a little braiding hair for the cornrows.

For the base

Regular braiding hair in a color close to the wrap. It adds length and grip to each braid and gives the wrap something to hold onto. One or two packs covers a full head for most people, and nobody sees it once the wrap is on.

For the wrap

Water wave braiding hair, the kind sold for crochet and for faux locs, is the whole look. The wave is what forms the loops as it wraps. Straight kanekalon wraps smooth and gives you a regular faux loc. Deep wave wraps too tight and curly. Water wave is the texture that loops without being told to.

How much to buy

• Short locs, bob to shoulder: fewer packs of water wave, and the shorter the loc the less hair each one eats.
• Long locs, mid back to waist: more packs, because each loc is wrapped from root to tip and a long loc uses double what a short one does.
• Pre made locs for crochet: count the locs per pack on the label and plan for the number of cornrows and locs you want; a full head is several packs.

Buy one pack more than you think you need. Running out at the back of the head with two sections to go is a real thing, and a stylist cannot finish a set with hair that is not there. Keep the receipt and return the extra.

Butterfly locs in colors

Color is one of the easiest ways to make the style yours, and it costs nothing extra in the chair because the color comes from the hair you buy. Water wave hair comes in natural blacks and browns, honey and caramel blondes, burgundy, copper, and the fashion shades.

Three ways to use it that photograph well: a single color from root to tip for a clean look, a two tone where the braiding hair is dark and the wrap is lighter so the loops carry the color, or a few accent locs in a bright shade spread through a natural set. The two tone works especially well on butterfly locs because the loops are the lighter hair, and they sit on top.

Match the base to your own hair at the root if you want a natural grow out. If the base is dark and the wrap is blonde, the roots read as dark hair with blonde locs, which is a look in itself but not a subtle one.

One caution with light colors: blonde and pastel water wave hair shows buildup faster than dark hair. Mousse, dust and the oil from your scalp collect in the loops and turn a honey blonde dull by week four. If you go light, keep products minimal and plan on a scalp cleanse every week or so rather than every two. Burgundy and copper hide buildup better and still read as color from across a room.

How long butterfly locs last

Six to eight weeks is the window for a wrapped set. The locs themselves do not come apart; it is the base that grows out, and the frizz at the root that gets harder to tidy. Crochet sets tend to sit at the shorter end because each loc hangs from one point on the cornrow and starts to shift as the braid loosens.

Pushing past eight weeks does not save money. The new growth mats inside the base braid, the take down takes twice as long, and the breakage lands on the hairline where you least want it.

Caring for butterfly locs while you wear them

Butterfly locs are low effort, but they are not no effort. The three things that extend the wear are protecting them at night, keeping the scalp clean without soaking the locs, and controlling frizz without weighing the loops down.

Sleep

A satin scarf or bonnet every night, with the locs gathered loosely, not tied tight. Cotton pillowcases pull on the wrap and turn the loops into frizz by week three.

Washing

Water wave hair holds water and takes a long time to dry, so a full soak is a last resort. Clean the scalp with a diluted shampoo in an applicator bottle, aimed at the parts, then rinse at the root and squeeze the locs with a towel. Dry fully, under a hooded dryer if you have one. Wet locs that stay wet smell, and the smell lives in the wrap.

Frizz and shine

A light mousse smoothed over the locs and tied down with a scarf for twenty minutes resets the frizz. Heavy oils and butters sink into the water wave hair and make the locs heavy and dull. Oil the scalp, not the locs.

If you work out, tie them up, let the scalp dry, and use a witch hazel or scalp refresher on a cotton round between washes.

Taking butterfly locs out

Take down is the part people try to rush, and it is the part that decides whether the style protected your hair or cost you some. Each loc has to be unwrapped from the tip up, then the base braid undone, and the shed hair that collected inside the braid detangled out before any water touches it.

Work with a tail comb, a spray bottle of water and conditioner, and patience. Cut the wrap only at the very tip, below where your own hair ends, and never through the middle of a loc. Once the wrap is off, unravel the braid, separate the shed hair with your fingers, then detangle from the ends up with conditioner on the section.

After the last section, a clarifying wash, a deep condition and a trim. Give the hair at least a week before the next install. If a section feels matted at the root, stop pulling, saturate it with conditioner and water, and work the shed hair out with your fingers before the comb goes anywhere near it. Ten patient minutes on a knot beats a handful of broken hair. If you want the same style again, I do the braid and wrap set on the butterfly locs page and the shorter and half up versions in butterfly locs styles.

Book butterfly locs in Springfield Gardens

I am Tyca, and I do butterfly locs at the Tyca Beaute studio, 146-20 232nd St in Springfield Gardens, Queens, by appointment only. Bring your water wave hair and braiding hair, arrive with clean, detangled hair, and tell me the loc size and length when you book so I block the right amount of time.

Book online at the booking page or call (973) 963-7449 if you want to talk through hair before you buy it. The rest of my hair menu, from wig installs to sew ins, is on the hair services page.

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