Hey everyone!
Today we are back with another protective style review! This time, Janet Collection reached out to me to do a review on their new product, the “Mambo Rockin’ Locs”. Below is a photo from their website showing how the hair looks in the packaging & once installed. Retail price is $9.99 was ($5.99 on sale currently) at Beauty Depot.
If I’m being quite honest, I was nervous about this hairstyle. These locs really looked very, very authentic. Authentic in this context being my way of saying they looked truly matted & exactly what you think of when you think of real, naturally formed dreadlocks. I agreed to test them out anyway because we all know I’m open to trying new things. In addition, I enjoy reviewing them so that you guys can make informed decisions about your hairstyles & not have to go through the trial & error process. Basically I’m your very own guinea pig! 😂
First Impression
Janet Collection was kind enough to send me 6 packs of the Mambo Rockin’ Locs in the colour #1B. I realised quickly that my impressions on this hair from googling the hair were correct. Straight out the pack the hair strands were frizzy & matted together, requiring me to pull them apart from each other. These are literally the most realistic faux locs on the market in regard to texture. In addition, these strands do not come pre-looped, you have to create your own loop when installing this hair. Each knot forms two loc strands because it is folded in half to create a loop. In total there are 10 strands which gives you 20 locs once installed. You can see all of this in the photos below.
The Mambo Rockin’ locs are also extremely lightweight. The hair is 20″ & hits me at just about waist length on my back which is a standard length for faux locs. I had all 6 packs of hair installed by Tess & as suspected, it wasn’t enough. I typically use 7 packs of any style I use but we made it work. Even though it wasn’t enough hair to cover all my braids, this hair is very big. Each strand gives 2 locs from one “knot” so puffiness is to be expected. Had I actually used 7 packs, I’m not sure I would have been able to handle the Mambo Rockin’ locs. The 6 packs used was a lot.
Care & Styling
TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo & my CURLS Blueberry Bliss Hair Growth Oil were essential for this hair. Not sure why, but my scalp & this hair did not get along. In only 2 weeks my hair started to feel as though the locs were in for a month. No idea what could have caused this other than maybe just a different type of synthetic fibre being used to make this style. This is where the dry shampoo & oil came in handy. The oil in particular kept my scalp feeling soothed. A nozzle is attached to the oil bottle to make sure it is applied directly to my scalp. I also used my Creme of Nature Argan Oil Replenishing Spray a few times as this hair seemed a little dull after about a week.
Top knot, down & ponytails were my styles of choice as usual but ponytail was easiest. Detangling this hair was definitely a time consuming challenge so a ponytail, with my snapee hair tie, was my go-to. Due to the thickness/puffiness of this hair my scalp feel very hot during workouts & caused extra sweating in my scalp. This was probably a contributing factor to how my scalp felt while wearing this hair. Workouts & this hair therefore do not seem to work well together 🙅🏾♀️.
Overall Thoughts
The Mambo Rockin’ locs were definitely the most realistic faux locs I have ever tried. That being said these were messy from day 1, the strands got very tangled together & matted in my head just as they did straight out the pack. The composition of these strands makes it impossible to keep them separated. Instead of curled synthetic fibres, they are made with straight synthetic fibres. The locs therefore fuse together a lot easier than when the strands are formed with coiled fibres. Coiled fibres “mind their own business” in their own loc strands while these straight fibres are more free to get matted & tangled with each other. Whenever I tried to move one strand, about 3 others would move along with it. Keeping my hair in a ponytail didn’t help this situation because the locs were forced to be tightly together for hours at a time therefore allowing mattes to form but my hair can’t always be down.
I’ve listed a few pros & cons for you all below:
Pros
- Photographs really well
- Most realistic locs ever
- Very Lightweight
Cons
- Easily matted/tangled
- No pre-made loop
- Very puffy
- Caused some scalp irritation for me
Would I wear the Mambo Rockin’ Locs again? Maybe. Would I recommend it? That depends. I am accustomed to wearing protective styles long term & this style is not meant for that. I recommend this style to those who want to achieve this look for a specific event, photos or want a quick short term protective style for vacations. The style is definitely not bad, it’s nice, it just isn’t like other faux locs I have tried. Comparing the Mambo Rockin’ Locs to other faux locs should be avoided as the hair is made completely differently & will therefore perform differently. The hair is advertised as the most realistic & light weight, it definitely delivers on that. This is exactly what I expect when I hear “realistic dreadlocks“. Hope you guys enjoyed this review, let me know your thoughts in the comments & if you’ve tried these locs yet!
Until next time my loves,
xo Justine-Renee
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**Disclaimer – I was sent this product for review purposes by the brand however all opinions shared are my own & not influenced in any way.**
