Soft locs are a protective style built from a braided or twisted base wrapped with loose, featherlight hair so the result reads soft rather than rope-like. The 2027 shift runs toward lived-in color and glossy natural texture, with soft face-framing layers and curtain bangs replacing the blunt, uniform wrap of earlier years.
This collection gathers 22 Trendy Soft Locs Hairstyles, from shoulder-length and collarbone cuts to mid-back and long flowing sets, covering loose waves, defined straight locs, updos, ponytails and ombre or two-tone finishes. If fine hair falls flat under heavier styles, a fringe will not sit, or a visible grow-out line keeps ruining the finish, the range here gives you a length and density match to work from.
1. Shoulder Length Soft Locs With Wispy Bangs
The side parting and loose, curly ends give these shoulder length soft locs a playful weight that a center part would flatten. Medium to thick hair carries the texture best; finer densities may want to ask for fewer locs so the wispy bangs don’t disappear. Ask your stylist for: shoulder length soft locs with wispy bangs and curly ends. A light mousse on the ends keeps the curl pattern readable, and a trim every 10 to 12 weeks prevents the wispy bangs from becoming a solid fringe.
2. Intricate Braided Updo With Wavy Locs
How does an updo this detailed stay put without a dozen pins poking your scalp? The trick is the braided structure itself: each braid acts as an anchor for the next, so the wavy locs lock into place rather than fight gravity. The dark brown base and thick texture mean the braids read as defined shapes, not muddled strands.
Ask your stylist for: intricate braided updo with wavy locs. Start with damp, stretched locs so the braiding is clean, then finish with a strong-hold hairspray. Plan for two to three hours in the chair. The hold lasts through an evening of dancing, but sleeping on it is not recommended.
3. Long Flowing Wavy Locs
Air-dried texture is the quiet power move here: no heat, no tension, just the natural wave of thick locs. The dark brown base keeps the look grounded, while the mid-back length gives enough weight for the waves to fall in sheets rather than individual spirals. This is a summer Saturday style, not a Wednesday Zoom call compromise. A leave-in conditioner sprayed on damp locs is the only product needed. The texture holds until the next wash, which for most locs means about a week.
4. Loose Mid-Back Faux Locs With Subtle Highlights
Solid black faux locs can read as one flat block of color, but add subtle highlights and the eye starts moving through the waves. The dimension here is quiet enough for an office meeting but present enough that nobody asks if you dyed it. This is the style you choose when you want a change that does not announce itself.
Ask your stylist for: mid-back faux locs, loose waves, subtle highlights. A silk scarf at night keeps the glossy finish from rubbing matte. The highlights need a toning appointment every 8 to 10 weeks to stay on the subtle side of brassy.
5. High Ponytail With Ombre Soft Locs
How do you ask for an ombre that reads as a deliberate color choice? Specify the transition zone: the dark brown base should hold the root area, with blonde highlights starting around the ears and deepening toward the ends. The wavy texture helps the two shades blend naturally, so there is no harsh line.
Ask your stylist for: high ponytail with ombre soft locs. A strong elastic at the base, then wrap one loc around it to hide the hardware. This is a solid DIY option once the locs are installed, since the ponytail itself takes under ten minutes. Refresh the ombre every 12 weeks to keep the blonde from drifting into yellow territory.
6. Side View Soft Faux Locs With Face-Framing Curls
Face-framing curls are the detail that separates a standard set of faux locs from one with a clear point of view. The side parting sends a loose, wavy section forward at the cheek, and the rest of the mid-back black locs fall straight and soft behind it. That contrast is the whole design.
Ask your stylist for: mid-back faux locs with face-framing curls. Oval and round faces get the most from the side sweep, and medium to long natural hair gives the stylist enough to anchor the install. Reality check: those curls need daily coaxing with a styling cream, and humidity will frizz them faster than the locs themselves. The main body of the locs only needs a trim every eight to ten weeks.
7. Loose Mid-Back Black Soft Locs
Thick, wavy locs that reach mid-back and hang loose from a middle parting are the version of soft locs that does the least and says the most. The density is what sells it: a full set of locs carries the wave without collapsing into a flat curtain. This suits oval and heart faces best, and it also gives a short neck some visual length to work with. If your natural hair is fine or low density, ask for a lighter count so the weight does not pull the middle parting flat. Ask your stylist for: loose mid-back black soft locs. A moisturizing serum on the ends keeps them from drying out, and a trim every eight weeks keeps the shape honest.
8. Mid-Back Wavy Locs With Natural Texture
The wave in these locs comes from how the fiber is set, not from styling on the day. Each loc is wrapped with a slight bend through the mid-lengths, so the texture holds its shape from the first day and keeps it through the weeks that follow. Mid-back length gives the wave room to actually read as a wave rather than a crimp.
Ask your stylist for: mid-back wavy locs, natural texture. The wrap tension is the technical decision that matters most. Too tight and the locs sit stiff and flat against the head; too loose and the wave drops out within a week. A middle parting keeps the whole thing symmetrical, and the deep black color lets the texture do the talking without highlights competing for attention. If you plan to refresh the wave at home, use low heat. Skip the brush.
9. Ponytail With Wispy Bangs And Loose Strands
What do you actually say at the appointment to get bangs that sit wispy instead of heavy? Ask your stylist for: shoulder length faux locs ponytail with wispy bangs. The wavy, medium-density locs gather cleanly at the back, and the loose strands at the sides keep the ponytail from looking tight. Black keeps it simple. The bangs are the part worth getting exact: say wispy and show how much forehead you want covered. This is a salon build, not a home job, since the ponytail base and the bang cut need to work together.
10. Collarbone Soft Locs With Curtain Bangs
Blonde highlights on dark brown soft locs work when the tone stays in the same family as the base, and these sit close enough that the dimension looks like light catching the wave. The collarbone length and curtain bangs do the rest. Ask your stylist for: collarbone length soft locs with curtain bangs and highlights. Upkeep is the catch: highlights on textured locs need a refresh every eight to ten weeks, and the curtain bangs want a round brush to keep their sweep. Medium density holds the shape best.
11. Neatly Defined Mid-Back Straight Locs
Wavy locs get the attention, but straight locs are the quieter sibling that shows up to work on time. Styled flat and uniform in black, this mid-back set falls in a clean line from a middle parting, with a medium density that keeps the locs from looking thin at the ends. The finish is glossy and even, which makes the length read longer than it is.
Ask your stylist for: mid-back straight locs, neat definition. Long and oval faces carry the vertical line well; round faces may prefer a little width at the sides. Straight locs need a smoothing serum through the length to keep that flat finish, and a trim every six to eight weeks keeps the ends sharp. Wavy locs hide a frayed end; straight ones put it on display.
12. High Ponytail With Braided Sections
How do you get a ponytail this tall without it sliding down by lunch? Start with shoulder-length soft locs, gather them high, and wrap the base tight. The braided sections at the front are the trick: two small braids worked along the hairline and pinned back give the ponytail structure and keep the wavy texture from swallowing the shape. Black locs keep it graphic. Ask your stylist for: shoulder length soft locs high ponytail with braids. Round and heart faces get lift from the height. A strong tie and a few pins hold it; expect to reset the pins every couple of days.
13. Short Chin Length Butterfly Locs
The chin length is what makes these butterfly locs work: loose wavy strands and curly ends sit close to the jaw instead of dragging it down. Black keeps the texture reading as texture, and the side parting gives the short shape somewhere to go. Oval, heart and square faces suit this best, since the curls soften a strong jawline. Ask your stylist for: short chin length butterfly locs with curly ends. Skip it if you want length to pull back; there is not enough here for a ponytail. A curl cream on the ends and a trim every ten to twelve weeks keep the shape.
14. Collarbone Faux Locs With Two-Tone Color
Two-tone faux locs live or die on the blend, and at collarbone length the dark brown base and blonde highlights sit close enough to the face that any harsh line shows. Woven through wavy locs, the contrast shows as depth when the lighter pieces are distributed evenly. Ask your stylist for: collarbone length faux locs with dark brown and blonde two-tone color.
Upkeep is where this finish earns its keep or costs it. A color-safe shampoo and conditioner slow the fade on the blonde, which tends to dull first. Loose locs at this length tangle at the collarbone, so a light oil through the mid-lengths helps them fall clean. Book a trim every eight weeks to keep the ends from frizzing into the highlight. Medium density hair holds the shape best; fine hair can look sparse where the two colors meet.
15. Mid-Back Ombre Soft Locs With Curly Ends
What do you say to get an ombre that blends instead of banding? Be specific about where the black should stop and the blonde should start, and bring the curl pattern into the conversation. This set runs mid-back in wavy soft locs, with loose curls at the ends that break up the ombre line. Ask your stylist for: mid-back soft locs with black to blonde ombre and curly ends.
This is salon work, not a kitchen-table project. A transition this wide needs the blonde placed in stages so the shift looks gradual, and the curly ends need to be set to match. Medium to thick hair carries the weight of mid-back length; finer hair can look stringy past the shoulder. A curl cream on the ends keeps them defined, and the ombre wants refreshing every twelve to sixteen weeks as the blonde warms.
16. Loose Mid-Back Wavy Soft Locs, Middle
A middle part splits these black mid-back soft locs cleanly, leaving the wavy texture to do the moving. The looseness is the technique, not a lucky accident: locs wrapped with slack at the root and set with a light oil or serum keep that swing instead of stiffening into rope. Medium to thick hair carries the weight best, and the length suits long and oval faces without crowding them.
Ask your stylist for: loose mid-back wavy soft locs. The wave needs room to fall, so resist the urge to pack the ends tight. A light oil or serum through the mid-lengths manages frizz and adds shine without weighing the locs down. A trim every eight to ten weeks keeps the ends shaped and stops the wave from fraying into fuzz.
17. Vibrant Burgundy Mid-Back Faux Locs
Set burgundy next to a natural black or brown and the difference is not subtle: one blends, the other announces itself before you have said a word. These mid-back faux locs in that deep red-purple are styled loose with a middle parting, and the wavy, soft texture keeps the shade from looking heavy. Medium to thick hair holds the color and the length without the locs reading thin at the ends.
Ask your colorist for: mid-back faux locs in burgundy. The color is the point here, so choose it for the season you are actually in: burgundy carries autumn and winter events with ease, while a natural black or brown stays quiet year-round. If you want a shade that works for a wedding, a birthday dinner and a Tuesday, this is not the one. A color-depositing conditioner keeps the vibrancy from dulling between appointments, and a trim every eight to ten weeks keeps the ends crisp.
18. Half Updo With Black And Brown Faux Locs
Two colors and a bun do a lot of the work here: these medium-length faux locs mix black and brown, with a soft, wavy texture that reads full and not fussy. The half updo pulls the top back into a bun while the rest falls loose with a middle parting, which keeps the style versatile enough for a workday or a dinner. Oval faces get the most from the exposed forehead and the height at the crown. If your hair is fine, ask for a little more volume at the root so the bun does not collapse by lunch.
Ask your stylist for: medium length faux locs half updo with bun. Pins hold the bun; wrapping a few locs around its base hides them. A trim every six to eight weeks keeps the loose ends shaped.
19. Loose Mid-Back Soft Locs With Baby Hairs
Defined baby hairs along the hairline are the detail that separates a loose set from a loose set that looks finished. These black soft locs fall to mid-back in a wavy texture with a clean middle part, and the flowing movement is the whole draw. Medium density hair suits the look best, since the locs need enough body to hang without gaps. Round and heart faces get a soft frame from the baby hairs, which break up the forehead line without adding weight.
Here is where loose gets real: locs with this much slack tangle at the nape and behind the ears, and keeping them flowing takes daily attention. A fine-tooth comb and edge control handle the baby hairs each morning, and a light oil through the lengths keeps frizz down. Expect to separate and smooth the locs more often than you would a tighter set. Ask your stylist for: mid-back soft locs with baby hairs. A trim every eight to ten weeks keeps the ends from matting.
20. Shoulder Length High Bun With Baby Hairs
Wondering how to get a bun that sits high and stays there? Ask for shoulder length soft locs, black and curly, gathered into a high bun with baby hairs along the hairline. The middle parting keeps the front neat, and the curly texture gives the bun its shape. This is a salon set, so book the install rather than attempting it at home. Ask your stylist for: shoulder length soft locs high bun with baby hairs. Pins secure the bun, edge control sets the baby hairs, and a trim every six to eight weeks keeps the ends tidy.
21. Long Flowing Black Faux Locs
Ask your stylist for: long flowing black faux locs. The technique uses a crochet hook or wrapping method to blend synthetic or human hair extensions into your natural texture, so the locs lie flat against the scalp at the root and wave gently through the length. A side view confirms there are no bulky joins, just continuous texture from the part down. This look works best on hair that is at least shoulder length to anchor the extensions securely.
22. High Ponytail With Braided Crown, Mid-Back
The high ponytail gets its staying power from the braided crown: two or more small braids wrap the base of the ponytail, hiding the elastic and distributing tension across more of the scalp. That detail means the ponytail sits firm without pulling at a single point. The locs themselves are wavy and mid-back length, so the ponytail has enough weight to swing rather than stick straight up.
Ask your stylist for: mid-back soft locs high ponytail with braided crown. A middle parting keeps the front clean, and the braided sections at the crown add texture without extra bulk. The hold is reliable for a full day of movement, the braids anchor the base, and the locs’ natural wave softens the silhouette so it does not look severe. Oval and heart face shapes get the most lift from the height at the crown.
23. Final Thoughts
For a softer, more natural result, choose loose waves with face-framing pieces. For a polished finish, go with an intricate updo or a high ponytail.
- Trim the baseline of the locs every six to eight weeks.
- Refresh color or tone every eight to twelve weeks.
- Wear a silk or satin bonnet or sleep on a satin pillowcase.
- Limit heat styling to prolong the life of the locs.
Treat the length, texture and color as a set, and the hold follows.
