Three Months Shots

Okay here are my three month old shots for my hairy hair I wanna curl it everyday but I don't want weak spots.

Hmmm I still love how hair my feels all crunchy and poofy. I only had about ten slipped locs and she redid them in about 30 minutes in between my full retightening which was soooo great!

Take note of how much different it looks from my first do in September! Its grown so much on the right hand side and where there were weaker spots. I have funny little top ones that want to run away on their own. I'm starting to get lots of compliments and even weird "what is that in your hair looks". I can't wait to start doing my own but in the meantime my loctician and I are going to see alot of each other. Its about 2.5 hours to get them all retightened, at twenty bucks an hour its not cheap but definitely easier to manage and nicer to deal than damaging my hair. Now and then I swear its talking to me and telling me thank you!

Loctician Blues and Triumphs

When I first got locs my whole person was freedom freedom from being controlled by any product, hair loss and by any one person.

My loctician was trying to control who I went to, my emotions, my life really -- as it took her three to four days to confirm that she received any message that I had when I had questions about anything - banding, the process, appointment times, etc.

This all changed when I let her know that I wanted to go to different loctician while she was having a surgery performed. She said, well its your hair but I would recommend you waiting and then when I feel better I can see you again.

Hmmm

This made me pretty uncomfortable. We don't talk about my hair in my appointments but her favorite candidate for president and other things about her. Mostly my appointments were about what was going on in her life and about politics - which is great to discuss - but my appointments should be spent on my hair right? So I decided that I am going to stick with the same loctician my sister uses she was so great! We talked about my hair the entire TWO hours of my retightening. She didn't mention, who are you voting for? What do you think about what's going on in Congress, etc. I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her thank you for paying attention to me! She even is ready to empower me further by teaching me new techniques so that I can loc my own hair when my anniversary comes up in March.

I went to my first interview with my locs done, I lightly curled the ends. Nothing was said at all about my hair only my qualifications and how I could help the company. I loved it it gave me such a great feeling to be happy about myself naturally. On the 13th I will be 3 mos old!

Two months

After two months so much has changed. I feel like I'm growing as a person with my locks and growing up in my knowledge of the process. I've learned a few things that I would like to share with anyone considering getting their locks done.

I would recommend anyone thinking about locks spend a minimum of two months with their own natural hair and hair length. Getting to know yourself in this manner made me so much stronger. I had no wigs or weaves in between me and my hair. I gelled it and took care to really get to feel each coil and move my fingers through with ease.

After my locks were put in a good friend of mine, Val, told me that I would get my strength in about three months. I didn't know what she was speaking of but now I feel I do. My strength is getting up everyday, believing in myself and in my own beauty with or without hair or extensions or makeup. I receive more looks, glances, and smiles with my hair natural than ever before and I am becoming stronger.

There are still days that I wish that my hair were flowing down my back but I want it to be mine and not a product of what I have been told is pretty or beautiful. My daughter is growing up now (she's 16) I want to be an icon of beauty for her and sisterlocks is helping me accomplish this goal.

My hair now gets retightened -- see photo to the right -- then it flattens down, after that it just starts to puff out after i braid and bunch it but this picture shows the growth pretty well I think.

Almost Two Months Old

My next retightening will be two months! I am so excited my hair has taken on its own little life of its own and is growing like a weed. Let's see if you all agree? I'm trying not to curl the ends that are still permed too much and keeping braids and bunching from time to time. I'm noticing alot of dry scalp in the front and that's a little odd but its okay.

I'm using knottyboys' peppermint spray for itch relief. My sisterlocks are starting to have little knots at the end of them which feels so cool. I have cantkeepmyhandsoutofmyhairitis. Its getting worse I keep grabbing and touching and pulling on my locks more and more. Here's my shot from us on Halloween. It was so cool! My daughter asked "What are you gonna do to your hair" and I said "Wet it and go!"

Happy Anniversary

I've had my locks for one whole month now (install date 9/13). I cannot tell all of you how much this process is changing me. I'm having to address my fears, superficial and otherwise, about my hair. Do I want my hair to grow every night? Yes!!! Do I worry if I've done the right thing with my locks? Absolutely! There are times that I don't want to tie it up, where I don't want to curl the ends, where I don't want to bundle before washing, etc.

But, there are other times that it is my source of healing. I look at how my hair has been damaged and ruined and how it is still fighting its way back - even though I tried killing it. I have covered it with braids, weaves, glue and other things so many times.

I have started relationships with tons of fake hair and then expected people to love the real me. I've doubted my own beauty and my own sense of worth in the workforce because of my hair. I've doubted friendships, love, family members when they have to see me in my natural state. How could they really want to be with the true me?

This has been a growing process and its just the beginning. My girlfriend greets me with "Hello beautiful" all of the time and I even don't want to accept that because of my insecurities but it is getting easier. I thank God for my locs, for my love and family, and for the support of the blog! See ya in a month

Perm rods and the Asian Shop

So I stop by the Asian hair place to get perm rods, additional rubber bands and one scarf. The gentleman that usually helped me with my #4 weave hair in curly or remy straight just stared at me and all I said was "hello". He said "you're doing something different with your hair?" then I explained sisterlocks and that I was to a point where I think I can perm rod them and he smiled and kept staring and told me "good for you".

well, I can't tell you what that did for me I used to never leave that place with at least $80 less out of my pocket - today's total a whopping $8. Can you say 100% decrease in one month at the hair shop mmmmm mmmmm loving that a lot. And my hair looks cute and healthy.

Here's to enjoying the experience, right?

Also my loctician called to see how my locks were doing - WOW! I just loved that, I must tell her when I see her next week! see you all later

Let me just say

Ok

When I got my first sisterlocks (the test pattern) you can see about how long and thin my hair was.

Now this same area looks like this:

I finished another retightening and turn around cannot describe how I feel. She was pleasant, nice, listened to me and my frustrations and then proceeded to start to do my hair. Sure from time to time she stopped to look at email and make phone calls but she always apologized and let me know that she had to let her fingers rest before continuing.

She also kept a little time clock that she would turn off and on as the night progressed. Overall a very different and enjoyable experience.

For the newly loc'd your hair may do like mine and lie down whenever you get retightened this is normal.

and it feels great and pulled like a ponytail tight but I like my hair twisty and free so it'll take a few days to go away before its back to the curly fro that i love after a few bundles. I will try this time not to wet it (only mist for stylin) until my next appointment.

wish me luck and will write again after the 16th (my next appointment)

Other pix of me through the years

I thought before I head out to the loctician and let her know how really unhappy I was my last appointment, that I would show some pictures of my hair through the years.

I've noticed that its always been about the same style & length. Hmm.

This is me on a cruise in 2004 it took forever to do it and because we were in the Bahamas (me and my sister Shelley -- in the picture, my nephew Martell, and my then girlfriend Sherry) and other islands I didn't go into the water at all.

An another one of me 2 mos before with Ms. Steph my girlfriend of six months and my daughter Shary who is 16 I can't even believe I have a teenager - but that's another blog all together :)

My first month with locs

So its been one month and honestly its pretty frustrating. I see slow changes and lots of slippage. I love how my hair feels and its so great to have the freedom of no combs etc. Considering my hair as it looks naturally (on 9/13/07) and now (10/1/07) its really quite a difference. I'm not seeing as many parts and it seems to be ok

The frustrating part is the bundling of the hair that you really don't hear about before you wash it.
If I had to do all over again I WOULD NOT wash my hair at all until its time for a retightening. The will be my second retightening on 10/3/07 and every time I wash it or wet it (I bundle religiously) there is still a significant amount of slippage.

I will post a picture of my slippage for those who may want to know and also the bundling process which only adds about 15 minutes to my morning but if i don't bundle and let it curl on the ends my locks look frightening because of the permed parts.

But I'll try again Wed and then see. Here's to next two weeks.

First Post/First set of Locks

Welcome to my blog about my experience with sisterlocks. I am going to a great loctician and have so much to look forward to. Hope you enjoy the fun I'm going through. I got my first test set of locs today (about 11 in all) and its going to be a change I can tell. Here's to my next post after I get my full set.