Locked Freedom

Dry locks no more!

2010-04-30T19:12:00.002-04:00

I figured it out! I was starting to get frustrated about the dryness thing. I tried product after product with the same end result. DRY LOCKS! Well, not anymore. After the trip to the hair show in Atlanta I figured it all out. I was using too much product on my hair. Everyday, I was spritzing, spraying, or (maybe it should be and) rubbing something through my hair. My hair was KRUNCHY, (yes, I spelled it with a K to emphasize the crunchiness). Anyway, I purchased products by Jane Carter and decided that I would give them a try for a month or two. I used the sulfate free shampoo and conditioner followed by the hair serum mixed with the nutri shine. Since that day, I have spritzed my hair with water only and used the serum-shine mixture about every 4 days or so. Wow, what a difference! I no longer hear my hair krunch. It feels soft and moisturized. It's so bad that I'm having a hard time keeping my hands out of my hair.

Not much with hair growth. Seems like my hair is in some kind of holding pattern.

Again...pics soon!

Dry locks!

2010-03-19T22:59:00.003-04:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged. How does everyone find the time to update? Life just seems so busy and chaotic sometimes. I've been exercising a lot lately. Now, I have DRY locks. I'm not really sure what to do about it. Will a hot oil treatment solve my problem? All advice welcome!

Pics to come soon!!!

My Reality Check into My Past

2008-10-26T18:06:00.002-04:00

Just thinkin'...before wearing my hair natural, I was aproduct junkie. I bought just about every type of shampoo, conditioner and styling product on the market. For a while, it was about buying a shampoo and conditioner that would leave a nice scent in my hair. After that, I bought products that would help me to achieve and maintain a certain styles. If I saw a style on someone that I liked, whatever she used I was going to go out and buy it. Because of the relaxer, I could pretty much achieve any style that I saw and it would look identical. My hair was nice, soft and well styled. I didn't have a lot problems with breakage until I decided that I was going to maintain my edges and relax them myself. That's was when the drama began.

Anyway, to 2008. Today when I was shampooing my hair, I used a shampoo from my past that I found upstairs. It was Nature's Gate Herbal Shampoo. When I firsted started wearing my hair chemical free, I was focused on using products that had the least amount of detergent. Since then, I'm not quite sure what happened. The Herbal Shampoo has SLS way down on the list of ingredients which is why I started using it from the beginning. I got out of the whole thing about my hair looking like someone else's since I was very aware that my natural hair is my DNA not meant to look like anyone elses. Maybe similar but not like when I was relaxed because relaxers take the uniqueness of hair away. Since blogging, I have become a junkie again reading what everyone else is using and trying it all out. Softness, dryness, growth whatever, I was looking for a product would make it happen. I would run my hands through my hair and think....My hair is dry, let me see what others are using. Or, I would feel someone else's locks and buy whatever she was using. I remember thinking back to a few years ago that softness is relative. First, my hair was not going to be soft like it was when I was relaxed. That was the first hurdle I had to get over when I first cut my hair. Not that my hair was hard but it was just a different soft. Secondly, DNA is not going to allow my hair to feel like anyone. So now, is my hair hard or is it dry? My hair isn't hard unless I don't keep it moisturized. That's the important thing. Sure, I condition now, but at one point I got lazy and forgot to keep my hair moisturized. So, I've gone back to the Bodifying Mist. It's a hairsaver for my hair. My hair is conditioned and moisturized with this product between shampoos. It's great!

Just a little something that was on my mind.

Comparison Pics

2008-10-23T22:02:00.012-04:00

I can't seem to find the time to keep up with things. It doesn't help that I forget to take pics when my styles come out the way I want. But lately, I've been doing more freestyin' than anything. I've been extra busy with work, school and family. In between all of that I'm trying to be a healthier me and exercise. It is GREAT that after I workout, I don't have to worry about doing my hair. I rinse or spray with a mixture and that's it. I shampoo my hair weekly. That's it! How simple is that? My friends are scheduling workouts around hair appointments. It is oh so nice not to have to think about that anymore. I just workout and go. I am loving it!!!

The top pics show the difference in my over 6 months. During this time, I did get a small trim to even it up some since it was so uneven after having removed the 1st set.

The bottom two pics show the difference over 3 months.

Long Overdue

2008-08-15T21:22:00.017-04:00

Like in the previous post, still back and forth about my hair. I had it groomed a couple of weeks ago but for some reason, I never thought to take pics. I have been freestylin' since May up until about 2 weeks ago. It has been too hot to do anything to my hair. I did a set with the lockloop and lottabody. My curls lasted for a full week with me exercising 4 days a week. I didn't take pics then either.

I think the grooming Michelle did made a big difference. In all of the times I have set my hair, my curls never lasted more than a day. That's one of the reasons I decided to freestyle because the styles weren't lasting.

If there is anyone in the Charlotte area looking for someone to start or maintain your traditional locs or sisterlocks, be sure to give Michelle a call. She is wonderful!

My hair is finally feeling along the hairline. My edges thinned out during my relaxer days when I thought I was being messy and trying to make sure my edges stayed straight.

It's kind of difficult to see in the pic but my edges really are growing in. I even have enough hair now that two locks were started. But of course, there's the bead! The bottom pic is me trying out the headband again. I love my hair off my face but the pressure of the band gives me a headache.

Change Over Time

2008-05-26T17:53:00.022-04:00

A year just passed of having my 2nd set of sisterlocks. No bells or whistles, just another day. My hair is swelling but it's kind of difficult for me to determine what my hair is going to look like. The ends on some locks are waaaayyyyy bigger than the sisterlock itself. On others, the ends are the same size as the rest of the sisterlock. I'm going to have a few of them groomed with my next appointment.

This experience is totally different than the first set of sisterlocks. In 2005 when I had my first set installed, I didn't pay attention to much of anything going on with my hair. Sure I noticed the knots, stray hairs and holes in my locks but I didn't take any hair pictures at all. I have pics that I took with my children but that's it. I asked my then consultant about my hair issues. I couldn't get a straight answer. Her only answer was...."that's why I keep mine styled." Not really what I was looking for. I wasn't hip to blogging at that time. All of my questions could have been answered. Plus, I was pregnant with my son and had a 1 year old daughter. There wasn't much time. As I look back at pics during the 1st set, I actually like my hair. The hormonal change during my pregnancy made it go really fast(which is not something I'm used to). One of the reasons I took the first set out was because of not feeling really comfortable with my first consultant. Not getting straight answers really took its toll. The parts were off and I didn't like the size were. But, it was the best thing in the end. Had I stayed with her, I wonder how thin my hair would be right now. I can remember coming home after a retightening and my scalp feeling like it was on fire! I sprayed my hair with a cooling spray AND put my head under some cold running water. It was awful. Had I not started over, I probably would still be doing the same thing.

This time, I'm in and out of love with my hair. For the most part, any styling that I've done since the 3rd month has been to stretch out my hair. I wasn't feeling the fuzzies either. Today, I realized that any styling that I do is not going to stretch my hair significantly. With the exception of about 10 locks(along the hairline) my hair has locked on the ends. I'm going to do something that I don't normally do. I am going to freestyle it for the rest of the week. When I misted my hair today I kind of liked the way it looked so I am going to give it a try.

Here are a couple of pics of me freestylin' it

With and without a little bang but with a bead in front for both.

Sisterlocks Gathering in Charlotte

2008-04-16T22:45:00.009-04:00

It has taken a long time to get these up. Better late than never!! We had a great time!

Trying to keep up...

2008-03-12T08:24:00.013-04:00

Things have been crazy at the beginning of 2008. Along with teaching, being married and caring for 2 small children, I started grad school in January. I figured I just keep the momentum after achieving my NBCT in November. I feel like with everything I'm doing, I'm playing catch up. Luckily the program is only a 1 1/2 years. I can do this. But combined with the 9 months that I worked on my boards, I'm exhausted. Hopefully, I won't change my mind between now and 1st summer session and stop.

My hair seems to be doing okay. The size of my locks is somewhat surprising. When I look back at the initial pictures taken at the time of installation, I remember wondering if I had made a mistake having them done over. Now, I can say that I absolutely love the way my hair looks. I love the size. From the pictures, you can't really see the difference between the two sets. The swelling at the ends is a little misleading. Although, my hair is shorter now than it was when they were installed back in May. I had so many loose and stray hairs, it was annoying so I cut them. My hair was different lengths because I took the first set out after 18 months. I had to cut more off in different sections of my hair when taking my locks down. I also cut it to try and even it up around my head.

Right now, I can't figure out what to do about my hair. It feels so hard!! I was using the Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in . After a while I realized that using that was making my hair feel worse than before. I read on Nappturality that someone else was having the same problem so she diluted it. I tried it because I absolutely love the smell of the conditioner. But, no luck. It wasn't as hard but it wasn't working either. I'll find someone to take it. But, it is definitely my last bottle.

I've been searching for a shampoo and conditioner to do my hair some justice. I know my hair is not going to be the same kind of soft as it was before when I wore it loose. But that doesn't mean that it has to take my husband's skin off when we hug. Through all of this, I have become a product junkie all over again. I've probably purchased at least 5 different shampoos over the last month and a half. Today, I purchased the clarifying shampoo and conditioner by Avalon. I don't know what the outcome is going to be once it dries, but my hair smells sooooo good! I'm crazy for great smelling hair products. Lucky for me I have a husband. He uses all of the shampoos I don't like.

So finally, here are pics....

These pics show a lot of fuzz!!!!
I did this by setting on Soft Spikes. The top front was rolled on the large size. I rolled the rest of my hair with the small ones.

Settled!

2008-02-23T22:32:00.015-05:00

Over the past few months I have had a time trying to find someone that I can settle down with to do my retightenings. During the month of December, the person that installed my sisterlocks could not be reached. I found someone right outside of Charlotte. She did a great job! But since my retightenings were taking about 5 1/2 hours the thought of driving 45 minutes home in the middle of the night was not to appealing but I was willing to do it if I had no other choice. Then, I ran into someone in Walmart that I knew who had just had her sisterlocks installed. It just so happened that the person that did her installation worked in her shop. An even bigger coincidence was that I had called her when I was looking for someone to install my second set but she was too far away(or at least I thought). The good news was that the shop is 5 minutes from my house. I met with Michelle a week ago and had an appointment for my retightening with her last night. It was great!!! I expected it to take the normal 6 hours that it had with the other retightenings. She did it in 3 1/2 hours!!!! I was so excited that I hasd difficulty going to sleep. I can now get my hair done during the week and not have to use my Fridays(unless I want) for my hair. I have options!!! I was at a point that I was just going to cut my hair and go back to a TWA. If anyone is looking for someone to install sisterlocks, I highly recommend Diane(if you live near Matthews) or Michelle is you are near 85/77.
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These are pictures that I took as soon as I got home. I was so happy that I had to take pictures.
I did a set with soft spikes. The picture on top is of the curls right after removing the curlers. The other is a picture of finger combed curls.

Head Shots(back)

2008-02-16T20:40:00.006-05:00

I haven't had a lot of time lately to take pics of my hair. I have 2 head shots that show the progress of my hair after nine months. I hope to find the time to post more soon!!!
With much love!!!

I've been tagged!!!

2008-01-01T09:30:00.002-05:00

Here goes.....
1. I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. When I say that, most people find it hard to believe. Both of my pregnancies were EASY!!! I didn't have any morning sickness or any problems to speak of. I was about 3 points away from having gestational diabetes with both. I gained 42 pounds the first time and 45 the second. The first 20 pounds came by around week 20. During the 1st pregnancy, I was teaching 9th graders. I spent most of that time in a chair. The students came to me with questions and were about as delightful as 9th graders know how to be. The last 2 months of the 1st pregnancy were during the summer months when I was out of school. Needless to say I did do much of anyting but rest and eat. It was great! The 2nd pregnancy was just as easy. I didn't have any morning sickness either but for about a week, I couldn't tolerate the smell of food. I just went to another room while my husband cooked. I started having contractions during my last block class. About 8 hours later I went to the hospital. Two hours after that, I started pushing. I pushed for about 4 mintues and 5 pushes. The time in labor in the hospital went entirely too fast!

2. As much as I might complain....I absolutely love teaching!!! It's not so much about my content as it is about the relationships that I establish with my students. I'm in my 13th year of teaching. I've made some very significant relatioships with several of my students over the years. A few of the female students were influenced(without pressure from me) to let go of the chemicals and did the Big Chop their sophomore year of college. My husband was the barber for two of them. I have a male student who is having a difficult time right now. The person he was as a 9th grader is not the person he is today(4 years later). He wants to make changes in his life but most everyone has given up on him. Except, for me!!!I am determined to help him come h___ or highwater. His life is worth it. The thing is that most people expect for the change to occur over night. His evolvment to the current person didn't happen overnight nor with this change occur overnight. It takes time and I'm there for the duration. He wants to change but needs the support and he knows he has it from me. He even told another adult at the school that he knows how much I care about hime and he's not going to let me down. It's not about letting me down but that he doesn't let himself down. That what teaching is for me!

3. I love being married. It's hard work and I sometimes don't work as hard as I should but it's GREAT nevertheless. I love having someone to come home to. I love knowing that someone always has my back. I love that when I need a hug, there are two arms always willing and waiting. I love looking at the reflection of our love, our two wonderful children(a daughter and a son). I love being loved!

4. I am an only child. During my mother's illness and death, it was very difficult not having any siblings who understood what I was feeling. My husband was GREAT! I would not have made it without him. After having my daughter, I thought and decided that I didn't want her to experince what I had alone. She needed a sibling. So, that was the second reason for the birth of my son. The first reason was....I LOVED BEING PREGNANT!! There is nothing greater than giving life!!!!!

5. Growing up, I was very insecure about my hair and skin color. I grew up with a couple of girls who were light skin and had "good" hair. How aweful was that?!?!?! I tried using the same hair products thinking I could get my hair to look like theirs. It was great when I got my relaxer. At least then, after all of the swimming we did during the summers, my hair was straight and I didn't have to spend hours getting my hair washed, blow dried and whatever could be worked out. As for my skin color, I knew I couldn't change that(how did I not know that about my hair) so I ended up in the backgroung not being noticed.

6. All of number 5 has CHANGED!!! It's something about college that changes a person. I gained an acceptance and apprecation for my skin color in college. Maybe it was the attention I was getting, or maybe I just needed to have been separated from what had such a negative influence on my self-image. Whatever it was, it was GREAT!!! I came OUT of my shell and was able to be the person I wanted to be without worring about my skin color. I made friends who accepted me for what I looked like. I was accepted and not ridiculed about was was different. What an awesome experience!!!

7. The acceptance of my hair began right after graduation from college. I made freinds with 'Chel and she introduced me to African dancing. During that summer I danced and admired the locks of one of the instructors. I thought to myself, I would do that if my hair could look like hers. During the summer of 2000 I met a man(now my husband). He liked natural hair. The more I was around him, the more I began to see women with natural hair and all of its beauty. I began to transition in January of 2001. May 14th of 2001 I cut about 13 inches of hair. It was terrifying but the most liberating thing I have ever done. My father hated it(and still does). My mother didn't like it at first but she understood why I did it. She had lost much of the hair in her crown area due to relaxers, high blood pressure, medications and stress. She later told me during her illness that she liked several of the twistout styles that I wore. That was HUGE for me. Now, about 5 years later, I have Sisterlocks. Now, back in the day I didn't think I was so cute but now....I am GORGEOUS and it's all because of the acceptance of how I am. From my TWA, to my BAA, to my Sisterlocks... It's been a great journey!

It's been a long time!!!

2007-12-29T22:28:00.000-05:00

When I started blogging, I really intended on doing a better job at keeping it current. But oh, where do I get the time? School started back and all my free time was gone!!! I've thought often about catching up but then the thought of trying to post pics with my blog caused me to find something else to do. I am not technologically challenged, but this thing has me beat!!! Then on top of that, I found out I had been tagged....ugh!! Now what in the world could I possibly say about myself that might be interesting that has nothing to do with my hair. But, then November came around and now....I have something to share. But then the question is...where are the questions? I have no idea what I am supposed to share. Someone, please help!

Someone is actually reading!

2007-08-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm trippin' right now!!!! I can't believe my blog is actually being read. Now, I just need to figure out how to respond to comments(assuming there is a way). Once school starts back and I'm settled into things with my new students I'll have some time. In the meantime....THANKS FOR READING AND COMMENTING ON MY BLOG!!! Who knew someone would actually read it.

The question was....Why did I take out my first set? Well, I know everyone's sisterlocks will look different. It's in the DNA. My hair didn't look bad but I wasn't satisfied with it either. As long as it was styled, you couldn't really tell. But freestylin', it was obvious. And since I planned on spending money to maintain them and I had to walk around with them on my head, I needed to be happy with my hair. So, the final blow came when I was at a Bobcats game and I saw this little girl with the most BEAUTIFUL set of sisterlocks!!! I was sisterlock envious. Plus, there were some locks in my head the size of a primary school pencil and others that were smaller than a regular wooden pencil. I know they are supposed to be different sizes but what business did the primary pencil have sitting beside the regular pencil in the front of my head. Besides all of that, the person I was going to was KILLING my head. I could see my hair coming out at the root. Plus, I had bumps in the back of my head. There was no way I could continue on that way. So, not only was I making a change with my lock size, I was changing consultants.

The person who does my hair now is wonderful!!! Who knew you could actually fall asleep during a retightening? I didn't. She listens to me when I tell her it's too tight. She doesn't FORCE the tool through. I was told by my first consultant that it HAD TO BE THAT TIGHT. I guess not. The biggest thing now, I'm happy with my hair!! Where parts aren't important to most, they are for me. I'm anal like that. I like being able to flat twist my hair and seeing the locks fall into place. I like to do flat twists with the knots. I wouldn't have worn my hair out with the first set because my parts weren't straight. I bet nobody would have even cared. At least nobody but me.

As for the progess of my hair....I've got balls forming on the ends. I don't remember how long before this happened with my first set. I was pregnant so, I wasn't exactly focused on the details of my hair.

I had planned on posting pics of my hair but now, I can't get my camera to transfer the pics. I promise to post them SOON!!!

Thanks for the support and the compliments!!!!

Soft Spikes

2007-07-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

I received my Softspikes in the mail. I thought I'd try them out since I was going out and wanted something different done with my hair. I misted it with this 'stuff" that I mixed up. I sat under the dryer for about 20 minutes and BAM! I had curls on top of curls. I wasn't expecting all of that in such a short amount of time. I only got a chance to take a few AWFUL pics(not really clear). But as I try more sets, more pics to come.

My first full shampoo!!

2007-07-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

My cousin and I took our children to the water park today. I didn't intend on getting my hair wet because I wasn't quite ready to shampoo my hair. I got on one of the slides and well.... a head full of soaking sisterlocks. But, who knew my hair would be so cute?!?!?! All the other black females, old and young, were walking around with either a swimming cap on or wet stringy hair. Humph...my hair was just as cute wet as it was dry. Obviously after having the chlorine in my hair, it had to be shampooed. Well, since it was wet, I decided to just shampoo without banding my hair. I was a little nervous but....not slippage. None of my locks came loose. YIPPPEEE!!! I guess that means that I can now shampoo without banding.

A few pics since my installation. Below is a back view of my hair after air drying. They look similar to my first set from the back with the exception of the size.

This picture is a side view. It looks like bangs have been cut in the front.

As time goes SLOWLY by.

2007-06-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

It has only about 2 months since I had my locks installed. Time is going by so slowly. When I look at Blaqkofi's hair and everyone else in the DFW, I get sooooo envious. I can't wait until my hair looks as good as theirs. My locks have little balls on the ends. I guess, that's the beginning. I wish it would happen faster.

In an effort to be less obsessive about my hair, I've started to obsess about my weight. Initially it started out that I wanted to lose 15 pounds by the middle of July(that would have been 4 weeks). With my lack of discipline when it comes to food, I didn't see how that was going to happen. So, I decided to try the Baptist Hospital diet. I thought, a breeze. I can do this for 3 days to lose 10 pounds. WRONG!!! Talking about being obsessed. All I could think about was all the food I was unable to eat. I had to leave the house last night just to keep from eating after dinner. With everything I was craving, I knew that whatever I would manage to lose, I would gain it right back as soon as I was able to eat. Food is all I've thought about. The bright side is that I've been working out consistently for the last 2 1/2 weeks. If I monitor my food and exercise, the weight will come off in time.

Time creeping by....

2007-06-26T12:23:00.001-04:00

I keep examing my locks to see if anything is changing with my hair. I can't wait for my hair to look more like locs than twists. I appreiciate the compliments but it's because of how my hair looks now and not how it will looks months from now. Black women

Too much information....

2007-05-28T12:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, this time around, the information I have obtained regarding the maintenance of sisterlocks has been a bad thing. I think I'd rather be living in ignorance. The first time around, I knew NOTHING!!!! I just did WHATEVER I wanted to my hair without any thought. It was only after having my sisterlocks for about 8 months did I find out that some of the products I had been using on my I shouldn't have. This time, I am afraid to shampoo my hair. Back then, I didn't know anything about slippage. I figure since I had sisterlocks, my hair wouldn't come loose. This time, what if my entire head loosens? There is no way that I want to sit in a chair for another 35 hours to have it done all over again. Okay, I know it wouldn't be quite that bad but sitting even half or a 1/4th of the time has me terrified!!!! I know all I need to do is band but oh....what happens if they still loosen? Okay, Daryl says I stress too much and I do. I worry about everything. Because I do worry so much, by now I've put off shampooing may hair for 2 weeks. I've managed to come up with an excuse every time not to shampoo. NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!

I just took my hair down from last night's shampoo. My hair is still locked!!!!! It's also very crinkly. Kinda cute!!!! I started examining things. My really short locks in the front didn't come loose. Maybe this time I can keep the hair around the hairline and it'll grow. I'm noticing balls are starting to form at the ends. So, that's a good thing right? This is something that I didn't know last time either. Well, I did and am doing more reading this time around to make sure things go better. I'm thinking about trying this rinse I found in a book that is supposed to accelerate the locking process. I wonder if it really works. Either way, I'm not doing anything until I shampoo my hair without it coming loose.

Looking at the picture I took....what's up with all the scalp? I sure hope it fills in once they mature and are locked!!!

The long weekend....

2007-05-07T23:20:00.002-04:00

Well my last set of sisterlocks were installed this past weekend. I must say, I was more nervous than I thought it would be. As she started
the first row, I thought to myself, "What if this time they were too small...just the opposite of the other set. Dang it, I should have just left well enough along." There were a couple of times I almost screamed stop. I want them larger. But then, if I had I done that, I would have been making the same mistake again. Plus, shouldn't I have learned from the last time that I need to leave the matter of size to the professional. Last time, I ended up with a mess. So, I did the impossible for me. I kept my mouth closed. Luckily, she turned the chair so I couldn't see what she was doing as she worked. But of course, every once in a while I managed to sneak a peek. The further along she got the more I liked it. So, I sat there on Friday for a total of 14 hours while she completed a third of my head. By the end of the night, regrets set in again. Why did I take my old set out? This is going to take forever. I at least thought by the end of the day she would have been half way done with my hair. But, now, just a third. It was a good thing I took a day off from work.

Then Saturday morning we started at 8:30. We were both so tired from the day before we decided to sleep a little later. So, I figured that she would be able to complet my head today. After all, the rest of the locs were going to be larger. Well, I was wrong. We spent 12 hours in the shop that day. I didn't want to stay too long because I needed to relieve my husband. He had been at home with both kids all day without any help. I knew he was going to be tired. Plus, Superman came this weekend and I knew how bad he wanted to see it. So, since he has been sooooo supportive through this whole process, he deserved some time to himself. It was good to be home...I missed my kids. One was in the bed, the other was still up ready to play. So, I gave her some love and attention. Before going to bed that night, I put on my Ayana loc pocket that had come in the mail that day! I was so excited. I had already decided Iwas going to better this time around. No more Talijiah Waajid Bodifying Mist in my hair. The first time, it never occured to me not to spray the stuff. It was a staple of mine. I guess not anymore. I'll be saving it for Amia.

Saturday evening we decided to get an early start the next day so that we wouldn't be in the shop so late. She started this time at about 7:15 Sunday morning. Both of us wanted to be out before dark. Only a third left to do. How exciting!!! My hair would be officially SISTERLOCKED by the end of the day. She had been counting as she went along. At that point, I had about 363 sisterlocks in my head. I kind of thought that the total number this time around would be 350. That would have been a big difference from the 280 that I had before. I was so excited Sunday, I manged to stay awake the entire time. At 5, I could see the end. Only half of a section was left. YES!!!! Before the last row and the very last sisterlock were completed, we took pictures. I never thought we get to an end. But, we did.
Here they are!!!!!!

Test locks!!!

2007-04-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

So, I had test locks put in last week. I went two days in a row. The second day I just had her put in more for me to observe. I am soooo nervous right now. I don't know if I will ever find anyone that I feel comfortable with. I'm angry for feeling this way. Why is it that everyone that I see that goes to my former loctician has great hair? I saw someone that works in her shop last week. She just had her sisterlocks installed. I was jealous because her hair looked so good! Almost made me change my mind and go back to her. But, my husband talked so sense into me. Plus, I just can't deal with the pain anymore. I would like to keep the hair that has finally started to grow back after 5 year from relaxer damage.

The person that is installing my sisterlocks this time has been great!!! I'm pretty obsessive right now about my hair. She has shown so much patience with me. She has listened and answered all of questions. But, I'm still scared. Sometimes I wonder if I should just cut my hair and go back to when it was 1". That way there would be nothing to worry about. But, I want my sisterlocks.

As I read and read and read and read and read Blaqkofi's blog, I get even more excited and anxious. Her hair looks great! Will mine ever look half as good? Too bad her consultant can't do my hair. I told my husband we need to move to Dallas to solve my hair problems. Wow, hair problems.....I haven't said that since I was relaxed(my hair). Maybe I need to take a step back and rethink this.

My Journeys...

2007-04-22T13:37:00.002-04:00

When I think back over the last year and a half, I have spent ALOT of money on my hair. Actually more money that I have the entire 5 1/2 years I've been natural. I've spent the equivalent to the cost of 2 years worth of relaxers just on the installation of locks. I jumped into this thing too quick.

Starting from the beginning...Greeting's everyone. This blog will take you through my sisterlock journeys! Yes, there is a s at the end of journey. It all started at the local mall October of 2005. I saw this lady with the most beautiful set of locs. When she said sisterlocks, I immediately knew I had to have them. Before that day, I couldn't wrap my head around the cost to start them. But that day was a deal maker me. I got her locticians card and gave her a call. Two days later I had test locks in my head. I had difficulty accepting the size of the locks. I had not done any prior research. For 3 days, while on a retreat, I kept an eye on the locks trying to decide on the size. My decision....I wanted them larger than the largest sisterlock. The following Sunday they were installed. About 1 month later, I saw lots of women with sisterlocks. Their hair was gorgeous. The huge locks that were in my head didn't look so great anymore. So, guess what I did. I took 3/4 of my locks out to have them done smaller. Well, this time it was a COMPLETE DISASTER. The parting was off, I had 3-5 different sized locks in my head. There were locks in the front of my head that were as larger if not larger than the ones in the back. I had knots running along the length of about 20-30 locks. I later found out from the person who is going to install my LAST set that if the locks are above a certain size, bunching will occur. That's exactly what happened to me. But, I couldn't be too angry. After all, she gave me what I asked for.

I continued to get my hair re-tightened for the next 16 months before I decided that I just didn't like them. Not to mention that I absolutely couldn't stand the pain any longer. After every re-tightening, I had to take 4 Advil and spray my scalp with a Braid sheen with menthol to cool my BURNING scalp. It was absolutely on fire!!! I had bumps on my scalp from where the locks were too tight. My hair was coming out at the root. I asked several times if she had to re-tighten so tight and she said yes. I continued to go because I thought it was painful because I am so tender headed. After a while, I couldn't continue to ignore my hair coming out. I decided to start over and find someone new.

January 28, 2007 I began the task of taking down 280 locks. I took 2-3 down here and there from the end of January until the first week of April. Then, the marathon began. I spent 3 nights in a row for about 4 hours taking down locks with the help of a friend. On the 4th day. I worked about 8 hours. Later that evening, my cousin and her friend came over. Everybody had a section and we worked for about 4 hours that night. The next 2 days, I spent a total of 20 hours taking my hair down. My husband even helped with a few.

As I look back over the time spent, it wasn't worth it but, I also didn't want to cut my hair and start all over. The short time so far with loose hair has helped me realize just how much I loved the freedom of my sisterlocks. I have found someone new to install the next set. She does my friend's sisterlocks. Her hair is gorgeous. This time around, I haven't rushed the process the way I did the first time. The 3rd and LAST set will be installed on May 4th. If after this time I don't like them, I am going to cut and keep my hair at 1/2 inch.

I'll post pics of the new set in 2 weeks.