A Year Later

Wow! Has it really been almost a year since I posted pics, blogged? Time flies when you're loving your locs. You know it used to be that I had a heightened sense of awareness with regards to my locs. I was always ready for a question or comment. Now that it has become my normal, I almost taken off guard when someone approaches. It feels good.

So what changes have I seen over the past 12 months? Length for one thing. I have experienced a lot of growth. I usually don't notice it until I wash my hair and it takes longer and longer to dry. Sometimes I use a dryer as an aid, but I use it with caution since my hair tends to be on the dryer side. I have experimented with pulling my hair back but I can't effectively get all of my locs tucked away. That can be frustrating. I have also decided that it's time to experiment with color! But I'm not sure. Please understand that I have never colored my hair in the past. I toyed with rinses and such, but never the real deal. Do I DIY? Try henna? Go to a professional? I don't know. My consultant heard some negative things with henna/sisterlocks combination. Please let me know your thoughts/experiences. I haven't styled my hair as often as I thought I would. It's just too easy to get up, spray, finger comb and go.

A few things I have noted in retrospect:

• I wish I had made sure that my hair was the same length or cut into a style prior to my SL installation. I think that would make it easier to style now.


• Straight ends for the sake of length was overrated and downright irritating as my hair started to lock


• People who start out as lock haters tend to catch lock envy as they see your hair lock and grow

All-in-all, the journey has really been great. The number 1 question I receive is: How long are you going to let them grow? I don't know the answer to that question. Like me, you'll have to wait and see!

6 - 8 Months Pics

10 8 Truths (Because 10 is hard!)

1.  It is really not easy to maintain a blog.  I mean I had good intentions, but suddenly life got too hectic; the hairdo became less “new”, and the blog fell by the way-side.  I hope to do better.
   

 

2. I still love my hair even though my locs haven’t matured.  Honestly, I thought I have long, flowing locs by now.  At 6 months, yeah right!  Well, it was my fantasy until it didn’t come to fruition. 

 

3. I still have hair all over my bathroom floor.  It’s true; every time I wash my hair, I braid & band and once I take the loc loops or spirals out, hair comes out with them.  I understand I still have some loose hairs and I’m not fully locked yet, sigh…

 

4. My hair gets depressingly dry.  I have tried many remedies and the best one yet was a simple visit to hot, humid Charleston.  That climate worked wonders on my tresses.

 

5. The lighter persuasion (white folk) handles natural hair so much better than us darker ones.  And I know this subject gets beat into the ground, but black people, can we please get out of our own way?!?

 

6. “A thug changes, a love changes, and best friends become strangers”.  That was an old quote by rapper Nas and I meditate often on how true that still is.  I wonder where my best friend from high school is. 

 

7. My consultant is awesome and I don’t know more than she does about locs.    It’s a natural tendency once you do so much research, get locs, read blogs and follow LIU everyday to think you’ve become an expert.  Respect her training (formal and on-the-job), her experience, and her intuition –she knows what she’s talking about.

 

8. It is difficult to come up with 10 truths.  I think this is a good stopping place J.  

Got Soap...?

I received the Knotty boy soap and I love it! It gives me that lather I have been looking for. And for the first time since I got SLs, my hair truly feels "clean" when I wash it. It doesn't itch. I don't feel like I missed a spot. It feels...right. Now, I know many have complained about build up over time, and I will keep an eye out on that and also take preventive measures. But in the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy it.

The funniest post I ever read was by ijnschoolgirl and how she made her decision to lock. It was hilarious and so true. We go through so many changes to wear our hair in an "acceptable", so-called "comfortable" hairstyle (because that's what we've grown accustomed to) instead of embracing our natural texture and learning how to style the beautiful hair we have. I think most agree that once they took the time, they actually began to love their tresses -as they are in their natural state.

What I will not miss: having to dodge water, whether it's the rain, a pool, or the shower. I have been SLocked over 2 mths now and it's great. It's true, I still have less than great hair days, but they are always superior to permed\relaxed hair days.

Braid no Band....Oops

I am not fund of B&B, but I know it's necessary and heavily promoted. It has always been my intention to stick with the program until my consultant tells me it's okay to do otherwise. I can be somewhat rebellious, but this was not out of rebellion. This is how it went down: I was getting ready to go out of town and suddenly had the bright idea to wash my hair prior to getting on the road. I braided it and continued with my packing, cleaned the house (cuz I hate to go out of town with the house a mess). Then...I began to wash and realized that I had not banded. I washed as moderately as possible careful not to disturb my babies and I think it turned out okay.

Vacation was spent in Savannah, GA and Hilton Head, SC. This time of year, we go there and really just chill, eat lots of seafood, and hopefully walk the beach some. I've posted some pics. Enjoy...

Shampoo Controversy

I am all too familiar with the "Shampoo Controversy" that exists among newly locked sistas: What type of shampoo is best? How do I get rid of the flakes? I have been using the Sisterlock brand shampoo along with a shampoo by Taliah Waajid which was recommended by my consultant. I actually took a hair braiding class given by Taliah many years ago -but that's besides the point...

These shampoos are ok, but I find that neither lather extremely well and even after 3 -4 shampoos and rinses, my hair does not seem to be to the level of clean that I am looking for. So...I'm thinking of trying Knotty Boy soap. Everyone around the LIU group that has tried it seems to think highly of it. The smell, the lather, and even it's effectiveness has all been commented on. My curiosity has gotten the best of me.

I'll report back with my findings.

Dying for a Different Style

I still like, well, I love my locs; however, tonight I am not so enthusiastic about them. I have had them for over 1 month now and because my locs are still babies, it's highly recommended that you don't manipulate them much. I am just thinking that if I still had loose hair, I would have had about 3 different hairstyles inside a month. Now, I am walking around looking the same --everyday. It's so boring!

And plus, I keep stalking all these blogs and I see sisters with nice mature locks that they pin up, braid up on one side, etc, etc, etc. Yes, I have loc-envy. I am so impatient -in everything. It's definitely something I need to work on, pray about... Well, now that I have vented, I think I feel better!