Retighten Me

I had my Sisterlocks retightened this past Friday @5wks. Yay!! I braided and banded the night before and washed/separated the following morning before heading out for work. I kept thinking how cool it is to wash and go in the morning and not have any shrinkage!! Who would of thought a black woman could do that??!! Lol. Thanks Dr. C!! It took 6 hours to complete my retightening. My consultant said she can tell that my hair has grown because of the number of rotations she had to perform...3 in some areas. I worked out (cardio) the last couple of mornings. I usually braid and band my hair in about 3 or 4 large sections before working out. The back of my hair generally gets the most wet. I pat dry with a dark towel before taking it down.

I had someone tell me last week that they told a friend about my hair, but wasn't sure exactly what I had going on, but it was "beautiful". This of course opened the door for me to share my natural hair and sisterlocks journey with her. Maybe we will have another addition to the family soon!!

peace, joy a& sisterlocks lovin'~

Comparision Shots of Wk 1 vs Month 3

3 Month'Versary!!

I can't believe it has been 3 months since my install. I love my Sisterlocks! *****be back for a continued update later today.

Update

I've been away for a while and am back for a quick update. I can't believe it has almost been 3 months! Time sure flies! My SLs are doing great. I had my second retightening a week ago. My consultant said that I should take more time to separate after washing because I had many locks that were marrying each other and we don't want that to happen. My front edge locks held up better this time around, since my first retightening, although there were some that did slip. This month, I am staying away from the misting with water and making sure I put a scarf on in addition to my shower cap when showering. I am just trying little things to see if they help with the slippage around the front edges as she suggested. Although, I think the major culprit is the water when washing and due to the fact that the hair in that area just isn't ready to be locked up and more resistant due to its texture. We shall see. All in all, my journey is more than I expected it to be. Carefree, easy, low maintenance, stylish and still ROCKIN'!!!! Peace, Joy & Sisterlocks Love.

Still Rockin', Still Lockin', Still Lovin'

Okay, so what to report this week? I washed my hair yesterday, 10 days post-1st retightening. As expected, I have experienced slippage around the front edges. There is also one short lock in a small area on the left side of my head, although not noticable because it's covered by its baby sisters, where I had breakage pre-sisterlocks that slipped out as before. I thought that waiting a little longer to wash would help, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I was very gentle with my washing and just the water alone did it for them because I barely touched that area knowing how fragile they are. So as for now they look like big fat tight curls instead of locks. Although I only waited 3 days longer than usual to wash, it didn't make a difference and I'm assuming waiting longer probably won't make a difference either. Unless, I go several months of doing nothing and that isn't an option right? Lol. I am beginning to feel a little impaciente(en espanol) with the front slippage and knowing that I have to wait another 4 weeks before I can have them locked again. I am definitely feeling the need to become a DIYer! #1, so that I can relock the front edges when they come out after I wash. I'm thinking, maybe this will help train them, but not sure, considering my very soft texture in that area. Regardless, it would be nice to have the skill to relock them instead of walking around for weeks with loose hair. #2, just having the skill to DIM(do it myself) will give me the option in the event my schedule or unforeseen circumstances won't allow me to get with my consultant. On another note, I look forward to the day when I can have some hang time. It's great to be able to enjoy my length at this stage of the process, especially when I couldn't before when I was just rockin' the daily napptural puff, but as you can see, there's alot of length to my hair that's not evident right now. Patience is a virtue, blah, blah, blah. Lol. Loving the experience. Til next time, PeAcE, Joy & Sisterlocks Lovin'.

One Month'Versary

Greetings! My first month anniversary has come and gone and I got the first "is that a wig or weave?" from someone at work this past Wednesday! I'm was happy to say that it wasn't and offer a little hairducation in that moment. I had my first follow-up and re-tightening, so my little babies around the front edges that slipped are back in lock'dom :-) The re-tightening session took 6 hours. That was nothing compared to the install, so I can't complain. Not to mention, my consultant did an excellent job. She's a perfectionist ;-)...Shout out to Syreeta L. Gambrell!!

I have been washing once a week since the start and am thinking I will go biweekly this month, just to see how things go and if the edges that are most prone to slippage hang on a little better. I've noticed that despite the fact that I colored my hair prior to the install, those little grey hairs around the front edge that I wanted to cover have already made a reappearance...sigh...and I'm not sure if they are from the same root or actually new hairs?!! I'm leaning towards new hairs because I can't imagine them breaking through the permanent color at only a month later. Makes me say huuuuum. Well, let it be and let it grow!! I will be able to color again at some point in this journey.

Til next time, peace, joy & sisterlocks love.

Week 4

My one month'versary will be here on Wednesday! Yay!! This past week, I didn't do much to my hair but get up and go post-H20 spritz. Gotta love it! Someone in the elevator at work on Thursday said "you did something different to your hair! it's very curly". She went on to say, "what do you do, just wash and go?" :-)) I didn't bother going into the sisterlock conversation, but just smiled and replied, "Yes!" I enjoy the adoration, inquisitive minds, eagle eyes and rubberneckers who wonder "what's that, twists...extensions?" Oh, how I love thee sisterlocks :-)).

I washed my hair twice this week. I decided to purchase some small "ouchless(w/o metal)" bands. They are a little thicker than the tiny rubber bands we receive in the starter kits. The small rubber bands were just not so user friendly to me. I didn't like the hard time I had trying to pull them out of my hair after washing because they are so so tiny and whenever I did, I felt like they would snag my hair a little at the ends and make them more frizzy. Anyway, I decided to make that minor adjustment with the wider bands. Although I haven't used them yet for washing, I twisted and banded for a cardio workout and they worked GREAT. They were super easy and less time consuming to remove from my hair and no snagging!!

Yesterday, I went for a massage and had an "oh no you didn't moment" when the massage therapist started massaging my scalp unexpectedly. The quiet voice in my head was screaming "nooooo" and "don't massage too vigorously around my baby edges", LOL, and "no oil!!!". I tensed up everytime he got near the the nape of my neck. Fortunately, he wasn't using alot of oil and the times he was in my head or near my baby edges, the oil in his hands had already been absorbed in other areas prior. So, I didn't freak out and jump off the table or anything..LOL. Two things you don't mess with, MY FAMILY & MY HAIR

I had to reschedule my follow-up & first retightening session last week because I wasn't feeling well. I am over-due and looking forward to my appointment on Thursday. This head needs some work! I'm thinking every 5wks is going to be my schedule. I will see what my consultant thinks on Thursday. The area where I have experienced the most slippage is around the edges at the front(near the top) of my head. I'm looking forward to getting those babies re-locked. The spacey areas in the top are thickening!! 'Til I get tightened up...Peace, Joy & Sisterlocks Lovin'. ;-)

Bang Love

This week I rekindled my love with the bang. I haven't worn bangs since I was a kid, lol. I performed my 3rd wash today. I decided to go all out and wash in the shower and it went well. My hair is changing so much! The dense areas in the back already are showing early signs of closing! Back to the washing...I noticed that whenever I wash, I have dry skin that comes up from my scalp and leave white specks in my hair. I feel it's because the braiding and banding doesn't allow me to rinse the dandruff that comes up from my scalp and therefore gets trapped in my hair, especially at the base of the lock in the new growth. Once I let it dry, I am able to get it all out by brushing it out with my hands. I think once I'm able to wash without braiding and banding, that problem will be resolved. If anyone else has had this issue during the start-up phase, feel free to share your tips. Peace, Joy & SL-love.

Week 3 Begins!

Week 3 begins and looking at my week 1 shots, I'm happy to see that changes are evident! I am not sure, but I have a few in the back of my head that feel and look different in that the ends. It appears like they are trying to seal! Experienced lockers, let me know your thoughts. There is a pic of a loose end vs what appears to be a sealing end on the collage. I am definitely almost ready for my first follow-up and retightening. Today, I woke up and didn't spritz with water. I just scrunched my hair with my hands to wake it up and give a little volume. I pulled in up into a little ponytail (no pulling or tightness at all, I don't want to stress my hair and scalp one bit) on the top and called it a day. Of course, I will have my hands in my hair again before the end of the day, LOL. I think this week will be a pretty chill free-style hair week. I'll just continue to love, appreciate and nurture my babies while I continue to enjoy my freedom. Til next time, Peace, Joy & SL Love.

Week 2 Update

This has been another good week. Besides a few locks that have experienced some slippage, primarily around the front edge, and some frizzies, everything is looking good. Patience, patience, patience is a virtue :-) So this week I pretty much free-styled for the most part. I tried a little pin-up style just because and slept in soft spike curlers one night to see what kind of curl result I would get. The curls were tight and cute. I only kept them for the day before performing my second wash. For this wash, I followed the same recommended wash routine, braiding and banding and using Sisterlocks starter shampooo. I've noticed a few flakes in the front of my hair (dry scalp), mild, so I washed a little more vigorously this time around. I've yet to feel that "squeaky clean" that my consultant and others have said they feel after a wash. I still feel that I'm not getting my hair as clean as I could without the braiding and banding, but know it's important to go through this process of washing to prevent major slippage. I've also noticed that after I wash, small specks of flakes stuck at the base of my lock. I can pick them out easily, but it just makes me feel like I'm not getting my hair as clean as I could. Being careful not to be too vigorous at this stage is another factor I'm keeping in mind. I already cannot wait for the day I can just dive under the water and let it soak my hair and scrub my fingers into my scalp for a good 'ol fashioned washing without worrying about ending up with a head full of loose hair. Again, PATIENCE is a virtue.

I continue to get compliments and questions about my hair. At work, one guy actually touched one of my locks, without my permission y'all, lol..he's cool though and was curious if it was a twist. He was all up in my grill..lol. He said he really liked it and thought it looked nice. I had a brief conversation piece with someone in the restroom who walked in as I was fluffing my hair with my hands, you know that handinthehairitis, and she complimented me on my hair. She went on to say that her daughter had "those" in her hair, but was complaining now because they were so heavy. I asked her if she had Sisterlocks and she said yeah. Of course, I think most people don't know the difference. They think a lock is a lock is a dreadlock is a lock, lol. I feel it's my duty to raise awareness :-) Anyway, I asked her if her daughter uses alot of product on her hair and she said yes. I then responded that most likely she has traditional locks and the product build up is making them heavy. I also told her I only have to spritz with water and go!

In light of that conversation, I have noticed that some SLockers use different shampoos other than the Sisterlocks shampoo. Did you decided to wait until they started to move on from the baby lock stage or just use it from the start because of preference or problems with the SL shampoo. The Sisterlocks starter shampoo seems to be working fine for me right now and I will continue to use it as recommended. I have had very mild itching, but nothing that makes me feel like I need to switch over to another shampoo or add anything on my scalp. I will continue to keep an eye on my scalp and maintain my wash routine once a week for now with the sisterlocks starter shampoo because my consultant says it helps stimulate the locking process. I would so love to be able to use my AVEDA Brilliant shampoo again though..something that smells nice. I know that I will be able to switch over to one of the other scented sisterlocks shampoos at some point, so I will just wait. I know it will not be in vain. Peace & Sisterlocks Love ;-)

1st Braid-Out

Not much to report except that I am still loving my Sisterlocks :-)) I got up this morning and sprayed a little water mist on my hair and was on the go. I can't keep my hands out of my hair, so I decided to try a braid out this afternoon (see pics). I don't think it looks that much different than my freestyle look, although it may be a little crinklier. It did give it a little more volume than this morning when it was flatter. As you can see, my scalp is starting to fill in already! Anyway, that's all for now. I'll check back in later this week. Peace.

First Wash - Day 6

Day 6 I performed my first wash. I was sooooo nervous that I would end up with a head full of loose hair, but I braided/bundled and took a head dive under the faucet with my fingers crossed. I was really concerned about loosening the locks around my edges, but they all faired well! I put a bobby pin on the ends of a few of the small edge locks that were too short to bundle with other locks. My consultant suggested I clip them down to avoid slippage and it seemed to have made a difference. I plan to do a weekly wash, especially considering I will be sweating in my hair alot with my cardio workouts. I did notice a few small brown flakes in the front of my hair/scalp after the wash. I am thinking it was from the Sisterlocks shampoo? The shampoo has a brown tint. Other than that, so far, so good :-)). I am loving my sisterlocks freedom and looking forward to thickness and maturation!

Rockin' My Locks

Just stopping in for a quick blog note and pic post. This has been a great first week at work with Sisterlocks so far! I have received nothing but compliments and inquiries. I love running my hands through and fluffing my hair! I could not do this in its previous natural state. I will miss my puff days in a way. As you can see in the pics, I have areas of less density in the top, but I have no doubt that will change in due time. It actually is more visible in a camera shot than in person, so it doesn't bother me at all. I can already feel and see small changes in my hair since my install. Amazing. Yesterday I did cardio on my elliptical machine. I braided and banded for fear of sweat causing slippage. I had a talk with my consultant today, so glad we work for the same company because I have the luxury of getting a spot check from her daily if I want :-), and she determined that it's probably not necessary for me to braid and band and that just a pin up will do, unless my hair is getting drenched with sweat during my workouts. I was happy to hear that because the braid'n band was very time consuming. Taking them out was a little annoying as well because the bands are so tiny, but we are gonna work on that. My consultant said also that I should band larger sections of my hair in the future for washing as opposed to the smaller sections I did pre-workout. In the mornings, it has definitely been a get up and go WITH STYLE type of freedom. I wet my hands, run them through my hair, finger style, throw in an accessory clip, if that's what I'm feelin', and GO GIRL! Sisterlocks rock!!! Peace.

SIsterlocked & Lovin' It

Today was my first full day as a sisterlocked sistah and all I can say is I wish I had known about this natural hair management system sooner!! I probably would have locked years ago! I received my first comments along with a hypnotic gaze and hand reaching out to touch my hair while out today. The comments and questions were:

1. Your hair is so cute, I love it.
2. Wow, I like your hair.
3. What is it?
4. Did they add hair?

I'm sure this is only the beginning of the questions and stares and I welcome them all! I put soft twist rollers in my hair today to achieve the look in the pics here.

On a side note, my husband has been with me through all of my hair phases. From the first time I did the big chop over 6 years ago he was supportive and complimentary , even when I was unsure that I'd made the right decision. I love that he loves my hair and has always been in my corner. I asked him if he wanted to run his fingers through my hair and he said he wasn't sure if I wanted him to mess it up, LOL. I told him no problem, I can just shake it back into place. :-) He's lovin' sisterlocks too! Thanks, babe ;-)

IT'S OFFICIAL

I returned for my final sections of locks last night at 10pm and my consultant completed the process at 12:19am this morning. So, my offical Sisterlock'versary is August 30, 2009! Notice the picture with the comb. This was my last unlocked strand and the last time I will ever need to use one of those :-)...oh yeah, I never used one anyway! Ready for the journey to commence!

Day 4 Iof nstall

So I cannnot keep my hands out of my hair or stop glancing at myself everytime I pass a mirror, LOL. I spent 3.5 hours with my consultant today and she is almost done! As I drove home this morning, with the windows down, my hair blew free and I enjoyed the feel of the wind breezing through my scalp. It's the little things :-) The back of my hair is very long and seems to have a longer curl pattern than the middle more dense sections of my hair. When I looked at it from the side after I got home, everything just seemed flat, so I wanted to try the curls to get some volume and uniformity of length for now. I even wondered if I should cut the back, but decided I should wait and see how they respond to the locking process. I know that my hair will become fuller in the coming months and realize I just have to be patient. The remainder of my unlocked hair is at the back nape on both sides and my consultant will complete it later today!!

Day 3 Install

My consultant is doing a great job and I am loving my hair! This is the result of 11.5 hours of her diligent work today. Rock on. There a few sections in the back to complete tomorrow, after which I can officially announce my born date! Peace, Love and Sisterlocks :-)

MY FIRST LOVES

Day 2 of Installation

9.5hrs later and my front sections are complete. What a process, but I am confident it will be worth the time, commitment and long-term results!

SISTERLOCKS INSTALL BEGINS TODAY

After 4 hours, I have my first set of sisterlocks, about 50, and I have already put the curlers in for the night to see how it will look! I'm so excited about being able to style my hair with ease and in something other than a puff! The installation continues over the next couple of days and I will keep the blog posted with updated pics of the progression! I am feeling even more confident today that this is the second best decision, next to my decision to go natural 6 years ago, I've made for my hair. Stay tuned.....

One Day Before Sisterlocks Install

I've colored and washed and am ready to start my installation tomorrow, 26Aug09! I'm excited about my new journey and looking forward to healthier hair and styling versatility.

Wash2 - Pre-Install

2 more weeks until my installation! I plan to color this week or weekend. The sample locks in the top are staying well. I haven't noticed any slippage in that area at all because of the tighter/kinkier texture I'm sure. The ones at the hairline have held on pretty well also. I'm sure these are the ones that will be problem children because of the finer texture. The ones on the back/side are varied. I've noticed slippage in some. There is one in particular in that bundle that has held on really tight.