Well now, it's been 4 months since I've had my installation. Here's an update to what I've been doing with my girls. So far, I have been getting my monthly retights done timely. In between those 4 weeks I continue to band my hair and then wash it. I have to say, I do find the banding part a bit time consuming still and annoying. The other thing I noticed is that after I finish washing my hair, maybe about 5 locks typically unravel alot. None of them have come completely undone but they have unraveled making the number of turns when the retights are done more than a 3 or 4. Other than that, I have already noticed some budding going on throughout my head. So I'm really excited about that. I do have a few pics to show my growth in these past few weeks!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Week 6 Sisterlocked
Well, here we are in week 6 of being Sisterlocked. It's been simple. I have continued to maintain my hair by doing nothing much to it. I have noticed considerable shrinkage in the back of my head. I see my girls forming a curl pattern and it's tight too! My girls are beginning to take form and many of my locks have thickened considerably. I've also noticed most of the thickening is only occurring in the back of my head and not the top. However, there are some locks that have thickened in the crown area. I think this is happening because I work out alot and perspire severely in the back of my head so much to the point my locks are completely soaked through. I perspire in the crown too but not enough to soak my hair through. It's been rather easy to maintain my hair this week although I did break down at the end of the week to curl only the crown of my head. I did it because I felt I looked like a wild woman lol. Now when I curled my hair which was only the top part of it, I made sure to only mist my hand/fingers with water only and dampened the only the locks I sectioned off to roll on the rods. I then took a rod roller and rolled the locs. I made sure I didn't pull on the locs as I rolled them. I wanted to be just hold the locks gently up without the pulling because I don't want to loose or stretch out the natural curl pattern. (Loosing that natural curl pattern by excessive rolling/curling your hair will slow down the locking process). So in any case, I rolled my hair gently without any pulling, and a few hours later (not that I needed to wait that long) I removed the rollers and had instant curl. I love it!!! Then from there I just finger combed thru my locks and shaped my hair into a nice shape and left it alone.
The biggest thing about having sisterlocks is making sure you leave your hair alone. You want to be able to let your hair do it's thing without much interruption. My consultant advised that when you curl your locks in the beginning stages, it helps to prevent you from pulling or playing in your locks. I have to say, I find that to be true. Although I didn't see myself playing in my locks, I noticed as the curls fell, I kept finger combing my girls to give them shape or to move or style my hair differently. Then it occurred to me I'm constantly messing with my hair because it's not curled therefore I was constantly trying to style it the way I wanted it!! So hence the reason why I chose to roll my locks. Oh, I also want to be sure to share with you all that I did not experience much itching since I had the retightening session. I have noticed some oil buildup on my scalp so what I did was use a warm cloth to rub my scalp to refreshen it a little bit to avoid any excessive buildup which can also cause dandruff.
Below is a picture of my week 6 hairstyle. You can see how loose the curls were in the photo. Mind you the photo was taken last 6 days ago.
The biggest thing about having sisterlocks is making sure you leave your hair alone. You want to be able to let your hair do it's thing without much interruption. My consultant advised that when you curl your locks in the beginning stages, it helps to prevent you from pulling or playing in your locks. I have to say, I find that to be true. Although I didn't see myself playing in my locks, I noticed as the curls fell, I kept finger combing my girls to give them shape or to move or style my hair differently. Then it occurred to me I'm constantly messing with my hair because it's not curled therefore I was constantly trying to style it the way I wanted it!! So hence the reason why I chose to roll my locks. Oh, I also want to be sure to share with you all that I did not experience much itching since I had the retightening session. I have noticed some oil buildup on my scalp so what I did was use a warm cloth to rub my scalp to refreshen it a little bit to avoid any excessive buildup which can also cause dandruff.
Below is a picture of my week 6 hairstyle. You can see how loose the curls were in the photo. Mind you the photo was taken last 6 days ago.
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| Not good enough light at the time but you can still see where the locks are thickening a little with very little curl |
Friday, May 27, 2011
Week 5 Sisterlocked
So I've lived with my girls for 5 weeks now and there have been some noticeable changes such as thickening. I noticed my locks didn't hold the rod set curls as long as in earlier weeks and I'm not sure if this is due to the thickening process or the bouts of high heat and humidity. In the end I still had some curl but they weren't tight it was more of a loose curl look. For maintenance this week, again like the week before I did nothing with my hair except tie my hair up with a satin scarf every night. In the morning I would simply finger fluff out my hair and shape it as you would if you were rocking an afro and I kept it moving. Oh and I worked out this week too and did so outside in the heat. Of course this made me sweat alot and I sweat all in my head and I have to say that I was sweating so bad my locks were completely soaked thru but oddly enough, the loose curls that I had in my head didn't fall!! I left my hair alone and let it air dry and that was it!! I am noticing some shrinkage as well this week which is another phase we all have to live thru when locking. I must say these changes occur quickly. I guess I thought it would take much longer for these phases to occur. I have had such a simple week living with my locks.
I would like to share that I've had several interviews this week, and I didn't feel that I was being stared at by many people or stereotyped by my interviewers because of my hairstyle. Although I haven't been extended any offers yet, this is the overall feel and intuitive sense I've gotten.
I would like to share with you a few other links you may be interested in viewing for blogs or for more information regarding sisterlocks.
www.sisterlocks.com
I would like to share that I've had several interviews this week, and I didn't feel that I was being stared at by many people or stereotyped by my interviewers because of my hairstyle. Although I haven't been extended any offers yet, this is the overall feel and intuitive sense I've gotten.
I would like to share with you a few other links you may be interested in viewing for blogs or for more information regarding sisterlocks.
www.sisterlocks.com
Friday, May 20, 2011
Week 4 Sisterlocked
Well, the weeks sure have flown by very quickly!! I must say, the maintenance on my hair was at an all time minimal. Even during week 4, the only thing I did was tie my hair down in the hopes to maintain my curly do...and it worked!! I did continue to use Sea Breeze on my scalp to alleviate the itchiness. I used a cool washcloth on my scalp just to remove some of the excess flakes due to an overly oily scalp and then I just kept it moving. Over the past 4 weeks, what I did not do was play in my hair. I did not become obsessed with my new do...I did my best to keep my hands out of my hair therefore I did not tug at any of my girls, I was not running my fingers thru it or just messing with them. Each morning, I simply untied my satin scarf and I fluffed my hair with my fingers and shaped my curly "afro" styled locks simply by mashing my locks into the shape/form I wanted to wear for the day. This step took all of no more than 1 minute if that lol...
Ok, so I get my retight done by one of the best Cynthia Jones. She gets in there and begins to band my hair in preparation to wash. She advised that since my hair has some length (approx. 3 or 4 inches) there was no need for me to braid my hair therefore all I needed to do was gather about 15 girls and bend the hair near the ends and then band them. She gently washed my hair and washed it enough times until there was a very good lather. Once you have a good lather as a general rule of thumb it usually means your hair/scalp is clean. She used the sisterlock products and suggested I follow the instructions on the bottle. When drying my hair, my consultant advised that I only need to gently squeeze my locks to remove any excess water. She advised it is best to let my hair air dry if time permits, if not the technique she used was a blow dryer held approx. 12 - 15 inches away from my hair. The next step was separating each of the locks to make sure they aren't bunching. There was several locks that my hair just creeped over and attached itself to other locks. This step took only about 5 minutes really. At least that's what it seemed like to me. Once my consultant completed that step, so began the retight. As my consultant performed the retight she let me know that my locks were doing very well. There was no slippage and she was able to see that the locks in the back were already well on their way as well as several other areas. The actual retightening took about 2 1/2 hours. I was surprised especially considering that I have more than 600 girls.
Here's a photo of me after I lightly wet and rolled my hair...
Just a couple of tips, I found that wearing my hair in a curled style gave me such a different look. It also helped me to keep my hands out of my hair. I found that by tying my hair up every night helped me maintain the curly look without having to manipulate my locks too much by wetting and rolling them often which can slow down the locking process. I was able to just let my locks just be!!! By leaving your locks alone you will find that they will be just fine. I did!
Here is the link of my Consultant Cynthia Jones' Salon with photos of her Sisterlocked clients. Take a look. The girl is awesome!!! http://www.senojnaturalhaircare.com/
Ok, so I get my retight done by one of the best Cynthia Jones. She gets in there and begins to band my hair in preparation to wash. She advised that since my hair has some length (approx. 3 or 4 inches) there was no need for me to braid my hair therefore all I needed to do was gather about 15 girls and bend the hair near the ends and then band them. She gently washed my hair and washed it enough times until there was a very good lather. Once you have a good lather as a general rule of thumb it usually means your hair/scalp is clean. She used the sisterlock products and suggested I follow the instructions on the bottle. When drying my hair, my consultant advised that I only need to gently squeeze my locks to remove any excess water. She advised it is best to let my hair air dry if time permits, if not the technique she used was a blow dryer held approx. 12 - 15 inches away from my hair. The next step was separating each of the locks to make sure they aren't bunching. There was several locks that my hair just creeped over and attached itself to other locks. This step took only about 5 minutes really. At least that's what it seemed like to me. Once my consultant completed that step, so began the retight. As my consultant performed the retight she let me know that my locks were doing very well. There was no slippage and she was able to see that the locks in the back were already well on their way as well as several other areas. The actual retightening took about 2 1/2 hours. I was surprised especially considering that I have more than 600 girls.
Here's a photo of me after I lightly wet and rolled my hair...
Just a couple of tips, I found that wearing my hair in a curled style gave me such a different look. It also helped me to keep my hands out of my hair. I found that by tying my hair up every night helped me maintain the curly look without having to manipulate my locks too much by wetting and rolling them often which can slow down the locking process. I was able to just let my locks just be!!! By leaving your locks alone you will find that they will be just fine. I did!
Here is the link of my Consultant Cynthia Jones' Salon with photos of her Sisterlocked clients. Take a look. The girl is awesome!!! http://www.senojnaturalhaircare.com/
Friday, May 13, 2011
Week 3 Sisterlocked
Hi there!! For those of you looking to find as much information as you can about sisterlocks, I'm here to provide you with a weekly journal of my sisterlock journey. As with many other women, I have decided to go natural due to needing and wanting to get away from the harsh chemicals and the damage I've done to my hair. So to provide you all with a tid bit of hair history here goes...I didn't begin relaxing my hair until I graduated high school about 2 decades ago. Prior to that I was going to a salon to get my hair hot combed. Even then, I have to say that my hair was much healthier when I was hot cobming it compared to the harsh chemicals of relaxing. Some notable differences was that my hair was full and bouncy when I was hot combing my hair compared to the more limp bone straight look of a relaxer. What I didn't like about hot combing is that as soon as it rained or became very humid outside...my hair reverted back to kinky central. The pros of having a relaxer was that it most certainly didn't revert back to kinky central..but any curls would fall as soon as I got caught in the rain, worked out and perspired and when it was humid outside. I hated the love/hate relationship with my hair. I didn't want to give up working out and leading an active life because of my hair and I didn't want to keep damaging my hair by overheating and over processing it either. So I decided to do braids. I wore braids for about 2 years and after a while...I just felt like too much money was going to a style that looked great for weeks at a time but I hated the after math of it...the long evenings or braid removal and washing it again. It just became too much. Not to mention I still continued to experience alot of breakage. But this time, I had so much new growth I decided to go for it and became determined to do all I can to research the best natural hair care regime for myself. Enough was enough. Thru my research is when I discovered the world of locs and all of what it means to manage and maintain a beautiful of mane of locs. After months of research and asking lots and lots of questions of locticians, loc wearers both men and women I got the nerve to finally go for it!! After coming across a Sisterlock web page, I was sold and knew that was the natural style of beauty I wanted. I researched all I could, and then I interviewed several Sisterlock consultants and trainees in the neighboring communities and then selected my consultant.
Some things to keep in mind, do your research beforehand. Know what you're getting into. Know the cost, know the maintenance and all that is required. Be prepared to have to wear test locks in your hair so have a hair care/maintenance plan for how you will intend to wear your hair with the test locks.
Here is some of the information I was provided during my consultation ~ I have high density, tightly coiled/curled hair. At my consultation I still had about 3 inches of permed ends and 3 to 4 inches of new growth. It was during my consultation after my test locks were installed I decided to trim off the permed ends. For me it was one of the better decisions I ever made about my hair. Below are a few photos I'd like to share with you.
Here are a couple of photos of the braid styles I was rocking prior to my decision. I wore these styles for 2 years. I was simply tired of applying harsh chemicals to my hair and scalp.
Here is when I made the decision to give my hair a break from the braids. I couldn't think of anything else to do with my hair except do a 2 strand twist and curl it. These photos are showing how the style turned out. I have to say...I was rather pleased with the results. I was fearful of how I would look. I was so inexperienced at managing my hair in it's natural state.
My test locs were placed...I was both excited and nervous about it.
The day after my installation. Installation date was 4/17 - 4/18. I have more than 600 girls installed. Whew...I had not idea my hair was sooo thick. And to think I thought it thinned out from wearing braids for quite a while.
Week #2 ~ As you can see the curl loosened up a little but not much here. I think the day after this photo I wet my hair a little and rolled it.
Week #3 ~ Here the curl has loosened up alot, not much of my scalp is showing anymore if at all really. I haven't curled my hair with rollers for more than a week and a half now. I can't believe it. The only issue I am having so far is itchy and flaky scalp. So what I have been doing to combat that is apply Sea Breeze on my scalp. It helps alleviate the itchy scalp and it feels refreshing on my scalp. It also helped with the flakes some too. Next week, I have my 1st retight appt. I'm anxious to know how my hair is behaving and how often I'll need to schedule my retight appts.
Some things to keep in mind, do your research beforehand. Know what you're getting into. Know the cost, know the maintenance and all that is required. Be prepared to have to wear test locks in your hair so have a hair care/maintenance plan for how you will intend to wear your hair with the test locks.
Here is some of the information I was provided during my consultation ~ I have high density, tightly coiled/curled hair. At my consultation I still had about 3 inches of permed ends and 3 to 4 inches of new growth. It was during my consultation after my test locks were installed I decided to trim off the permed ends. For me it was one of the better decisions I ever made about my hair. Below are a few photos I'd like to share with you.
Here are a couple of photos of the braid styles I was rocking prior to my decision. I wore these styles for 2 years. I was simply tired of applying harsh chemicals to my hair and scalp.
Here is when I made the decision to give my hair a break from the braids. I couldn't think of anything else to do with my hair except do a 2 strand twist and curl it. These photos are showing how the style turned out. I have to say...I was rather pleased with the results. I was fearful of how I would look. I was so inexperienced at managing my hair in it's natural state.
My test locs were placed...I was both excited and nervous about it.
The day after my installation. Installation date was 4/17 - 4/18. I have more than 600 girls installed. Whew...I had not idea my hair was sooo thick. And to think I thought it thinned out from wearing braids for quite a while.
Week #2 ~ As you can see the curl loosened up a little but not much here. I think the day after this photo I wet my hair a little and rolled it.
Week #3 ~ Here the curl has loosened up alot, not much of my scalp is showing anymore if at all really. I haven't curled my hair with rollers for more than a week and a half now. I can't believe it. The only issue I am having so far is itchy and flaky scalp. So what I have been doing to combat that is apply Sea Breeze on my scalp. It helps alleviate the itchy scalp and it feels refreshing on my scalp. It also helped with the flakes some too. Next week, I have my 1st retight appt. I'm anxious to know how my hair is behaving and how often I'll need to schedule my retight appts.
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