Update After Long Absence

It's been a long minute since I've posted anything on this site. I apologize profusely. Life has literally gotten away from me.

My Sisterlock journey has be progressing very nicely. I am now two years and four months locked and I'm loving every minute of it.

I have just recently started wearing my hair straight. Meaning no braid-outs which is my standard hair style.



I've been swimming this week so I didn't want to put a lot of effort into my hair. It's just easier to do a quick shampoo after I get out of the swimming pool and letting it air dry.

I spritz my hair with essential oil and water mix or Nature's Shine. I love that this last product has a coconut oil base.

I'm a little more carefree with my locks now that they are longer. It's just easier to not fuss over them.

They are growing so fast now. I am happy about that but with all this heat I hate all that hair on my neck.



The up-do pictured is simple to achieve. I found elastic comfort fit headbands made by Goody's that I double then put on my hair.

I have to bend over to arrange all my hair on the top of my head, then I pull all the hair through the elastic.

I tighten as needed to get the look I want. I put a flower in for the finished look.

Sisterlocked for 7 months now

My Sisterlock journey through the last 7 months. I finally cut most of my relaxed ends off and I'm loving it. I feel more authentic, if that makes sense.

The picture of me in green is one I took today. I shampooed and plaited it for the wavy look last Sunday. It's lasted all week. This morning I curled the ends and this was the result. I really like it.

I want my locs to mature faster. I suppose everyone feels that way when the locs are still babies. I've been reading that salt water will help them lock faster so I will start spraying them with salt water. I'll post pictures of the changes.

The Second Week of My Journey

I am into the second week of my Sisterlock journey. So far I am loving it and haven't had any issues other than minor itching. I've been practicing styling my hair different ways though there is not much length to really do anything dramatic.

I went out and bought hair accessories and heated curlers. I really like them because they do the job quickly and well. It takes about 15 minutes for them to heat up completely and when they are hot, they're hot! I've burned my fingers a couple of times.

I bought two black hats as well, but my daughter is getting more use out of them than I am. During the kid's spring break I might venture out and look for more afrocentric accessories. I really want some cowrie shells to put in my hair. But with the relaxer still on my ends I don't know how that will work out. I will probably have to put them closer to my scalp. We'll see and I'll take some pictures.

Here are pictures that I've taken over the last week:

Braidlocks for the Little Miss

After doing research on Sisterlocks for myself I looked into it for my daughter. The thing is the Little Miss has a lot of hair. I'm talking a little past her shoulders and it's all natural. On top of that, she's tender headed and prefers for me to do her hair. I can understand her angst because I'm the same way. I have to admit that when I got my Sisterlocks installed I had to take Aleve. I have the kind of pain that makes me want to pass out. I'm not kidding! It's really bad. But those two little pills made all the difference. I had a little tenderness after they were done but nothing like it could have been. Okay, I got completely off topic. Back to the Little Miss.

I learned about braidlocks a couple of weeks ago and I saw a few pictures of young girls who got them in. I felt that was my answer to doing my daughter's hair. She could have the same look as me for free. I was very confident that I could do it because I've been braiding her hair for a long time. I am good at parting and styling. So I talked to her about my plan and got her feedback.

She was still on the fence about whether she wanted a permanent style or getting her hair locked. I showed her pictures; lots of pictures and she's seen the style in action on one of the Disney show characters from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Giovonnie Samuels (She's graced the cover of the Sisterlock magazine). This young lady's hair is gorgeous so that made the Little Miss feel better. She likes the idea of not having to comb her hair any more but the permanence is a bit of a challenge to her thinking.

I made a deal with her. I'd put in the braidlocks and let her wear them for 2-4 weeks. She could see how they looked, style it, and experiment. She agreed and I went to work on her hair. So after 10 hours I completed her braid locks. I plaited them up for the night and the next day we took the plaits out. The results are wonderful. She looks so pretty with her new hair. The braidlock are wavy because of the plaits and they really complement her features. I have a happy kid. So we will keep them in for the next few weeks and do a couple of shampoos. I'll keep you up to date on her progress as well as mine.

Here are some pics of the Little Miss:

Journey to Sisterlocks

Today is the first day of my Sisterlock journey. The events that lead up to the day are pretty typical for a black girl in the south. I was born with a head full of hair and from day one it has been thick and a challenge to manage.

I've been pressed, relaxed, natural, chopped it all off, had the TWA, braid extensions, and twists. Fortunately I didn't get jheri curls or any activator dependent hairstyle.

So here is my hair chronicle: