Bye Bye Relaxer

My last tightening was scheduled on my one year anniversary. I

decided that twelve months with my relaxed ends was enough, so I had my consultant snip them off. The chop varied from two to four inches around my head. It was quite a noticeable chop. Beforehand many naysayers shouted, complained and questioned my reasoning. The same was true afterwards. Many folks

thought the need to voice their disapproval, but for each complaint there came compliments on my new style.

Personally, I felt ready but I had to adjust to such a change. I didn’t think it would be as short as it was, so when I looked in the mirror I had to get used to seeing the new me. I have never cut my hair except throughout my sisterlock stages. With all new  phases there are questions. I found myself wondering if my lock loops would still work, would I even need them, and most importantly how should I wear them. I found out my lock loops will work, but I need more to ensure that I get tight curls throughout (smaller bundles needed). I haven’t been using them much since the transition though. I am simply wearing my sisterlocks and have fallen in love all over again. I wanted to cut the relaxer, so I could just wear my locks without worry; I can say that has been the case.

The differences that I notice are that my ends have budded, my texture is more distinguished, and it seems as though my locks have swollen to provide a look of thickness. Some

people have even been commenting on how my “hair is growing so much” without even noticing my chop. Interesting.

What am I doing differently? Nothing much. Still trying to figure it all out. I switched shampoos to a shea moisture and I have washed my hair twice within the last month. Before the snip I was only.washing once

before my eight week tighthen. As stated, I am not using lock loops twice a week any longer, and I am just waiting patiently to see my growth.

Budding Delight

While researching sisterlocks with perm ends, I found myself wondering how my hair would look with my perm ends versus without. It was quite rare to find sisters who chose to transition with their relaxers. I am quite pleased with how my hair looks with my relaxed ends, but I am now wondering how my locks would look without the ends. In my previous blog, I told you all how I am itching to snip them away,so to pacify this itch I cut a few here and there. It has been about three weeks since I started slowly cutting away some relaxed ends and I am happy with the progress of my natural locks. My buds are evident and I LOVE them. They may not be as long as my other locks but they are naturally beautiful. I am looking forward to the big chop in December, and thanks to my baby buds I know how it will look!                 

Gym Ready

The beauty of sisterlocks is that I no longer have to worry about my hair in certain situations. I have been working out
for years, but I remember avoiding the gym when I had recently relaxed my hair. Even afterwards I would be apprehensive about the sweat getting to my roots and ruining my freshly flat ironed hair. I tried to avoid this by wearing kinky twist and braids, but I am glad to say that I no longer have to think about my hair before hitting the gym. My sisterlocks look the same before and after my sweating session, and to top it off, I actually want to work out after my retightenings. My consultant even says that working out helps my locks grow, and that may be one of the reasons that I have been locked since month six (besides following all of her rules). The number one reason that many black women avoid the gym is because of our hair; I’m elated that I no longer have that fear. I’m running, lifting weights, and joining 5ks! Yay sisterlocks!

Officially Loc’d

It has been six months since my install and I can finally say that my hair is officially locked. During my last tightening session, I begged my loctician to give me the approval to stop bundling. After joking that it would take another eight months before I could stop banding and bundling, she informed me that my hair has indeed locked. I was elated at the news.

I know of many people who wait over a year and sometimes even longer before their locks are official. I was hopeful that if I follow her instructions then I would be just fine. I deviated very little from her instructions. I will admit that during the last two washes I did not band and I only bundled my hair in four large bundles. During these two times, I washed thoroughly and roughly and my locks remained in tact. I think that my natural curl pattern assisted with the swift locking and also my loctician’s instructions to only wash before my tightening sessions. I cleaned my scalp using witch hazel and sea breeze. I didn’t subject my locks to much moisture either. I used a water and oil mist to maintan my permed ends and that is about it. Needless to say I am excited about entering a new phase of my journey.

Still in LOVE at 20 weeks

I have had my sisterlocks for nearly six months and still no regrets. I absolutely adore my sisterlocks. People still seem to be confused and consistently ask me who twists my hair. I get so many compliments that start with, “I love your hair,” and when I mention that they are sisterlocks there is a swift, “Why did you do that to your hair?” and “how are you going to get it out?” People, people, people! I would very much like to be a bit rude and respond by saying, “how are you going to get your perm out,” but as my loctician says, “I have famous hair,” and just like misunderstood celebrities, so is the life of my hair.

I must admit that on some days, I feel like my hair is not as cute as others are declaring. I think this is mainly due to my perm ends. I love my style and my perm ends are not causing any problems, but I am getting the itch to be 100% sisterlocked. I want to walk in the rain and not worry. I want to go to bed without wrapping up my hair. I want to wake up and shake my locks without wondering if my perm ends are frizzy. Nevertheless, I am still ver much in love.

My progress via photos http://youtu.be/vuyBLkqynO0

16 weeks locked

 

 

11 Weeks Locked

At 11 weeks locked, I am starting to notice growth. My locks are slowly but surely growing and this is evident in the pictures. When I first got the locks, many pictures did not clearly highlight the locs because of the size and all of the perm ends. The fact that pictures are picking up more of the form illustrates the small steps that my hair is making. Every day, I love my hair more and more. At this stage, I have no regrets. I find myself constantly saying I LOVE my hair.