My Daughter's Loc Journey

I could see the war brewing...it definitely was becoming a battle to do my daughter's hair. It didn't matter how gentle I was (and I was very gentle) with combing her hair, the ooohhs and owwws didn't stop. My husband had suggested locing her hair, but I came up with excuses...she won't have styling options...she's too young...what would people think of me locing my child's hair...the excuses went on and on. Then, I decided to do some research, the same way I had done before locing my hair. Let me tell you, the internet can be a wonderful place. The amount of resources I found to help me with my decision not only to loc her hair, but also what method to start with and maintain her locs were unending. I finally decided to loc her hair starting with two strand twists. Below is a video I made of the process. MM

 

My Natural Hair

Pics of my big chop to my afro...before the twists.

My Loc Journey

In a previous post, I had written that I was getting Sisterlocks. Well, I met a co-worker who has conventional locks. We got to talking and I told her that I was getting Sisterlocks. She was very excited, supportive and congratulated me. On my way home from our meeting, our conversation resonated with me. Now, it wasn't anything she said, but just the conversation in general. I started thinking about locs in general. When I got home, I got online and started researching conventional locs. The more I read and saw, the more I fell in love with them. I decided right then, that my loc of choice was going to be conventional locs. I two strand twisted my hair and have started my loc journey. I am very excited and can't wait to see my hair transform.

Below is a post I made for YouTube.

Sisterlocks - A Natural Alternative

A year ago, I hummed and hahhed about what to do with my hair. 2 years of growth (after shaving my head for 5 years) had given me 6 inches of thick, healthy natural tresses and was in need of something manageable, versatile and fun. The style, also had to be natural and reflect my personality. I researched online and found Sisterlocks. This locing method created by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell is supposed to give the best of both worlds. A nice, manageable style with the ability to grow while keeping your hair natural. After doing some research online and meeting with a couple consultants, I fell in love and decided that this was the route I was going. Then it happened, I started talking myself out of the process...first was the cost (most people with and without the locs discuss-at length the cost-it costs $500 and up for installation), then the maintenance-also a cost factor with retightening costing approximately $100-$200 every 6-8weeks. My biggest issue was the versatility. I love my 'fro and thought I would lose it. The inability to style my hair the way I wanted was something I cherished and wasn't ready to give up, and so the momentum passed and I didn't get Sisterlocks.

Sisterlocks founder Dr. JoAnne Cornwell

The other day, I was online (as I usually am) looking up hairstyles when my husband suggested, I just do it. I thought about it for a minute and said, you know what, I'm going to. I got on to the Sisterlocks website and contacted a couple consultants closer to my home. I now just have to pick one to put in my test locs (if all goes well-the locs set), I set a date for installation and take it from there. Currently, I am sporting a hair length of about 8 to 9 inches (all natural) and know that the longer the hair, the more this procedure costs, but I am ready for it. After all, I consider it an investment in myself and what better investment is there?

I will keep you posted on my journey and if you have any suggestions about Sisterlocks for a newbie like myself, I would love to hear from you.

Ohhh the 'fro

I have a love hate relationship with my afro. One day I love it, next day it hates me. Keeping and maintaining an afro is not an easy feat.

Rockin' my 'fro!

There's nothing like getting your 'fro just right, only so that someone can come up to you, compliment and try to stick their fingers in your hair. Excuse me but I don't know where your fingers have been and Afro Etiquette 101-Don't touch the 'fro. Always admire from afar. Compliment and leave it at that.

My biggest dilemma is keeping my 'fro moisturized. I have thick, natural, black hair, so I understand it's not going to be silky, shiny and glossy like caucasian or asian hair. Fine, I get that, but I struggle to keep moisture in my hair on a daily basis. (There's got to be nothing worse, than seeing a 'fro that looks like a scouring pad on a sister or brother's head.) I am a big fan of leave-in-conditioners (you have to be when you have natural hair), but even then, I think they only do the job half of the time. To keep moisture, I try to keep my hair in a style for several days, whether cornrows or twists, that way, I am not stressing the hair (virgin hair is very brittle.)

I really like this style!!!

I do like defining my curls with EcoStyler gel and on occasion, I will wear my 'fro like that. It's just that there are times when I think my hair couldn't care less for me and no matter what I do, it's hellbent on doing it's own thing. My only reassurance that I am doing something right, is when I get a comment on how nice my hair looks or how healthy it looks, then I know that maybe, just maybe, my hair doesn't hate me as much as I think it does and like everything else in life, just wants a little TLC. Also I need to stop complaining abut my 'fro because my husband loves it and he hates when i hate on the 'fro. MM

Hair Liberation

Whether braided, weaved, cornrowed, permed, jheri-curled, leisure curled, hot combed, dreaded, afro or shaved, you name it and I don't think you'll find a sister out there who hasn't worn it. Hair is just our thing. Love yours or hate it, we are obsessed with our hair. Long, short and every length in between, black women are always on the lookout-not for the perfect hairstyle but-for the perfect hair texture. Our mothers breathed collective sighs of relief when perm was invented because not only did they not have to walk around with big 'ol fros, but now their daughters didn't have to be subjected either. Prior to the perm, our mothers' hairs and scalps were the victims of hot combs. Anybody, whose ever had their hair hotcombed knows the torcher I am talking about.

What is it about our natural hair that we hate so much? Why do we despise its texture so much? This texture that handles the dry African heat of our ancestors so well? Looser curls are sometimes better for manageability-I agree- but why have we not learned to work with what we have instead of changing it? (I call this the Good Hair/Bad Hair Syndrome.) This obsession with straight hair that black women have (in my opinion) is a sin. Perm after countless perm, I continue to see sister after sister with their hair chemically straightened, wearing an unflattering, boring style and wonder why most choose to leave their homes having their heads look the way they do. Why not choose a nice, short, sexy style? Why not opt for a "natural" look that suits and flatters the face?!

I have never been one to be afraid of my hair, whether natural or textured, short or long, I have worn it. For the last four years, I have worn my hair close cropped and have never felt more liberated. I believe that's what we (as black women) are looking for from our hairs, liberation. To be free to style the way we want, wear it the way we want and flaunt it the way we want. Sadly, we will never find this freedom, this liberation when we insist on continuing to be slaves to our hair. MM