Welcome to Choklett's Blog

Welcome to Choklett's Blog
Love the life you live, and live the life you love.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

5 month update....

Happy Holidays!  It is Dec. 27, 2011!  Christmas was Beautiful and 2012 is right around the corner.

My SL's are over 5 months old, (about 24 weeks old) and growing and getting fuller.  I am very excited.  Here they are at my last re-tight...  (these were taken about 1 week ago)







(My hair was curled with lock loops, but the curls had fallen... I been working out :-]  )

I am loving my hair and loving life!  Not much to say, just sharing!

Well, if I don't see u guys again... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


--Choklett

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Trying something new :

Well, after 20 weeks (today), I am exploring with my hair a little bit more than before.  I tried a simple, but cute up-do for work this morning.  It took like 15 minutes and it was so simple.  The curls/ringlets on the ends are my natural hair pattern, with no additional curling to it.  I just spritzed with water and grabbed some bobby pins to secure the flat twists...

Well, here it is!!

The Back
2 flat twist - quickly rolled upward.   Just grabbed hair... 

Side.....  

Front...  An asymmetrical part, with flat twists going down the sides and clipped up on the side to merge with the back.  See the Side picture above...
Next time I will show you the hair and less of my face... LOL

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Month 4

I went to get my 4th month re-tighten today.  I was very happy because I waited 5 weeks since my last Re-Tighten....  I will never do that again with intention...  LOL..

I sat in the chair for a little under 2 hours, and Wallah... my locks were groomed just as I like them!!  I am totally feeling my SL's and feeling myself!  Looking Naturally Fierce as a Diva Should!  LOL...

Here they are....


Braid out (After Washing)... 

He loves hopping in Mommy's pictures - See the length when it's stretched...
about 2 inches past the stopping point

I have no idea why I am not smiling...  I love the hair... Trying to be serious I guess...



Side Shot..

  Well, there they are...  They definitely look fuller than when I first go them.  (At least to me, my hubbz said he can't tell).  And I have some growth...  My son says my braid out looks like like a Jheri Curl... LOL...  I guess I naturally have what some people pay for...  

Well gotta go... See u in a few weeks.  

Friday, November 11, 2011

Week 17

Wow, it has officially been 4 months that I have had my SLs.  I am learning me, as well as my hair.  When you hear that SL is not only a hairstyle, but a lifestyle, it is very TRUE!  So, with those 4 months, I have learned one very important thing....

I prefer my hair within the first 1 to 3 weeks of the re-tight.  After that... it's no bueno!  Month 3 & month 4, I have been stretched to week 5, and I don't like it at all.

I am also learning that in my early stages of my SLs I should do more free-style and less styling.  Well, I have been styling my hair since day 1...  I have always liked some type of style in my hair.  So, I will work on the freestyle thing because I definitely do not want to ruin my SLs.  I may have to tighten my hair every 3 weeks instead of 4...  We will see...

Here is a picture of my hair in a semi freestyle...  It was curled with Pipecleaners, and this is about 3 days old.  You can't tell my length, but you can see my thickness.


Time to go... I will update picture after my retight on Sunday...

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

This RollerCoaster Ride....

So for the most part, I am loving my hair.  It's been 3 months, and I am feeling a certain kind of way.  I am having Weave Withdrawal!!!!  I vowed that I would keep it real with my blog, so right now, at this moment, I could go for a long weave, with a soft wave pattern, and flattened bone-straight with a part to the side....  


I know! I know! I know!....  My husband is gonna talk so much mess to me if he sees this post!  LOL  But I still don't have regrets, I love the convenience of my hair, but with 3 month old locks, there is only so much styling that I can do, and that is my biggest issue.  


But whatev.  This weekend I am going to the Inland Empire Natural Hair Expo and Marketplace that is put on by my hair salon, HairStory...  I am sooo excited.  When I go there, I know I will see so many beatiful Afrobellas with Sisterlocks, Traditional Locks, Braid outs, Twist outs, Afros, etc.  I will feel like I am at a family reunion.   


It's amazing at how a decision, which appeared to be so simple, such as changing my hairstyle, is really a change in lifestyle and mindset.  I knew that the beginning of my journey would be the toughest and I am barely starting my journey.  But I also know that I have made the BEST decision to facilitate healthy hair growth, healthier hair, and a healthier me!  


So with all that said, yes, its a rollercoaster ride when I go through my Weave Withdrawals, but, eh....  anything worth having will not come easy...


Deuces!


Choklett

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Running Late for Work = My 1st Freestyle

So, freestyle is typically not my "thang"...  My hair has a few different things going on...  Curled ends in back, straight ends in the front, fuller hair on the left side, yet longer hair on the right, and inconsistent fuzzies in random places... not to mention I am a week away from my next re-tighten so I have slippage on the edges.   I typically will always have some sort of bobby-pin or curls in my hair to camouflage all of my inconsistencies.  
But Friday morning (10/1/2011), I woke up late, and fell asleep with my hair in a ponytail the night before.  With very little time to get me & my youngest prince dressed and out the house for my oldest start of school, I had NO time to try to figure out what to do with my hair...  So now, I had no other choice but to do a spritz, shake and go....

So that's what I did, separated my hair for a part on the side, shook it around a bit more for as much fullness as I could get, threw on some eyemake-up and earrings and I hit the road....  I OWNED my look and rocked it with confidence.....  See!  Here it is...
(I'm in my classroom...  Playing with my webcam...
After school of course!)
It was cute, and when my hubby saw me at the end of the day he told me that it looked like I styled it...  (YAY ME!!)

Now, lets take that same scenario with my permed hair or pressed hair that I fell asleep on the night before and woke up late.  Who knows how long it would have took me to fix it, but I know it would not have been that quick....

So, another reason why I LOVE my Locks!!!  For those tight moments when Time IS an issue, my hair will NOT be an issue...

-- CHOKLETT

Sunday, September 25, 2011

It's growing on him. ;-)

First off, I have the most ride or die, supportive hubbz ever and I love him dearly! When I decided to lock my hair, he was the only person that I worried about truly accepting my hair. Once I got my SLs, he was so cute... When I asked him if he liked them, his response was "whatever makes you happy babe" and he would smile... But I know my hubbz well enough to know that they hadn't grown on him...

So today, he made me blush so much...

this moring, After pulling off my satin bonnet and running my fingers through my hair to fluff out my hair from its nightly flattening, He looked at me and told that I was a beautiful natural woman. I immediately thought that he is getting used to my hair...
But then, later that night, he ran his fingers through my hair (for the 1st time since I locked it) and massaged my scalp...

After 10.5 weeks, I know that my hubbz, who don't like change and who loved my hair straight & long, is used to, and actually likes my new look!

I can't wait until my length comes in... I can't give him straight hair, but I CAN give him (and my 4 yr old son that keeps telling me that he likes my long hair) length...

;-)

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Pipecleaners & the 9th Week

So, it is now my 9th week with my SL's, and it has officially been 2 months.  I finally tried a new style... Pipecleaners.  I was really nervous about them because my biggest issue right now is length... And the pipecleaners will make my curls so tight that my hair has no choice but to be short...  But I decided "eh... just do it!"  So I did, and here it is...

Just a little spray of water & and about 40 pipecleaners
This is the back... 
This is the front...  Time to go to bed... 

The next morning, I woke up, unrolled them to these tiny, tight, ringlets.
Cute!!!   

Here it is!  Yes they are short...  

But, after some finger combing... I like it!!!
So, I am glad that I tried it.  They have been up for 3 days now and the curls are still tight...  I just go to bed with my satin bonnet and wake up, finger-comb, spritz and go!  

So, at my 9th week, I am still in love with my locks!  I have had a couple of moments of missing my 22 inches.  Every blue moon, when I wake up to the crazy hair, I have good thoughts of straight hair that is easy to unwrap & go... But the minute I start to feel this heat and start sweating... I think, AHA, I aint scared of no moisture...  The other day, I went outside in the morning, and it was misting...  It felt good not to stress about my how my hair was ruined for work  :-)

So, that is it... I am still looking forward to COLOR & LENGTH, but I have quite a bit of time to go....

My next thing to conquer... Hair accessories... I love to see the cute flowers, bands, clips, etc. in other people's SL..  I never really wore them before, so I don't really know what to buy that would compliment my head...  But, since I get bored with my look at times, I need to get to the accessories...  

See ya next time!!

Choklett

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

8 weeks...

So tomorrow is my 8th week with my Locks.  I have just finished B/B them to wash them. Tomorrow, I will go in for my 2nd re-tightening.  I am at about a re-ti every 4 weeks.

Over the last few of weeks, it has been HOT.  I don't know what's up with the weather, but I am talking about 95+ degrees, up to 108!  The great thing about the heat is that I have not had to worry about my hair & sweat in this heat... well not too much.  I don't worry about my hair sweating out a press, or too hot under a weave net (hey, I'm keeping it real).  The only thing that I worry about is slippage from moisture.  But that's not the end of the world.

I see a little growth in my locks.  I keep saying that I will post a picture, but haven't been taking any worth posting...

I am definitely going through Lock Envy right now...  I wish my hair was thicker and longer so that I can do more with it.  I am getting bored with my looks, and the freestyle looks a hot mess to me.. :-/

But one thing that I do know is that locks move at their own pace... I just gotta let them do what they do.  I still have NO regrets.  :-)

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

UPDATE... 7 weeks

I am back to work, and I have been busy....
It has been exactly 7 weeks since my babies have been installed.   It looks like I have a tad bit of growth, but not enough to write home to Mama about... :-) I don't have a picture to upload this minute... I will try to get one up sooner than later.

On my last post, I wrote concerns about my hair unraveling after my working out.  I have been walking/jogging at 2-3 miles 5 days per week.  So my Lock Doc (Ms. Imani) re-installed the locks that came out and informed me to be sure to tie my hair down when I am working out.  So when I work out... I typically have the bantu knots in my hair....

I have been wearing the curls from the Bantu Knot - outs lately.  I am getting a little bored with my look, but I don't like the way that my hair looks with a freestyle.  So, I gotta do something.  I am trying to figure out different ways to style my hair, but I haven't been to successful.  I really cant wait until I get length and density...  I think that I maybe should have cut my hair to all the same length to give it more of a fullness... but whatev....

Oh well, gotta go.  Its getting late, I gotta work tomorrow, and its my hubby's bday...  Talk to you later!!
=)

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My hair is perfect for working out.... Right??

I am uber excited! I am on week 2 of my workout challenge! My goal is to workout a minimu of 45 minutes for 4 days per week. I am on week two, and have been consistent with my goal... I actually have been getting in 1 hour. I want this to be a part of my weekly routine. I want to lose the extra weight, as well as be healthy and fit overall. Thankfully my SLs are allowing me to meet my goal since I can't use the hair excuse as a reason for Not working out.

Now, I do have 2 dilemmas... I sweat alot... Yeah. I'm not proud of it, but there is nothing I can do about it. I workout in the evening when it's cooler, but I still sweat...

1. So my first dilemma is that my SLs are slipping and I have few that appear to be unraveling. I just got a re-ti a little over a week ago, but you can't tell.

2. I really want to wash my hair... My Locktician told me to limit the washes to 1 - 2 times between my re-TI to reduce my slippage. My hair is already slipping because of the sweat. I am afraid that the extra water, from washing, will cause more slippage or unraveling. :-/

Here is a picture after my workout...
This is a HOT day, after a 2.5 mile brisk walk/jog...


And this is what my hair looks like after it dries.....

My hair shrinks and the curly q's are curly... Well except for my top that is straight...


See my edges, no definition...  This is 1 1/2 weeks after my 1st re-tight....




So I have scheduled an appointment with my wonderful Locktician for Sunday... And hopefully she can give me some ideas on how to manage my hair better while working out, a simple rinse in between washes, and she can fix the unraveled locks...

I'll update ya soon...
Be Blessed!

Monday, August 15, 2011

1 Month Old - How do I feel?

So 2 days ago was my official 1 month anniversary...  My journey is official!  Just like anything that alters you, you really see how you feel about it in the first month...  My feelings toward my hair....

First the negatives:
1.  I have this section at the top of my hair that has very straight ends. (Not from a perm, but from constantly flat ironing my hair that left out of my weaves.)  Now the rest of my hair fails into the curly ends, but this sections just falls...  So that is kinda annoying because it doesn't have a uniform look to it...  I like messy hair, so I don't mean perfect, but just uniform with the ends...
2.  I am also feeling a certain way about my length...  I know it will take time to grow, but just not very used to short hair.  When I got my first Re-Tighten last week, it appeared that my hair had a very slight growth.  It was very little, but I, and my hubby and sons noticed it.. (YAY!!)
3.  Styling...  I am not the best at it yet.  I am trying different things, I end up with the headband look or just pushed back...  I think as my hair thickens and grows, along with my experience, I will be more diverse with my styling.

Now the Positives:
1  I absolutely love rubbing my hands in my hair...  I don't think that I have H.I.L (Hands in Locks) syndrome because it's not ALL day, but I love the way it feels.
2.  I am a sweater... so I love the fact that wen I sweat, it does not change the outcome of my hair.  After a workout, my tight curls have loosened, but that's ok
3.  I enjoy watching it do it's thang...  My curly q ends are just doing what they want, and its cute to watch.
4.  I love playing in it...  I am looking for more accessories to attach... I have never been a flower in hair, or even a big headband wearer... But now, I am looking at new things....  Still haven't tried the flower in hair, but it's coming soon!!!
5.  I have increased my workouts!  I have a vision of a healthier and lighter me!  Now, without the thought that my sweating will ruin my hair, I can really make my vision come true!
6.  I have cut down my "get ready to go" time...  If I need to spritz, shake, & go... I can!!!
7.  I actually feel more attractive, confident, and sexy.  There is a certain "swagg" that comes along with wearing natural hair for me.  It's easy to conform to society's expectations of what's pretty and feel good about it.  But to go against the straight, curled, or wavy hair and still feel beautiful... I feel empowered.. I know that everyone don't like my new look.. I have had family members tell me... Or sometimes it's what they don't say... (Like the person that always complimented your hair before, but doesn't mention it at all now...)  But it doesn't matter... I love my locks, I love my look, I love ME!!!
8.  Freedom!!!  In my mind, all of the "I can't do ______ (fill in the blank)"  because of my hair have been let go!  That was the most important thing and weighed heavily on my reason for locking my hair.

So as you see, my POSITIVES outweigh my NEGATIVES...

Back to the original question... How do I feel about my Sisterlocks?

I LOVE THEM!!!!!  :-)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

My babies are almost 1 Month old!!!

So, it has been nearly one month since I installed my babies.  Exactly 4 weeks in 4 days.  I go for my re-tighten on Sunday early afternoon.  Tomorrow, I will braid and band my hair and wash it with my "Special Shampoo".
It's crazy how it took years for me to get comfortable with the idea to LOCK my hair.  I just knew that I couldn't do it because I would have withdrawal episodes from the pressing comb or the weave tracks!  LOL... I had so much anxiety about how the "early stage" would look on me.  Would it make my head look big?? Would it show my weak areas?? Would I be able to style it??  Would my hair look too short??  Would I like it??  Would my husband like it??  All these questions of doubt circulated time and time again before I felt comfortable with the idea.  Until one day I, my husband, and other family members just got fed up with all the skits about my hair.  My impulsiveness  led me to schedule a hair appt to lock my hair just before my sister's wedding that I was gonna be a bridesmaid.  Uhm, yeah, what a way to address all of those questions head on!!!!  Well anyhow, I am coming to my first month anniversary, and now all of those questions have disappeared... and I only have one question now....  What took me soooo long to get Sisterlocked???  LOL

Man, this decision has been the best!  There are absolutely NO regrets!  I have never felt so free with regards to my hair.  It took me less than 90 minutes and $0 spent at the hair salon for my curly do for the wedding.  In the morning, when getting ready for my day (I am NOT an early bird) it takes me 5 - 20 minutes to style my hair, depending on if there were rollers/braids set in my hair the night before.  I can spritz my hair with Oil & Water mixture or Water only, shake my hair, and go!    My attitude of "take me as I am"  has jumped to an all time high...  I no longer am self-conscience that my hair isn't bone-straight and hanging half-way down my head.  I feel just as beautiful with my short locked hair as I did when it was flowing effortless down my back....  It has even sparked a new love for accessories and eye make-up, daring me to try flashy/edgy combination and rock them like "Know About Me!  Lol!  I can work out, and sweat as much as I can, and NOT worry about what to do with my hair!!!

There is something to this natural hair thing that is soooo liberating!  Not feeling as though your day, mood, or look is determined by how your hair is....  And guess what... I LOVE IT!!!

There are a few things that I am looking forward to with my SLs....

  • Going swimming without any worries of hair (Right now they are somewhat too fragile, so I still must make precautions with water in my hair)
  • My SLs thickening.... (I'm thinking within 3-6 months)
  • My hair growth to at least bra-strap length (I'm thinking within 2 years)
  • The many different styles and versatility that my SLs will bring. 

So in a nutshell, at Month 1, I am extremely PLEASED with my decision!  My hair is starting to get that ball/knot at the last 3/4 to the end of each lock.  I don't want to get too excited so I won't say that it is budding.  My hair has had some slippage over the month, and about 4 locks came unraveled.  I have a tad bit new growth and my locks are trying to thicken a tad bit.  I will wash my hair for the first time tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that.  I was instructed not to bother them too much because the water may cause excessive slippage or unraveling.  So, I was very obedient!  Here are some pictures (before the washing)...

FROM THIS (7/13/2011)

To This  8/5/2011

Back
Top

Side
Just me, OMW to work, in the car,
 2 day old Bantu Knot Curls which took me less than 5 minutes
 of shake, spritz, & go on my hair this morning.  :-)


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Wedding update...

Hey guys!  Sorry that it has been a minute since I have blogged.  Been pretty busy lately....
So I am on week 3 of my SLs and I am still in love!  Last weekend was my Sister's wedding.  Everything was so beautiful.  One thing that I have had such anxiety about was my hair.  For a minute or two before the wedding I started freaking out and regretting getting my SLs before the wedding.  BUT thank you to the different Blogs, my FB group page (Sisterlocked and Lovin' It), and google image searches that I used as inspiration to figure out how I would style my hair.  My mild regrets were turned around and I decided to do a curly look.  I tried perm-rods and sponge rollers to see what I would come up with.  Although I love the look of the pipe cleaners, I opted not to due to my short hair and my fear that the pipe cleaners would make it shorter due to the tight curls.  (Yes, I have issues with length and can't wait for my hair to grow.)  I was gonna do a pin-up, but changed my mind because I lost a couple of locs in the back of my hair (slippage or unraveled) and I did not like the way that section looked.  Soooo, I ended liking my curls with the jumbo sponge rollers.  Here is a picture....



I will say that I loved the way that it came out.  And I got quite a few compliments on my hair  :o)

Another thing that was a first and made me feel like I was #Winning! was the fact that for the first time in my life, I went to a formal event that required a my hair to be RIGHT and I was not wasting away at a hair salon for 4+ hours before!!!  Woohoo!!!  I think it took my less than 1.5 hours to create the look... Approximately 45mins to roll it (I spritzed each section with my Tea Tree Oil/ Water mixture before rolling it) the night before.  And about 30-45 minutes to figure out a style before I decided which one I wanted.  I added a few bobby pins with rhinestones) on them along the top to add a little pizzazz to the style.  It was great!!

I soooo love my Locks!  I go to get my first retightening on Saturday,  I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  I will B/B my hair this weekend fo 
 I am out of here.....

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Just a little "Edumacation" on the Stages

I got this from my fellow Blogger Janay of http://jaeasisterlockexperience.blogspot.com.  I had to repost it on here as it is a reminder of the stages that my locks will go thru.  As well as share it with my family that like to check in on my blog.... Plus, I gotta stay informed....

So how you feel about that...

If anyone know anything about me, they know that I have been a big fan of weaves.  I got my first weave in 1995, my 12th grade year.  (Wish I could find a picture)

They started off as a natural length, big and poofy - kinky straight, moved to the silky straight, then graduated to virgin indian hair of 24 inches.  I went through the curly, wavy, and straight weaves, and would rock it.  The bigger and longer the hair, the better I liked it.  And my weaves looked like they were growing from my scalp....  They were right!!  Here they are....

Me & 2 of my brats.. My lil sis & youngest son
  

Full weave.  I tried a short look
Workout in the mountains on a misty day = frizzy hair
   

I remember about 2 years ago, I was ready for SLs and walked into a hair salon and saw some BEAUTIFUL Brazilian Curly weave hair.  My mouth dropped and I nearly salivated at the thought of how bomb that would look on my head.  Although at the time I couldn't purchase it (I needed it long and it would have been $500), I KNEW that my reaction and "lust" for this Brazilian weave meant that I was not ready for SLs.  So I put it on hold.  

In fact, just 2 months prior to getting my locks installed, I was in a weave... 

But one day, after taking my weave out, I dried and flattened my natural hair and looked in the mirror and HATED my look!  Although I had shoulder length hair, I felt like my hair was too short and I just didn't feel attractive.  I started to question myself.  Why does it take for me to put 2 feet of Indian textured hair to feel beautiful?  It may sound a little extreme to some, but think about it... How many ladies suffer from "low-self" when they don't have their weaves in?  It was at that time that I decided that I was done and was ready for SLs.

Well, the weekend after my SLs were installed, we took my son to an amusement park for his 4th birthday.  There were weaves everywhere (LOL).  Most of them were a bit of a H.A.M (Hot A** Mess), but a couple of them were really nice.  But the interesting thing is when I saw those ladies, (not to mention my sister's hair that stays absolutely BEAUTIFUL & flowing)

  
(That's her on her prom night with my Mom & I)

I thought the hair looked really nice, but that was it.  I didn't feel like I regretted my decision.  I actually was amped because I knew that soon enough, my hair, although not straight, would one day be as long as their weave.  Here is my beautiful cousin with her long locks.  She has been a great inspiration in my journey and a great wealth of knowledge.  I remember when she first got them installed.

And this isn't the longest her hair has been!
Now don't get me wrong, I love to see a beautiful hairstyle, locked, curly, braided, twisted, or straight.  Hair helps us to feel beautiful.  Different styles give us different looks.  But, I have moved past the idea that straight is the best....

A couple of days later, my husband was watching a TV show and he called me in the room.  He showed me the actress on the screen, who had a very nice weave in her head, and said "Look at her hair... How do you feel?"  I replied, "Oh, it looks nice.", his next question was, "Do you miss your straight hair?", and my honest answer was "No, I love my locks!"  

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Week 1... Update

It has been a very busy week.  My lil guy just turned 4 years old on Sunday.   We had a great weekend!  Adventure City on Saturday and a small celebration at the house on Sunday.  I am soo happy that my baby is moving out of the toddler stage into a preschooler.  I love the babies, but I am pretty much over it.  He is my last one, so I am enjoying every bit of him!

So my new babies (the locks) are doing well.  I am still in love.  My maintenance includes:
1.  A satin bonnet to sleep in.  
2.  I have gone between a twist out, a braid out, and freestyle.  I like the braid-out best.  I put a small roller on the ends to curl it.
3.  A few spritz of my Special Water/Tea Tree Oil Spray that I bought from Natural Hairstory.
4. Shake & go!

I cleaned out my cabinet and "donated" all of my hair products and weaves to my mom & sis...  They were really happy.  LOL!  Man, she came up!  

What I don't love about my hair is the frizzy ends, the thinness, and I have a patch of straight hair in the front.  I feel like my hair is gonna unravel if I mess in it to much.  Although I know that that isn't the case.  It is just so soft.  It kinda feels like cotton.  I am used to seeing the SL's on hair that is a little coarser.  So I had just assumed.  I am hoping that it will get coarser/thicker as time moves on.  And the frizzy ends... My Loctician suggested that I spritz them and roll them to help.  That has been working.  

But overall, I am VERY HAPPY with my decision.  The above hurdles are things that time and experience will fix.  
Now, I just need to find out what style I will wear to my sis' wedding.  

Monday, July 18, 2011

Day 3... Not quite sure what to do

**  This was written a couple of days ago**

On the night of day 1, I texted my locktician to ask how do I go to bed.  Bantu, braid, twist, or just cover and go.  She said C & G.  I wrapped in a satin bonnet and went to bed.  Woke up to some funky look, with frizzy ends.  My hair was looking slightly crazy, like fine wires with this curly stuff on the ends.  [Luckily, my intense research of other people's blog had me prepared for my hair to have days that look a mess.  :-)]

  



So far, what I like least about my hair is the thinness.  The scalp doesn't bother me as bad as I thought it would, but the pencil-lead thin lock does.  I can't wait until they thicken up. And what is crazy is how light they are.  I thought I would have hands in lock-itis.  I love the way they feel, but they r so fragile right now, I am afraid to touch them for fear that I may unravel them.  Especially around the edges.

So last night I decided to 2 strand twist them, to hopefully get a loose wave going on and show off the little length that I have.  I liked them, but wasn't in love yet because I had this weird frizzy thing going on with my ends...  See what I mean...

So I spoke to my Locktician about my frizzy ends.  She recommended to spritz the ends with the water/tea tree oil mixture that I got from her and roll the ends.  We well see the end results..

Side note:: My husband told me to leave them alone so I wont mess them up, Well actually his words were, "Did she say you can do that?" (He's so cute)  But this is how they came out....


Oh well, everyday is something new.  I will be a pro soon enough.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Day 1....

I am sooo happy with my decision to Sisterlock my hair!  I was officially a member of the Sisterlock family at approximately 11pm on July 13th, 2011.  I wanted to blog yesterday, but was just way toooo tired.  So, here is my story.

Woke up bright and early with excitement and anticipation.  I got Ethan ready for school and dropped him off by 9:20.  My original appointment time was 9, but needed to get pushed back to 10:15.  So I went to grab some breakfast from Jack In The Box (Love that sourdough breakfast sandwich) and sat and ate in peace.  I figured it would be a LONG day.  So anyhow, got to Hairstory Natural Hair Salon at about 10 and waited for my Locktician.  Ms. Imani Nash-Bey pulled up right on time.  She brought her beautiful mother, who is also a certified locktician from Seattle, Washington, to help her with my hair.  We started at approximately 10:30am.  Ms. Imani went right to busy.  She is very dedicated to the craft of sisterlocks, and it was evident.  Her seriousness while parting was insane...  I was thinking that it looked straight, but she would find another way to perfect it.....

    

So, once the parts were done and Ms. Imani and Ms. Valerie got started on my hair, I had mixed feelings.  Mostly excitement, I was so happy that I was finally getting locked up.  But a slight bit of nervousness, How was this going to look....  

So anyhow the ladies worked non-stop on opposite sides of my head.  We had watched 2 full movies and a couple of tv shows.  My hair texture is fine and baby soft in some areas.  They were speaking Sisterlockese about the lock pattern to make sure that it would stick.  Some areas around my hairline were so fine that Ms. Imani had to get in to do her magic (she is more experienced) to make them stick... I was thinking, "Wow!  All this time I have been thinking about how nappy my hair is, but in this situation, it is not nearly nappy enough... smh".   We finally got a break at 2:30... about 4 hours into it....  I was hungry and needed to straight....  It was perfect timing :-)

  
(Not sure if this is the correct timing, but here it is...)


After the lunch break, we started back at about 3:15.  It was time to get started again...I made sure to be very comfortable... I had on jeggings, socks, and a t-shirt...  I had movies, my iPhone (my favorite), magazines, DirecTv was available, and we had great conversation topics too...  My hubbz checked on my around 4, and although he wanted to see the final product, I talked him into coming to visit me.  I was happy to see him and 2 of my sons.  But their expression was priceless.  All 3 of them looked a little shocked... LOL!  "Those parts are REAL small..." was one of his comments.  But he was still supportive, saying that he trusted that the ladies would do a great job.  (That settled some of my uneasiness because I was concerned about how he would like my new look.)  


One of my really good friends, who was pivotal in my decision to Sisterlock and was one of my inspirations as I know her journey from the big chop nearly 10 years ago, called me to see how it was going.  Although she was at work all day, she drove over 40 miles to come down, bring me dinner, and hang out with us.  My only regret is that I didn't take a picture with me there... (But here she is at another function with me)

(Isn't she lovely with her locks and dimples...  ;-)  and yes... her locks are as long as my 22 inch weave... I have had Lock Envy of her hair for so long..)

So, anyhow....  Ms. Imani was in BEAST Mode and determined to finish my hair in one setting.  I was very appreciative of that because I did not want to go back a second.  We talked, laughed, and watched the BET awards again (lol).... But she never got so distracted that she forgot why we were there.  She was very pleasant and professional.  I asked questions, and she answered them.  She had such a lovely, calm spirit.  

We worked pretty much non-stop after lunch, with VERY SHORT breaks in-between to stretch.  I even had to put my feet up at one point...

     


Well, fast forward this evening to about 10:00, and the locks were just about done!  I think she was down to like the last 2 rows in the center.  My tender-headed self was about ready to explode.  I was exhausted, but very excited.  I could not wait to see my babies all complete...


Well, at about 10:30, she was DONE!!!  My Babies were Born!!!  I looked in the mirror and saw the Bantu knots all over, and although they are not my favorite look, I was very happy.  One of my fears was that my indecisive self would sit through the installation and look in the mirror after the fact and think "Oh NO!!  What have I done!", but I can honestly say that I looked in the mirror and thought, I love them! I can't wait to see my babies out of the Knots...  I can't wait until they mature!!  I was so happy that I felt that way!
    

     

It took Imani & Valerie approximately 11 hours to complete my hair.  They gave me my important instructions on hair care.  I was instructed to let them settle and not mess in them too much (that is difficult right).  Although washing can  be done more often once they mature, I was instructed to wash not more than every 2 weeks.  Because of my texture and Imani's concern of slippage/un-locking, she prefers that I wash just before I go in for my re-tightening in 4 weeks.  She was very clear that I am not to use any product other than Sisterlocks shampoo and spritz of the water/tea tree oil mixture.  She was clear about being careful with my edges since they are very fragile.  She explained the washing process with the braid/bundle concept and answered additional questions before we left.  Although we were there for 12 hours, Imani worked diligently and never appeared annoyed or short with me.  (I am very regretful that I forgot to take a picture with both of them since they too were such pivotal pieces of my journey.)

I went home exhausted!!!

So Day 1 of my installation and I woke up....  Suprisingly, I was still in love with my Locks!  I was anticipating feeling some kind of way about them.. but I didn't.  I released my Bantu-Knots to find some very tight curls looking like a TWA... But was OK with it!  This is interesting because I chose NOT to cut my hair for vanity reasons.  I went on my day and I was VERY comfortable with my look....  Here it is....

    

  
The look is OK.. not my favorite, but I have plenty of time to play with my locks to figure out which styles are better for me.

I have been a person that needed the long weave or the straight hair. This new look of mine is Neither One.  I rocked this new look today with such comfort and confidence.  For the first time, I truly felt like I understood the statement "I am NOT my hair."  (I may need to change the name of my blog).  

When my hubbz finally saw it, he told me that he can tell how happy I was with my decision.  He said I was Glowing and looked so relaxed.  He asked me quite of few questions about them, demonstrating his continued interest and support in what I had chosen to do.  And never once did he look at me like I had lost my mind.  That made me feel even better....  I even got positive responses from all 3 of my sons and my nephew (who originally looked at me REALLY CRAZY when the Bantu knots were in)  

I sent several pictures to my family members and close friends, and finally uploaded some pictures on Facebook.   All of the responses that I received were very positive.  Some people did not mention anything about my DIFFERENT hair...  I wonder if it is because they don't care for it... But guess what... I Don't Care.  I locked my hair for me...  I hear that I gotta deal with OTHER people's acceptance of MY hair.  Well, ME and ALL THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE THAT MATTER are happy with it... so any negative comments will be cut short and not accepted  :-/

I am ending my DAY 1....  I definitely have "Hands In LOCKS"-itis and had to make a mental note to keep my hands DOWN!  I have spritzed my scalp more than I needed to because it was soo tight... And I am trying to tell myself to roll with the flow with the styles until the locks settle.  I feel that my babies are SO fragile and I want them to do well.  I will begin increasing my water intake to try to decrease the dry scalp/itchiness/dandruff that I have read about.  And I am trying not to mess with them too much to prevent any slippage.  My 3 yr old (who will be 4 on Sunday) loves to rub my head and hair, so I gotta keep his hands away from my babies right now.

Well, I know this was a lot of info.... I am going to bed to prepare for tomorrow's adventure with my locks... :-)

-- Choklett