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!!
=)

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!

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!!!!!  :-)

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

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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.  :-)

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.....