It's retightnin time agin. To prepare for this event I decided to try a couple of new things. First, (pic 1)someone posted on their blog that instead of using rubberbands they use the terry cloth covered bands which are mostly used by little girls for ponytails. They are easy to put in and take out. They don't pull out your hair or put stress on the hair from removing them after a wash. So to all you newbies out there I didn't know about this tip when I started and I give it 2 thumbs up.You can get these at your local dollar store. Next, (pic 2)I bought and used this Mediteranian Olive Oil Hair wrap from a coworker who sells Avon. This thing is great for absorbing the water from your hair after washing. And it only cost $6. But I'll give a caveat along with a thumbs up. You may not want to leave it on all nite. I left it on all nite and I wasn't real crazy about how my hair looked in the mornin. Nothing too serious that a little sweet orange oil spritz couldn't fix. I'm also showcasing pictures ( pics 3& 4) of how my hair looks before and after a retightin. I think my hair is gettin a little longer everytime. I asked my Sisterlocks consultant if I had any that were locked. She said that none of mine have completely locked yet. To those of you who are behind me in your journey just a reminder that getting/having locks requires patience. As I've said in previous posts I have xtra kinky coily hair that at a little over 10 months is still not fully locked. There are other sistas who when I look at their blog pictures and read their hair descriptions they appear similar to mine and some of them were locked at this point. When I've read about hair locking the things I've read say that my hair type is the best for locking and locks faster than less coily hair. That said, whether xtra fine or xtra coily my hair is going to lock when and ONLY when it's ready and yours is gonna do the same. There is no way to speed up the process so that you can have locks like so and so. Our locks and the locking process is personal and YOUniqely designed for the individual person. And finally, I've been wantin to share this for a long time but kept forgettin. Sometimes I'll pull a lock or two straight out and I'll play them like a bass guitar. Yea my hair strands are that strong. If you haven't tried this just do it. It made me laugh when I discovered my hair could make music. I haven't figured out how to play a song yet but, I will tell you that the thicker strands have a deep base sound and the skinnier ones a lesser deep base. Y'all prolly think I'm trippin but I ain't. Try it and I'll betcha you'll be laughing HAHA jus like me.

I created this collage Just Becuz when I usually take pictures I'm very casual not dressed up and sometimes in my pj's. I was on my way to a casual get 2gether so I decided to snap a few while I was waitin for my ride. Today I received my 1st Brunsli Hair Tie that I ordered a week ago. Several of the sistas have raved and praised these ties so I decided to see if the hype was true. So far I can say that I'm pleased. I haven't had a chance to wear it outside of the house but I'll letcha know if my opinion changes.

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The 13th of January marked my 10 month journey with Sisterlocks. What a journey it has been. My hair has grown thru so many positive changes. I can truly say that I haven't had a lot of drama. A couple of my locks have thinned in the middle for whatever reason but overall the locks seem to be united in doing their thing. My hair is the stuff that is the kinky, coily, yea what some even call nappy, stuff. I've tried a few things recently like Dr. Bronner's soap, a little coconut oil, almond oil, sweet orange oil and the Sisterlock moisturizer spray to name a few. I try things in small amounts becuz I'm careful about what I do to my locks. I can't truly say that I love one product more than another. I'll venture out a little more once my hair is fully locked. I marvel that all my locs were completed in one day but some are further along in the loc process than others. Some have buds, others don't. I guess they're like people who're born at the same time. Some mature faster than others. Overall it's all good with my Sisterlocks;I'm learning more about 'em erday. In case you can't tell from this and previous posts, I stillll love my Sisterlocks.

Yesterday I went to the 4th annual Natural Hair Care Expo in Baltimore and I had a blast. I spent waaay too much money but its all good cuz I was supporting my peeps. At least 80% of the people wore locks. I been having satin hair bonnet woes so I decided to buy 3 locsocks. www.soclocsoc.com
I slept in one last nite so far so good. I just love how versatile they are. So far I like wearin them better than the satin bonnet. And, if I need to get up and run out for errands I don't have to take it off. For those who aren't quite ready to commit to locking, there was a sister(Marion Council-George doing a techneek (new to me) which uses either synthetic or human hair to attach locs. This process took about 1 and 1/2 hours and cost about $200.(pic 2/) You can check out site here: http://www.goodhair.com/dbt.asp Some of the natural hair gurus that you see on the web were there. And of course Sisterlocks were represented. There was a consultant and one of her clients there. I was able to put in my 10 month 2 cent experience. Overall, I had a GREAT time seeing my folks exhibiting their creativeness and making natural hair 'Do what it do!' I've been told there's supposed to be another expo in DC next month. If so, I'll be there Lord willing.

Lock Venture Changes! These are 10 month comparison shots of what my hair looked like on March 13, 2006 & January 13, 2007. Ten months ago today I sat for about 9 hours and received a life altering transformation. Who knew that allowing my hair to 'be' would free me mentally, physically, and spiritually. Sometimes I look at my locks in the mirror and offer Praise and Thanksgiving to my Creator for giving me the PERFECT hair texture for locking. I went home to Texas for the holidays and I can't remember exactly what I was doing but it had to do with admiring my locks. My son said Mom you've become so vain since you got locked. I told him it wasn't vanity just confidence. If you feel what I mean holla at me. I know I'm not the only one cuz I visit blogs regularly and I see in others faces what I feel. I haven't had my hair retightened since 12/9 so it's not as neat as freshly tightened locks but that goes with being au natural. I'd like to say Thanks to all the ladies who created blogs showcasing their Sisterlocks. Before I made my decision I would stalk blogs trying to decide if I was gone get up offa that several hundred dollars. I tried a cheaper route with comb coils for about 3 weeks and couldn't stand all the flakiness and up keep they would require. Blogs dedicated to SL's help me know that they're what I wanted and it's a decision I haven't regretted. Hey, if you're out there and you come across this post and you're wanting to be free from scalp burns due to perms. Hair that grows but doesn't stay for long. Are you tired of trying to live up to a standard that is unattainable? Tired of givin the Koreans all your $$$? Consider going natural or getting any type of locks that suits you. Try it you just might love it. And finally to the creator of Sisterlocks(tm) Dr. Joanne Cornwell, In the words of an old skool hit 'Thank you for lettin me be myself agin!'

Lock Venture These last few days have not been good days for my Sisterlocks. No slippage problems or anything like that. It just that when I wake up (I do wear a satin bonnet at nite) my locks are in this funny shape. I've been spritzing with distilled water and sweet orange essential oil but it's still happenin erday. I look and the mirror and say what am I gonna do. I usually enjoy freestylin but not these last few days. I have to spritz to get my SL's in a non satin bonnet shape. I'd prefer not to do this daily cuz it is water and doing it daily may not be a good thing. Who knows? I've thought about leavin the bonnet off but I have a little build up in my locks that I'm tryin to nip in the bud. It's cold here in Maryland so I try to keep my head protected. I've been thinkin that maybe I'm in that fuuny teenage stage people talk about. When you can't do alot with your locks. Mine aren't real long. I'm not xzacly sure of the length; maybe one day I'll measure 'em. They aren't quite long enuff for a pony tail so I freestyle usually and this week I've been wearin head bands to help with my dilemma. I'm still not fully locked but I'm sure I'm on my way. I've also just bought some coconut oil which I let a little bit dissolve in my hand and then use it to massage my scalp to help combat some of the dryness. Oh yea, I did use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap over the holidays to wash. I wasn't xzactly sure how to dilute it so I put a few squeezes of it in a spray bottle with water of course. I'm using the shampoo spray method I saw the girl do with her locks on YOUTUBE. My locks were soft aftwards. Softer than than it is when I use the Sisterlocks Aloe Shampoo. That concerned me a bit but, I did like the softer feel. I not sure if I'll use it again or continue using the SL Aloe. My goal is not to do anything that compromises my locking progress. Since this hair locking thing is not an xzact science who can really be sure what inhibits or helps the process. I'm still getting retightened every 6-8 weeks and I haven't stop bandin and braidin. I probably could stop but I want to continue until the one year mark which is 2 months away. BTW, I'm not only using the coconut oil for my hair but I'm taking it orally 2x daily along with a tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar. I was told and I researched and read that both have health benefits. Weight loss (which I need) and supposedly they help lower blood pressure and cholosterol. I just started this Sunday Jan 7, 2007 so we'll see how it works out by the time my SL anniversary rolls around in March. I eventually plan to use the ACV to help remove the buildup I have in my locks. I hope to post later about this.
I'm comtemplating whether I will stay in Maryland when school is out or move to another state, Atlanta, GA, or maybe back home to Texas. I enjoy the area and the people I've met but I still can't get used to how much it cost to live here. I read in the paper the other day that it cost 30% more to live here than anywhere else in the U.S. Where I'm from people on minimum wage can afford to buy a house. But not here. I tease them the people here and tell them that their homeless people gotta have a job to survive here. lol. I make waaaay more money here than I did in Texas but I didn't realize most of it would be eatin up in taxes. Back in Big D I could afford a new home on my meager teacher's salary. I can't do that on my much bigger salary here. I don't like to work just to exist. I'd like to be able to really live. For example, save some $$$, vacation, own a house, give to those in need etc. Don't get me wrong I ain't complainin just evaluatin my sicheeashon. And I do dearly miss family and friends at times. I'm askin the Lord's guidance as to what He would have me do. Cuz, where He leads I'll follow.
I'm goin to a natural hair expo in Baltimore this Sunday. Hopefully I'll have some pics and info to share from that. Thierry Baptiste is supposed to be there. This dude does some baaaad stufff with locks. If your not aware of his work check him out at http://www.thierrybaptiste.com another site that has wonderful lock creations is http://www.morrisroots.com he's in the UK but that's ok cuz you can get great ideas for styles from him. Maybe one of these days I can roc a loc style like the ones on these sites. I know that this is a journey which will have good & bad days and ups and downs. I'm still glad I have Sisterlocks and I still love 'em and what comes along with havin 'em.