SPRINGY LOCKS??

I am not really sure what that means, but as I played with my hair (now I see why so many "white" girls twirled their hair), I noticed this springy action in my locks. And not just one, but like most of them have this going on.

I think that its a good sign. I have been noticing the changes in my hair lately, its getting more hard to the touch. I am just amazed at what happens when your hair is just left alone.

I don't have dandruff or itchiness anymore. I washed my hair at the two week mark (since my last re-tightening) and honestly, it really wasn't itchy or dirty, I just knew that with my schedule, I wouldn't have any other time to wash it. That braiding and banding (and clipping) business takes me like 2 hours!

Ever since I stopped diluting the shampoos, I feel like my hair is getting more clean and I see the obvious difference, I don't have flakes. I have noticed, ironically, that I have severe dryness the morning after the wash, but I know that that is a result of the starter shampoo. It really dries out my hair, so I just take a bit of ACV on a q-tip and place in that area, to at least get something on it. I have enough left for another shampoo, so I guess I'll have to buy some more (or just stick with my Suave Clarifying Shampoo!) I'll see what the wonderful KiKi says in a couple weeks.

I am loving my hair. Like seriously. I am loving the fact that I just get up and go and I am anxious for what the future holds. Time really does fly. You don't really notice how quick four weeks go buy until you look up and you have another re-tightening session. I'm thankful to God that He's chosen this path for me.

Till next time....

Marlena

It's been a while...

I have been so busy with home and school and work that I just haven't had time to sit and blog.

There really isn't much to discuss....my hair is just doing its thing I guess. Those edges just won't stay put at all, so I have some (like 3) that have unraveled, but that's cool.

In some ways I wish my hair was longer so that I can do more than just freestyle with it. But then again, over manipulation isn't good either so I think that's ok.

Gotta run now...the baby is whining....don't know why kids just won't go to sleep when they're sleepy LOL

BEFORE AND AFTER MY 1ST RE-TIGHT

School and work and home has been kicking my butt. Not to mention the cold I can't get rid of (and I know its cuz I need to rest)...which has left me too tired some days to blog. I have been wanting to provide updates for a while, but time just didn't allow me to, until now. The office is empty and quiet and I don't want to do any work right now. Its freaking cold outside (here in Chicago) and the snow is just taking over. I would have just stayed in bed, but...maybe I should have. So...I'm officially a month locked now! I got my re-tightening on the 2nd, a couple days shy of my official date of the 4th. I love not doing anything to my hair, no styling, curling, nothing. My hair is so short that freestyle looks good. I contemplated using some perm rods or curlers, but then it would look even shorter, and that's not cute. I am getting like the frizzy ends, so maybe I'll try something out when I wash next week. I am not experiencing any itchiness or anything...the last time I shampooed, which was right before my re tightening, I didn't dilute the shampoos that much...maybe not even 2 parts shampoo, 1 part water. I just put a little water in and shampooed. It truely made a difference, because now, seven days later, I still don't feel any itchiness. One thing I'm experiencing is flakes near my front hairline. I remember reading a blog in which a lady was experiencing the same thing and it was a result of the face lotion that she was using. Since reading that I make sure that the satin bonnet is still on my head when I put my face lotion on, so that it's nowhere near my hairline, but I seem to still be getting a lot of flakes in that area that are like intermingling with my locks. (dandruff being embedded in the lock). Don't know what else to do but spot clean with acv....I won't wash till another week from now, so we shall see how it goes. Other than my hair...I absolutely dislike my job. I am content in where God has me, yet I know that He has greater things to come. I have 11 months until my student teaching begins, so I'm just getting all my ducks in a row until then. We really want to move...we like where we live, but its so expensive. I really want a new car and we need to buy another car for the household. I know that once school is in order and my career changes, these types of decisions will be pretty easy, but now....(sigh). I would really like to just quit where I am and focus on my business, but I can't do that either working 9 to 6 and on saturdays. I just know that God is going to work it all out..... Till next time ppl!

Still here!

Nothing much has happened in the last week or so....which means I'm still here and still locked!

I have gotten a lot of compliments on my hair, but I know that ppl think that they are just little braids. I was sooo happy when at my uncle's house for Christmas, a young lady (my cousin's girlfriend) said.."oh, that's so cute! You and your daughter have sisterlocks!"

Well, my daughter doesn't...she had small two strand twists all over her head, but it was nice for someone to finally compliment me on my hair and actually know what they are.

I can't wait for my retightning. My consultant, Kiki of Natural and Free, LLC (www.naturalandfree.com) is doing AWESOME! She is booked like every weekend, so I am going to have to schedule my retightnings like six months out!

I am anxious for it (my retightning) because I have a lot of questions...I don't style my hair at all, its so short that I just freestyle, but I definitely tell the difference in the two textures in my hair that KiKi was telling me about. The front seems to have unraveled, yet the back and the sides have "locks" that are still in place. I don't know if this is attributed to the consistent flakes in the front of my hair, which leads me to scratching and brushing my hair with my hands and fingers to get the flakes out. I will say that the flakes have calmed down a bit, but not much. The itchiness has subsided, but the flakes remain. (sigh)

I do have some slippage and those that have come completely undone in the back of my nape area, but I know that that is due to my bonnet not reaching the back of my hair and those baby's being wet while I'm in the shower.

I have some stray hairs just growing in my hair, mainly at the top, but KiKi said that's normal. I do realize that the hair at the top of my hair, from the middle to the front hairline is going to be the most difficult to lock. I feel like it's going to just unravel and try to do its own thing all the time.

I must admit, these four weeks went by so fast...a lot quicker than the three weeks in between my consultation and my initial install. I have a feeling that the next couple of months will go by pretty fast as well.

I'm looking forward to the NEW YEAR and all the things that it bring! 2010 will be the beginning of the rest of my life! New hair, new attitude, new and exciting things on the horizon!

Till next time!

I WASHED MY HAIR!

Sisterlocks are not only teaching me to love me wholly, but I'm learning a thing or two about patience.... My scalp is very itchy and flaky..and I don't think its from the lack of oil because I haven't "oiled" my hair or scalp in months prior...but I've always had dandruff. Before SLs when I had dandruff, I just washed my hair...and that was about every 4 or five days....so...going from the 4th to now (yesterday) was torture! I couldn't stop scratching, and flakes kept appearing, even after the acv (which was a temporary fix). So, last night I decided to wash my hair.... It took me an HOUR and FIFTEEN minutes just to braid (twist in my case since my hair is so short) and band and clip. Trying ever so gently not to mess anything up...not to be too rough...trying not to mess up my little babies... I diluted the shampoo and spritz my hair and rinsed, rinsed, rinsed...and today, I've come to these conclusions... 1) I diluted the shampoo too much cuz my scalp doesn't look or feel clean at all. 2) I twisted too tight, didn't get shampoo into the sections, just on top 3) I think I have slippage in the middle back of my hair and the front, but none in the back 4) A lot of my ends seemed to unravel Hmm....I don't think I zig zagged enough....i think I was being so careful that all I did was put some water on my hair and not wash really. I did separate the locks and let them air dry. I awoke this morning to still finding flakes....I have huge flakes only in the top and sides of my hair, not really in the back....I just had to shake and go. Hopefully things get better.... Any suggestions??

Loving my SLs and my NEW EARRINGS!

So... Today was another beautiful day of fluff and go! I just had to wear my earrings from CaiTai today (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BuyCaTai)! They are absolutely gorgemous! I usually have a ton of down time at work so a lot of my pics may be from there. Nothing really to report...I used some acv on my scalp and the itchies and dandruff have calmed down a bit. I'll be washing my hair on tomorrow and def posting pics of that. Till next time!

1 week old (technically!)

I've been living in some of my SLs for a week..others won't come to this milestone until Wednesday.

But....I've loved every minute. I am a last minute type of girl...I wake up with just enough time to get dressed and head out of the door (I have a toddler that is allergic to sleep!). Since I've been locked, I actually have about 5 mins to spare...and that's a lot in my world!

Below are some pics of me today. I have a couple locks that are just doing their thang and sticking up all whicha way. But that's cool.

I got a lot of compliments today....a lot of "ooh I like your hair" But i know that many thought they were tiny braids...I didn't say anything different...it was family, so they'll see the transformation occur before their eyes.

OMG...what am I gonna do about the itchiness and the dandruff. I'm suppossed to wash my hair this weekend, but i don't know if I can last that long. Like, if my hands are in my hair now, its to scratch my scalp and try to get these dandruff out. I stopped oiling my scalp when I did the big chop because it felt like I had worms crawling on/in my scalp with the thickness of my hair....BUT I did wash my hair like every 3 0r 4 days...whenever it started to itch, I washed it...so I'm going a lil nuts over here!

But, besides that, I'm still liking them. I like them short....i'm appreciating the texture more. I don't feel compelled to spiral rod or roll them cuz my hair isn't long enuf yet. My locs are getting those curly q's already and is looking like a puff of curls anyway, so I'm glad they are just being left alone and i'm freestyling for now.