Review of Month 2 - The Good, The Bad, and The Frizz

Hey everyone!!

Yesterday was my 2 month anniversary.  I decided to commemorate the occasion by looking a hot ass mess.  LMAO  Not really, but yeah... It's been wild lately. They are making their own decisions about what is going to occur and I'm pretty much just along for the ride. And you know what?  I wouldn't have it any other way!!



So let's start with the good:

Isn't it pretty!! lol

• My hair has finally started to bud. (LOL at the "finally" like I've been at this for so long, but that's how it feels.)  I molest my hair on a daily basis looking for changes.  A couple of weeks ago, I started to feel a couple of tiny hard knots along my braids, but when I looked at those braids in the mirror I couldn't see anything.  Then all of a sudden one day, I had a lump in the middle of my braid.
• My routine or lack thereof. I wash when I feel my hair or scalp needs it, so about twice a week. I braid it up if I'm feeling fancy, if not I pretty much just rinse in the morning and throw a headband on.  I LOVE IT!!

Now let's talk about the bad:

•  Creeping locks!!  I wouldn't necessarily call it bad, but it's damn sure inconvenient.  I always read about people "popping" their locks on Nappturality. It seemed like something that happened at later stages so I really didn't pay it too much attention.  I'm trying to focus on what I'm currently dealing with and not worry about what's around the corner.  However, my hair doesn't care about my schedule... they have started merging NOW! lol So basically after every shampoo, I go through my roots and make sure none of them are hugging. :) It doesn't take long and it doesn't hurt, but I just thought I'd have more time before that became an issue. Thinking back, I'm not sure why I assumed that. My hair has always loved to tangle together, thus my contempt for detangling.
• Slippage - that braid in the back that I took down and rebraided? Came apart again... and this time it invited its neighbor to the party lol.  I refuse to stress about them, so I just finger-latch them when they get too loose. I'm pretty sure my bedtime ponytails are the culprit, but I just can't see myself giving those up.  So I'll deal with the slippage until it starts locking. *shrug*

I saved the best for last... let's talk about THE FRIZZ:

• I am fully aware that this probably isn't a lot of frizz and that it's going to get way worse, but I honestly wake up every morning and just stare. O_o  My hair is frizzy!  It's not just the swollen puffy ends that are looking crazy, the frizz and poof has now started traveling up the braids. I know that this is the first stage to my hair locking and seriously... yay! But DAMN! One thing that has definitely helped me was my prior loose hair journey.  That experience made me not really focus on the days my hair looked bad because I knew where I was going. And I find myself drawing on that inner strength. I don't care how it looks... I know where I'm going to end up so it's all worth it.

98% of my ends look like this now.

Frizzy, poofy, crazy... and I love each one!

That's all for my journey in 2011!!  I'm so excited to see what 2012 has in store for me and my hair.
 Til the next time, keep it nappy y'all!!

*flips locks* Deuces!!

Hello all,

I'm nearing my 2 month anniversary!!  Expect that update in about 2 weeks.

My hair is doing pretty good.  I'm getting more and more comfortable with it as days go by.

I'm just dropping in to show you all how I've been wearing my hair in these beginning stages.

Before                                                 After

 I pretty much live in braidouts. It took me a while to figure out a technique that would give me my preferred look until I realized that I should just cornrow them the same way I did my loose hair. Love how it looks and it's pretty much my day to day look.

  

I had an event at my office a couple of weeks ago and wanted to try out an updo.  This is what I came up with.  I liked it... but those bobby pins were killing my scalp! LOL

At night, I usually toss my hair up in a loose ponytail and put on a satin bonnet.  I'm trying to stay on top of keeping my hair covered to stop lint.










 
So that's it for now!  See you after Christmas! Enjoy your holidays everyone and be blessed.

*flips locks* Deuces!!

One Month Review! Lessons Learned

Hello all,

I have passed the one month mark.  Technically, I'm at one month and a few days now, but I've been busy and unable to update.

Here's what I have learned so far:

1. Shrinkage will come.   Only a few braids shrunk up after my first couple of rinses and washes so I was skeptical about when the rest of my hair was going to catch on.  One day I looked up and realized that my hair was about the length of my wash and goes. :)  So patience is definitely a virtue.
2. Rules are optional.  I spent my first 2 weeks following all of the rules I had studied prior to getting the braids installed.  I didn't use any conditioner, I didn't style my hair... I basically left it alone.  Around week 3 I came to the conclusion that this is MY journey, so I'm going to do it MY way.  I conditioned my hair on my one month anniversary and nothing bad happened. I wore it up in a bun a couple of days ago... it's all still there. This is not to say that the advice you learn while researching isn't important, but you have to figure out what's going to work for you and what you're comfortable with.
3. Frizz is king. My hair was frizzing like crazy after my first wash, so I've had some time to get used to it and I'm passed the point of it bothering me. My braidouts cover it pretty well, so *shrug* It's just not that big of a deal to me yet. On the other hand...
4. New growth is!  I thought I would be one of those fabulous women who semi-freeform and don't worry about their roots.  I mean the scalpy look was driving me crazy so the opposite should be my fav right? WRONG!  LOL For some reason I prefer them to look manicured.  Again... *shrug* this may change but for now I'll be on a 5 Week retightening schedule. I have already finished my 1st retightening, I'll be doing a post on that and its results later this week.
5. There will be days that you just aren't feeling it! Before I came to tentative terms with my frizz, there were a couple of days that I just wasn't at all happy with how my hair was looking.  So... I went on youtube, learned how to do a hair wrap, and kept it moving.  I think that if you're really in locking for the long term, you're going to have "bad hair" days.  My best advice is keep it moving! :)
6. Find someone who is also beginning to lock!  I was lucky enough to come in contact with several women on Nappturality who started around the same time I did.  We have been able to form a group there to commiserate on our experiences.  We all started with different ways (twists, coils, braids, extensions) and I'm excited to see the different ways our hair develops.  These women are going through it with me, so if I have a day that I'm feeling like I look a hot mess, they understand and encourage. I never would have walked out of my front door with the hair wrap on without their support! If you would like to join our group, please feel free. Virtual Lock Buddies

Going forward, I will only be doing hair reviews once a month, but I'll still be updating frequently with hairstyles I've tried or products I'm using.  I'll also be launching a Youtube Channel to accompany this blog, so that's something to keep an eye out for.

I'll leave you with pics of my progress so far:

Back - See what I mean about shrinkage? lol

It's getting thicker!!

That's all for now, until next time... Keep it nappy!!

*Flips hair* Deuces!!

Week 3 in Review!

Hello all!!

So today it's been 3 weeks since I got my braids.  I was all set to get on here and write a post about how nothing is new with my hair...except I have now realized something has been happening this week. :)

I've definitely got some shrinkage now.  It's no shorter than my wash and goes usually were, but it's shorter than it has been since braided.

Still got the frizz going on. It's not too bad.  I know it's going to get much worse, so I'm trying to take it in stride.

Another interesting development... my ends are starting to do something.  I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but the spirals are tightening up and feeling spongy.  Not sure where that's going, but it wasn't like that last week so I thought I'd mention it. :)

I'm going to hold off on a ton of pics this week because I'll be doing comparison pics for my 1 month anniversary and I don't expect it to have too much change between this week and the next.

I will leave you with a ponytail pic.  You might be able to see what I mean about my ends from it.

I kinda love this pic. Don't know why but I do.

 So that's all for now, talk to you soon.  Keep it nappy!

*flips hair* Deuces!!

Week 2 In Review!!

Hey all!!


I'm 2 weeks in!!  I'm still loving no detangling, getting up and going, and not worrying about it!!  I should have done this a year ago.  I have some shrinkage, but not as much as I was expecting.  I have maybe 5 braids out of the bunch that have significant shrinkage.  The rest are just chilling I guess. 

Everything is going good besides the lack of shrinkage. I've got some frizz going on, but nothing that I can't handle.  The only problem I've had so far is one braid at the nape of my neck that doesn't want to act right!  It was loose in the middle but braided at the top and bottom so I don't know what the heck was happening.  After consulting the lovely people on Nappturality, I took it down and rebraided it.  So hopefully it will get with the program now!

I did learn one thing for dealing with this braid though... those lil spiral curls are the end are getting tough from the daily rinsing! When I took down that row at the beginning and re-sized it, all I needed was a comb to take the braid down.  Now 2 weeks later, I had to use some conditioner because it was not letting go! LOL 


That's all I have for now.  I probably won't post any more pics until I hit one month, but I'll be back just to tell you how it's going for week 3.

Keep it nappy!

*flips hair* Deuces!!

Week 1 Review

Hello all,

It's been a week since I got my braids. :)

I just finished my first shampoo.  I used Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle shampoo.  When I first did my big chop, I used to use their conditioner and it always worked nice, so I decided to give the shampoo a try. I think that bottle was $1.99.  

My curly ends

I've discovered that I love daily rinsing.  I started doing it on about Tuesday and once I saw that I didn't have unraveling problems, I went for it. Scalp feels great no problems.




  
Products: Spray bottle of water (several times a day), Spray of aloe vera gel & witch hazel for my scalp (when needed), dollar tree moisturizing spray (once a week).  I've now added a spray bottle of chamomile that I'll be using once a day. 

 That's it for now, I'll be back in a week with the next review.


*flips hair* Deuces!!

Keep Your Love Locked Down!!

Hey all,

I got my braidlocks started!!

They're a small to medium mix of sizes.  The braider made them tight.  Not like tight to my scalp, but like the weaving of the hair.  It is secure.  I am no longer worried about unraveling.  They are in there. LOL

It's been a weird and confusing journey so far, to be honest.  I like them, but I don't love them.  They don't look like what I had imagined, but I can't picture them any other way .  I thought I would have really tiny microlock parts.  That's not what I have, and I've realized it's not what I want, at least not right now. It's been a bit jarring to discover that.

I actually took down a row and split each braid into 2.  I liked the way they came out, but not really any more than I liked them previous to the splitting.  So it just seemed dumb to continue doing it. I may change my mind about later, but for now... I'm good.  I like them enough to wait and see what happens, instead of jumping to conclusions.

I sprayed my hair with a water bottle and spritzed my scalp with a mix of witch hazel and aloe vera gel.  So I added some moisture and battled the itchy scalp. After that, my ends curled up and I like the way those look.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to worry about the size for now.  I'm going to enjoy them and get to know them.  And I'm going to look DAMN CUTE doing it. :)

Until the next time, keep it nappy y'all.

*flips hair*     Deuces!!

One week til Loc Down!!

Hi all!!

A week from today, my braidlocs will be installed.  To say I am excited is an understatement.  I'm one of those people who obsesses and worries about every single thing that could possibly go wrong, so I've basically been driving my friends and family nuts. lol  My husband has told me flat out that he loves me and is excited for me, but he has pretty much stopped listening as soon as I say the words "hair" or "locs" LMAO

The craziest thing, the closer I get to next Saturday, the more calm I become.  Today I went through under my sink and threw out anything that I won't be able to use once I get my braids unless I'm going to use it this week for wash and goes. There wasn't much actually, I had already given away a ton of stuff.

So this week I've been wearing my hair blown out!  I hadn't done it since January, but I was curious to see how it would look one last time and how long it really is.

So yeah... it has grown a LOT!!  I had to do my snoopy dance because my hair has NEVER been this long.  Weird thing though... I no longer like wearing my straight loose hair down lol.  It's too thick and it was slightly rainy this week so I decided to try out some buns that I could maybe transfer to a loc style later.

This was the first bun I wore.  I liked how it looked but I didn't really like how it felt in my head.  It didn't feel secure and I had a tone of pins, not to mention the sticks in there.  I was constantly checking all day to make sure it hadn't fallen. I pulled my hair back like I was going to put it in a ponytail, then folded it in half, grabbed the ends of the fold, and stuck the sticks in.  I added bobby pins until I could shake my head without anything falling.

This was the 2nd bun I tried out.  I put a ponytail at the top pf my head, split the tail in into two pieces, wrapped one to the front and pinned, wrapped the other to the back and pinned.  This actually lasted several days and was so cute and easy.  This is definitely one I'll retry with the locs.

Final note... I've realized it has been exactly 3 months since I dyed my hair in preparation for the sisterlocks that never happened. lol  So I decided to take a pic to show my growth in that time.

 


Pretty good right!!

So that's all I've got for now.  I probably won't be back until after I get my braids done, but I'll try to post that night to show you all how it turned out.  I'm still a little unsure on how small I want them to be, but I'm thinking to err too small because I'm pretty sure it will be easier for me to combine them than split them.

Until next time, keep it nappy!

Update and a Style!!

Hi everyone!!

I've been gone almost a month this time because I needed to do some research.  I have spent the last 6 months learning about sisterlocks, studying sisterlocks, and pretty much stalking anyone with a sisterlock blog.  In the last month, I realized it was time to face a very important fact... I can't afford sisterlocks!  LOL I'm saying I could save up the money and get them, but there's so much other stuff that I could use that money for that when I thought about it, I knew I had to let them go.

However, I'm not letting go of getting micro locks.  I shall be getting micro braids (We call them 'zillions' in Detroit... do they do that where you live too?) and letting them lock into braidlocs.  You'd think I'd be disappointed, but I'm actually so excited.  I'll still get the look that I want and I'll be retightening them on my own like I wanted so... I really don't see this as a bad thing at all.  I've got an appointment set for Oct. 29.  I'm still a little undecided on how small I would like them to be, but I know I don't want teeny tiny.  Not if I'm going to be the one retightening them lol

So let me show you what I've been up to for the last month... 2 Strand Twists!!  I've been putting them in and leaving them for 2 weeks.

Here's the first set I did, they were regular size.  It took me about 4.5 hours to do them, but I was watching movies and taking breaks during it. I wore those for 2 weeks and then rocked the twistout for about 3 days.

These past 2 weeks, I've had mini twists... I actually didn't like them as much at first but I love them now and they lasted much better.  These took about 6.5 hours to do.  I didn't take any pictures during the process because I was just trying to get them done lol  I'll be taking these down and washing my hair tonight. I used the same products as above.  Gotta admit I love that Shea Moisture Smoothie!  It makes my hair SO soft!

That's all I've got for now.  I've only got 3 weeks left until I get my braids, so I'm pretty much going to be going wild with the loose styles for at least 2 of those weeks.  One of them I have to rock my wash and go to show my appreciation for all the fabulousness she has given me in the last 2 years.

Til the next time, keep it nappy!!

No Sisterlocks for now...

Hi all,


I've been MIA trying to figure out who was going to do my locks... then the bottom dropped out.  My truck broke down and fixing her is going to take all of my sisterlock savings.  I'm trying not to be sad because it's much more important that my truck run so I can get to work and everything, but still... I have that disappointed feeling you only have when you were this close to getting what you really wanted.  So I have to start saving for them over... and in the mean time my hair will be getting longer, so I really don't see myself getting them done before November at this rate. :(

Okay that's all the time I have given myself to be sad.  Because in the mean time, the in between time... I'm gonna continue to blog about my hair.  I've finally mastered a few hairstyles so I will be using my blog to show you what I'm doing and hopefully how I did it.  I hope you stick with me, but if not blessed be.

Keep it nappy y'all!!

Twist Out!!

I've never had a successful twist out, I've been trying for 2 years.  My cousin finally helped me realize it was because I've been using leave in as my styling product and I should have been adding some gel.  O.o  LOL  I use just a leave in for my braid outs and they always come out awesome, so I've assumed that the same thing would work for the twist outs.  When I think of all the hot mess I went through when I could have added one thing and been good... Smh.

• Co-Washed
• Garnis Sleek and Shine Leave in rubbed through
• Aussie Hair Insurance sprayed all over.
• 2 strands twists
• Air dry
• Rub with Proclaim Activator gel in morning to make damp
• Air dry

I loved the defined curls! 

Hair Update!!!

Hi everyone!!

I've been missing for a few weeks trying to figure out exactly who is going to install my sisterlocks.  I've been second guessing and it's kind of got me tripping. One way or the other, they are getting installed the week of 9/18. lol I sound super confident right!! 

In the interim... I have been doing a bunch of hairstyles I've never achieved before!!  It's like my loose hair has decided it's going to let me get a couple of cute styles done after 2 years of failure LOL

I've been taking pictures so I could share what's worked:


Banding

I've always heard of people doing this, but I've never tried it myself.  It was easier than I expected and I liked the way my hair was easy to style after.

Side View

Shampooed and conditioned.

Back View

 

 

Applied leave-in Garnis Fructis Sleek and Shine.

Top View

Used ponytail holders to start, rubberbands the rest of the way down.

Final Results!!

  

Final Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sisterlocks Detroit Homecoming

The Midwest Extravaganza took place 8/13 at Cobo Hall in Detroit. It was also my birthday and I have to say, that was an awesome way to spend the day! Picture a huge room full of women with beautiful natural hair, fabulous vendors, and no drama. Love it. Much love to the women who let me take pictures of their hair, because I pretty much spent the whole time stalking people lol

Love the skyline in the back, and yes her hair is that beautiful in person!!

These women were SO nice and they gave me awesome advice.  Check out the length on the end!!

Dr. Cornwell and me!  She was super sweet and funny!

Beautiful sisterlocks!!

I covet her color!!!

I loved her style so she let me take a pic so I could try to duplicate it when I get my locks!

Medium and large sisterlocks.  So Pretty!!

The woman in the blue shirt has my ideal length.  That's my goal!!

This woman had traditional locks, but her style was so fabulous I had I get her picture!!

Her curls were really pretty and she had on some of the baddest earrings I've seen in a minute.

Her color was ON POINT!!  Like seriously ♥♥♥♥ It was so beautifully saturated!

She was freaking adorable and her bun was too cute.  This is another style I hope to duplicate.

My fabulous cousin in the parking garage.  She's natural and her hair is always fly!!

In the parking garage ready to leave... Notice the shirt?  lol  Happy birthday to me!!

















Dr. Cornwell also got her hair trimmed at the event. I taped it... I might post it eventually, but I have to figure out how to edit it first. We shall see. Hope you enjoyed the pictures, if you happen to be in one and would like to be credited or have it removed, just let me know.

Until the next time, keep it nappy!!

My Lil Sample Babies!!

So on Saturday, I went to my consultant (who is also my cousin) to get my test locks put in. She decided to put in 2 locks just above and behind my left ear. Now, I knew my hair had some length to it, but I have SERIOUS shrinkage and I haven't blown my hair out since January, so I only had a vague impression of how long it is.

WHOA BABY!! It's between 8.5 and 9 inches all the way through. Now to you, that might not seem like a lot... but for me? That's at least 2 inches longer than my hair ever reached while relaxed, and it only took me almost 2 years to get it. *snoopy dance*

We've decided that my SL will be installed from Sept. 18-23, depending on how long it takes. She's estimated about 30 hours, but I have a lot of hair so we'll see. I'm actually taking that week off from work because:

1. I need a dang vacation.

2. She works morning and I work afternoons. For the deal she is giving me, if she'd have told me to be at her house at 3am with a chicken foot in my right hand, I would LOL

I probably won't post again until my 2 year Nappiversary, which is August 18th. So I'll leave you with a couple of pics of my sample babies.

I know they are going to shrink up and everything... but this picture right here is a triumphant moment for me. *tear*

Here they are dangling out of my puff, happy as you please lol.

Keep it nappy y'all!!