Bad Hair Day!

Well it has been a bad hair week and it doesn't look like it will get much better soon. I have washed my hair 2 days this week because after the first hair wash my hair and scalp was left grey. Yes, grey and yucky! I had rinsed and rinsed and I thought all was well but as I took my hair out of braids the next morning before work I saw a hot mess. I tried to do a style to cover it up but I ended up wearing a hat. Thank God, I was working outside those few days. I went to see my consultant and she said it was build up. I washed it again last night and rinsed it several times. Now I might be able to go around without a hat but I find my hair still looks a little grey,

 I have bunching, there's slippage in a patch of locks on top, and I LOST  a few locks. My consultant may faint when she sees this mess.

I am so frustrated. I felt as though my dry scalp was getting under control but when I came back from Tobago my scalp and skin just got really dry in this Southern Cali climate. My face even got these really dry patches that discolored my face temporarily. 

I have about a week and a half till my next appointment and Precious, my consultant, may try baking soda during my wash. I thank God for her because I don't know how I would have made it through this valley experience without her. But having this much build up, along with my other issues she has been working to correct over the last few months ( lock thinning and slippage) happening all at the same time, has overwhelmed me.

So until my appointment, I will roll my hair so the ends are less obvious and I will wear my funky hair bands. But I have to be honest, I will be very self conscious.

If you have any advice, support or have had a similar experience, please share. 

5 Months

Well my 5 month anniversary has passed and I have to say I am at an interesting point in my journey. I LOVE MY HAIR!! I feel funky and fun with my hair this length but I am anticipating my growth because I am looking forward to long sexy locks. I want to be tossing my own hair around when I bellydance again. I don't want to worry if I will do a turn and see my hair piece laying on the floor. That never happened, thank God, but it was always a thought in my head.

Talking about thoughts in my head, I think there should be something called a 5 month inch. I am itching to dye my hair, use some fancy products and there has been a day or 2 that I was tempted to shave them off. But I am showing restraint for now and I am practicing patience.

Routine: A) wash every 2 weeks B) use Seabreeze spray on my scalp every 4 days C) retighten every 4 weeks

Goals: A) more patience B) dye my hair at my 1st anniversary C) growth D) hair locked at 1st anniversary (hey they say dream big)

Challenges: A) letting my scalp be- I am following the directions of my consultant in not using oils on my scalp and letting it 'do it's own thing and adjust to making it's own natural oils'. Well right now I am in the part of that process where my scalp's natural oils are in over production and I am getting tons of build up B) shrinkage- I see no growth and at times that can be frustrating C) slippage- the more we correct the locks the longer it will take to lock

Day 1 Month1 Month5

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, for your support, and for giving me stellar advice.

Back From T&T

Happy New Year All!!!

Well I promised that I would bring back some interviews from women wearing locks in Trinidad and Tobago but I was unable to do so. Why, you may ask. Well every time I approached someone to do so I was told, in so many words, that even though my hair was cute I was going to regret having it done so small because of breakage, lack of growth etc. I ended up explaining the Sisterlocks process and sending them to the website bc they were not 'convinced' that I didn't do something tragic to my hair.

Most of the comments were well meaning, I suppose, but I met up with one person who was condescending and she wondered why I chose Sisterlocks. I believe that each person has the right to do what they want with their hair whether that be relax, loc, twist etc. I just simply responded to her with the truth that I chose Sisterlocks because I think they are beautiful, and I felt like I could style them in a way I have always wanted my hair to look. sigh

So no interviews or pics but below are some pics of me in T&T. Right now my hair is going through a stage where it doesn't want to hold a curl so I have just been free styling it. I was a little frustrated with that bc I wanted my family to see my hair looking it's best. Well it must have been good enough because I took some curious Aunt's to a few blogs and showed them the Sisterlocks "Good Hair" Youtube video (see below) and they were sold.

Christmas in Bago!!!

Hair after taking out Bantu Knots

Only lasted 1 day

Very Important!!!

Many of us have family, know people who live in the Caribbean, or just enjoy taking trips to the Caribbean. No matter what we are all connected so I hope that you have already found away to donate to a Haiti relief fund but if not here is one way that you can help. I simply texted the word "Haiti" to the number 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross Relief Fund.

Loving Locs in T&T

As soon as I got off the plane in Trinidad I saw tons of beautiful women and men sporting their locs. If I didn't have to deal with the awful lines for customs/immigration and deal with my groggy 2 yr old I would have been taking tons of pictures. I will post some pictures and hair stories as soon as I can find willing participants.

So I am here in Tobago now because my parents want to celebrate the holidays here in the retirement home they built here. My Mom's a Trini and my Dad is Jamaican and they decided that Tobago will be the place to hide away from the Canadian Winter. I was hoping for a wonderful vacation but that was silly of me I HAVE BEEN PUT TO WORK!!

I hope you enjoy my island entries I will post as much as possible bc they do not have internet service yet :( But my Auntie does thank God!

Bantu Knots

I have wanted these bad boys for a long time but I just never took the time to learn how to do them. Well finally I had some, thanx to Precious who wanted to give me curls after my retightening. Even though I can't say I looked fab in them, it was fun to wear them. I felt artsy, like a dancer going to a rehearsal, well I did dance in my kitchen as I cleaned.

I wore them for a day, just around the house, then I took them out for work and I JUST LOVED THE CURLS unfortunately, those pics did not turn out. But I will post some curly pics when I attempt creating my own knots.

UPDATE: I am using the salon version of Sea Breeze found at Sally's,

I read on the lovely web that it works better then the other versions. It is also the one that my consultant uses. I will let you know if I can see a difference between this and the blue colored one.

Amen Dr J Cornwell!

I had a chance to see Dr. Cornwell's Video 'Sisterlocks on Good Hair' and I have to say I really enjoyed watching it. Even though I have to commend Chris Rock for getting people talking and thinking about Black Hair in ways many did not want to even acknowledge before, this short film takes the issue one step further to a place that it seems Chris Rock did not want or think to go.

If you have Sisterlocks this video makes you feel so good about making this Journey! I felt even more proud to be sporting my Sisterlocks today.

Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2MMpiloR3M&videos=0JzyPv3oGeM&playnext_from=TL&playnext=1

(You can go to directly to the Video at the bottom of my blog or click on the title above)

Dry scalp and Build up? Use the Blues!

As my hair inspiration, Blaqkofi, mentions in her blog to make sure you don't get build up rinse rinse rinse and stay away from products. When I went to see my consultant I had brutal build up, my hair was 3 weeks dirty, and there was a grey film on my hair. When she was done washing my hair, it was squeeky clean, the build up was gone!!! What did she use? Dawn dish soap!!! That along with my Sea Breeze spritz (see previous post below)has worked wonders on my dry flaky scalp. So my new best friends are the 2 blues Sea Breeze and Dawn.

I think I will alternate btw Dawn and the SL Starter shampoo. As long as I continue to still get these results.

No flakes I week later!! Usually after a retight my scalp would be itchy and flaky by now.

Sorry about the blur looks like we will need that new camera sooner then later :(

One more thing!! This week I have been drinking the Wheat Grass smoothie also and I am loving it, so I have a green friend too. Maybe the combo of all these things is helping to turn my scalp around.