Been Missing for a while but still here!

Hey ya'll I haven't posted in a while but as the title says, I am still here!!

Since my last post I have had 2 retightenings and am currently attempting to create a style for my Work Dinner Dance black tie event this weekend. My first style took ten minutes I got it done yesterday and oh my days it really itches like crazy!! It is a simple canerowed updo and I am trying to get some sort of bun going on up there...with the addition of fake hair (GASP...yep I said it...weave onnnnnnn lol). Not saying that my natural hair wouldn't be enough to style, but for the weekend not the style I want lol (dont be rolling your eyes at me!!)

Anyhows, I will try not to ramble too much, my hair has changed quite a bit since last posting, there are two pics showing a change in the back as well as the style and a glimse of the one I am trying to create. After the dance I will post pics from the night and after I take down the canerow pics of my hair in it's own state. lol

Back In September

October

Trying a ting...Dont laugh!!

My consultant has said that she is pleased with the way my hair is coming along and feels that it wont take no time to lock up. I feel it is settling in well, my only gripe is that the locks at the front are really tiny and I have asked to combine them but she feels that they are the right size. Even after having a retight they join themselves back together and just look like one big mess, the medium sized ones are doing well and some of the small in the crown of my head have been combined. I might not know what I am talking about but I wish I had stuck to my gut instinct about them being medium instead of small in area's cause not even 3 months in and I dont think there is a straight line goingthrough my head!! May have to get someone to look at it for me...

Anyway, till after the dance...x

The ugly duckling...

I am writting this post with a very heavy heart today. I vowed to write this blog when things come up to show anyone out there who might be reading the good and bad of being/becoming a natural headed sista. The story behing this post is as follows. 


Mr Mac has been trying to get a new job for over a year and during that time filled out countless applications. A few weeks ago he got the job offer of his dreams and he arranged to take me out on a "date" to say thanks for helping with the forms, suit, interview techniques etc. so we booked the grandparents to keep DD1 and DD2 overnight on Saturday whilst I would be dined and wined. We booked a fabolous italian resturaunt which we vowed to go back to and I got my frock 3 weeks ago with acessories for the occassions. Throughout the week I had been becoming even more concious of my hair and stares but battled with the mirror to achieve a simple freestyle with headband, put on my face, earrings, necklace and frock. With Mr Mac on my arm, I felt on top of the world! So...

Off we go to drop off the kids and my mother turns to me and says "I don't like your hair, it looks horrible, it makes you look ugly, you look like dem rasta" at which point DD1 chirped in to try and save the day "nanny that is not very nice, mummy looks pretty" to which my mother replies "well I dont like it, it looks horrible!"

So after some cuffling with my frock I tried to fight back the tears but gave in when Mr Mac asked me what was wrong. My dad got involved  and I broke down right there in the house. It turned into a big family debate about my mother hating dreadlocks (two of my brothers were rastafarian and she disowned them) and how she will never comment on my hair again. I dried my tears and we went to the car and I just broke down.

Needless to say my night was ruined, my self esteem is in tatters and I just feel, wel...ugly. I tried so hard to look nice for myself and Mr Mac and the evening was planned 4 weeks ahead. Mr Mac says maybe if they were longer she would be more accepting and I have thought about extending them, I have thought about maybe just being natural. I dunno, just blah! I know I shouldn't take on board what my mum sais, but it hurts so much. I never locked my hair to be an advocate or black educator, I just simply wanted to be me, but it seems that being "me" will cause major problems in my own family.

On another note, I had my hair retightened yesterday after a wash. I'm sure you'll understand my picture less post right now. Just thought I would put this post up for anyone that might stop by and read. x

S.O.S Fellow lockers?!

OK, so this is not the lick! I am in desperate need of help on this one. My fellow lockers, I have only been locked for 2 1/2 weeks now. My consultant advised me to wait a while until my first retight in another 2 weeks so I haven't washed. All I have done is spray my hair lightly with water, finger comb (no styling!) and tie my head at night with a scarf. Low and behold I have noticed for a few days now that when i do "run my fingers through my hair" that I am able to find at least 5 of them that are trying to do naughty things to the lock next to it! I know that you are supposed to seperate after washing, but as I have not yet washed I am really panicking about this cause I have to have MrMac up in my head helping me seperate them and my scalp is now on fire. What am I doing wrong? I dont know how much more I can take of finding these locks trying to join each other, the pain is just too much...is there anybody with any advice? ideas?

On another note I had DD1 count my locks yesterday 519 locks!! we weer only going for around 370, heck she had a chart and even planned how much would go where! how on earth did i end up with so many, great, now I am scared to death about washing and now about when it comes to retight. Me and MrMac are supposed to be going on a hot date (like the old days) next weekend and all the above coupled with my lacking styling skills...oh i dunno..guess it's safe to say I am not feeling too fly right now!...rant over I guess

Whatcha lookin at??

So It's been a week tomorrow of my install and this week has been interesting indeed... I went from not wanting to go out due to a lack of confidence to "Ima do what I want" type attitude!

One thing that I half expected but not to the level that I have been receiving is the stares that make me wanna say WHATCHA LOOKIN AT?? I know people must be curious about what is going on up in my head but being the shy person I am, it really makes me feel uncomfortable. According to my daughter she states "dont worry what they say mummy, cause you can tell them there are a lot of horses walking around without tails right now, and one day your hair will be longer than their weaves!" lol bless her! It does however make me feel a little more self concious about how i present myself and this coupled with the fact that I heard some sniggering as I walked past a group of young girls the other day doesn't help. Other than that, I have been getting compliments from my nearest and dearest and words of encouragement so am staying focussed.

Before I sign off here are some pics as of today, day 6. Notice how it looks kinda different already? Oh and I had serious ends that were not locked into a pattern, nearly an inch or more on some, so I started to twist the unlocked portion of the wild ones! probably not advisable but i like it much better lol

Breaking News...

As the pic shows, I am now a proud mama to a new set of sisterlocks!! Not sure how I feel yet as this is the first day but I want to give a true reflection of my experiences. Can you believe my install a whopping 52 HOURS over 3 consecutive days!! After reading several blogs, I knew that I would be in my consultants chair for a while but had no idea it woudl take so long!! We had problems around my hairline due to previous hair loss so that took a while to figure out. My consultant brought in a colleague on day 3 which I had mixed feelings about. The bonus was that she was quick, the downside was that she was quite heavy handed and I could have sweared down I would leave with no hair attached to my scalp...but alas...I left with a full head of hair! I am grateful for my consultant I cant imagine how hard it is to complete an install and stand for all those hours so I really appreiciate the work she done. I have found the odd loose square that will need fixing but she done an amazing job.

I am apprehensive as to how my journey will go and have already had curious stares this morning but I will have to learn to deal with it... So happy birthday to my sisterlocks officially born on the 29th August 2010. Size is mainly small with some medium and as for count that will come at a later date.

Nappily Happy x

Test Locs

Ok, so I have had my tester locs put in and although I have done an immense amount of research it was really good to have the consultant take me through everything again. As a part of the consultation we discussed sizes and I was told I have a tight curl pattern with medium density (at that point the mind was saying blah, blah, blah!) but what that equates to is that the best sizing for me would be small or small to medium to allow for volume without having the lions mane.

So these are the testers the day they were installed...

And these are the same area's photographed 4 days later...notice the curling up already??

Now if you've read my opening posts you will find that size is one of my fixations...I know it shouldnt be, but somewhere down the line I want to be able to DIY without becoming frustrated with the process, being recommended for the smaller of the locking sizes has given me food for thought. From research I knew that starter locs are small, but trust me....they really are tiny lol

So all in all...I have a few days to make my decisions, do I go with what I planned originally, or do I take the advice of a consultant...One thing is definately for sure and that is...I want to loc...and soon!

The day is fast approaching...but there is confusion!!

Well it is only 3 more days until my consultation for sl's and I must admit that I am growing ever more confused. I took out my weave as that darned thing was creeping up my neck (you all know what i mean!!) and have been left with a head of napptural hair. Now don't get me wrong, but this is what I am having to deal with...

Loose naps

Length deception

And hair combed through half an hour ago that wants to lock already!!

Being the sort of person who I am, i am not into spending hours doing anything so untangling my hair every hour or so is not an option. I know you may think, why not style? well the reasno for this is that by the time i style it will be time to take down for the consultation so i am kinda stuck in a half way house!

Through sheer frustration I have started to write together questions i want to ask the consultant, but then it also dawned on me after seeing some gorgeous locked sista's walking around int he town center near my home that I may not have considered ALL the options. One of he things that attracted me to sl's is the size. I know the sl veterans get alot of questions asked about their sizes etc...vets please beer with us newbies in our information gathering stage! Having said that one of the heads I saw over the weekend had locks almost the diameter of strings: Me to DH "look at those locks aren't they beautiful" he agreed and in chorus said "but they tooooo small". Now of course each to their own, where what i think are micro's might suit someone else, i really dont think i have the time nor patience to do that! they were lovely though.

So i asked around fellow bloggers about some of their experiences (thank you ladies!!) which has helped me define what is important to me when i consider my locks

• They got to be small BUT manageable
• I think i will prefer latching to palm rolling for my locs as I am quite an oily person
• I MUST have uniformed partings in the front for styling in canerows etc

So i have also been looking at traditional small locks started by other methods and here is MY verdict

• Comb twists - Just wouldn't work for me
• Braid loc - I love them but the thought of carrying out my own maintennance and not having the support of a loctician in the beginning petrifies me
• 2 strand twists - I have a case of permanent itchees although my scalp is not dry and a serious case of hand in hair diesease so i can see me unraveling them

Which leaves me with the options of:

• Sisterlocks (TM)
• Locs started by a latchook

Now of course both options have their pro's and cons. So that is where I am at with my research at the moment, it is so hard to find bloggers who have started with unbranded latchook methods but I have come across some locticians/sista's who can do this. The most important things are what was stated above, so now I am left with the main issue....THE PRICE!

So it was in the beginning...

Welcome to my blog. I have titled this post "So it was in the beginning" in recognistion that we were all born with the natural hair that God gave us. Having said that I have not always been thankful for the blessing and have had constant ongoing battles with my hair. I have gone from:

Relaxers

Braids

Weave

Locks (Interlocks)

Interlocks

Natural (after lock take down!)

Hmmm the Jeri!!

Canerow Styles

Weaves my current style today!

 

I have to admit that some of these styles i really loved, but over the years my creativety has been lacking and in all honesty "i really cant be bothered" with the latest style, weave etc. My hair has been pretty resilient to all the changes i have put it through and I am thankful that I still have some left!

The first steps...

Well I woke one day and said enough is enough! as you can see from the picture trail I had installed locks at one stage before. This was in 2007, I only had them in for around 8 months but every since I took them down regretted the desision. There was more than one reason for me taking them down...at the time i finished having them installed, I found out I was preganant with my second child. Within 3 months the whole of my body trippled in size due to water retension and I suffered from all day sickness. One day I got up and my hair was fuzzy and unkempt looking even though I had just had them retightened not too long before, I decided THEY GOTSTA GO! It took about 2 days of me and Mr Mac unpicking and greasing to get back to my natural state. And of course within months of having DD2 and a bald patch left in the middle from post pregnancy shedding I regretted and wished I hadnt.

So present day, I googled Sisterlocks (TM) which is what I had orginally wanted and started reading endless blogs and asking questions, I was sad to see that a few of the old bloggers were not updating anymore but grateful for the ones out there. After phoning a few consultants in my area and speaking with some very helpful ladies on blogger I had my consultaion booked for next Friday....I cant wait...let the count down begin...

Follow me on my journey and please let me know you've stopped by from time to time x