Crunchy, Ashy Hair

Hi Again,

So I did a no poo wash today because I am one of those people that absolutely has to wash my hair every week and I am totally out of all of my favorite shampoos. I thought that the no poo wash would leave my hair feeling clean and soft because for those of you that don't know, a no poo wash is when you wash your hair using only conditioner. To my surprise, my hair feels really crunchy...YIKES!...and it looks ashy. I think that there is some kind of change going on with me because my hair is really doing some weird things these days. Because of all the fuss, I have decided to order the WEN hair care system. It is supposed to clean the hair using only natural oils. I watched the infomercial the other day and decided to give it a try. I will do a product review once it gets here. Hopefully the total system will be worth the $29 that I am paying. Has anyone else tried this before? Also, does anyone else have any suggestions for ashy dry looking hair. I did my usual moisturizing routine after washing and everything but for some reason today my hair just wants to do its own thing; but on a good note, my scalp does feel clean and it's not itchy at all.



I tried to capture the dull dry crunchiness of the hair in the picture but not sure if that worked so well or not. I am smiling now because I had to take at least 20 pictures to get one that I could show so I was laughing inside(I do that often plus I am just a smiler). Kept seeing things in the background like mail on the table, kids would run through, I would have some crazy look on my face, etc. It was pretty funny but I guess you'd just have to be there :)

I think I will do yet another braid out or twist out for tomorrow. Maybe adding the texture will make it look a bit better. Plus...those are my two favorite styles right now since I have a little length these days.

Until next time,
Lock on wit yo bad self!
HN

A Change in Plans

Hello All,
There has been a slight change in my hair plans. After combining my locks a few weeks ago and even sewing the ends of a few, I have now taken the combined locks down and am back to my sister locks. After just a couple weeks of growth, I noticed that my hair was filling in EXTREMELY fast and rather nicely. Not being satisfied with waiting through the process of relocking due to combining, I decided to just take the combined locks apart. Although I love the look of bigger locks I didn't have the patients to go through with the combine :(

I have learned through this trial that if I ever decide to ever cut my locks and start over, I will start with a different method such as comb coils or two strand twists so that I can achieve the larger look from the beginning.

Although I feel bad for not being able to be patient enough to go through with my new plan, I am very satisfied with how my sister locks are looking at this point. If you look at the pictures below, you will see that the thinning area has completely filled in. As the locks were two-strand twisted and the hair grew into the parts, I was able to incorporate that new growth into the locks when I did my re tightening.





My scalp feels wonderful and they look great to me. I have also noticed that the shaft of my locks seem to now be more compact; finally they really feel mature. I am again loving my hair, trying new things like twist outs, braid outs, and up dos.

Until next time,
Lock on wit yo bad self!

Uh Oh!!

OK so isn't this transitioning thing supposed to be fun?.....not so much for me. I feel like I look terrible. I went to the mall the other day and felt like all eyes were on me because I looked a HOT MESS, not because my hair was cute like in the past. I noticed about 3 beautiful heads of locks and they were looking at me too; I could only imagine what they were thinking. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not one to care much about what others think of me but I do care very much about how I feel about myself. When I transitioned from permed hair to natural hair and then to locks, it didn't seem as bad but this is HARD!!! I guess patience is the key. Not sure if I am ready to relearn this lesson. Still loving the growth though, I have never seen so much growth so fast on my head.


Lock on wit yo bad self!
HN

New Growth

Hello All,
Just wanted to let you all see what has been going on with my hair. The two strand twists have only been in for a few weeks and my hair has grown a complete afro around them. The thinning area is totally grown in. Although the growth is AMAZING, there are many dislikes for the transitioning phase. I don't like the flakes that the Organic Root Stimulator left after a few days, I don't like the unkept look of transitioning, and don't like that I can't wash or at least rinse my hair as much. I did start to sew the locks together but it takes so long that I have only completed about 25 out of about 108 locks. I suppose I will just do a little at a time until the are all complete.

Until next time,
Lock on wit yo bad self!

My New Journey

Hello again,

Sooo....certainly you all weren't thinking that I cut all my hair off were you? Well, I haven't; but I did however combine my locks taking them from Sisterlocks to traditional locks. On June 14, I 2-strand twisted the locks together securing them with black rubber bands just to see if this was an option for me while I did my research on YouTube. I have always considered combining anyway but what better time than now. Immediately a mini afro started growing in the parts and I felt confident that this was going to work out well. I wore the 2-strand twists until yesterday (June 19) when I did my routine weekend wash, added some infusion moisture therapy and repair after washing, moisturized with my usual Jojoba/peppermint oil concoction, and officially twisted my roots for the first time using Organic Root Stimulator lock and twist gel. I would have rather used aloe vera gel which I hear so many ranting about but didn't know where the whole foods store is in Raleigh, NC (which is my new home town as of July of last year). I sat under the dryer under the cool setting for about 20 minutes and let the hair air dry the rest of the way. I went to bed last night with a satin scarf on my head and slept on a satin pillow case. When I woke up this morning, the hair was still neat and tidy. I did not do my usual spritzing but my scalp and hair still felt moisturized. The black rubber bands remain on the ends for now but I plan on sewing each lock some time next weekend so that the rubber bands can come off because I hate the look of them.

Results:
-I lost about 2-3 inches of length from combining
-My hair feels clean and fresh
-My scalp feels refreshed already
-The hair already looks and feels thicker as the mini afro was able to be
incorporated into the new traditional locks
-The parting is uneven and the size varies but they still look great to me
-A new lock journey begins...YAY!

The pictures are of the crown of my head after combining, the front view after combining, and an up close view of one lock with rubber band on the end.

Please leave comments as this is totally new for me and I will be learning as I go

Lock on wit yo bad self!
HN

3 Years Locked

Wow...Can't believe it has been a whole 3 years since I locked my hair. I never thought I would make it this far. As I told you all in my last post that with three years comes change for me. The change took a lot of thought because I have become very attached to my hair over the past three years....but.....I decided it was time to do away with the sister locks so they are now gone:( I thought I would miss them but I believe this change is for the best as my hair was starting to thin in the crown. For a girl who already has thin hair, this was hard to look at everyday. This area has always been a problem and stress area for me as a child and as an adult with a perm. I hope you all aren't too disappointed but it had to be done. I will however continue blogging about my new and exciting hair journey and I hope that you all will continue to follow and support. I took pictures of the thinning area. I think that the sisterlocks simply put too much tension on this weak area over time and I was tired of continuously trying to cover it up.


I will post pictures soon of the changed me, although I love it, I am still trying to get used to it.

Lock on wit yo bad self!
HN

Chang Is Comin

Hello All,

So my 3 year anniversary with locks is quickly (June 20) approching and I am planning a BIG change for the occassion. The past three years have been wonderful and I am so glad that I made the decission to not only go natural but to lock my hair. This has become the new me for sure. Still loving my locks but I think its time to spice it up a bit. Stay tuned to see the big surprise. I'm soooo excited!!!! I hope you all are too.

Until next time,
Lock on wit yo bad self!

Yes...I am Still Alive!

Hello Blog Family,

Where have I been you asked?....well, where do I start? My family and I have moved across country from Honolulu, HI to Garner (just outside of Raleigh), NC. BIG CHANGE! We had a house built, I started a new job (not in my field because I couldn't find one), and have also started school again at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill campus preparing for the accelerated nursing program hopefully to start in January to add to the Masters degree that I obtained last year....and that is just the short version of the story! But all is well!

As for my hair, it is coming along nicely. It seems to be growing slowly but surely. I have not been doing much with it as I have been too too busy but I still love it. I wash weekly and now condition with Pantene curly dry to moisture conditioner, Love, Love, Love that conditioner. Not only does it soften my hair but it leaves it feeling moisturized while its still wet with a fresh smell. It also doesn't unravel the locks like some other conditioners have that I've tried in the but after it dries the softness leaves also so I made some changes to my everyday routine. My nightly routine has been to sleep on a satin pillow case and spritz in the mornings with water, a few drops of lavender essential oil, and some jojoba oil mixed in a spray bottle. I follow up the spritz with a moisturizing product I found at target and tried simply because I couldn't find a whole foods store to get my usual products; Lavish Curls Moisturizer. This product quickly became a must have as it s made with certified organic ingredients. It eliminates the crunchy bed head and keeps my hair and scalp feeling hydrated all day while giving my locks life and body. Give it a try if you don't already have a favorite.

Well that's all for now, just wanted to share a quick update. I promise to be around a little more now that I am getting settled in. Plus blogging has been a good stress reliever in the past and Lord knows I could use some relief from stress :)

Lock on wit yo bad self!