Sunday, January 31, 2010

Somethin' Different




A Sisterlock stylist down here recommended I try Soft Spike curlers on my Sisterlocks. He said they work great in curling and styling Sisterlocks. I ordered them (reasonably priced) a while ago but had not used them until a few weeks ago. Here are the results of my first time using Soft Spiker curlers:




I gain nothing by promoting these curlers, and I do not have a vested interest in them. I mention them only to "pass the word on" to other sisters with Sisterlocks. They are soft (...it IS in the name, after all), so they are easy to lay on at night, and they do work. I used them with NO gel and no curling papers (which they recommend that you DO use), so, as you can see, they turned out nice even without those things. I imagine if I use some sort of holding agent or gel, the curls would be much more defined and last longer.



I like to try different hairstyles (part of the reason I got Sisterlocks instead of traditional locs, after all), so this was something new and fun for me. It lasted 2 days, I think.

Monday, January 11, 2010

How many is too many?

Is ~700 Sisterlocks too many to have in one's head?

This is the dilemma I have faced since moving from Washington, DC, back to my hometown Austin, Texas.

The consultants I have spoke to in the Austin area have all complained, or at least made obvious mention, to how "small" (they think) my Sisterlocks are. [See my previous entry "Journey to Sisterlocks" or my profile picture to see what my Sisterlocks look like.] They have even been called "almost obnoxious." All consultants here have suggested I combine locks, some even said combine EVERY lock so that every three locks will become one lock.

(In my opinion) Wearing natural hair sort of puts the world on notice that a woman with natural hair doesn't care about what the world thinks of her and is proud of her hair in its natural state. And I am.

But I do pose this question because it is causing me significant problems. I can't find a consultant here (at least not yet) who isn't afraid of "small" (according to them) Sisterlocks. At retightenings, I have to sit and listen to complaints about my hair and then....hours later....many more hours than most women...(the shortest time I have had my hair retightened here in Texas is a little over 4 hours)...I pay a hefty price. My consultant in Maryland retightened my hair in 3.5 hours tops (most times 3), and, surprisingly, she was CHEAPER than some of the consultants here. Consultants in Austin who charged me less took many, many more hours (a whole day, 10+ hours) to retighten my hair. At one point I felt like I was sitting at my Installation again. I have even went home crying.

I have been told that Sisterlocks done in the South are much bigger than those done on the East Coast and other places like Jamaica. Is this true?

If I had the money, I would be on the first flight back to my consultant in Maryland so that she can retighten my hair, but I don't have it. What am I supposed to do?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Journey to Sisterlocks







It all started in the summer of 2005, when I attended a graduation party.
The graduate and his family (there were a lot of them) were from Trinidad. As I walked around unconfidently wearing a relaxer, I started to notice all of the beautiful, natural hairstyles all of the women of the family had. There were locks, twists, wraps....you name the hairstyle, a woman there had it. No matter what the style, though, they were all natural. In short, I fell in love. I knew that day that one day I would go natural. I left the party telling myself that I wanted my hair to look just like theirs.

In October 2006, I did it.
After a year of without a relaxer and only braids and various styles, I had a hairstylist chop all remaining relaxer off. My "natural" afro (with straight ends!) was at least 6 inches, long enough to also tie back and twist.

On November 6, 2008, I started my Sisterlock journey.
After 25 months of enjoying natural hair, and eight months into my pregnancy (hence the puffy face), I decided to Sisterlock. My consultant in Maryland did a great job with my hair. In only 11.5 hours she managed to transform my afro into ~700 locks. She did no styling. The "bob" look is a result of my natural hair cut at the time.

Now I live in (my hometown) Texas (since April).
My Sisterlocks have been retightened 3 times since I have been back. I lost a couple along the way; a few were combined.
At last count, I have 669 (if you count the ones that are combined as one lock instead of two or three combined to one).

I decided to start a blog, as I have seen many of my Sisterlocked sisters do, to document my journey.
I absolutely love my Sisterlocks, and although there are ups and downs and adjustments, I do not regret getting Sisterlocks.