The Final Outcome

 I spent a good portion of January trying to get the spacing on my starter locks just right. I wanted to be sure that they would not be too small, but that they would also fall the way that I wanted them to fall. I am VERY happy with the final result! I am looking forward to watching them change and grow. I fee like this process will teach me some patience as well as how to AVOID comparison.

I've already combined the first two on the right side of my head, as that first lock was just going to be WAY too small and it kep coming undone when I shampooed my hair. I think it'll be better off now. My last set of locks were very skinny in that area and I didn't quite like them, so I think that the way that I am starting them will keep them from being too thin.

Reestablishing some thangs!

I decided to reestablish some of my locks and fill in some of the gaps. I like the end result. Right now I'm just trying to be patient. A lot of my locks have loose hairs coming from the length of the lock. This happened when I had interlocks as well. This time I started with braids, but my hair still behaved in the same way. It's been very interesting, to say the least. I have been wrapping those loose sections of hair around the lock. We'll see how it goes.

 

The more things change...

 Soooo...I had to discontinue the use of the argan oil. Surprise, surprise! Oh well. I'll just keep shampooing every 4 days as is best for my scalp. I got a shower cap today and I cannot wait to start using it, because the back of my head will often be soaking wet after the shower and I really don't want to get my hair wet like that every day. My locks are thriving. I am glad that I decided to go with a bigger size this time around. I really like the look of it so far.

Argan Oil

 Soooo....after ALLLLLL of these years of not being able to use ANYTHING in my hair, I decided to branch out and try Argan oil. I DID give castor oil on more go, but the end result was a fairly large bump on my scalp in the back of my head, which went away after I washed out the castor oil. So far so good with the Argan oil, with no itchiness or irritation. I used the Sheamoisture brand, which did not contain any additives.

A lot of brands contain silicone, fragrances and other ingredients, so this was a refreshing find. I have multiple sensitivities, so I have to be EXTREMELY careful about what I use. True to form, it HAD to be something expensive, but I DID have some Walgreens bucks, so that helped a LOT. I really like the way that it feels on my cuticles as well, and I've heard that it works well as a beard oil, so maybe if hubby and I BOTH can use it, it won't feel like such a splurge. I use a shampoo formulated for sensitive skin, so the shampoo and the oil will be my only two products for maintenance. I DO dilute the shampoo, though, so as to make it easier to rinse out. My last set of locs ended up with a sour smell that was a doozy to get rid of, but I think it had a LOT to do with the fact that there was shampoo that didn't get rinsed out. I could only smell it when they were damp, but it was very unpleasant, so I decided to do things a bit differently this time around.

This is going to be QUITE the adventure, but I no longer desire to comb my hair.

STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN...

 I decided to start my locs over again. They are not as small as my last set, because I wanted to start and maintain them ALL on my own, which meant that they couldn't be as small as my last set. I didn't want it to take a long time for me to do my hair, but I also just didn't want really small locs, So here we are:

They are not as full as they were when I started my first two sets, but they are what they are and I'm looking forward to seeing what they might become. The goal for this set of locs is TOTALLY different than for my other sets. I want to learn patience and perseverance and acceptance. I do not want to focus on trying to cultivate my locs into a certain look or style, but instead I want to let them BE and see what they BECOME. Please join me on this journey!

LOC PROJECT

Well, it's been about 18 months since I was initially loc'd and in that time I have REALLY grown to love my locs. Unlike most people that I have seen, I am not concerned with growing my locs long. Instead of length, I have chosen a style that I prefer for my locs. When I was relaxed and even as a loose natural, I alway wanted a one level bob. When I had chemically treated hair, my efforts were always sabotaged by breakage. Now that breakage is pretty much nonexistent (except for that ONE loc months ago) I have really just been pursuing my style goal, which involves a LOT of trimming and cutting along the way. I initially cut my locs back in early June 2017. They were NOT mature! As a result, I ended up having to restart the locing process on a LOT of the ones that I cut REALLY short in the back. While you may not see a big difference in the OVERALL length of my hair (due to consistent trimming/cutting), if you focus on the bangs, you can truly see HOW MUCH my hair has grown in almost a year. I have learned a LOT through this process and I have ZERO regrets! I LOVE my HAIR!

Managing photos...

I would love to be an avid blogger who keeps those who care updated on my locks. I have over 100 photos and most of them are on my phone, so I am going through the process of uploading them to my laptop. For now, compare and contrast my beginning to my current look...