CELEBRATING TWO MONTHS OF LOCKS

When I started on my loc journey, I wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped that I would at least like my hair, but I wasn't prepared for the love that I am experiencing. It is amazing to see what my uncombed, frizzy, interlocked sections of hair are transforming into. It is a thing of beauty and SUPER easy to maintain. I had a few struggles in the beginning. All of my edges along the front would gradually slip until they came completely loose. I promised my consultant at my last appointment that I would do better, so when I wash my hair (which I have to do often) I am extremely gentle and I refrain from pulling it all back like the models in the shampoo commercials. Here's an example of what happens when I am not gentle:

I liked my hair least when it got like this, but I still did my best to keep a positive attitude about it. I knew that at some point I would figure out how to properly care for my hair. Here's what it looks like when it is freshly retightened:

I love the way that it is shaping up! Interlocking my hair is one of the best things that I could have done for it!

TIME TO RETIGHTEN!

Ok...so I've mentioned SEVERAL times that I have to shampoo often. I began to experiment with some things, like Dr. Bronner's soap (a lot of loc'd heads rave about this) and an ACV rinse. I ended up with crispy locs that just made my scalp mad. I have also used John Masters "Organics" (quotations mine) but I REALLY want to get away from using such chemical laden products on my hair and skin. I mean, I DO eat fast food from time to time, I'm obviously exposed the the elements of society, and who knows what one will come into contact with even with the BEST efforts, so I want to limit the excess chemicals wherever I can. Needless to say, my locs suffered for a time. This was the end result before I finally got my retightening done:

Very fuzzy, RIGHT?! I was a little bit frustrated with my hair at this point, because I was only a couple of days from the one month mark and my hair was TRULY looking a MESS! Here's what I ended up with after the retightening...

MUCH BETTER! I really enjoy my hair these days! I can't wait to see the changes over the next few months and even years. This process is teaching me patience, because I REALLY want that front part to gain some LENGTH so that I can have bangs for the first time in years, LOL! A girl's gotta have goals...

NEW LOCKS

Weeeelllll...I'm a pretty persistent little bugger and I haven't given up on locking just yet. On September 20, 2016 I went to see Ann at Holistic Locks to get my interlocks started. It took about 6 hours, because she crocheted my hair from tip to root. Here are some pics both my hair before locking (combed out the original set) and of the finished product. My ends were initially VERY poofy and it took a few washes for the coil to settle in. I loved them, though and they were worth EVERY penny that I spent to have them installed! I decided on interlocking because I have to shampoo my hair quite often due to a condition known as seborrheic dermatitis, so I didn't want a style that would easily unravel. Little did I know what I was about to be in for, but I'll post more about that later.

PREPARING FOR A NEW LOC JOURNEY...

I just had my consultation for interlocks today and I am super excited! Side note...if you Google interlocks you will get a lot of pictures of some kind of tool type thing. So, I have been Googling and YouTubing a lot of different things to try and find people who actually started their locs via the interlock method. I'll be sure to post pics!

BACK TO THE FRO!

Weeeellll!!! My seborrheic dermatitis has spoken! I will not be growing locks any time soon! I still need to wash my hair a BIT too often and now I have even resorted to conditioner washing to see if that helps. Shampoos (even sulfate-free ones) typically leave my scalp feeling tight and like something is crawling on it. After conditioner washing, my scalp felt better, but time will tell.

LOCS GONE WILD!!

Well, I've passed the one month mark by one full week! i feel like I am fighting my locs and I am REALLY trying to get past that. There are a LOT of buds and the back is something else! Here are some pics of the front and side...

There you have it! My locs are starting to have a mind of their own! I just took the time to get up some of my scalp flakes. It's difficult to describe. I actually combed out a loc (not too hard just yet) to get the flakes out of it! It was a mess, but I'm not sure whether or not I should have done that! I guess time will tell! 

I have a LOT of bumps and I guess these are called buds, so my hair is coming along! I DO have to wash frequently, so we'll see what the end result will be.

STILL HOLDING ON...

To my locs, that is...I HAVE to wash at LEAST once per week, which means frequent retwisting. I have yet to find anyone in cyberspace with my issues, so I have just been doing what I felt that I needed to do to get by. I shampoo with my Young Living lavender mint shampoo, moisten my locs with my glycerin spray, moisten again, then let them dry. Before twisting, I moisten again. This seems to be the best method to insure that I have enough moisture retained in my hair. I also spritz my babies daily. I have a LOT of budding, probably due to the frequent washing. My locs are also fairly short, so palm rolling is not necessarily the best option, though I do try. I'll keep you posted on what my locs look like at the beginning of each month. SO far, so good!

I THINK I'VE GOT IT!

After watching numerous videos on YouTube and reading multiple articles on the web, I have decided that I am on the right path to locking. I always believed that you "had" to use gel and that locs "should" look a certain way, but now I have learned that there are MANY ways for locs to "look" based on the individual wearing them. I DO see a lot of cultivated locs that are styled to perfection, but knowing me and my scalp, I will not be one of those people. SO far the locs in the back of my head are the fuzziest, because despite having been a side-sleeper for YEARS, I think I now end up on my back at times. I do not wear a scarf to bed, as that would lead to headaches. I mist my hair each morning with my homemade glycerin spray to "wake up" the locs. I love it!

STILL GETTING IT RIGHT

I decided to retwist the retwist because I DID NOT like the fuzzy edges and I want the hair along my edges to be included in locs. What this means for me is that based on the way that my hair grows, I need to loc my hair forward in more of a pixie style. I really like this look and I think it's going to work better for me in the long run. I find it more flattering as well. I'm still moisturizing my hair daily with my glycerin spritz, and I don't have any complaints. I'm amazed at the amounts of buds that I see as well.

IT'S HAPPENING!

Yep! I'm starting to see more buds in my hair. I figured my hair would lock pretty fast! I just washed it again today and then I did the fastest retwist ever (1 1/2 hours to be exact) using just my glycerin spray but no clips. Needless to say, I'm VERY excited. I just rolled the coils using my thumb and two fingers and it worked out VERY well. I DO have to wash often, so I think this will work our pretty well. I'm excited. Now to RELAAAAXXXX about my hair, LOL!

RETWIST WITHOUT GEL!!

So these are my locs freshly retwisted WITHOUT gel. I really DO like them much better, as I have never really been a fan of gel. They feel AMAZING and there are places that are a little poofy, but I had that same problem WITH the gel as well, so I am not concerned. I have decided not to worry about hairline fuzzies, because as a fibro gal (fibromyalgia sufferer) it is easy for too much tension to cause a headache, but I never really had too much of a problem with fuzzies as a loose natural. I know some people really like to have their edges tight, but I'm not worried. I used the clips as I twisted and I am STILL not sure that really helps. I guess the only way to know for sure is NOT to use them during a retwisting session. Maybe... all I can say is I LOVE them, but we shall see what I say after 3 or 4 months, LOL!

LOC JOURNEY! WOOHOO!

Ok, so I finally decided to do it, dermatitis and all! I started with comb coils and initially I needed to shampoo every three to 4 days. My loc installation date was June 11, 2016 and yes, I did them myself. They are imperfect, but they are mine and I cannot WAIT to see where we end up! The first two pictures are of either day one or two of installing my locs. The next pic is how they were originally parted and then how they looked after I re-parted them. The pics in the emerald green short were all after a wash and re-twist. I am having to re-do mine more often than what is typical due to having dermatitis and not being able to go too much longer than one week without shampooing my hair. I currently use Kinky-Curly curling custard to re-twist and I moisturize daily with my homemade glycerin spray. It seems to do the trick! I know that there are many different products out there, but I am limited due to all of my sensitivities. I know that my journey will require more patience as well because of it.