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.