19 months...

Well it has been a long time since I have been on here.  Time flies.  Since the last time I blogged I have retightened my own hair three times, experimented with pipe cleaners, lost a few locks (eek), curled with curling rods....

Lets go back to one of my comments above "lost a few locks".. don't worry they have not just fallen off and I am not suffering from alopecia.  These lost locks have all been my fault due to carelessness when retightening and just trying to make my locks look perfect.

Tips for retightening:

1. Patience
2. Take breaks
3. Section off your hair
4. Make sure the lock you are retightening is completely free from the other locks
5. Untangle as soon as you notice you have caught up another lock
6. Get someone else to untangle you hair if you can
7. Breaking of bits of hair from the roots of a lock will cause the base of one of them to lessen and weaken!!!
8. Dont leave too long in between retightening your locks

I am guilty of number 4, 5 and 7.  I have started a lock not made sure it was free from others and continued then battled to get it loose by snapping the hair - yes I know "lock abuser".  This left the base of some of my locks weak and hence they broke off big sigh and sad face!

Another reason for losing locks too much styling.  I have occasions when I just leave them alone but once I start experimenting there is is not stopping but my locks suffer as a result.  Remember at 20 months I am not quite a mature locker.  Those locks that are still very slim tend to suffer with more slippage and tend to need retightening earlier than others.

Anyway they say you live and learn - and I have made a promise to myself that I will not be losing anymore from abusing my locks!

As you see from the title I am now 19 months into my sisterlocks.  I have lots of compliments and sneaky looks from women.  Friends who have known me from the beginning are amazed at the length and the styles.   I use the simplest methods to style my hair but people seem to think I have spent ages creating these styles or gone to someone professional to do these styles.  No I haven't sisterlocks are so easy to style and maintain if you only they knew.

Styling aids used for different occasions...

1. Perm rods
2. Bendy rollers
3. Water - spritz
4.  Taliah Wahlid setting moose (not really needed but good to give a firmer set if water alone doesn't)
5.  Pipecleaners (tried once doubt if I will try it again - curls really tight and takes ages to put in)
6.  Plain old two strand twist...

My view on pipecleaners....a bit too much hassle for my liking - can get the same effect with perm rods...

See some of my styles below...

A Simple pin up but still nice 

And with perm rods..

15 months stage?

I put a question mark at the beginning of this because I am not sure what stage my locks are at.  I can only described them...no longer fluffy, no longer fizzy, harder to touch, bumps in some of them, doesn't shrink as much.  Not all of my sisterlocks are lock oh now the front is still open but not as much and not as fuzzy.

I have retightened my hair twice so far but this month I am going to Liz for her to have a look to see what/if any damage has been done.  I think then I will go every three months we shall see.

So what's the story this time last year you couldn't keep me away from updating by blog but this year I can count on one hand how many times I have written in it Why? No particular reason just time yes time life seems to be getting busier and busier not with anything too traumatic but just with myself.  Yes  going to the gym, going away for a few days visiting friends and sometimes just generally just sitting in my room under the duvet watching tele yes normal things that normal people do but for me relaxation was never an easy thing for me to do but i am trying.

My hair

Some people complain that there are certain stages of their sisterlock that they dont like "ugly stage".  To me I say "What's then and when's that" as I am still waiting for that stage.  There has not been one day when I have got up and thought I don't like my hair today not one.  There are times when i might be feeling a bit sort of I want to do something with it and when them moments come I curl, it with my bendy rollers and hey presto Miss Glam Puss arrives. I bounce down the street shaking my head like the English girls enjoying the movement I can feel in my hair.  Yes movement.  For years I have wanted long hair that moves and sways and now in my late 40s I have hair that moves.  It isn't long but it is growing and it moves.




My routine

I think I have it a routine after a year of not routine I think I have one.  I don't wash my too often why?  Because it washes out all the little oils that are in there.  As I don't put a lot of oils in my hair when i wash it it takes ages to get the moisture back and it itches like mad. Also I dye my hair and the more I wash it I think the more it washes out the dye -I think I will give an update on this later.  Also the more I wash it the fizzier it becomes not sure if I like the fizzy look!!

So so far I have been washing it twice in a month but this does vary and depends on my mood.  As my hair gets longer I notice it more, i notice if it smells and if it feels heavy so if I can smell that it is dirty then I am will wash it.

When i do wash it i have a little mixture of Jojoba oil with lavender and peppermint essential oil, I rub some in my hand and massage my scalp with it.  It tingles a bit but it feels good.  I then spray my hair with Taliah Wahlid spray with one with menthol in it again to help my itchy scalp.   Thats it.  I might have to repeat this again until the moisture comes back but that is it for now.  At the moment this works.   It may change as my hair matures.  I may need to start using conditioners as my hair matures but at the moment this works.

Occasionally I curl my hair on the £1 bendy rollers and the result is a lovely head of bouncy curly hair...see above picture.

Dying my sisterlocks

Yes I dye my hair cos I can't stand the grey hair I don't think it looks good but that is just me.  I have changed dyes from Dark & Lovely Cinnamon Brown to Naturtint light copper bronze.  Why?  Because I found that the Dark & Lovely didn't stay in my hair very long within two weeks them grey hairs were fighting their way through.  Now it could have been because I was washing more regularly then and I was using a clarifying shampoo but I thought no.  If I am going to dye my hair with a dye that has ammonia in it and it is going to come out after two weeks I might as well use one that is BETTER for my hair that I can use more regularly....

The result well see for yourself...it is now three weeks and although the colour is a bit lighter than when i dyed it them grey roots aren't winning the battle so easily this time...

13,14 months

What two months gone and no blog....you may think I am getting bored with my hair....You couldn't be more wrong.  I still love my hair and the intention to write updates is always there but you know life has become so busy and I spend all day on the computer at work by the time I come home a computer is the last thing I go on.

Another thing is once you get on the computer you just can't come off.  I was meant to go on her for 30 mins the most and an hour later I am still on it so I thought hey I might as well.

So what's been happening well.. I attended the sisterlocks retiightening class.  That was such a laugh there was 6 of us all different stages of our locks.  We all looked at each with other with great interest.  It was 8.30 on a Sunday morning, not my idea of fun so early in the morning but it was worth it.  Liz taught us the lingo and we all looked at her confused WHAT 3 o'clock, 12, o'clock, 9 o'clock, 3 pattern, 4 pattern huh?!!!!  OK a diagram please - any clearer urhhh no...Well after all the terminology, diagrams explanations we were all ready to give it a go on each other heads... Liz demonstrated and we tried, and we tried, and we tried oh boy no on your own head eeek what oh now.

Let me know when you do the first one says Liz....10 mins later Carol is still stuck on the first one joined up nicely with the one beside it HELP Liz I can't undo this..."have you done one yet" Liz asked "urr no" I reply.  But after the first disaster I was away hey i am doing it I am doing it this is fun....One client declared there and then she ain't doing this herself it is not for her...Others persevered...One lady (who was not a client of Liz) had so much regrowth it was impossible for her to retighten but you know what Liz was patient and showed her but said it was advisable to get it retightened by someone first then tackle it...

Well we left a few hours later with our little silver tool and one mirror with the warning not to expect to finish it in a day.

Well see for yourselves..yes it took a a week to complete a couple of hours every evening but I did it and I am proud I did it...

PS I also coloured it again as the grey hair was fighting to come out and looked like specks of dandruff...

1 year (well a little over)

Boy this year has been busy.  This time last year you couldn't keep me off my blog I couldn't wait to write the next up date - my locks was all I could talk about.  I couldn't wait for my 1 year anniversary to come and guess it came and went.

Due to unforeseeable circumstances ie the company going into administration, the stress of not knowing what was going on then finally moving jobs my one year anniversary came and went.  But I hadn't forgotten I just didn't have the time to write an update.

The progress well it has definitely grown (see pictures below) but I have still have problems with the roots being very soft and loose.  I have worked out if I wash it too much (and I mean like three times in a month which to me is nothing) it does become very loose.  Conditioners also make it loose and soft.  Although I haven't used that much but when I have I have noticed a difference.

Itching - well only if I put too much products in it and I wash it too often.  Also must remember to drink more water this really helps.  I have worked this out because in the beginning when I didn't wash or condition I had no problems with itching - it was still loose but didn't bother me at all.

So 1 year down the line I am more or less still following the same routine I did in the very early days.  Washing probably at the most twice for the month spritzing with water with a few drops of essential oils, lavender or mint, occasionally massaging my scalp with some natures shine oil and that's it low maintenance it is.  I try not to twist and curl it too often either.

You would think that after 1 year I should be well on the way to being locked well yes in a way i am but the front seems to be the softest and that is where it is taking longer to lock but it will get there.

On the plus side my hair is bouncy, thick and full.  I have such pleasure when I am working out in the gym looking in the mirror and seeing my hair bouncing all over the place beautiful.

One thing though although I dyed my hair about 6 weeks ago and I swear there was no grey hair left well I think I imagined it because them damn grey things are back.  No idea how come could it be the sisterlock shampoo?  No idea so any clues let me know as I don't want to have to keep dying my hair...

Day 1

Anyway enough of my chatting take a look on progress:

1 year

Day 1

1 Year 

≈

Say no more.....

Color/Dye

Guess what I did?  I dyed my hair.  I bought the box of dark & lovely cinnamon brown dye about a week ago.  I hated those grey hairs although everyone said you could hardly see them I could and so could hubby.  I think it just spoilt the look of my lovely sisterlocks.  So the Sunday before May day bank holiday Monday feeling a bit miserable (work problems) what better thing to do to lift up your spirit than do your hair.

So I went for it.  The first thing I did was band and braid in small parts as I wanted the dye to go through.  Then I mixed up the dye and shook it as instructed and went for it.  I started at the front putting a little bit on at a time as I didn't want to run out.  But there was more than enough.  I went over each section until it was covered squeezing the dye into the hair so it would penetrate my locks.  I didn't even put any vaseline around my hairline to protect it I just went for it and prayed it would be alright.  I was ready to pay any extra I needed to on the next retightening.

I won't put the picture of me in my braids with the dye on as it is a bit scary looking but you can imagine if you have braided and banded your hair how it looked.

The instructions said 30 mins for natural hair.  I left it on for an hour.

OK here goes. I remember from the many YouTube videos I had watched before taking on this task that rinsing was the big thing.  So I rinsed and I rinsed and I rinsed, rinsed and rinsed until I thought the water was clear.  Then I shampooed with the sisterlock shampoo as I thought if it was going to change the texture then this might help.  Still more dye in it so I rinsed and rinsed again.  I did use the conditioner in the box as again I remembered dryness being a big thing when I investigated.

Done. Well so I thought.  I took out my braids but as I was taking them out the back still felt slippery like it had dye in it and there was a strong smell of dye.  So this time I got in the shower and just let the water run through the back I had taken out the braids so I concentrated on just the back as my front hasn't locked yet.  I rinsed again.  Then I thought well if it isn't all out now tough.

I squeezed out what water I could and then wrapped my hair with a towel and blotted out the excess water out and just left it to dry.  Oh I did put in a bit of leave-in conditioner (I got this from a hair specialist). Images of my hair being overprocessed ran through my head as I could still smell the dye but there is no way I was getting wet again!!

About an hour later it started to dry and I must admit it did look a bit dry at the ends but I think it actually made it lock a bit more.  But because I was concerned with dryness I rubbed some organic root stimulater in my hand and rubbed in on my hair and before I went to bed I twisted it. 

See above for result before twist and below for result after twist.   Not bad hey!!!

I will be washing and conditioning again this weekend just to make sure it doesn't get dry.  There are a few grey hairs left which I have noticed (but noone seems to see them) but that's OK and that is expected at my age!!!

11 months

30 April 2012 was my 11th month of sisterlocks. Time has really flown. I had my retightening bright and early the same day.

How has it been? Well I can't say I have had any major problems. There has been times when I have looked in the mirror and thought what are you doing today? Times when they swollen up and looked all puffy and I have thought Ok different look today. But you know whatever, however it looked I have dealt with it. Not one day have I woken up and thought I hate my hair today. I am not fully locked yet. There is still a bit at the front where the ends are still open but it is getting there.

A couple of days after my retightening.

Washing

When? Usually after I have had it retightened it about a week after as I love the way it looks after a retighten. But I must admit I did wash it a few more times last month and as a result I think there was a bit of slippage, but you know once you feel that water running through your hair on to your scalp you are just dying to do it again.  I also did a few more braid outs this month so that could have added to the slippage, but my consultant didn't complain and it still only took an hour and a half.

Oils

Can't believe I am still not putting much in they way of oils.  I spray daily with water with essential oil of peppermint or lavendar oil depending on my mood.  I have just purchased another bottle or organic root stimulater natures shine.  I love this it smells lovely and it soothes my scalp as is with most people I have the occasional itchy scalp.

I spray a little in my hand and massage on my scalp love it.

At night I sleep with my satin scarf and that's all the care my hair needs simple.

Curling/Permrods





The pictures above are just before I go to my sister's 60th birthday party. I spritz my hair with water and curled it with small perm rods only kept in for about 4 hours.   Everyone loved my hair and were wondering what I'd done to it.  Someone asked if I had been to the hairdressers.  The style lasted all night and was still curly the next morning.

Lost loc oh no...

Oh no one of my locs as decided it no longers wants to be apart of me and snapped off!!!

I had noticed a loose dangly lock the other day but paid no attention to it.  It was only when my finger kept getting caught in it during my daily routine of "waking up" my hair ie using my fingers to comb my hair that I noticed it.

The base of one of my lock had totally unravelled leaving a very weak looking fragile lock.  I ignored it for a bit as I am due for a retight soon.  But ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat...well it killed my lock.

Due to my own impatience I was the cause of losing my lock.  Situations at work aren't too good at the moment so I am not that busy and when Carol isn't busy she roams, not the street, but the net and her favourite subject is of course Sisterlocks.  So I remember reading about retightening your hair with a paper clip (I know crazy) so YouTube here I come.

Well by the end of the day I had my self made lock tool - I was ready to tackle that loose lock - well so I thought.  Went to my kickboxing class, had my dinner, showered and in front of my TV apprentice in background, Iphone on my bed YouTube video showing how to retighten your clocks.

4 pattern, 3 pattern, 9 to 6, 6 to 9 finish at 12 pull up lock took to hair - OK I got it.  Off I went - I thought to myself it is only one so if it is a bit different nobody will know.

15 mins later one lock no better than it was 15 min earlier only difference is it had a knot in the middle but on I went 9 to 6, 6 to 9 where was I ummm ok finish at twelve pull up oops oh dear that was my hair.  Result one lock hanging by a thread of hair...so I finished the job and just pulled it off - yes I killed it.  I looked at for a few minutes and then chucked it in the bin.  The remainder of my lock (lucky I had anything left) I twisted and thought oh dear.

After watching Apprentice and wishing I had just concentrated on Apprentice and went to bed.

5 mins later images of my lock in the bin kept coming into my mind my poor little lock so I lept out of bed took it out of the bin (nothing else was in there) and placed my dead lock on my table ahhhhhhh.  Its amazing how attached you get to your locks!!!

Lesson learnt? Yes leave it to the professionals.....

10th Month

My sister said to me the other day.  "What's happening with your hair haven't had an update in a while".  I thought to myself ummm she's right.  The reason; well my retightenings have now gone to 5 weeks and well I wouldn't say the novelty has worn off but I am just letting it do its thing.

I am no longer twisting it, curling it, pulling and tugging at it why?  Because I don't need to anymore it looks good without all of that.  I am not saying it didn't look good before but now that I have left it to do its own thing I can see a big difference.

What have I learnt?

If I had left it alone in the beginning it may have got a lot further than it has - well I think so, but that is all part and parcel its something new so you want to play with it then you get use to it and you leave it.

All them YouTube videos that say I do this with my hair, I do that with my hair, well OK yes fine you can follow them as I did but suffer the consequences.  For all you newbies out their the best thing to do is to leave it alone.

For the first three months I ranted and raved and moaned and complained "I want to wash my hair" like if I didn't the world would end.  You know what it's not that important.  My hair is very soft and if I hadn't had followed by consultant's advice I doubt I would have reached this stage even now.  I am not saying I agree with her cos in them early days when I was going to the gym, it was hot, I was sweating it definitely felt like it needed it.  What made it worse was I was reading everywhere that you should wash your hair, it is good for it but I held on and you know what the urge to wash it no longer exist.


 This is the 10th month of my sisterlock journey and I have only washed my hair twice, yes yuk, gross, now way... yes way twice.  But don't it smell!!! You may exclaim.  Err actually it doesn't.  Let me tell you why...





I don't use any products in my hair.
I use a spritz of water and lemon juice.
Occasionally I spritz with water with lavendar essential oil but not often.
I go for a steam after the gym (shhhh don't tell Liz).

Lets expand on the steam after the gym and what I have noticed.  Probably in the early days a steam wouldnt be a good idea but now 10 months down the line my hair loves it.  I come out of the spin class all sweaty then go into the steam for 20 mins and bingo not only does my skin glow my hair comes to live and I don't know if I am imagining it but I am sure the ends close up more.

Now there are occasions when I look at my hair and think what is it doing today it's all puffy and fizzy - I don't like that look.  I haven't figured out what causes it but all I know is when it is like that I can't do anything with it.  So to get rid of that fuzzy bear look out comes my little bottle of water and lemon juice and there you go back to normal.

Apart from the days when it has been a little fuzzy there has not been any other day when I have felt I hate my hair not one.  I am forever feeling it, my son is forever feeling it.  It is so strange still that this is my natural hair out on display and it looks gooooooood....

BTW that foolish man who accused me of dissecting my  hair when I first got it done and looked at me in horror is now saying "oh good you growing it now".  I just look at him and mutter to myself "damn fool don't know a thing".

I had my retightening yesterday so I have a nice new hair again...

8-9 Months

Oops I have missed my 8 month anniversary.  Well January was the first month in 8 that I did not twist, roll, tug, pull,  play (OK not a lot) in my hair.  I just left it alone...  I had my retightening which are now every 6 weeks.

Went to visit my lovely friend Naomi and we had a picture taking session "look at me" "take this one, this pose" "yes that looks good wow" and no we weren't modelling a new range of fashion just taking pictures of our hair.  Do we love our hair yes we do...

                                         

Progress?  Yes I think so...