The curler set you see was created with lock loops.
Pros:
-Curls hold fabulously
-Easy to sleep in
-You can create tight curls or loose curls
Cons:
-You cannot leave the house with lock loops in your hair
-The longer your hair is the longer it takes to dry (12 hours for my hair)
It has been my experience that my curls last approximately 1 week. Of course they become looser as the days pass. I love this style.
Hey Sisterlock Fam. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to post. Life comes at you in so many different ways and soo many different speeds that some things have to take a back seat. Unfortunately that has been my blogging. We could look at this in a positive light. It must mean that things are going great with my hair or else I would have been forced to post to seek help from all the experts out there. The above collage is an amalgamation of pictures taken throughout the summer. I have a headband on when I workout, because the hair falls in my eyes (insert mischievous laughs). I have fresh washed locks in the purple shirt and I'm profiling in NYC in the black fleece. My hair has not changed except for the length. I have been lucky and diligent enough that I haven't had any problems. My hair is approximately 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 years old in the pictures and I'm still lovin every minute of it.
I've been away but it was for a very good reason. I was preparing for my vacation in the Virgin Islands. I spent many hours exercising, planning, saving and shopping. I must say it was worth every sacrifice. Mother Nature is the most beautiful artist I've ever known. The scenery was amazing - Every plant, animal, grain of sand and sparkle of sunshine was a sight of perfection. I was blessed to spend ten days exploring St. Thomas, St. John and the British Virgin Islands as well. Yes I am an international woman now- passport stamped!
I am happy to say that all the planning didn't include my hair. Nothing was interrupted because I was concerned about my curls falling or how my relaxer would respond to the salt water or even how washing it ever day after swimming in the ocean would cause any breakage. I have never been so happy to be natural or more elated to have sister locks. Sister locks absolutely rule!
I'm sure like most of the sister loc'd family the first year flew by. I was busy learning about the way my hair locs, the way it coils when left to its own devices, the way it reacts to having water sprinkled on it everyday and how it bounces with natural body. If you've read my previous post, you will notice that I didn't fall in love instantly; it was more gradual. I look in the mirror today and I love the length, I love the texture, I love the fullness and I love the way my hair frames my face. I especially love how it sets me apart from all the women around me because it is uniquely mine. This year has been gratifying in more ways than I could have imagined and it makes me grateful that I chose this journey. What a Year!
Say hello to our natural beauty. Ten years ago she was born with a head full of curly hair and as you can see she still has it. Her mother works very hard to keep her hair healthy and natural. Here she is sporting a twist out. The interesting part is the conversation that took place when her mother and I were twisting her hair. There were some young - twenty something - girls there and this is what they had to say.
Girls: She has pretty hair and it's natural (as if this is some kind of contradiction)
Me: She has always had a head full of beautiful hair.
Girls: Why don't you put a relaxer in it - it would be so long (I'm trying not to roll my eyes)
Me: She doesn't need a relaxer, her hair is already long.
Girls: That would be taking the easy way out (perhaps there is hope for them yet).
Girls: She should wait until she's about 15 and then but a relaxer on it cause she gon get tired of taking care of all that hair. (I spoke too soon).
Me: Maybe she'll embrace the hair that God has given her and learn to take care of it, there are other options besides relaxers.
Girls: Yah you right - she could cut it all off, that would make it easier for her to take care of (Seriously).
At this point, I change the subject because I'm a guest in someone elses house and I can tell that these young ladies aren't open to new ideas. Plus, I was getting very heated, my family has prided itself on making sure our little girls are proud of who they are and for someone else to put ideas in their head contrary to our values was irritating. I don't blame the ladies for their ignorance. Someone failed to teach them about their heritage and how to keep an open mind. I just hope they learn to love themselves or life will be difficult. In the mean time our angel loves her hair and never asks about a relaxer. We must be doing something right.
My hair was officially ten months old November 30th and I can honestly say that I noticed growth. Not record setting lengths are anything, but when my hair is wet from working out or the shower, it dangles in eyes. I find myself searching for headbands and ties for the gym when before it never would have crossed my mind. The inspiration for the above collage came after I washed my own hair, retightened my own hair and because I thought I was cute. I love the bounce that my hair has when it is clean and I love the body that retightening my hair leaves. So today I did both and had extra bounce and body. Some of the pictures above are wet hair from the shower and others right after my retight.. I'm sure you can tell the difference. I've gotten to the point where I can retighten my hair with no mirror and I wash it quite vigorously. What can I say - I'm on the move and it feels good. Next up - COLOR. I will wait until my hair is a full year, so this should be around New Year. When my hair was loose and natural I colored with Henna, so I think I'll continue with this method even though the color is slight and you might not be able to readily discern the difference.
I finally had time to style my hair. I purchased the lock loops and they were fantastic to use. I literally curled my hair while watching T.V - no mirror; grabbed a small amount of hair, wrapped it around the loop and close. The pictures above are actually the second day and after a 6mi. run. The curls were much tighter but I figured I should post before they were totally gone. I received many compliments on my curls although I haven't decided if I should try to style the curls. The first day I allowed them to be free and the second day I wore a headband.
I can tell that my hair has grown some, but not much. I think the reason it takes so long to notice growth is because the loose hair on the ends has to shrivel and shrink first. So while your hair is growing, it's also shrinking. I have heard it said that you have a growth spurt at the 1 1/2 - 2 year mark. Perhaps this is when shrinkage is done because it's locked. Just a theory - What do you think?
