ATLANTA SISTERLOCKS GATHERING

Here are some pictures from the Atlanta Sisterlocks Gathering. We got toghether at Pappadeaux's in Norcross, Saturday afternoon. I was so proud of all of my beautiful sisters.

FIRST RETIGHTINING!!!

I went back to Cia for my first follow up and mini-retightening. My locks are behaving nicely, I am happy to report. No splippage-yeah!! My hair is LOVING being locked. I had a little product buildup around the back and front edges, but that was about it. My locks are doing so well, that I was given permission to put a litte moisturizer on the ends. Cia spritzed my hair with a mixture of water and the Sisterlocks moisturizer before I left.

It hadn't dawned on me that my hair had really grown, but it must have--my scalp feels considerably tighter. And the partings are a little more noticeable, especially in the front.

Needless to say, I am really enjoying my Sisterlocks.

Something funny: my daughter just walked in the office while I was working on my blog. She goes "Mommy, that looks like you!!!" She thought my blog was too 'cool.' Welcome to the world of blogging, my dear.

MIRROR VS CAMERA

How is it that your vision of yourself if a mirror is not what a camera or the rest of the world sees?
This morning I took my hair out of the (experimental) cornrolls, and I didn’t quite like the results. Instead of bouncy hair and tames ends, it just looked like I needed to comb my hair. After a few minutes of finger combing, I got it into, what I thought was, a decent style, and off I went to work. An hour or two later, I took some pictures, and this is what it looked like. Not quite the look I was going for last night!!

I promise you, it did not look like that in my mirror at home. But the camera doesn’t lie, right?

So, I did a little more finger combing—not quite perfect, but better.

I did get a few more pictures that show the locks pretty well. I really like how my hair falls in the back. The fuzzy ends make my hair look pretty full.

One week Sisterlocked, and loving it!!

FIRST WASHING

My week old Sisterlocks got their first washing Sunday night. Hadn’t planned on it, but my scalp was starting to flake around the front edges. So off I went, braiding and banding. I mixed the shampoo using the ‘light’ ratio on the bottle. I will probably increase that next time; didn’t get a lot suds. Of course, that might have been because I was trying to be so careful, and with the one way rubbing, and not disturb the locks at the roots. The smallness of the partings made it easy to access my scalp—unlike the braids and weaves, so that was nice. When I took the braids out, my hair really surprised me. It was longer than I realized, and I really liked the way it fell. And it actually moved when I shook it—who knew???

I tried to take some pictures. Got a pretty good one of the top of my head. Woo, that’s a lot of open space up there.
That fuzzy stuff is my natural ends. Luckily, not too many
people see me from that angle!! (The camera batteries died
before I could get any more pictures).



I started to wear my hair freestyle to work the next day, but I thought the edges looked a little wild, so I got the bright idea to put it into two cornrolls, to try and make it ‘behave.” (At that point, I was impressed that I actually could cornroll it. Again—who knew???!! ) Check out the next post for the results.

SCRAPBOOKING WITH SISTERLOCKS

This weekend, I went on my annual Scrapbooking retreat. This year, it was at Camp Pinnacle—a Baptist retreat center in Clayton, GA. It was very quiet up there—no tv’s, no cell phone coverage, one phone in the lobby. You either cropped, or you slept.

For the first time, I was actually able to pack for an overnight trip in an OVERNIGHT bag. I didn’t have to bring a separate bag just for hair care products. My hair care consisted of two hair rollers, and a silk scarf. Even in 95+ degree heat and humidity while unloading and loading the car—my hair looked great. Love it!!!!

7:30 AM SUNDAY

HAPPY LOCK DAY(S) TO ME!!

Well, here I am, after 24 long hours--my locks are done!!!! We started at 7:00am Saturday, and worked to 3:00pm. I came back at 6:30 Sunday, and Cia finished up at 1:00am Monday. She really is meticulous about the partings. Even my largest locks are tiny--I can't imagine how small micro locks would be. The first two pictures show me bleary eyed at 1:00am, just after she had finished.

These are pictures from Tuesday morning. I'm trying to work these curls into a sytle. I haven't had curls in so long, I'm having to learn how to style my hair all over again. Sorry, these pictures aren't very good.

These pictures show the texture and curls a little better. The scalpy/plucked chicken thing turned out not to be a big issue. The picture on the left is the top of my head--mostly covered

with proper finger combing.

And one more picture--me enjoying my brand new Sisterlocks!!

WHAT NOT TO DO IN A WIG

So the summer is quickly coming to a close, and I decide that I would accompany my kids on one of their summer day camp field trips. Sounds like a good idea, right? Do I pick a nice museum? or a nice air conditioned building full of jumpy things? or even a petting zoo?? NOOOOOOooooo, not me. I decided to go on a mile long hike up the waterfall at the Amicalola Falls State Park in north Georgia. It was 90 something degrees that day (last

Thursday) and sunny. The shade of the trees in the forest blocked most of the sun, but that didn't help the humidity.

The kids were troopers--they hit the trail and kept going. We started off on an asphalt path, and then hit a series of 425 steps--rated strenuous. The falls and vegetation were really pretty, but, oh my gosh, I was soooo hot. And that wig did not help one bit. I just wanted to rip it off. I kept wishing that I already had my Sisterlocks. By the time I was half way up, my neck and back were soaked. All I could do was keep climbing. The hike was supposed to take about 20 minutes. I'm sure it took me twice as long. I was one of the last ones up--but I made it, wig and all.

GREETINGS FROM PAYLAR

I was so happy to run acrosss the blog exchange. I am honored to be joining the Sisterlock sisterhood on August 18,19, 2007. I found a wonderful consultant in Tucker, GA--Cia of Kinkyawakenings. So very excited to be starting this journey.

THE BEST REASON FOR NATURAL HAIR

That would be because of my 7 year old daughter. She's a beautiful little girl with a head full of curly, long hair (except where she and a friend chopped holes in it a couple years ago.) She's absolutely adorable in her afro puffs. Well, we're having hair issues these days. She attends a predominately white school, and I she wants her hair to look like some of the other little girls in her class--long and bone straight. So she likes to go to the hairdresser and get her hair pressed. It's about shoulder lenghth then. She wants it absolutley straight--no curls. Matter of fact, one day, when the hairdresser BUMPED her edges, she threw a major fit. Part of me wanted to wring her neck, the other part just wanted to cry.

And like the rest of us, she does the towel on the head thing sometimes. I understand--I've been there. I understand how images in the media (even of our black stars in their weaved glory) and what she sees around her affect her view of her hair. I try really, really hard to convey to her that her hair is beautiful--short and curly, or long and straight. I tell her that God gave her the hair that she is supposed to have--it's not supposed to look like everyone else's.

So, it dawned on m e one day, how can I, as her Mother and teacher, preach to her about accepting her hair, if I keep coming home with 'fake hair' in mine. I've got to practice what I preach. I'm thinking Sisterlocks will help me do just that.

HAIRSTORY

My hairstory is similar to so many of the other stories that I have read fromt his wonderful group. I too, spent many a Saturday sitting in the kitchen while my Mother pressed my hair--exhaust fans, grease, burnt ears, that smell.....
I got my first relaxer the summer before my senior year--just in time for senior pictures. I thought I was hot stuff. Problem was, my Mother, bless her heart, couldn't stand the idea of paying someone $30 or $40 dollars every couple weeks to do what she felt she could do herself. Consequently I probably didn't go back to the hairdresser for almost a year, and by the time that I did, I had so many split ends that she just picked up the scissors and started cutting. I didn't mind that so much, but my Mother was furioius. She always wanted me to have long hair, like my sister.
But I got the short hair gene--like herself. I think her reaction to me was a little based on her image of herself--I look like her, have her hair. Don't think she liked that very much. Anway, my hair never grew passed my ears. And I was OK with that. I just thought--that's how it is, and that's how its gonna be.
I found someone to do my hair in college pretty cheap, so I went frequently--and I had the time to take care of it when I couldn't go. I liked how I looked with short hair.

Fast forward to getting married, and having a baby, my son--December 1997. I was on a very limited budget at that time, and my hair suffered. I got my first braided extensions soon after my second child, my daughter, was born. Looked OK, but I was never quite comfortable with suddenly having shoulder length hair. Just seemed kind of fake, and I felt like everyone who looked at me knew it.

I took the braids out, and made my way to the hairdresser for my next relaxer. This was October, 2000. The lady behind the chair had a beautiful textured natural. I remember telling her, "I wish I was brave enought to wear my hair like yours." Her reply was,"why don't you?" So, sitting in the chair, I decided, why not??--and she proceeded with the big chop. I really liked how I looked with my little fro--it was actually rather liberating. I was terribly nervous about going home, because I knew my husband was NOT going to be happy. Sure enough, I walked in the door, and his reaction was "What the h___ did you do to your hair??"

I wore my hair in various lenghts of a fro for the next five years. Sometimes natural, sometimes with a texturizer. Then I started getting restless. I decided to start trying some new looks. Bought a couple of wigs.

Got the corn rolls that made me look like I had plastic surgery, and caused bumps along my hairline.

Got my first sew-in weave. Let me tell you--this was THE WORST.
I had a picture of this cute, short curly style--I got this Chaka Khan (Love you Chaka), shoulder length thing. The beautician told me not to worry that the style was so far from the picture. She had been doing weaves for years, and knew what was best for my face and head. NOT!!! I left there physically in shock--my head hurt so bad, that I had to lay my head down in the passenger seat at every light. Once the pain ended, the itching started. By the time I took the weave out, I had pulled out two patches of hair on the top of my head. I said NEVER AGAIN.


I noticed in some of the posts--many of your had become frustrated with your natural styles, and either had, or were about to go back to relaxers. By this summer, I was acutally thinking of that myself. Being natural, didn't seem to be doing much more for my hair.... I thought well, maybe if I make sure I get it done regularly, the relaxer will be a good thing this time.


I consider myself a spiritual person. And I definitely know that God provides exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. My parents were vending jewelry for my sister at a Women's empowerment event in June 2007. Next to their table was a sister promoting Sisterlocks. My Mother took the information, and gave it to me. I spent the next two days reading websits and blogs, and absolutely loved what I saw.

I called on a Sunday, and scheduled my consultation for the next day. And here I am...

I think Sisterlocks really fits the type of life that I am trying to lead. I am trying to move past negativity, hurt, and pain that has plagued me for much of my life. Sometimes I think that I am this free-spirit, artistic, bold person trapped in this corporate, suburban,stressed out body and life. I think having Sisterlocs will be one way to let my true inner voice be heard.


(Sorry this was so long--forgive me for rambling...I'm just happy to be here.)

MY VERY FIRST BLOG ENTRY

I was so happy to run acrosss the blog exchange. I am honored to be joining the Sisterlock sisterhood on August 18,19, 2007. I found a wonderful consultant in Tucker, GA--Cia of Kinkyawakenings. So very excited to be starting this journey. This is a picture of me in what I hope is the last wig I will ever wear. More pictures and more posts to come soon.