B vs B Part II

My BULLSHIT
Shrinkage, shrinkage and more shrinkage
Lint Patrol
People want to touch my hair
Locks matte together

My BENEFITS
No more relaxer and associated chemical burns
No globs of hair in the trash after I wash it
No need to use a comb
No more breaking combs
Hair can grow to my waistline or ankles if I choose
Compliments on my hair in its natural state
I LOVE MY HAIR
No crooks in my neck trying to keep up a hairstyle
People are fascinated with my hair
Sisterlock hair buddies
Hats aren’t just for bad hair days
In fact, no more bad hair days
Freestyle looks good in sun, wind, rain and snow
Oh yeah, I LOVE MY HAIR

I suspect everyone's list would slightly differ. But hopefully the benefits outweigh the bullshit.

Bullshit vs Benefits

Fellow Sisterlocker Pnk-e caused quite a response when she made the post on LockItUp that she has been locked for 2 years and is still extremely dissatisfied with her hair. The responses came pouring in one after another with suggestions that included:

Trying new products
Finding a new salon
Retightening/Styling her own hair
Cutting her locks off
Starting a Blog

I just want to know where does such extreme dissatisfaction come from? I guess an individual would have to answer this question for him or herself. But I have some theories one should consider before, during and after locking to help alleviate some of the dissatisfaction.

Mental Preparation – The decision to go natural or wear locks has to be a decision you are making for yourself. At the end of the day and you look in the mirror, you have to be happy with you. Usually the number one force of outside negativity comes from family and friends. Once you’ve got your mental armour all set to deal with them, putting Joe Blow and Suzy Q from the street in their place becomes a piece of cake. Sometimes family and friends come around and be supportive and sometimes they don’t. But if you don’t have the inner strength to deal with criticism and negativity from the decision to lock…then you probably shouldn’t lock.

Realistic Expectations – Locks are not a zero, hassle and maintenance free hairstyle. This realization alone is half the battle when it comes to locking. In fact, they take a hell of a lot of patience and for some, more work than the perm. You have to weigh the pros and cons of locks in comparison to other hairstyles. You have to know what it is you intend to get out of locking and how that relates to your hair texture and density.

Research, Research, Research – Talk to other lockers, look over websites and blogs, read books and magazines, join a chat group.

Flexibility and Patience – Unless you take the sew in route, beautiful locks don’t happen overnight. It’s a long journey with some good days and some bad days. If the above three items have been done, the good days should outnumber the bad days. The benefits should ALWAYS outweigh the bullshit. Otherwise, why bother?

Twists - My first hairstyle

Since I am several months away from braidouts, spike curler sets and fancy updos - I will take what I can get. While flat twists are nothing new, it didn't occur to me to try them as a loc hairstyle until I saw pictures of Charm sporting her twists. Toss in some loc jewelery and voila. I love it, love it, love it. Since I'm not the DIY type, I went to my most recent hair stylist I had during the last of the perm era. She got to know first hand about my hair woes and was extremely supportive and encouraging with my decision to lock. In one hour, my hair was washed, styled and set under the dryer. Since I budgeted 2 hours, that left plenty of time for photo taking and an eyebrow touch-up.

A Sisterlocks Love

A Sisterlocks Love by Soft Spoken

I think I’m having a love affair
With these gorgeous Sisterlocks in my hair
I ease them down on my pillow at night
And let them glisten from the moonlight
I awake in the morning to caress them gently
While the Sunshine showers them oh so plenty
I run my fingers through their vines so fine
Knowing that their beauty is mine all mine
Loving them true and nurturing their need
So that they can continue to spiritually feed
My heart, my body, my soul and my mind
Knowing a truer love I will never find
I think I’m having a love affair
With these gorgeous Sisterlocks in my hair

While surfing the net the other night in an attempt to quench my insatiable knowledge of Sisterlocks, I stumbled upon this beautiful poem. I love it when people have that gift to communicate exactly what you are feeling. Feel free to check out Femme Horizon for other beautiful works of art.

Mia Simone Hair Jewelry

Starting with a TWA (teeny weeny afro) definitely has its pluses and minuses. On one hand, you get to experience your locking journey at various lengths which is quite exciting. But in the meantime, it gets very boring waiting for your hair to grow. As a way to spice up my hair a bit, I ordered some hair jewelry from Mia Simone's Boutique. I ordered 3 pairs of jewelry and I get compliments each time I wear them.

My order arrived within a week and I was pleasantly surprised I got some free gifts as well. The gifts included a small box to keep the jewelry in and a courtesy copy of Naturally You! magazine. Now that's service! Thank you so much Mia. I love the jewelry.