Loving Accessories

Greetings everyone!! Length + maturity = I really get to enjoy my accessories to the fullest. Pictured above I'm wearing the Betty Davis Tomoka Twist. Sensational is all I have to say about this collection. As a matter of fact, it describes all of the pieces on the site. More sets are definitely in my future.

Below are a few pics of me wearing my Loc Soc. A different variation of how I wore it here in the summer. Versatility is so great.





As for washing, I took advantage of Chosenvessel's Komaza product post by going to the site and purchasing a few samples of the shampoo with emu and tea tree oil. Since it helps alleviate the itching and dandruff, I've splurged on a full bottle purchase. I have absolutely nothing against the Nizoral, but I would like to stick with natural remedies if possible. I will admit that I really don't look forward to washing my hair anymore. But that's just another one of the growing pains I guess.

At first I just knew I would keep growing my hair until I could at least sit on it. Strictly from a maintenance perspective, that probably won't happen. I'm pretty confident no hair cuts up until I hit my 4th year. After that, I'll just have to go with whatever feelings are driving me when that point in time gets here. In the meantime, I'll keep looking at Audrey's gorgeous Sisterlocks to help keep me motivated.

Self-retightening is still in the works. Despite the $250 for the SL training, I definitely have no regrets on taking the class in July of this year. Initially it's tedious but still liberating. Life happens and you never know when a situation is going to arise prompting you to have to give it a go yourself. My first try was over 30 hrs, the second was in the neighborhood of 20. I only have ambitions to get down to 10-14. In a couple of weeks, I'll have another try to see how close I come to getting there.

Class or no class, knowing that you can touch up your locks if needed is truly no understatement.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS

On the Hair Front

1. I was retightened over the weekend by a local consultant here in Cleveland. She is very sweet and I am quite pleased with the results of her work. To find somebody who won't jeopardize the integrity of Paulette's foundation is more than a notion. But I do believe this new consultant may be a keeper.

2. I am finally scheduled to take the retightening class on June 30th. I'm anxious, scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time. I'm still appalled that the price doubled since two years ago.

3. Check out the two new baby locks! Like many others, my hairline suffered something terrible from the braids and relaxer damage. I was almost starting to believe the damage was irreversible. Nearly two years later, better late than never sure is the truth. I'm still hoping to gain enough peach fuzz on the other side to form some new locks.

4. The dandruff and itching was getting the best of me and I had to try something new. I went back to Sunsail's blog and decided to try her Nizoral shampoo remedy. I ordered the 2% solution from a Canadian pharmacy website. From reading over some product reviews, I learned that in the US you can only get the 2% solution with a prescription and it cost a pretty penny. The Canadian pharmacy sold it for a fraction of the cost and no prescription needed.

I diluted it with water because heck, I dilute almost everything nowadays that I use in my hair. After two weeks and just one time of using the shampoo, I went from 100% filthy, McNasty head full of dandruff to maybe 10% dandruff. I suspect that as I continue to use the shampoo, the dandruff will go away even more. It's so nice to not have my shoulders and pillows buried in dandruff. Girl, you know I'm kicking myself for not trying this stuff earlier when you wrote about it.

5. Last but not least, I love my Sisterlocks!

Tonic for Dandruff

That's it. I could not take the itching and dandruff anymore. I knew that oils are a no no. So for the first month or so after washing, I would do an apple cider vinegar soak for 30 minutes and then rinse it all out. I could tell it was helping, but the stinging on my scalp was insane. Finally, I went to the recipe page on Loc It Up and found a recipe I absolutely love. Because I'm still in the early stages of locing, I only use the tonic once or twice per retightening session. I get my hair tightened every 7-8 weeks. The tonic smells wonderful, softens my locs, and the itching and dandruff is diminishing.

Tonic for Dandruff

Essential oils can be used in a base of distilled water to
provide a hair tonic for various uses. Here is a tonic that
will help control dandruff if used several times a week.
You will need:

1 1/2 cups distilled water (or rosewater)
Witch hazel (available at most drugstores)
3 teaspoons of cider vinegar
Oil of Lavender
Oil of Rosemary
Oil of Tea Tree

Mix the water, 1/4 cup of the witch hazel, the cider
vinegar, six drops each of the lavender and rosemary oils,
and three drops of the tea tree oil in a glass bottle.
Shake this well and apply it to your wet or dry hair
several times a week. Massage the tonic into your scalp.
You do not have to rinse your hair afterward.