Where is the Customer Service

My second Sisterlocks magazine arrived last week and of course I was very pleased with it. Unfortunately, I cannot say I was happy with the amount of time it took to arrive, especially since I paid for an annual subscription in January for February. After perusing the responses on LockitUp, it turns out I was not the only one to receive my magazine late. In fact, some folks who also paid for an annual subscription were still waiting for their magazine to arrive. To add insult to injury, some people who had just ordered the 2nd magazine within the past two weeks were getting their magazines before the prepaid folks. This is no way to do business and maintain a faithful customer base.

Even if there was a problem with getting the magazines out on time, the very least Dr. Jo et al could do was use their database software to query out the prepaid folks and make sure their magazines got sent out as soon as the shipment arrived.

CycleBeads

Here is one of my natural product finds I thought would be good to pass along. CycleBeads are an innovation in family planning. They are easy to use, highly effective, inexpensive, cause no side effects, and can be used to either plan or prevent pregnancy.

Summer Heat

The summer temperatures this past week have been terrible. Ninety-plus degrees. It was three digits in some cities so I probably can't complain too much. But in Cleveland, 90+ degrees don't happen that often and when they do, oh how miserable. At least for me anyway. I'll take mid-seventies any day of the week. So how did my locs fair in all this heat? I did make a couple of adjustments. For one, I did not bother to wrap my hair up at night. I was actually pleased with the more fluffed out look compared to the ultra smashed look from having it covered. Second, I didn't care to have my hair on my face in this heat wave so I finger combed my front locks going to the back. I like the look and I think it gives me a pseudo caruso curled look. Other than a little sweaty, my locs and I are making it through the heat quite well.

Small World

I know it is a cliche but when folks say "It's a small world" they are not kidding.

My mother and I got to meet Detra's mom Carnella at Sunday's dinner. Carnella lived in Cleveland initially but moved to Columbus when Detra was a little girl. Carnella told us about two of her first cousins Bobby and Percy Womack. Well Percy was a bus driver for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority and guess what...so is my mom. It just so happens that my mother knew Percy and even told us a story about the time she was about to be late for work and Percy gave her the keys to his Cadillac so she would make it on time. Sadly, Percy is now passed and he was Carnella's favorite cousin. Whew, talk about a tear jerker moment.

People come in and out of our lives for many reasons. I've learned to cherish these reasons for both the good and the bad.

I don't know if it's just me or not, but I swear Detra's mom reminds me of Alice Walker. Or maybe I still have too much Color Purple on the brain.

Dinner in Columbus, OH

On Sunday night, the three C's of Ohio (Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati) got together and had a ball! We ate dinner at the Brownstone on Main restaurant located in downtown Columbus. The atmosphere was very chic and trendy with a bit of soul added. Our waiter delivered fantastic service and the food was quite tasty.


When Virginia, my mother (Rose) and myself arrived at the restaurant, Connie was already in the lobby waiting. Connie drove from Cincinnati. Her three year old locks are simply breathtaking and she is such a warm and kind spirit. I am so delighted she joined us.
Columbus native Cne arrived next. Her 13 month locks are just too cute.
Can you believe she's about to be a grandmother? She practically looks like a teenager herself.

And last I got to meet another one of my fellow Blog Queens in the flesh...Detra. It was Detra who inquired about a Columbus gathering on LockItUp since she was home visiting from Dallas. Thank goodness she did. I enjoyed meeting her and her mom Carnella very much.

Updo For The Weekend

I got my hair styled in this updo on Saturday by my lovely stylist Andreda Forte. I feel like Miss America. What makes it even more special for me is sporting the beautiful jewels that LaChanda got and brought to me in New York. But now I'm spoiled and I want more of them. Fortunately, a different stylist in the beauty salon recommended a local beautique for me to try.

I love updo styles and I feel I look better in short styles and updos anyway. I guess I always have. So more length equals more creativity. Creativity by somebody else that is. I have made a promise to myself to do my own braidouts and some roller sets when the time is right. Might even experiment from time to time. But overall, I love the magic hands of somebody else giving me that million dollar hairstyle that I know I wouldn't be able to achieve on my own. Just like the Loreal folks say, "I'm worth it!"

Val & Nadine Merchandise

The very first time I saw the Val & Nadine comic strip, I was beyond impressed. Me being quite the product junkie I am, I just had to have some of the merchandise. I ordered a tee shirt and two coffee mugs. It was nothing short of an impeccable buying experience. Cafepress.com was very easy to navigate, offers excellent customer service, and good quality products. Ms. Diego2Memphis did her homework when she chose this vendor to distribute her goods and services. I am in awe of this kind of creativity, talent, and entrepreneurship.

Do I Look Like Me??

After our initial afternoon stroll around Times Square, my mother's feet got the best of her because she thought a low heel would be sufficient enough for walking. Not so! So off we were on a mission to find my mother some comfortable walking shoes. She settled on a pair of plastic black clogs and claimed they did the trick. I was happy I didn't have to hear her complaining about her feet anymore.

During our shoe shopping mission, I get an offer to have my picture drawn for five bucks. For that price I couldn't pass it up. So I sit down and let my lady drawer go to work. Next thing I know, folks are stopping to take a peak and formed a small crowd. Now I'm wondering to myself, "What is this woman drawing of me?" To top it off, my mother bursts out laughing. I was really paronoid at that point. A lady watching the drawing assured me that I would be pleased. Well when I saw the finished drawing, I was very pleased indeed. Can you figure out what made my mother start laughing?

NY Sistah Love Gathering

I went to New York over the weekend with the beautiful ladies of GRITS from Dallas. I was accompanied by my mother. I absolutely loved the Broadway Color Purple Musical and especially enjoyed meeting my fellow Sisterlock Divas live and in the flesh. It was simply marvelous.

The other day I was back on Mia Simone's site going over some items I ordered but haven't received yet. Imagine my surprise when what did I see...my blog. I couldn't believe it. For a split second, I felt like a movie star. Oh yeah, from the looks of this photo, I think my hair is having a mini Brunsli phase. But since I love volume, bring it on!

Hair Clips Anyone

A little bit of length feels oh so good. So I bought some hair clips and a few headbands to celebrate. I also ordered a bottle of Khoret Amen Herbal Shampoo with Sea Moss by Carols Daughter. I'm hoping it will help with the dryness. Otherwise, I'm still in love with my
locks. I can't think of any other hairstyle where the older it gets, the better it looks. Oh yeah, I'm getting very excited about the Color Purple trip.

Virginia - New SL Convert

Hey folks. Virginia is my latest Sisterlock convert. She's been at the company I work at for about 6 years. She told me she was considering Sisterlocks a year ago but chickened out. Since Virginia was already half way over the fence, of course
I gave her that extra push into hair freedom that she needed. The rest is history now!

Evolution to Me Phase I

31 this Year - Cheers to another Amazing Year in Lockdom

My Birthday: April 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated. You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way. People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little. Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

7 Months Compared to 7 Days

I just washed my hair tonight and I wanted to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me. So it was time for a progress report. On the right, about 7 days of locks and on the left, 7 Months. I couldn't be more thrilled with the results so far. Gosh I love these locks!

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.