After a Year

Wow, even though my hair has always grown long, I don't think I've let it grow quite this long since I was pregnant with my son (over 17 years ago!). So this is where my SLs have brought me after a mere year and I really like the results. Looking at these pics makes me wish I'd have remembered to measure my hair while it was down yesterday, but I didn't think of it at the time.

I have an up-do at the moment which I am also loving, so I won't be taking it a down for a minute. My consultant and I have agreed to start clipping off the relaxer at my Jan 08 retightening. Unless I change my mind and delay the inevitable a bit longer, I plan to have all of the relaxer off by the spring (I need at least a little something to keep my head warm until then). I think I have about 6" of natural SL'd hair right now so it will feel and maybe look like a drastic change, but at the same time I am looking forward to seeing how my locks look "totally naturale".

I feel especially blessed to be able to pass on the experience and message that if for any reason you are a sister that prefers to keep some or all of your relaxed length while your SLs are developing, first of all know that there is no shame and nothing wrong with this approach. This is your journey and, as such, you never need to feel that you have to justify keeping your relaxed ends for or to anyone. Assuming you've chosen SisterLocks because you want to go totally natural, you'll likely already be aware that the relaxer has to go eventually and you'll want that. When, how fast and how much is totally up to you, keeping in mind input from your consultant. Second, keeping your relaxed hair can be done without bunching and tangling drama, as long as your consultant knows how to manage it correctly and you follow her instructions. There are some consultants that won't install SLs with any relaxer still in the hair. This is way cool too. In my case, I was extremely fortunate to find a consultant who, among other things, knew how to work with relaxed ends and who also put my relaxed hair in the SLs pattern (as you'll see elsewhere in my blog and/or in my Fotki, I began this journey with approximately 3" of natural hair and my total length was at least 8", probably more). It would be many months before I realized that she had even done this; I guess I just never thought about it until I kept reading posts about others having trouble with their relaxed ends. It was sort of like a lightbulb moment. Since relaxed hair will never lock (at least prob not in my lifetime), my consultant did this for the sake of manageability and consistency (I'm actually guessing this because I keep forgetting to ask her why she made this choice, but knowing her professionalism and dedication to her work ... ). Besides being extremely precise, my consultant also has the added advantage of being very fast, so any extra time added on to do this during my installation was minimal. Thank goodness! Just more proof for me that Divine Guidance led me to her (and Lord knows I said some serious prayers about this thang before I jumped in) and to Sisterlocks!!

Almost a Year

On December 8, 2007 (less than 2 weeks) I will have had my Sisterlocks for one whole year! Other than a couple of (mostly self-imposed) blips on my SL radar screen, I've been in heaven with my decision. I've had to get accustomed to some facts about my natural hair, but that has been part of the journey for me and, as my locks progress, I'll learn and have more to accept and love about my hair. I always think thrice about saying "never", so I will just say that no one would be more surprised than me if I ever turned back from Sisterlocks to ... do what? Go back to a relaxer? I definitely don't have a "soap box" mentality against relaxers, but my choice to use them kept me in salons for hours, much of it spent waiting and waiting, and enduring poor customer service. Thank God those days are behind me and they don't ever have to be part of my future! To a TWA? Well, been there, done that and very much enjoyed it during those times of my life. But my hair has always been naturally long and I'm not feeling the TWA lately. Actually, I'd have probably never gone the TWA route had I found an easier way to take care of my thick, long and natural hair. So, just for today, if ease, freedom and mad versatility is what I want, I can't think of any other style that would make me want to leave my SLs. Okay, back to the present -- I decided to create this post so that I could compare pics of my SLs from "the early days" up until now.

2-month retightening

These two are at about 3 mos. I'm glad that I took the close up "scalpy" shots. It helps me to see the amount of my natural hair that is actually in the SL pattern (my consultant put my relaxed hair in the pattern too, just for continuity, and I'm so glad that she did because I don't have tangling issues, etc. to deal with).

These are from my (before/after) retightening last Wed (Thanksgiving eve).

Okay, my locs have definitely thickened up (I really thought they never would!) even though they are still not yet fully settled (sigh ... even after a year). Actually, I'm going to say that they look full and luscious!! And, although I started with a good amount of length, I can tell that I've had some more growth. The last time my hair was wet, my locs (in the back) stretched down to the top of my bra strap. Finally I can really enjoy my length, carefree!!

Lastly, while I didn't plan this by design, I'll get to *celebrate* my 1-year SL anniversary on the same day as the Charlotte SL gathering -- December 8th - yay! I look forward to having some fun pics to post that weekend.