Oopsies and Itchies

IT ITCHES!!!!! I'm only at week two and my scalp is driving me NUTS! I new this was going to be an issue because it has pretty much been an issue my entire life. But this is crazy!!! Which leads me to the oopsy of this post... I ABSOLUTELY had to rinse my hair last week. I had managed to hold off for a week and a half but the itching was driving me crazy and... I was not home where my rubber bands and starter shampoo were so I decided that I needed to rinse my head.. sans braiding and banding *gasp*. I know, I KNOW! Shame on me. But I couldn't help it. My options where risk a little slippage now and relieve some of the itch, or hold out and risk peeling off my scalp. I chose to go with the former. Luckily there wasn't any slippage at all and I got some much needed relief.

The next day I decided to tackle my first wash. And that was something of a disaster (making me wonder of course, whether I made the right decision. Of course, I know that I did, but this beginning stage is definitely something.) But I digress... So, I attempted to start braiding which was impossible given my length so I tried twisting which was difficult but I managed. Unfortunately, the rubber bands had to go out the window because the length of my hair made it impossible to twist fold under AND then band. So, my braid and band became a twist and snap (T-S). I utilized the endless supply of bow clips that are reserved for my daughter's hair, picking the ones that didn't have as many teeth (didn't want to snag anything).

The wash went well despite the 45 minutes it took me to T-S about 35-40 bundles (my hair is apparently that short although I didn't think it was before). And I decided to let my twists air dry overnight and take them out in the morning. Well, there went my second oopsy. The look did NOT come out the way I expected so I've settled that I'll just be free styling for a little while. Sorry, no pictures. That's how bad.

And we come back full circle to the itchies. I think I'm going to give the vinegar rinse a try. I NEED to give the vinegar rinse a try. I know that I'm not supposed to use anything but the SL starter shampoo and water in my hair but this is an emergency. Seriously. Not. Cute.

Wish me luck! And if there are any other suggestions, please, please, PLEASE leave a comment.

Free at last!!!

Of course I had to title this post that way since Thursday was MLK's birthday and we observe it this Monday. But that's definitely how I felt at 10:30 last night. So, so, SO very free! On a side note, I can't believe how far we have come as a nation in equality and how far in many ways we sill are. As I tell my pre-k students about Dr. King, it still boggles me what you can find in people's hearts both good and bad.

But back to hair! I LOVE it!!!! Even better, the whole process took 13 hours, which is especially great because my consultant wasn't sure if we would finish last night. But miraculously we did. It's amazing what a little prayer can do! LOL My hair is longer than I expected and fuller too so yay, yay, yay! Without further ado, introducing my babies born, officially on January 16th 2009.

Does anyone have some tips or tools, or accessories for styling these babies (other than soft spike curlers of course)? Comments and suggestions (and websites!) are definitely welcome. :-D

Oh by the way... I passed two of my NY certification exams!!! Yay!!! Now I have to schedule the third and final one. Good news all around!

Crazy Hair!!!

Well, someone congratulate me! I just got in after my first day of my installment. The front half of my head is almost done. My consultant estimates that I will have about 240 loc in that part alone. So far my installation time is 7 hours, and we hardly took any breaks!!!! Wow! I can't wait for tomorrow and I'm praying that we will finish it all then. Here's to another 7+ hours! Until tomorrow here are a couple of shots for your viewing pleasure. PS. This hat will become a favorite of mine over the next few days.

I'm So Excited and I Just Can't Hide It!!!

5 more days!!! I said FIVE MORE DAYS!!!! Until my installation that is. My consultant says that it should take her more than 12 hours to loc my hair and we're going to spread out over two days. I'm getting so antsy. Plus it's a little strange walking around with 4 test locks at the front of my head, even if it is reminiscent of a Superman curl. Yes, four test locks! Doesn't that already make me part of the family??? LOL 1 large, 2 medium and 1 small. I was proud that I was able to tell the difference. :-D So, of course, for your viewing pleasure I have three pictures of me sporting my four test locks surrounded by my just-woke-up-in-the-morning TWA. Please excuse the early morning look. :-) 

PS. Sorry for the sloppy layout. Still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing. 

Anticipation...

So, I'm continuing on my quest for as much information as possible about Sisterlocks before my installation. Two things that I have a lot of concerns about are itchiness and dandruff. I have a lot of that with my TWA so I'm really scared about when my scalp is more exposed and my hair doesn't conceal or trap as much. In my quest I have found three common remedies:

1) An apple-cider vinegar mix

2) Aveda Scalp Remedy

3) Water and olive oil mix.

Does anyone else have any suggestions or opinions on the matter? I want to be ready for the aftermath that will lead to GORGeous hair!

My Decision...

Well, people... I've decided to lock my hair. Method of choice? Sisterlocks. Why? Hmmmm.... Well, I've been natural, this time, for over six months now and for some reason, I just am not good at dealing with it in it's natural state. I've "gone natural", via the big chop, two other times before and it never stuck because I would get to this stage of frustration with dealing with it and go right back to the relaxer. I'm ashamed to admit this because I've seen women (my sister included) who have gone from TWA to a nicely sized afro, obviously able to deal with their own hair. In a way I feel like it's a testament to my "non-blackness" (no offense to ANYONE. I'm proud to be black, a black latina specifically. Just noting things that I've had issues with for years. I know some of you got the "Why do you try to talk "white" growing up.)

This last time that I did the big chop, I was REALLY tired of the relaxer and decided that I would not go back. EVER. So what would I do when it got to that crucial point? I actually tried traditional starter locs two weeks ago and I couldn't make it more than those two weeks. I NEED to be able to wash my hair. The dry shampoo thing was NOT working for my itchy scalp so here I am... three weeks later with four test locks in my hair and an appointment scheduled for one week from today for an installation. I'm SO nervous but really excited! So many pictures of so many beautiful women with such beautiful locs have given me the courage to keep with this decision. 

Wish me luck! :-) 

Greetings!

     After reading SO MANY blogs over the past few weeks, I decided to start my own in hopes that it will help someone else the same way all of the blogs I read helped me. These past two years have been such a roller coaster ride for me (between completing my masters, beginning a new career in education, my daughter, and a divorce, it was hard to tell which way was up). The primary focus of this blog is to document the installation and growth of my Sisterlocks. But included will be some commentary on my life in general. Enjoy! :-)