I thought of this post while reading Darker Than Brown's post about her own hair goals. When I cut my hair in May/June 2011, I knew that I would take this opportunity to relearn my hair. I made goals for myself too. They were:
Healthier hair
A definite regimen
APL hair by February 28, 2012
Better knowledge of products for my hair
Ability to listen to my hair
Knowledge and implementation of many, many different hairstyles
I accomplished many of my goals with my loose hair. I definitely moved my hair to a higher level of health. I even formed a stable regimen. Listening to my hair is still somewhat a challenge, but I am getting much better at it. I even know a few styles! Starting locs has made my goal of APL hair pretty impossible. I have so much shrinkage that it's ridiculous. I'm alright with it though.
Goals for 2012 are certainly in order. Here they are:
More baby loc friendly styles
Regular trips to the loctitian
A definite loc regimen
I'm sure I'll come up with more soon. Until next time...
Hey! I was browsing the loc forums over at Nappturality, and I found some ladies talking about the ends of their locs. Apparently, some locs do not loc all the way down to the end. The results for most are curly, loose ends. Many of the users on the forum loved their loose ends! It was a way for them to keep a sort of loose natural look in combination with a loc'ed one. It's also different from a typical view of locs. I personally love the idea! I can tell already that my ends will probably not seal at all, but I love my little spirals on the ends. When my hair finally locs, I think I will keep my ends loose.
It's been two months (but 10 weeks, strangely enough) since my loc journey began! I've started to kind of ignore them. I constantly play with them, but I'm not obsessing over them as much as I used to. I have, however, picked up a strange habit over the past couple of days. My coils are still somewhat tight from my trip to the loctitian. I can unravel them at the root though. I've started unraveling them then using my finger to split them until I reach a point where there's a knot. That is where my hair is loc'ing, I'm assuming. This is a terrible habit, right? One of my locs had pretty much no knot, so I almost split the whole thing. I've got to stop this asap. Pictures are coming at some point!
Wellll, I got back from the loctitian, Jocelyn, about an hour ago, and I look a like a completely different person. I'm feeling a lot of different things right now. Let me tell you how it went down:
Hey lovelies! As I've told you all before, my birthday recently passed aaand my family isn't super supportive of my new decision of loc'ing my hair. I made the decision to start and maintain my locs myself because I feel that doing so would bring me closer to my hair and help me work on patience. My mother and other loose people, however, disagree completely. They think that my locs are messy because I am doing them. Nevermind the fact that my hair is going through the many stages necessary to loc'ing. Anyway, my mom decided to "surprise" me by taking me to our natural hair stylist who is also a loctitian. I absolutely love her! She did my loose natural hair for about two years, and my hair reached exciting new lengths with her. In any other situation, I would love having her fingers in my hair again. Buuuut, my loc journey was supposed to be mine! *Disclaimer* I do not believe that loc'ers who are regularly maintained by loctitians do not have their personal relationships with their locs.
Here's a picture! Not the one's that I've been promising, but just a picture.
*Sigh* My appointment is tomorrow at 9am. I'll update you on my feelings, what she says about my progress so far, etc.
Oh my gosh! Time has certainly flown since I started my loc journey. It's been five weeks and one day already! I have been so busy with life lately that I haven't had much time to blog. Since my last post, I have had a birthday, my first Deltaversary, and enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family. A lot has happened huh? With all of that going on, my locs have made lots of progress. I believe they are right on the cusp of budding! Heck, maybe they are budding. I am having the most trouble trying to take pictures of the individual babies, so I'll try to describe them.
Let's take this lil boo in the back for example. I think this loc has a lot going for it. It is one of the few locs that is no longer springy and bouncy. It is more compact and does not stretch out anymore. There are also a few areas where I can feel a knot forming. It's like the individual strands are starting to loc, but not just yet. I have plenty of those all over my head. I'm sure its a good sign.
I've been promising pics and they are definitely coming! Unfortunately, I'm an awful photographer, and my camera isn't much better.
After three weeks and one day, (Nov. 11) I shampooed my hair for the first time! I was very, very nervous about my coils unraveling. So many people were telling me that three weeks was too early to wash my hair. I couldn't wait though! I talked about how I wet my hair in my last post with very good results, so I figured everything would work out. I was right! My hair feels nice and clean. I really missed feeling water move through my hair.
To retwist, I used my Jamaican Mango & Lime Locking Gel (Resistant Formula). It took about an hour and a half. My arms were sooo tired after! I was using clips, which I hate. I saw Chescalocs video about how she retwists her hair without clips.
I though my babies were too short, but I figured it was worth a shot. This method definitely worked for me. It was super fast and not using clips was great. The last step, putting them in a ponytail, diiidn't quite work in my favor. Instead of a ponytail, I had two small pineapples. Now my hair is separated in the front and back and kinda weird. It's alright though. I found a method that mostly works. Yay!
I honestly need to put some more pics up here! I'm pretty sure some of my babes are budding. I'm finding tiny knots in some of my smaller locs, while others are getting firm without any signs of buds. I have no clue if that's normal or what. *shrugs* I'm letting them do their thing lol. I like the little knots though. I promise pictures soon!
Today was the marker of my third week loc'ing. I'm in love with my hair! I haven't retwisted yet, so my hair is kinda wild. I like it though! In most places, I have about an inch of untwisted hair before the actual coil starts. My hair looks very full. I know a retwist is coming soon though. With my twentieth birthday and Deltaversary next week, I want to look a liiiiitle less all over the place. I'm actually thinking about semi-free forming since I like the more natural look. I will probably be shampooing my hair soon as well. I wet my whole head while in the shower yesterday to see what would happen. Thankfully, all of my coils stayed in place! I love these lil ladies :D
I'm officially two weeks and one day into my loc journey! The time flew by, even though it hasn't been that long. I feel like I'm actually in my loc journey now. Before I just had some coils. Now people are asking me if I'm loc'ing. I guess they see the roughness and are tryin to figure out what the heck is going on. Oh well! I'm excited that they are starting to look a little rough. That means something is happening and progress is being made.
In other news, I partied like crazy last night! I picked a bad day to actually dance at a party for the first time though. The coily babies at the nape of my neck were soaked from all of the sweat. Gross, I know, but it happened. I was so scared that I would lose all of my coils in one night. Thankfully, I woke up to the same amount of frizzy babies I had before, sporting a lot more frizz than before. I'm okay with that though! I'm happy none completely gave up on me. The few that were startin to firm up are still firm and everything. Yay! No damage done :)
It hasn't even been two whole weeks yet, and I have definitely noticed a change in some of my starter locs. A few random coils are beginning to feel firm near the root. This change makes me excited and cautious simultaneously. I'm not sure why some are making progress while others are unraveling every two seconds. My locs are definitely starting to feel like my own little children. Some are more advanced, coloring in the lines, while others are busy eating the crayons *smh*. I love them all nonetheless.
Anyway...I let the loc'ed duded from the Commons squeeze a couple of my babies. He said that in a couple weeks, the firm locs will be loc'ing all the way down. That is only a little less than a month since their installation. Is that too fast? I know that everyone's hair is unique and different, but dang one month? Maybe this is some weird stage before they begin to bud. From what I've read, the budding stage is full of frizziness, balls of hair at the ends, and a firm ball in the middle. My locs are not frizzy at all and there are no balls at the ends. The firmness is not at the root, but right under it.
I'll be happy if my hair locs fast. My only worry is for the poor stragglers. Some of the coils in the front aren't even coils anymore! They look like loose hair with a twist at the root. I wish I could show you all. Maybe I'll make a video (even though I hate my voice), just so you all can see exactly what I mean.
In a family full of naturals, you'd think that there would be a few loc'd ladies. Nope, there's only me. The one with the awkward family position. I'm was the first born of all my cousins. I was sort of the guinea pig child to most of my family. I'm the first to experience high school graduation, moving into college, changing majors, wanting and getting piercings, now locs. I feel like I'm driving my family crazy with all of the new things I want to do. Only yesterday I told my family that I'm in the process of loc'ing my hair, and the uproar has already begun! Here is a brief list of reasons/sayings I've heard so far about why I shouldn't loc my hair, especially not by myself.
Layci, you must want your hair to fall out!
I'm not even sure how this is relevant to loc'ing. In actuality, you keep A LOT of hair, even the ones that you should naturally shed. This statement is the complete opposite of loc'ing.
"Dreads" are dirty and gross.
I get really upset about this one. The fact that locs are dirty is such a misconception. Locs are just hair! Pressed, permed, kinky, curly, any kind of hair can be dirty and gross! Most people I know with locs and read about on the forums wash their hair waaay more than loose people.
Locs are not professional.
It is a shame that people feel this way. This is still a common view on natural hair. I believe that the world is changing. Locs are professional when you make them professional, like any other hair style. They laid this on me then followed up by saying that I'm a black woman, making it even harder for me to find a job. Great! I guess I'll be a housewife which is my dream. I want to work for myself anyway. What a rebel I am. I know for a fact, though, as a loc'd black woman, I will be able to begin an excellent career. I am educated, well-spoken, confident, and hard working. Locs cannot overshadow those things.
This is just a phase. Wait 'til you get older!
My birthday is literally twenty days away. I'll be twenty years old. I know that I am not extremely wise or mature, but I'm pretty sure twenty years old is old enough to make a decision regarding my hair. Here is my real problem with this statement. As I continue this loc journey, I will be natural! I cannot understand why my family has a problem with me continuing to be natural. If I were contemplating a perm, I would want my family to be concerned and begging me not to do it. I'm so confused.
I can't do locs by myself.
Alright. This is a tricky one. My family is completely aware that I am a college student. Who will be paying for those expensive loc maintenance sessions every month or however often? Not me and certainly not them! I understand that some people enjoy going to their loctitian for professional loc maintenance, but I don't feel like that is for me. I want to experience my hair at every point in this journey. I want my locs to be my own. No disrespect to those loc'ers who do not DIY. This is MY journey, and I want to keep it that way.
My locs will never look good because they will not be done by a professional.
*Shaking my head* No, my little darlings do NOT look their best right now, but they are only nine days old. Locs go through phases and stages that anyone outside of the loc'ed community simply does not understand. All that my family sees are women with mature locs. "They're locs look nice because they go to professionals. Look at your hair," various family members said. They seem to think that people who get their locs professionally done completely bypass any weird, awkward, not so pretty stage of the loc journey. That is so wrong!
I'm still trying to explain everything to my family, but they are not taking it too well. They think that I will be done with this before Thanksgiving anyway. Any advice on how you dealt with family, friends, randoms who were not so happy about your loc journey?
Yesterday, I promised pictures, so there they are! I know they are not the best pictures since they are self taken. I will have a friend take some for me soon. My babies are really loose at the root now. I'm not sure if it is new hair or my coils unraveling. Both maybe? Anyway, I'm not sure when I will retwist them. I have become super paranoid about weakening my roots. "Hand in hair disease" has hit me hard, and I often twist them without thinking about it. Maybe sometime next week I'll actually retwist them. Happy Eight Days to my babies!
My locs are a week old! I'm so proud of them! All of my friends are surprised I've kept them this long *side eye* but I can't wait to see them transform. So far, nothing is happening except frizz. I'm cool with that. I guess I owe the blog some pictures huh? It has officially been a week after all. Did I mention I went a whole seven days with these babies? I'm sorry lol I'm happy :D. Pictures tomorrow...
Are locs an aphrodisiac? They just might be! Let me tell you, I was in the Commons today, talking to the guy with the locs. Since I can't play in my own (yet), I asked to play in his. He has long, beautiful locs that reach his lower back. He LOVED having me play in his hair! He asked me to run my fingers through them and braid them. I did, of course, because I enjoyed it too. I miss having long hair. When he had to get back to work, I corn rolled them. He almost fell asleep. He told me that when my locs grow out, people playing in them will cause one of two things: sleep or arousal. "Wow," I thought. I mean, I did love guys playing in my loose hair. I didn't even think people could actually feel action in the length of their locs. Listening to him, I don't know how I'm gonna act when my locs get long. I'll be out of control! They'll be so beautiful and styled that I'll be playing with them and guys probably will too. I won't have any complaints at all lol. Watch out now!
Since I had my BC of sorts, forums and websites have been my guiding light. Now that I have started my loc journey, I wish I could say the same. Where the heck are the loc'd forums and websites? Most of the sites I've seen seem very sketchy and have contradicting information. I love(d?) hitting the forums as a loose natural to find new information or even give some advice.
Actually, the lack of loc'd community and advice are what caused me to start this blog in the first place! I want my journey to help others.
Please leave some loc'd forums or websites in the comments. Thanks!
It's been five days since I started my loc journey (yay!), but my locs still look pretty much the same as they did the day I started. I know, I know. Hair doesn't loc instantly, but GEEZ I'd at least like to see some progress! I want those weird stages NOW. I'm so impatient lol. Some of the coils in the back are loosening up, and I am resisting the urge to retwist them. I heard that constant retwisting causes weak roots. I talked to a guy in the Commons who's had locs for five years. His locs are beautiful and down his back. He recommended I only get them retwisted once a month. ONCE A MONTH?! I'm not sure about that lol. We'll see. For now, I am constantly checking for little buds, but no sightings yet. :(
Good morning! Well, it's actually 2:08pm, but I'm pretty much just beginning my day. Anyway, I felt like I should write a little something about how I'm starting my locs. I'm doing them completely by myself! As an unemployed college student, professional locs are out of the question. I feel like I will be closer to my locs by doing them myself, though. I love doing my own hair (most of the time). As you know, my hair is pretty much collarbone length when stretched. My hair is a 3c/4a mix, and the front and back of my hair is considerably looser than the rest. I did single strand twists or coils on my entire head. Only the very front of my hair needed two strand twists. I used EcoStyler Gel at first, but I switched to Jamaican Mango and Lime Locking Gel. Officially, I began my loc journey on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Yay!
Hey! My name is Layci, and I'm a junior at UMBC (Go Retrievers!!!). I've been natural my entire life, all nineteen years of it. It was armpit length at its longest, my senior year of high school.
After a huge cut due to color damage, I started actually taking care of my hair.
I've been obssed with it since June, my BC of sorts. It's now October, and my hair is collarbone length. I'm a 3c/4a mix. I absolutely looove my loose hair, but im ready for something new. Since I was in elementary school, a press-n-curl was all I knew. Twists outs have recently become my staple style. Now, *drum roll please* I am loc'ing my hair! I started this blog because I cannot seem to find any bloggers who are starting with me and like me. Hopefully, I can find some fellow loc starters through my blog. Anyway, I hope you have fun embarking on this journey with me!
