Loc Surgery: Combining Locs by Sewing

Hello all! I know it's been forever and a day since I talked about my locs. Let me update you. I am now over ten months into my journey, and I am fully loc'ed. My longest layer of locs reaches my collarbone when stretched while the shortest touches my shoulder. My bangs are uncooperative and reach the bottom of my nose.

On to the point of the post. For the past ten months, I've been living in fear for my skinny locs. My babies range in size dramatically due to the way I started them. It's fine with me, but I don't want to have to worry about losing some of the smaller ones as my hair grows longer. That being said, I decided a few months ago to combine two of my smaller locs in the back of my head. The part closest to the root is already loc'd, but the at bottom was the dreaded two headed dragon. I personally do not want any, so I've been retwising them together and keeping a rubberband on them at all times. About a week ago I gave up hope. A revelation hit me today in class that I could sew the bottom into one loc! It was a brilliant idea! I ran back to my apartment where the roommate who sews and fixes all of the clothes in the apartment was waiting. I immediately asked her to sew my locs together, and she said yes! The process was very intense, so I called it loc surgery. She said it was very interesting and to name the loc after her. Now I have one named loc! Check out the pics of her awesome job!

Before

After

9 Month Loc Update

Y'all I'm so ashamed. I didn't even realize that my nine month locaversary passed until about three days later. Usually I'm much more on top of it! I think they're just becoming my hair more than my little project. That's good I guess. Anyway, on July 20th my locs turned nine months old! Nine months into anything is always special to me. Call me weird, but nine months equals having a baby to me. My locs are definitely my babies! They are now fully loc'd and swinging. I can't wait for all of them to finally reach my shoulders. The shortest ones are only a couple of inches away! Soon I'll tell y'all about my problem locs *shaking my head*. I love them, but they give me grief!

Until next time...

Brown Locs Rock!

It's been forever since I've blogged, so I'll start with an update. I've been working like crazy and started an Experimental Psychology class last week. The children and class keep me pretty busy. I got my Kindle and I love love love it! It's super small and lightweight so I can carry it anywhere with me. Losing it in my purse is the only negative! I read it almost constantly, and I haven't had to charge it since the day I got it about a week after this post. Basically, the Kindle is awesome, even if you love physical books. I got the original one, by the way.

I'll talk about my locs after the jump...

Is my loc growth at a standstill?

*sigh* I've been taking pictures to track growth and doing everything I should be doing, but I feel like my locs aren't growing anymore. I have noticed that my locs have become much more firm. I think my locs are in that compacting stage where they look short. I know a lot is actually happening inside my locs, but I want to see growth! My locs have shrunken so much they do not look like they're growing. There's nothing I want more than long, healthy locs. A growth plateau is not the business. I think I'll be pinning my hair up a lot more often. That way, I can stop focusing so much on length. Y'all know how much length has always meant to me. Hopefully I'll get past this stage soon! After all, I am nine days away from my eight month locaversary! Anyway, I haven't shown you a retwist in a while. I'm due for my next retwist Saturday, so I'll be sure to post pictures.

Until next time!

Kindle Consideration

I've always been a physical book reader. I love seeing my progress as I flip the pages and holding a good book close. With soo many e-readers coming out, I swore I would never own one. My mother and grandmother both have Kindle Fires. They both still read physical books though. Somehow, I feel pulled to the side of the e-readers. I'm starting to realize the benefits to having an e-reader handy. Books are expensive for a college student! Textbooks alone run me hundreds of dollars. I rarely have money to purchase books for leisure. Also, I hate carrying leisure books in my bag with my textbooks and notebooks. They just become extra luggage. It would be so much easier to through an e-reader into my bag than a chunky book. My mom suggested that I purchase the original Kindle which is only $79. Thankfully, I am working for the summer, so I will certainly have the money to spare. I will still read physical books whenever I can, though! I refuse to fully surrender to technology! Two covers and pages will always be my preference, but a Kindle would be great too.

Until next time...

The Future Looks Sooo Bright!

I'm not sure how many people read this blog, so I won't disclose all of the information regarding my future here. I am, however, elated! My future is looking so bright. At the age of 7, I started my own business selling soap, lotion, etc. I found my love for entrepreneurship at this age. It is only right that I make my future being my own boss. I will not exactly say what my business will be, but it is a mix of both of my passions. A few minutes ago, literally, I made a business connection! I reconnected with a friend who can and is willing to help me in major ways regarding my business. As a recent college graduate, I believe helping me with my business will be great experience for him. It certainly won't hurt me! Anyway, I'll keep you all updated on my future.

Until next time...

Impromptu Loc Updo!

Today was a great loc day for me! I accidently styled a very creative updo all by myself in about five minutes! Everytime I get on the forums at CurlyNikki I read about some loc'er who does pin ups all the time. I never understood how they did them so quickly and they turned out so beautifully. Well, today I found out. I was rushing to work and didn't want to wear my curls out. Instead, I decided to quickly pin my hair up. I twisted the left side of my hair in pinned it, but that was taking too long. Flipping the locs back and twisting them around was all I had time for. I pinned the unruly ends, grabbed some big dangly earrings, and ran to the car. When I got to work, I received tons of compliments! I couldn't believe the style was all that cute, especially since I hadn't even seen the back! I saw how cute it actually was later on when my friend snapped a picture for me. I couldn't believe I did that so fast and by myself! I will definitely pin my hair up more often. My curls from yesterday gave the style more volume I think. Anyway, I love it.

Advice: Try something new and different! Don't be afraid to try different things with your locs! I never did any pin up styles as a loose natural, and I didn't even think my locs were long enough to do anything with. I proved myself wrong. I can come up with creative, quick styles that will probably prove useful when school starts back up.

What was your cutest impromptu style?

My First Loc'd Flexi Rod Set

Hello! I had my first successful flexi rod set the other day, and I figured I should share the great news! I wanted to see if my hair would curl with locs. Of course, I knew that locs could curl, but my locs are special (lol). I used Elasta QP Design Foam, flexi rods, and a spray bottle with water and a few drops of peppermint oil. Since I just got my locs retwisted a few days ago, I sprayed the water into my hands and rubbed it onto my locs. Then I did the same thing with the foam and rolled them up! I slept with them in so I didn't have to sit under the dryer, plus my locs were only damp anyway. I don't wear my hair curly often, so I wasn't sure that I liked it. I got compliments though so it must have looked decent. I even have pictures! (I've been doing so much better with that lately!)

Is Biotin Helping my Locs?

I'm not quite positive. As you all know, I'm taking the maximum dose of 10,000 mcg of Biotin everyday. I have been taking them for about a month now. I do not see too much of a difference in the growth rate of my hair. The major difference I have noticed is in my nails. Because I've always had short nails, I decided to grow my nails during the spring semester. I failed miserably. Once my nails reached a certain point, they just broke. The Biotin has definitely made my nails much stronger. I'm not sure if they are actually growing faster, but I'm retaining the length I have. They bend much less easily. I'm not used to these long nails, and I scratch myself some times. Only me, right? Well, that's what I'm seeing from my Biotin use so far.

Until next time...

Bye bye Yarn Braids, Hello (Almost) 7 month old Locs!

It's been a while since I spoke with you all. Have you missed me?! Well I've been studying and writing papers because it's finals week! It's officially the last week of the semester, and I'm super ready to go home. Anyway, aside from studying and papers, I haven't blogged because I haven't had much to say about my hair. Having yarn braids is pretty uneventful aftera while. I did some cool styles and what not but I had nothing to say about my hair. I wasn't planning on taking the yarn braids out until Thursday when I go home because I have an appointment with my loctitian on Friday. I took them out last night though for many reasons: I missed my hair, they were all kinds of crazy colors, and I missed almost my whole sixth month of loc'ing. You might be wondering why my hair was all kinds of crazy colors (lol). Find out why after the jump!

My Idea for Womanist Ink

I just had an epiphany! I'm pretty positive that I want this to be my womanist tattoo! Okay, it's a little difficult to imagine so just bear with me. To the right, is the feminist symbol. This was my boring idea of a tattoo to assert my feminist identity. As you all know from this post, I have been searching for a better idea. I have learned that I identify more the the ideals of womanism than feminism. I want a tattoo to show that I am a womanist, not a feminist. Soooo behold, my brilliant idea!

Alright, imagine the body of a curvy black woman, all in black. Her right fist is raised with the woman symbol around it. Basically, the arm from the feminist symbol (which is actually the Black Power Symbol) is connected to a black woman. This woman also has her head down and to the side. I think that this is an excellent portryal of myself as a womanist. The only thing I wonder about is the hair. Should she have a fro or locs? After all, I have locs, and the tattoo is a representation of myself and my identity.

Anyway, what do y'all think?

Ashamed of my Short Locs? Me?

Lately, I've been hearing from fellow loc'd friends that I am ashamed of  my short locs. As you all know, I've had two sets of yarn braids since I started loc'ing including the set I have in now. I love seeing myself with long hair, especially long hair that resembles locs. My scalp is itching like crazy even though I keep my yarn braids clean and moisturized. I was thinking about taking them out, but I'm not sure how my locs will look. What will I do with them? *sigh* I love my locs, but I want them to be long. I know it's my hair and my journey, but I want long hair! Missing my own hair might make me sacrifice my long hair (yarn braids).

Has anyone else had similar problems?

UMBC and GWST

As I've mentioned, I'm a junior Gender and Women's Studies student at UMBC. The GWST Department is kicking my butt this semester! I'm taking three GWST classes currently. Two of them have ten page papers as finals while the other requires a 20-25 page paper. Thankfully, I have planned my time and papers out pretty successfully. I have noticed, though, that the GWST Department at UMBC is different from most similar departments at other schools. Many of the black feminists and womanists I follow on Tumblr are pretty much always upset about the way their classes are taught. Of course, black women aren't at the forefront of most of my GWST classes, but I definitely feel like black women's experiences are taken into account at UMBC. Maybe because our school is so diverse, we are more open to the experiences of others? Anyway, if I ever feel like the Black experience is left out, I always feel free to express my opinion on the matter and offer some insight. I never speak for the entire Black community, but as a minority in such classes, I feel that it is my responsibility to speak up. Whenever I am allowed to choose my own topic for research, it always reflects current issues in the Black community. I am happy that the GWST Department at UMBC makes me feel comfortable with doing so. I never have to answer any questions based on beliefs that do not match my own. I am free to say how I feel and what I think. I appreciate that! I do wish that the GWST Department had greater pull on the campus' Black community. There are very few cross-listed classes between the GWST and Africana Studies Departments, but I guess that is liable to change at any time. It would be excellent if there was a womanist class offered! Maybe that could be my future career? Who knows!

Until next time...

Now seeking a womanist career...

So I'm sitting here on a Friday night reevaluating my life and thinking about the future. This time next year, I will be graduating from college. Life is confronting me quickly. I need a job, a career! As you know, I will be applying to both the Peace Corps and Teach for America, but those are not careers. I want start something that's mine and change the world. I want equality, for everyone, especially Black women! I'm an opinionated, educated Black woman looking for a career outside of corporate America. What am I do to?

Locaversary, Yarn Braids, and Biotin: An Update

Hey! I'm two days away from my six month locaversary and my hair is in yarn braids! I did this completely by accident. I didn't realize while I was putting them in that my locaversary was so darn close. *sigh* I won't get to actually see my locs on this special day. I've had the yarn braids in for less than a week, so there's no way I will be taking them out so soon. Oh well! I will be learning patience while I wait to see my babies again.

Anyway, my yarn braids are very thick this time. I mentioned this in my video, but I think that this is due to the growing thickness of my locs. I always try to match the thickness of the braid to the thickness of the loc. This time, I required a lot more yarn to braid my babies. I love how thick they are! It gives me an entirely different look. We'll see how my actual locs turn out.

I know I haven't talked much about a regimen of any kind for my locs. That's because I do not have one! I am terrible at regimens for my body besides brushing my teeth and taking showers, to be honest. I even suck at vitamins. Even though this is true, I bought some biotin vitamins from Amazon.com today. They were only $8 and I have an Amazon gift card, so I figured they would be worth it even if I fell off the regimen. I will be taking 10000mgc pills everyday as often as I remember. My friend told me that they have been excellent. She says that she has noticed her hair becoming stronger and having less pimples. I have awful acne scars, but not so many breakouts anymore. I've heard some say that the vitamins have helped their skin while others say the exact opposite. I will definitely let you all know what happens! I'll also post the exact brand I bought in the next post.

Until next time!

Update 4/26/12
I got my Biotin pills in the mail today! The brand is Natrol, and they contain 10,000 mgcs of biotin. This is the maximum strength. I took one today and became slightly nauseous. I was at fault though, not the pills! I was supposed to take it with a meal and I didn't. I know better next time. 

New Video and New Yarn Braids

I made a new video tonight! I figured I should put one up about how I install my yarn braids over my locs. As you can see in this video, my yarn braids are a lot thicker this time. I had to make them thicker because my locs are thickening up quickly. They're fat and I love them! Go check out the video!

Loc Style: Flat Twists with Loc Headband

Dyeing my hair left my hair in a huuuge poof. I had about an inch of unloc'ed hair that just curled into individual poofs. Today, I wore my wrap around. People kept asking if it was all my hair; that really confused me. Anyway, I needed to figure out how I would wear my locs for tomorrow. I decided to flat twist the front and make them into a headband. The back is out and full. This turned out to be a great style for when I wash my hair and decided not to retwist. Pictures after the jump. Enjoy!

A New Take on Loc Jewelry: A Crown!

Well maybe it's not technically a crown, but it looks regal and beautiful. I was on the Thick Loc'd Crew page on Facebook when I came across a picture of someone's hairstyle for Resurrection Sunday. It was magnificent. She had a loc bun with side bangs and a beautiful gold crown made from wire. I don't want to steal her picture, but I wish y'all coulda seen it! I will definitely be trying it tonight!

In other news, I need some styles that accomodate my fluffy, I-just-washed-them-and-didn't-retwist-them locs. I'll be working on that as well.

Until next time!

Edit: She let me steal her picture! Here it is!!!

Beautiful, right?

Bad Energy and my Locs

*sigh* I'm in a very weird place right now. I've recently decided that I'm not meant to be in any meaningful, in love type relationships with guys. I've become numb to all feelings of infatuation. I doubt that I am even capable of loving anyone in that way. Unfortunately, my feelings towards everyone are getting worse and worse. I want to be alone more often, and everyone is just straight annoying. I know that I've changed since coming to college. An agreeing, calm, chill attitude has replaced my once argumentative, stand-your-ground attitude. At first, I thought this change was good. Life is a lot easier when you're not angry. The only problem is that, when I do get angry, I don't know how to display it anymore. I pretty much just walk away instead of letting my feelings out. Maybe all of this is making me want to be alone more.

Anyway, the recent mishap with dyeing my locs has me even more on edge. I have a terrible urge to get rid of them. Of course, I love my babies; but, now I see why people say that there is so much energy wrapped up in locs. People who have had multiple sets of locs often state an emotional bout as the reason why they cut their locs. I'm going to let this awkward time ride out. Maybe it's just a phase. Maybe I'll call my mommy and see what she thinks.

Until next time...

First Time Dyeing my Locs! Part 2

 As I rinsed the dye out of my hair, I knew that absolutely nothing had happened. There was no change in my hair color in the slightest. Maybe the back of my hair has a tiny red tint, but it's virtually undetectable. I probably should've used HiRez, Textures N' Tones, or Dark and Lovely. I think my fascination with dyeing my hair is gone now after this mishap. Oh well. At least I got it out of my system right? My texture loosened a little bit because my longest layer is reaching the base of my neck without me stretching it. None of my locs unraveled, which is a good thing. Before and after pics after the jump...

First Time Dyeing my Locs! Part 1

For about three weeks now I've been holding on to some dye for my locs. Horror stories with bleach in the past kept replaying in my mind. I've only had one, and it took a long time to damage my hair, but I've been scared to dye again nonetheless. My locs are very, very special to me, and I don't want to do anything to hurt them. They are still young, almost six months old. I know many people who dye around this time or even earlier. Their locs come out fine. Today, I will take the plunge and dye my babies.

Open for Business! Layci the Little Loctitian!

I've officially converted my love for others' locs into money! The guy from this post is paying me to retwist his locs this weekend, and I'm very excited. I recently deep cleansed (using ACV and Baking Soda) and retwisted a friend's locs. I loved the experience. Strangely enough, I was super nervous before I started. I felt responsible for the well being of his locs. He and all of my friends said that they turned out great. His water from the deep cleanse was super murky. He's had locs for six years and has never tried anything like the cleanse before. Anyway, I love doing other people's hair! (I did my friend's yarn braids the same night, yes, one night.) Being able to turn a hobby like hair into a tiny business would be excellent for my college, no-meal-plan-havin' self. I've definitely told all my loc'd buddies that I would love to retwist their locs. We'll see what happens. I'll post pictures of my "client" for y'all and everything!

Until next time!

Locs: To Wash Or Not To Wash

I think one of the biggest stereotypes around locs/loc'ing is that one is not allowed to wash their hair. Of course, that is ridiculously incorrect. Hair of any kind, state, texture, whatever needs to be clean. Locs are no different. As a loose natural, I loooooved washing my hair. Loc'ing and washing has proved to be a challenge for me, though. Before My First Trip to the Loctitian, I washed my hair whenever I wanted. I was naive to how professionally retwisted locs felt and looked. I am now a semi-frequent client at a professional natural salon. I literally JUST got my locs retwisted two and a half weeks ago, and I'm ready to wash my hair. My roots are still pretty fresh, but my scalp is itching so badly. I find myself going back and forth, trying to decide whether or not I should wash my hair.


To take the edge of, I sprayed my locs with a water and peppermint oil mixture I made. It felt amazing! I want more! I need to wash my hair!!! Should I sacrifice how fresh my locs look though? *sigh* Decisions, decisions. Maybe I'll just wash my hair, wear it under scarf or the style from this post until my next self or professional retwist? I'll sleep on it and sort everything out. 

Until next time!

Loc Style: Wrap Around

I know that I'm not the queen of styles or anything like that, but I'm trying to beef up my style repertoire. A couple of days ago, I randomly came across this style that I thought was pretty cute. I simply started with my bangs and rolled/flat-twisted my locs in a complete circle around my head. Check out the little flower on the side! I got it from Claire's a while ago and decided to actually wear it for once. I really like this style! It's great for my layered locs. Some of my locs are that awkward length between long and short while others are shoulder length. This style incorporated all of those lengths nicely. I think this is a great style for anyone with short to medium length locs. I saw this video on Youtube, and will be trying it out tomorrow probably. If I do, I'll post pictures. Until next time!

A Piece of Advice: Take Pictures!!!

There are plenty of pieces of advice out there for new loc'ers: cover your hair at night, ACV rinses are great for cleansing, don't overtwist, etc. I believe that one piece of advice rarely shared is how great pictures are for documenting progress. I started taking pictures right after starting my locs, and I haven't stopped. I even have a Facebook photo album so friends can see my journey progress. Why is taking pictures so important?

What Do Your Locs Feel Like?

Lately, my hair has been going through some definite changes. I read this post on CurlyNikki Forums, and I could definitely understand where these loc'd ladies were coming from. My hair has certainly transformed over the past five months. I think the most drastic transformation occurred within the past two or three months.

The Search for Loc Jewelry Ends...Kinda

In this post, I told you all how I'm looking for some unique loc jewelry. Patience isn't my strong suit (which is a shame since I'm loc'ing) so decided to make some jewelry of my own.

Black Feminist Ink

I'm desperately itching for a new tattoo. After I got the first one, I swore up and down that I wouldn't get another. We all know how that goes. This one will be my last (I'm pretty sure), and I know exactly what I want, kind of.

Five Months and a Retwist

Hey hey! It's March 22, 2012, and I'm officially five months and two days into my lovely loc journey! On March 20th, my locaversary, I got my hair professionally retwisted. It was awesome. It felt great having someone else scrubbing my scalp, and I mean scrubbing. My locs stayed amazingly in tact. They rarely unraveled in the past, but this time was amazing. I didn't look like I had a very separated fro!

What does the future hold?

That's an excellent question. Right now, I'm at a very strange place in life. It's my junior year of college. Things are starting to wind down; real life is approaching faster than I like. I've always been the type of person to think about the future. Most people think I'm crazy to be stressed over things that are at least a year away. Apparently, a year is a long time to most people. That is not the case with me. A year is like a week to me. I need to know what I'm doing with my life. Last week I went to a program on campus about stress. One of the girls there read the scripture that says "Be anxious for nothing". It definitely spoke to me. I need to stop being so anxious and let God order my steps. I've told myself to let God know what I my heart desires and He will decided whether or not it is right for me. Easier said than done.

Currently, Plan A after school is Teach for America. Plan B recently last night has become the Peace Corps. Both offer great opportunities for travel and service, things I love. Both are also two year commitments. You'd think I'd be okay with this since a year seems so fast to me. Well, I actually am okay with the time commitments. I've been itching to get out of Maryland for a while and my family knows. They support me in all of my endeavors. What am I worried about then? Getting in! I'm sure I have everything in me to make it, but I'm anxious. Here's where God steps in. All I can do is my best. He will handle the rest.

New YouTube Videos!

I made two new YouTube videos. I'm not the best vlogger, but I think they're cool!

My First Loc Style (with Yarn Braids)!

I have some exciting news!!! I styled my hair for the first time! Weeeell, I didn't tell y'all this, but I put some yarn braids over my four month old locs. My scalp was itching so much, and I had the extreme urge to wash my hair all the time. I won't be getting my locs retwisted for about two more weeks now, so something had to be done. I decided that yarn braids were a great option. I've learned how to take really good care of them because I had them twice, each time for about month. Anyway, yesterday was unusually warm, so I decided to get cute on 'em! I got compliments all day! The style was very easy. I have a crooked basket weave going on in the back. Then, I simply rolled the remaining locs into a sort of pompadour. I felt like a queen all day! This was my first time doing something fancy since I've had locs (and yarn braids). I really enjoyed it. Now I have to find more fun styles to do!

My Dream Summer Job!

Sooo, I might just have the perfect summer job lined up! A girl in class yesterday told us about this activist organization who's hiring. I love activism! As a Gender and Women's Studies major, activism is a huge part of what we learn and are encouraged to do. This job will allow me to be involved in campaigning for issues that impact women all over the US and get paid for doing it. That is huge! My phone interview is tomorrow, and I'm really excited! I'll let you know how it goes!

The Search for Loc Jewelry

Hey! Lately, I've been on the search for some cool loc jewelry. I don't want those coils or cowrie shells that everybody seems to have. I'm looking for something unique. YouTube has shown me that many people make their own jewelry. I don't to do all that! I just want something special. I've seen people tie litte coins and things to the ends of their locs. A little elephant fell off of a necklace I have, and I lost the chain. I'm considering tying that to one of the ends of my locs. Cute right? We'll see. lol Once I find it, I'll see how looks!

Do you have unusual/unique loc jewelry?

I'm on YouTube!

My friends have been telling me to start making YouTube videos for a while, and I finally did! I absolutely hate my voice, and I think I'm pretty awkward. I did it though! Here's the video and there will be more to come!

Scarf Styles!

Last week I posted about wearing scarves for the entire week to keep myself from fondling my locs so much. I did it! I wore a scarf from Monday through Friday. People's reactions were so funny! Everyone loved my scarves, but they kept asking what was under them. I guess they thought my locs looked crazy, but the opposite was true. I got my locs retwisted on the previous Thursday. Covering up for a week was my idea of keeping them fresh. It worked too! I might make this a monthly thing. We'll see. Anyway...pics!

Sorry for the wait!

Helloooo! Yesterday, February 20, 2012, was my 4 months locaversary!!! Yaaay! I'm so excited! Even though it was my babies' bday, I wore my hair all wrapped up today.  I'll explain why later. My hair has changed soooo much!

Locs and Glycerin

Many loose naturals use glycerin on their hair to add moisture and shine. Glycerin is a humectant, which means it pulls moisture from its surroundings. Unfortunately, I did not have much success with glycerin as a loose natural. I bought a huge bottle because I heard it was wonderful, then, it didn't work! Common story, right?
Well, I'm back home from college for winter break, and I have tons of products in my bathroom. I went to take a shower tonight and found that big bottle of 100% glycerin. I figured that I'd give it a try on my locs. Before my shower, I put some on my hands then ran it through my baby locs. I jumped into the steamy shower, hoping my hair would absorb the moisture from the steam. Now, my locs feel great! They weren't dry before, but they feel different. My darlings have much more movement, and they didn't evem shrink up like I thought they would! I think the glycerin refreshed my locs! Love it and will definitely do this again.
Have you used glycerin on your locs? How was it?