My Lost Locks :-(

A while back, I made a post about a couple of locks breaking off. Well I now have a picture of what those two locks look like now. I can say that they don't look as bad as they did when they first broke off.

As you can see, the two to the left are much shorter than the others. Another thing I noticed taking these pictures was that the bottoms of the longer locks look plumper and thicker than the roots. I'm not sure if that's because the roots are freshly tightened or if it's because the locks are just too thin. If that is the case, I'm really tempted to use some of the sisterlock conditioner, even though my locks aren't fully developed... hmm?

My First Installation

Hello to all!!

I am proud to announce that I have officially completed my very first sisterlock installation this past Thanksgiving weekend!!! I was really nervous because my mentor/consultant was out of town, along with everyone else who works in the shop. So I had nobody there to coach me, but it all turned out good.

I did have a little trouble doing this clients hair only because she had thinning hair which made it kind of difficult to determine the right parting size to use, even though the sisterlock trainer gave us instructions on determining correct parting sizes. But I'm also thankful she didn't have a head full of hair like I do; otherwise it would have taken a very, very long time

All in all, it took 16 1/2 hours to complete this installation. She seemed pleased with the results, especially with how her hair line turned out. She was concerned with what the sisterlocks would look like around her receding hair line, but she was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Another thing I appreciated about this client, was the fact that she knew the sisterlocks wouldn't come out looking like full luscious locks at first. She completely understood the amount of scalp that would be showing during the first couple of weeks of having sisterlocks. I thank her for her understanding and knowledge of the sisterlock system!!

I'm becoming more and more excited about this new journey in my life. There are more and more people interested in getting sisterlocks now that they know I'm a official trainee. Now I feel as though I truly represent sisterlocks, and with that, I'm beginning to take more of an effort in promoting the true versatility that sisterlocks offer. What I mean by that is I'm putting in an effort in styling my hair different ways so that people can see that having sisterlocks can be like having "normal" (for lack of a better word at the moment) hair. I'll post some pictures of the hairstyles that I've been trying later

New product for dandruff

I've always had a problem with dandruff and the dry climate here in New Mexico doesn't make it any better. Growing up, my mom use to wash my hair every week but as I grew up, I got lazy and only washed maybe once every few weeks. (Yeah, I know) It was basically to much work for me to wash my hair, condition, comb out, blow dry, and everything else. But since I've had sisterlocks, that's all changed. I now wash my hair every 7-10 days, using the sisterlocks starter shampoo. Since I've been doing this, I've noticed a significant reduction in dandruff. The only problem I experience is a dryer scalp for the first couple of days after I wash. This is probably because, given time, our scalp produces its own natural oil and after you wash your hair, you've washed out all the oil, so it takes a couple of days to produce more oil.

I have found a product to use within these couple of days after washing. While I was in San Diego taking the training class, our instructor, Michelle Bryan, introduced us to her new product that MIGHT become apart of the sisterlocks product line. It's called Natural Wonders Hair Mist (Click here: Natural Wonders Fresh Hair Mist) and it comes in lavender and peppermint. This mist is basically a light moisturizer to be used between shampoos to keep your locks feeling and smelling fresh. She said the peppermint is good for dry, flaky hair, so I purchased a bottle while in San Diego. She did advise the class that her products are intended for second generation care; meaning those who's locks have completely matured. I told her about my dry scalp and she said it was okay for me to use it only on my scalp.

I've only used the Natural wonders Peppermint Hair Mist once, but it does seem to be working so far. I only plan on using it after I wash because my hair hasn't settled in yet and I don't want to disrupt the locking process.

Sisterlocks Training in San Diego

(Me and Master Trainer Michelle Bryant)


WOO WOO, I am now and official sisterlock trainee!! San Diego was freakin great. It's weird I say that because I didn't really get to visit the city, I was mainly in a part of town called North Park just because the class was from 8am to 5pm, and we had homework, which was to do fifty locks a night. So I was up until like 1am every night. But I still enjoyed myself. Just being able to fellowship with other sisters who all have the same thing in common was a unique feeling and now I understand what people mean when they say sisterlocks is truly a sisterhood. The ladies taking the class were so sweet and generous. The first day I had to ride the bus class but then one of the women offered me a ride to and from class. Another lady, Miss Vivian, also offered me a ride to the airport the day I was leaving. I was especially glad for her cause I was really stressin about how I was going to get to the airport. Yeah I know I was trippin.

Dr. Cornwell giving us pointers

There were only 7 of us in the class, which was awesome considering a full class is usually 20-25 students. That meant we got more one on one time with the instructor, Michelle Bryant. The inventor of the sisterlocks system, Dr. Joanne Cornwell, also came in to give us some pointers.

My stay at the hotel in San Diego was very interesting. I got there on Friday and checked in. I decided to just put my bags down and figure out which bus I was going to catch to get to the class the next day. So I got back to my room that evening and started to settle down. I then hear this noise that sounded like someone was moving furniture beneath me. Turns out, my room was directly above the underground parking garage gate. So I inform the front desk and they said they'd move me the next day cause they didn't have any vacant rooms that night. So the next night, I stayed in an even better room so I didn't complain, that is until I heard the people above me running around. So I go to their room and politely ask them to keep it down, and he gives me a subtle attitude. As soon as I get back to my room, I hear a huge thud, like someone had dropped a bowling ball. So I call the room and some words were exchanged. I went to the front desk again, and they moved me again. I hadn't even stayed one night in the second room. When I get to the third room, I'm just blown away. This room had a living room with a fireplace and french doors leading to the balcony overlooking a main street. The bedroom had a king size bed and also had double doors leading to the same balcony. The bathroom was nothing special though, but I was still shocked. I had to go to the front desk and make sure they weren't charging me extra for this room/apartment. From then on, I had no complaints about my room!

Gay Pride Protest

While on a lunch break in Cali, I got to witness my first real protest. These people were protesting the ban on gay marriage. Interesting. Another interesting part of San Diego is they don't have green Chile. I just figured Cali would. But anyways, I survived.

sisterlocks

This post was coming to you from the Albuquerque, New Mexico Sunport Airport!!!(I didn't finish the post that day so I'm actually publishing it two weeks later) Yeah I'm on my way to San Diego. I'M BECOMING A SISTERLOCK CONSULTANT!!! The training is Saturday through Tuesday and I'm excited but kind of nervous at the same time because this is my first time traveling by myself, which isn't the problem, it's just that I've never been to San Diego before and I'm terrified of getting lost! But other than that, I'm on my way to exploring a new career "OPTION". I call it that because I'm not sure what it is that I truly want to do with my life anymore. I believe we all have choices, but I also believe in destiny and God's plan. What if what I think I want to do isn't really what God wants me to do? I know he will have his way, but it would be nice if he would call me up on the phone and say, "Hey Shacole, this is God. And Ima need for you to do this, that, and the other." LOL Just kidding (kinda). But I'll be fine for the next year or so.

Now on to hair. I went in for my seventh month retightening yesterday and I have to say that one of the best parts of having sisterlocks is seeing the progress of growth. My appointments usually last 3-4 hours and when she's done and I look in the mirror, I can more than definitely see how much longer my hair has gotten. I can even feel it longer on my neck!! When I had a relaxer, I NEVER had that type of feeling, because I experienced so much breakage.

Wow, there is just so much for me to talk about. I just have to say that I'm a real home body. I actually enjoy staying home, but now that I'm 21, I feel almost obligated to go out for a night on the town. (even though I hadn't been out since my birthday in September.) Well, the weekend before last, I went to a Halloween costume party and had a blast. Mainly because I had a few drinks in my system. But I ended up running into my ex boyfriend, whom I hadn't spoken to in four months. I just thought I would be cordial and acknowledge his presence by saying hello and what not. But some how, he drug me into a conversation about why we failed, UGH! And I so played into it, until I snapped out of it and politely excused myself and walked away. But other than that, that was a pretty cool weekend.

On to the SAW IV movie review. All I can say is there will definitely be a SAW SIX. The movie did a lot of back flashes and tieing things up from the previous four movies. I was kinda disappointed in the setting for the victims in this movie, it was pretty much a repeat of SAW II, but with different contraptions. All in all, it wasn't the best in the series but perhaps that's because the producers are preparing for a big grand finale with SAW SIX.

Breakage!!!! . . . . And Sisterlock Compliments :-)

Getting back to sisterlocks, I regret to inform you that I have had another lock break off :-( The first lock to break off did so in July. At that time, I noticed the one right next to it was also kind of thin and it eventually broke off this past weekend. Actually, it was hanging on by a few strands towards the middle of the lock, so I gave it a little tug, and it came on out. I have one more in that same row that's getting kind of thin, so I have to keep an eye on it by being more careful when I wash. Other than that, I'm not too sure what else I can do to prevent this. I guess I'm lucky the two of them came out in the middle of my head so that they're hidden by other locks.

Now on a lighter note, I'm receiving mad comments on my hair. People at church and a few people at school compliment the sisterlocks. But one person in particular really surprised me with their compliments. She's my supervisor and for the past couple of weeks she's been telling me that she loves my hair like this and it's so cute. Now I just have to mention that she is Hispanic and she is also the only non-black person to give me any type of compliment on my hair. Prior to her telling me this, I wasn't sure about what other races thought of my hair, especially my co-workers. I told a few of them about my decision to lock my hair so only they knew about the process from beginning to end, but the rest of them didn't know anything and haven't asked about what it is I have in my hair. My thought is that for the past three years, my co-workers were use to me changing my hair every few weeks. Everything from straight, to curly, from crimped, to braided, from flammin red, to jet black, from chopped off, to down my back the next day. . . and the list goes on. Perhaps they just seen my hair locked up one day and assumed it was just another hair style that would change next week.

IT'S COMING!!!!!!!!!

Man, oh man, I'm such a huge saw fan!! I found out about this movie earlier this month and I'm soooooo excited, but also a bit weary. I just don't see how this series can continue. It's suppose to be the last one, but usually towards the end of a series like this, the last one or two turn out to be a flop, ruining the whole series. I really hope not. If anything, I'm sure the contraptions and gore will be pretty crazy and worth my time. But I do strongly recommend watching the previous four Saw's, just so you know whats going on, if not, you're likely to say; "this is stupid. What was the point of that? I don't get it. WHAT!" (The words of my dear friend Ashley after watching saw three w/o seeing the first ones.) Buy any who, I really hope this film leaves me with wanting more but knowing there will be no more, instead of saying, "they should have stopped with saw IV." I'll definitely be back to post a review.

Becoming a sisterlock Consultant?

Gospel Fest in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gospel Fest

This past weekend I saw Israel Houghton live!!! Actually I really didn't know who he was at first; all I knew was that he was a gospel artist. I had no idea what he sang. See the City of Albuquerque sponsored it's first annual Gospel Fest on Sunday, and he was the main act, along with a group called the covenant messengers and a local 300 voice mass choir. It was a nice event and sooooo many people showed up; a lot more than I expected. So when Israel (a native of New Mexico!! Woo Woo!!) started singing, I was like, "ooh, I know that song, and that song too. I didn't know he sang that!!" So crazy. But it was live and I had a good time.

Hair

On to other things, hair things, I got my hair retightened this past weekend and it has grown sooooo much. But it seems to be growing outward like a fro instead of downward, whatever, growth is growth and I can definitely tell. My stylist only took 3 hours too!!! Amazing. Usually she takes 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Part of that was because I had retightened the front portion myself, and the other part is because home girl is getting quicker. Amen!! Not that she was slow, it's just now I can save two hours worth of money.

Sisterlock Consultant? Me?

Now about employment opportunities. Just to give you a little history, I've been employed with the city for three years. I was first hired under the terms of as long as I was a student in high school or college, I could work part-time under the "student status". Two years ago, the city decided to do away with that policy and changed it to a "two year temporary status". So basically my two years will be up in December and they're getting rid of me. so I've had the option to get around that rule by quitting for 3 weeks before my December termination date and then starting my two years over. I've also been offered another job by my hair stylist. She's going to be moving to China in March for two years and needs someone to be a sisterlock consultant until she gets back; seeing that she's the only sisterlock consultant in Albuquerque and she has 13 clients that need they hair did. I have a few other options but these are the two that I'm considering. So both opportunities have pros and cons. When it comes to the city, I know how it works, I've met invaluable connections, they're super flexible with my school schedule, and my job duties are minor. But there's a lot of pettiness, I can only work between mon-fri 8-5, I have to schedule my school schedule around office hours, and I don't see myself aqcuiring many skills within the department. With becoming a sisterlock consultant, I can pretty much schedule clients around my school schedule, it's an opportunity to learn more about natural hair care, and the atmosphere isn't so uptight. But I have a lot of uncertainty and reservations about how professional she is sense it is an independent business. That's pretty much my biggest and only concern with working for her. I'm pretty much uncomfortable with stepping into the "unknown." But I pretty much know what my decision will be, but I need to get confirmation from myself. (If that makes any sense.)

Sisterlock Journey Recap

So here is my attempt to summarize my sisterlock journey from the past six months. I've taken lots of photos but failed to date them so some of them are just guesstimations. (If that's a word) Just as a background leading up to my decision to get sisterlocks; I've been growing my hair out since July of 2007. It started off as a test to see how long I could go without getting a relaxer. By the fourth month or so, I began to experience a little breakage due to the weak relaxed hair, but I also realized that my hair was a lot healthier towards the roots. So then I started researching natural hair styles and how to care for it. I came across flat twist, corn rolls, braid outs, and a bunch of other styles, but when I came across sisterlocks, I knew I had to have them. I started researching them and stummbled upon the official sisterlock website which is where I found the consultant who was nearest to me. Turns out she actually lived in Denver, Colorado, An eight hour drive from me. I started e-mailing her questions about the prices and how many times would I actually have to see her in order for her to do my hair. She told me I would have to get the test locks and wear them for a couple of weeks (I think) then I would have to go back to get my entire head locked, then I would go back at least two more times for retightenin before I would be able to do my own hair. Thats four trips to Colorado from New Mexico. I was so tempted to make those trips until I spoke to a friend who had recently got her hair done. It was done in a very cute natural updo, so I asked her about her stylist. My friend/life saver told me about Mrs. Neema Pickett who also did dreads. I was then thinking that if I couldn't get sisterlocks, I would probably go for the smallest traditional locks Neema could do. So I called her and arranged to meet with her that same day to discuss traditional locks. I was soo excited upon getting there because as I described the size of the locks I wanted, she mentioned that she did sisterlocks!!!!! I left with flyers and books and even a few test locks!! I was too amped because of the fact that I didn't have to travel to Colorado to get this beautiful style. But I was also skeptical because I didn't run into her name on the certified consultants web page. Come to find out, she was only a trainee and I was the last client she had to do in order to become a consultant. So word to the wise: make sure the person doing your sisterlocks is either on the consultants list or the trainees list on the sisterlock website (sisterlocks.com). They are two seperate links. (I never checked the trainee list which is why I never saw Neema's name). My installation took a total of 30 hours over the period of three days. We learned a lot about one another in that time and we deffinately vibed well together which I believe is very important when you're looking for a consultant. Now it may seem like I jumped into getting sisterlocks but it actually took about four months for me to make the desicion, and about nine months of researching. (You have to do your research) Before I even went in to speak with Neema, I knew just about all I needed to know about sisterlocks because I researched, and she was quite impressed with my knowledge.

Sisterlock Package:

The Consultation- Your consultant should ask you about hair care past and styling perfrences in order to determine an appropriate lock size and pattern. (the pattern is dependant on the texture of your hair) They should also show you a video and discuss pricing. The last part of this visit is the installation of test locks that you will have to wear for a week or two (I'm not 100 percent sure about this time frame). For me, Neema put in two above my ear, and a few in the back towards the nape of my neck.

The Locking Session- This is when all of the locks are installed, which can take from 10 to 30 hours!! You'll also get a "starter kit" that has rubber bands to band your hair before washing and shampoo.

The Follow-up- This is your first retightening session which should be free. (included in the initial price you paid) You should have washed your hair at least once prior to going in so your consultant can check for any slipping of the hair.

So that's basically what the package consists of, perhaps there are a few things I failed to speak about, but I think I covered the most important details. I guess the only other thing I can say is to ask lots of questions when you go in for your consultation, and also ask to see pictures of their work.


Below are some pictures of my journey from the past six months, the beginnig to the present. Enjoy!!

March 2008- Day one of lock installation. A little under half of my hair is done.

Day Two- Just about done except for a patch of hair in the middle. She did this cute little updo because I had to go to work the next day.

Day Three- I'm guessing I didn't take any pictures of the finished product on day three, but this is about a week later when I was banding my hair in order to wash it.

This was after my first washing. Just to let you know, I opted to keep my relaxed ends, which was about 4-6 inches.

This was after about a month. As you can see, the ends are very straight. Actually, I can't really tell my hair is locked in this picture.

June 2008- After three months, I decided to cut off the relaxed ends from the back. I was experiencing massive breakage of the relaxed hair in the back of my head. I also had one of my locks in the middle of my head break off :-( so I decided to cut it. Because I wasn't sure if I could deal with a really big change, Neema suggested I leave the relaxed ends in the front.

August 2008- One day I got tired of looking at my stringy relaxed ends in the front and I decided to cut my hair myself. I did a decent job, but my bangs came out kinda crazy.

August 2008- After staring at my freshly chopped hair, I began to think I butchered my hair. So I started wearing this head wrap for about two weeks, hoping my hair would grow out in the front. I eventually got use to looking at it and stopped wearing the head wrap.

September 2008- As you can see, my bangs are growing out kinda funky and uneven, but I don't want to cut them because I want to track the progress. The rest of my hair is growing like a wild weed. I even had a coworker tell me that he liked the new change to my hair even though he'd seen me only two weeks prior. But I hadn't done anything but let it grow out and started wearing the bangs!! That goes to show you how sisterlocks are constantly changing.

As of right now, I don't really do anything to my hair except wear it free style. I think it's too short for rollers and still too short for the up-do's I want to wear.

Hair Time Line

I think this was 2004, my junior year of high school. My hair was done halfway in twist, and the back was crimped. (Sorry for the messy background room, my camera wouldn't let me crop the picture.)

This was at some point during high school. My hair was probably relaxed with a bump curl. (And a sticker on my sunglasses!)

This was New Years Eve of 2004 or 2005. I couldn't crop this picture either so you can't really see my hair, but it was relaxed and in a "side swoop".

My Old Hair Habits From The Past Year








I started rockin this two toned wig a while back and started wearing it less and less because I didn't like the flaming red color.

I call this the "side swoop". I wore this style when I had long pressed/relaxed hair. In this picture, my hair was corn rolled on one side and the other side was braided into individual braids. I loved this style.



This here is another wig I use to wear when I didn't feel like doing my hair.

So you can see how long my hair was in a Mohawk. I'd say it touched my shoulders if let all the way down.



First roller set. During this time in December/January, I was trying a new hair care regimen, which consisted of a pre-poo, wash, deep condition, roller set, and a saran wrap treatment. It took at least two hours to do all of that. I did this every two weeks!

This was my first big hair cut in two years. In January of 2008 I cut about three inches of hair!

Afro Mohawk. So this was right before I got my sisterlocks installed. Kind of transitioning to a more natural look.

I think my hair had been locked for about a month, maybe two. But here you can see I still have relaxed ends, also curled very easily using sponge rollers

First time using a curling iron on locks. I don't suggest you use a curling iron on your locks, especially if they aren't fully formed. But if you choose to do so, make sure you use the lowest heat setting.

My birthday wig. As you can see, I really like wearing wigs; my mom says I have a head made for wigs. Lol














Alot has happened to my hair within this past year. I might post a few more pictures of when my hair use to be a little longer. When I look back at my pictures, sometimes I miss my "old hair" but then I think about the maintenance with sisterlocks and how they are steadily changing and I rediscover the reasons behind my deciding to get sisterlocks.

My Birthday Weekend. I'm official

My birthday was September 18th which was on Thursday. I took advantage of that and celebrated Thursday, Friday, and Saturday! It was great. Thursday we went to this spot in Nob Hill called Zinc's. On the upper level is the actual restaurant, and downstairs is the bar. It had this neo soul type of feel to it and I felt sooo official. Afterward we spent a couple of hours at an adult store. (There were soo many things up in that spot.) Friday a couple of us went to the casino for all you can eat sea food and I finally learned how to rip through a crab leg! Saturday was the big night, about ten of us all dressed up in black and went to a down town bar. I don't have any pictures of all of us together but there are some of at least five of us. Three of my friends are still underage so we were all swapping ID's, but the bouncers ended up letting us in. Sunday was used to recover, and that I did. So being 21 doesn't really feel like anything. I guess it's because I was still drinking and getting in to clubs before hand, but now I'm "official."

MY FIRST POST! (HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!)

Wow, so this is my first time creating a post/blog and I'm not sure how this "blogging thing" is going to work out. My main reason for starting, and hopefully continuing, to blog is to be a helpful resource to those who are considering sisterlocks. I know I received a lot of useful information from other who have blogs, and I want to do the same for those are debating upon whether or not they wan to take the sisterlock journey. Of course it's solely up to the person making the decision, but perhaps by reading my "testimony", people considering sisterlocks will have a little better understanding of the process. So now I have to post some pictures and all that good stuff, so let me figure out how to do that! Lol