What A Difference A Year Makes!

I found myself feeling a little down about my locks recently.  I don't know why, but I was feeling like they weren't growing like they should.  Anyway, I decided to take a picture to see how my locks have progressed since last year and I'm amazed.  I can't believe how much thicker and longer my locks are!  It just goes to show sometimes you have to take a step back from scrutinizing your locks in the mirror and look at the bigger picture. My spirits are lifted and I'm learning to be patient.  The top picture was taken March 2011 and the bottom March 2012.  I love my locks through it all :)  p.s.  I have also lost 10 pounds, just a side note :-D

Product Rave: Rusk Sensories Purify Shampoo

I'm really loving this shampoo!  I bought it to replace Suave Daily Clarifying and it's working better than any clarifying shampoo I've tried to date.

Rusk Sensories Purify shampoo cleanses my hair while refreshing my scalp with pumpkin seed, tea trea and peppermint oils.  The essential oils are near the top of the ingredients list.  My scalp hasn't felt this fresh in a long time.  It felt as if the shampoo penetrated into my hair follicles and removed all the build up that has been going on for some time.  The sensation was ahhhh-mazing.  My scalp felt "tinglely" for hours after usng this awesome shampoo.  It also smells very refreshing, like a mixture of citrus and mint. 

It's a very concentrated and thick shampoo, so diluting it is a must.  I mix a couple tablespoons with 16-18 oz of water, then spray it through my locs.  Although it's diluted, it produces a very rich, dense lather.  I had a huge "lather afro" happening in the shower.  It rinses out cleanly and easily, so there's no build up.  I've found a winner! 

The company says:

"Rusk Sensories Purify Cucurbita and Tea Tree Oil Deep Cleansing Shampoo awakens the senses while providing a natural, deep cleansing that wakes up the hair.  Specially formulated with cucurbita and tea tree oil, Purify shampoo adds vitality and luster, while ridding the hair and scalp of impurities. Purify is ideal for problem scalps that are oily, flaky, or have dandruff.  All Sensories products feature Compressed Formula Technology.  CFT enhances and expands the user's sensory experience.  Use 30-50% less product and achieve twice the performance."

Directions:  Apply to wet hair and massage in thoroughly.  Rinse completely.  Repeat if desired.

Ingredients:  Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauamide MEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Cocamide, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Keratin Amino Acids, Melaleuca Alternifolia(Tea Tree) leaf oil, Mentha Piperita(Peppermint) Oil, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract, fragrance, Benzophenone-4, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, PPG-33 Buteth-45, Methychloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Green 5 (CL 61570), Yellow 5 (Cl 19140), Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Hydroxylsohexl3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool.

Updated Regimen

My hair was in desperate need for moisture and protein, so this month I decided to upgrade my hair products. 

Eight Months In

July 21, 2011 made eight months I've been locked.  I'm starting to notice fewer curly ends and more sealed ends.  I'm having issues with my newly retightened hair unraveling when I wash, so I still have to braid and band.  I've also started using diluted conditioner on my hair.  We'll see how that goes.  Still loving my locs!

Loc Video

Here is a video that I made concerning my locs:

The first video is a slideshow of my first 5 months locked. 

Month 6: The Locs are on AutoPilot

Sometimes it seems as if my hair was specially created for locking.  This is the path of least resistance because my hair has never been this hassle free.  This is the way beauty should be:  effortless.

The locs are doing great this month.  I did have some scalp problems and build-up, but that's old news now.  I solved my build up problems with Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo and the dryness with Kenra moisturizing shampoo.  My first time using a moisturizing shampoo was awesome.  It didn't leave any buildup and it gave my hair the moisture it was craving.  I plan to use the moisturizing shampoo as a "conditioner" for now.  I've also started oiling my hair and scalp, which is something I didn't do in the beginning.  My hair feels awesome and so do I.

Freshly washed and retightened on May 21

The locs have entered the "swelling" phase.  There's no turning back now.  Notice how the braid pattern is completely gone.

Month 5: Scalp Issues

April makes 5 months that I have been locked.  It's going great except for my scalp issues.  I learned the hard way of the importance of using the right products for locks.  I found it's best to use water thin products that do not leave a film/build-up.  I tried a new leave-in and my scalp went crazy.  I looked at the ingredients and the leave-in contained dimethicone.  Never again. 

Luckily,  I got the flaking under control.  I now do extended rinsing (rinse for 5 minutes before and after shampoooing) in addition to my usual routine and it really made the difference.  My hair has body and my scalp is relieved.

I hit another milestone this month.  The braid pattern is disappearing.  My husband commented that my hair looks like locks instead of braids.  Very happy about that.    

Freshly washed and retightened.  The left side is on a growth spurt. 

The braid pattern is finally disappearing at the crown.  The pattern is long gone everywhere else. 

Month 4: Growing Like Crazy!

Well, it's been 4 months since I locked my hair and it is growing like crazy.  I never realized how fast my hair really grows until I locked my hair.  It seems that I'm always retightening my hair and I must do them every 3-4 weeks or else.  Any how, I gained inches of hair and lost 5 pounds.  Really happy about that! Still loving my braidlocks. Oh, and I HAD to use conditioner and oil.  My hair was so dang dry, that it started to crunch and crumble in my hands.  It was awful.  I had little broken pieces of hair covering my hands and sink.  After shampooing with my usual products, I used my homemade conditioning mist (which is as light as water) and oiled my hair with olive oil.  No more dry crunchy hair.  All that "no conditioner or oil until your hair matures" mess is not for me.

Back Shot.  I'm still in the process of retightening my hair.  I have locs starting to travel down my neck.

The hair has completely covered my ear this month.  Compare this to last month.

Milestone?

I'm so happy because it seems that I have hit a milestone with my locks.  My hair no longer unravels when I wash it.  Just a few months ago, some of my locs would unravel whenever any type of moisture hit it and I would have to re-establish the loc.  Now, just the new growth area unravels.  Very happy that I'm making progress!

Month 3

Back View. 

The crown area seems to have flattened out a bit.  The locks above my ears have grown a lot when compared to last month. 

The top has not changed one bit.  My hair in this area is very soft, so it may take years for it to lock.

Not much has changed, except my hair seems flatter. It seems to have less body than month 1 and 2.  I tried the clarifying shampoo from Tresseme, but I shall wait until my locks are mature before using it again.  It made my hair too silky and felt as though my locks would slip out.  So, I've returned to using Aura Rosemary Mint and Nizoral shampoos.  I completed retightening my hair on Feb. 10 and plan to do another towards the end of March.

Month 2

Not much has changed from month 1, maybe a little more frizz.  Still freestyling and enjoying my hair to the fullest.  I started using Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo and it works great.  It didn't dry my  hair out like I expected.  My hair is still very soft with curly ends.  I retightened my hair earlier this month and plan to do another retightening mid February.  I <3  my locks!

Month 1

Day One



One Month Later



It's amazing what can happen in only a month.  My locks are coming along nicely.  There's a lot of shrinkage and frizz.  There are several locks that are very condensed and I therefore can't stretch them.  My guess is they'll be completely locked within 4-6 months. 

I retightened the front sections at week 3 and plan to retighten the back this week.  It only took me about an hour to do the entire front section, much faster than I expected.  I'm very proud to say that I did not interlock any locks.  I use the small nappy lock tool.

I started using Dr. Bronners Castile soap and it works great for locks.   I'm still using water spritzes once a day.  I haven't used any oil since day one and my hair is still very soft and moisturized even though it's cold outside.  I still can't believe that pure water can keep the hair soft. 

My braidlocks have brought me so much freedom.  I no longer have to "figure out" what I'm going to do with my hair every morning.  My hair ALWAYS looks good no matter what, even when I wake up in the morning.  All I do is spritz my hair with water, fluff, and go.  This is my 30 seconds morning regimen.  I'll join other lock rockers and say, "I should have done this years ago!"      





New Products: Dr. Bronner's, Floral Water, and Sweet Almond Oil

So these are the new products that I decided to try this month and I love them.  First off is the sweet almond oil that I use on my daughter's hair.  It's light and keeps her hair soft and moisturized without unraveling her locks.  Next is Dr. Bronner's peppermint Castile soap.  I really like this because it removes all buildup from the hair and scalp without leaving the hair dry.  The peppermint oil is VERY strong and leaves a cool sensation on the skin.  I like that it has a slightly higher pH so it helps the hair to lock.  I've also used this to  wash my face and body, clean my bathroom and kitchen and it works well for those purposes also.  Lastly is a floral water mist that we use on a daily basis.  It's a mixture of rose and neroli floral waters, and essential oils that leaves our hair moisturized. 

Week 1 For Ny

Saturday, December 11th made one week in braidlocks for my daughter, Ny.  The first week was awesome.  She wore her hair down most of the week, other times she wore a ponytail.  I washed her hair twice during the week.  With the second wash I used Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap, which worked great.  As far as the locking progress, she has a ton of frizz and she's developing small lumps on the ends of her locks.  It doesn't surprise me how fast her locks are progressing because she has very fine hair that tangles easily.  I had a very difficult time detangling her hair when it was loose, so locking her hair has been the best decision for us.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Since I love my locks so much, I decided to go ahead and lock my daughter's hair over the Thanksgiving break.  It took forever to finish her hair because it's so long and thick.  I finally finished them on December 4, 2010 and she loves them just as much as I do.  She loves wearing them down and she reguarly does the hair toss.  I've never let her wear her hair down before, but now she's enjoying the freedom.  I love that she's happy and confident and we both love the convenience of braidlocks.  Her hair regimen has reduced from 4-5 hours to 20 minutes!  We share the same products and wash regimen.  The only difference is I oil her scalp.  She has 258 small-medium braidlocks.


Showing how long her was to start.  It's well past her waist, close to thigh length had I combed out the kinks.  I used a clarifying shampoo.  No conditioner or oil.  I then sectioned her hair into 10 sections.




The front section is done.  She kept herself occupied with her DSi.






I used 1/4 inch partings in the front.  It took several days to complete the front.




I used bigger parts in the back and decided to section off the hair and twist because I was running out of time.

Back is done.  I ran out of time and she had to go to school the next day.  I just put jumbo twists in the crown area and put her hair into a ponytail for school.  

Her ponytail.  Her braids concealed the twisted areas.

Almost Done!!!!  Everyday after school I would braid sections.

All done.  She and I are both relieved.  I needed a shoulder massage!

Just in time for Christmas.

Side view

close up.

 

Hair Routine

My hair routine is very simple, just the way I like it.  Every week I shampoo my scalp with Nizoral, then follow up by shampooing my hair with Aura Rosemary-Mint Shampoo.  After rinsing, I spray my scalp with purified water that has rosemary and peppermint essential oils.  After that I spray two pumps of the Nappy and Happy hair Dew on my hair for moisture and go!  No styling, my hair naturally falls into place.  I LOVE my hair! 

Step 1:  To keep my scalp flake free, I MUST shampoo with Nizoral at least once a week.  I dilute the shampoo with water at a 1:1 ratio and spray it directly on my scalp.

Step 2:  I focus on my hair with this shampoo.  It smells great and leaves my hair shiny.  It doesn't seem to hinder the locking process.   I also dilute this shampoo.

Step 3:  Spray my scalp with purified water containing essential oils.  This refreshes my scalp and moisturizes my hair.  I also use this during the week.

Step 4:  I spray 1-2 pumps of the Dew into my palms and gently press it into my locks.  I guess this is my "conditioner".  This stuff smells VERY strong, so I don't like to over do it.  I only use it once a week.



All done!  My locks just coil and style themselves.  I don't have to do anything.  This is true wash and go hair!



Week 1

So my first full week with my new locks is going great.  I washed them again using a different shampoo for my scalp, Nizoral.  Everything went great.  I notice that I have a lot more shrinkage and more frizz, especially at the base of my locks.  I also have some loose strands that have somehow come out of the lock.  I'll take care of that when I do my first retightening.

I am touching my hair way too much and it's probably causing the loose hairs.  I can't help it.  I'm so in love with my hair!

Braid and Band to prevent slippage

After washing.  My hair is still damp.  The locks seem to be swelling a bit.

My hair is shrinking.  I love the coils!

Took The Leap With Braidlocks

On November 8, 2010, I decided to take the leap and lock my hair.  It was something that I had long dreamed of doing for YEARS.  I intially wanted SisterLocks, but there was no way I could afford them.  In the end I decided to order the Nappylocs Business in a Box kit.  I read the book and followed the directions and my hair came out great!  I started off by interlocking my hair and it was taking too long. Then it dawned on me that my hair is short so I might as well braid it.  It took 9 days to complete my hair and it was a labor of love.  After it was all said and done, I had 455+ micro-braidlocks!  I am so happy and relieved, I have wash and go hair.  The only problem is I can't stop touching it.

Sectioned and Ready to go

I started off doing interlocks, but I became weary!

Four days after finishing and shampooing.  My hair has shrunk tremendously.  I have a mixture of braids and interlocks and I love them all.

I really like this picture.  I like how my locs are layered.