Tuesday 14 May 2013

Start of Locs Journey May 2103



I have decided to loc my hair, I have given this some thought for a long time, off and on….I have thought about sisterlocks, freeform locs & original locs.  After visiting the Island of Grenada in April 2013, I decided the time was right to get the journey started.  I really couldn’t face the idea of braiding my hair again (which I have done for years).  My hair is now completely natural and free of chemicals, and has been for the past 5 years.
So, I decided to start the journey with the two strand twists using Aloe Vera gel.



A couple of my brothers used to have long locks and they looked really good, so given that we share the same DNA (i.e. hair pattern), my hair should lock up really nicely and quickly.  My hair pattern is 4c and is very dense and extremely coily.

I am also trying to improve and grow my hairline hence why I use Castor Oil daily and slip with a satin headscarf to protect my hair. My next update will be next month 9 June 2013 .

These are just a couple of links which I particulary like to read as well as other youtube videos. 


Re-twist

Tonight, I re-twisted my hair for the first time.
Halfway stage, which took about 40mins

This is the completed re-twist, total time was about 80 minutes.
I used the Organic Twist & Lock Gel.


Styled the next morning with side bangs and alice band.

















2/6/13
I decided to retwist my locs as they were not tight enough.  It really stretch my hair alot and looks more defined and curly at the ends, which I like.  I counted my locs and I have 180 so I'm going to round the number up to 200 or a little more. I have a fairly small head so I think that amount should be adequate for me.  I had to pull some of the locs apart to retwist, therefore the locing process was happening, more so at the back than the front.  I happy with the process so far and like the fact that i dont have to do too much with my hair.

I do spritz my hair wth water/glycerin and Jamaican Black Castor Oil combo.  I also use JBCO on my edges, I have been doing this for about 4mths now and I have seen good results.




14 June 13 - update:

My hair is looking fine, I had a bit of shrinkage after washing but nothing to bother me that much.  I use Black Soap to wash my hair and then added in a Bantu Shea Butter leave-in treatment, my hair felt lovely, I sat out in the sunshine to let it dry naturally.  I have been thinking about Sisterlocks, I braided a few strands then changed my mind.  The process of interlocking seems very labourious and after braiding for years previously, it just felt like I would be reverting back when having to maintain the stlye.  I am well and truly hooked on my locs!! I have a few that have budded in the back but overall the process is quite slow...however, its only be just over a month, patience is key in this process :)

18 June '13 - update:
After doing some research, I decided that my locs were too thin in....I read that in some cases this can cause the loc to thin and break.  I re-twisted my hair again and made the sections slightly larger.  I am now fully satisfied with the outcome and happy in the knowledge that my locs will look better overall.
 



29 June 13 - Update

I re-twisted my new growth and plus the additional fizz. It was looking fluffy, which didn't really bother me, I wanted to see if there was more growth. Because I work out 5 times a week, my hair gets wet and so I wash it once a week. I normally wear an Alice-band but I will start putting my hair in a ponytail instead as I don't think my hair is locking due to the amount of sweating I do...so maybe tying my hair up in-one when exercising might help. My re-twist took me 1hr to do whilst watching TV.






Update:4 July 13

I have noticed that my hair is growing slightly in length.  I am still enjoying the process and waiting for more budding.  I need to be more adventurous with my hairstyles as I wear the same "do" everyday (in an alice band) however, I do think that my hair is thanking me for the rest from the normal routine of braiding and combing etc.

Update: 11/7/13
Retwisted my hair using homemade flaxseed gel. I was impressed by the hold and how quickly it dried, with no flaking. My clips came a day after I ordered them off EBay :-)  























13/07/13
Loving my locs :-) 
 









 


Update: 21/7/13

Retwisted my hair again, it gets so frizzy as I work out 5 days per week. However, it is gradually locking in places and Im still enjoy the transistion phase and what it will become.

Update: 15/10/13

My hair has finally loc'd :-). I can put in a small ponytail but I only every keep it in one style (Alice Band). I never play in my hair, I just let it be. I'm washing roughly about 3 times per month.  I do a hot-oil condition and wash out then re-twist with grape seed oil or 100% aloe very gel.








These are just a couple of links which I particulary like to read as well as other youtube videos. 

www.monica-rose.co.uk
www.naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.justlocs.com/blog/

9 comments:

  1. Hi Mrs T, what a lovely surprise to find your blog just at the start of your loc journey I look forward to following you and hair :-)

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    Replies
    1. Hello,

      Thanks so much for your comments. Your locs look lovely..I will be having a good look at your website, I need all the motivation I can get. Have a super day :)

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    2. Hi, no problem at all, I hope you get something out of it, especially a pathway to increased information about the particular locs you're going for. There's a varied bunch of interesting bloggers/vloggers posted throughout my site.

      Unfortunately I wasn't able to locate an add link so I can follow your specific blog??

      Also I've visited Monica Rose's website a few times before. Are you a UK blogger too?

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    3. Your site has really given me ideas re. Challenges and patience :) I live in Jersey, Channel Islands. There are so many other beautiful locing women out there...hopefully it will surpass the number of women that feel they have to wear a weave or wig etc, and start feeling comfortable in their own hair. Have a great day. BTW: are you still Lifting?

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  2. I don't lift currently and haven't done so it around 8-9 months. I found that as I went up in weights I was struggling to fit into my clothes even I was loosing weight on the scale. When I stopped going the gym last winter I found my arms and legs got so much slimmer even though I'd gained some weight back. Since then I've realised that I'd bulked up too much. I'm now focusing on more cardio and non-weight muscle toning i.e. - pushups, planks, squats etc. I do lift dumbells when I do the cardio workouts but no more than 7lbs each.

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  3. Ooh glad I caught this update. Will you be updating the same blog post from now on instead of creating new posts? I like how glossy and soft your hair looks in the photos. Two strand twists really are a great style, surprisingly I've never warn them myself. Glad to read that loc'ing has begun for you and it sounds like your hair's fitting in well with your exercise routine :)

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    Replies
    1. Hello. I will be updating the same page...hope you are well :-)

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  4. Hi, just checking in on ya. I'm looking forward to an update soon. Btw don't know if it's my computer but the characters in this post (from the June update) appear as shapes and symbols :/
    I love the slightly thicker locs :)

    Hope all is well anyway!

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  5. Oh wow,what fuzzy progress I see here. Unfortunately, though on a different computer, I still can see only shapes and symbols instead of text so I can't read what you've written about your journey but it's clear your twists are well on their way and the prints/colours you're wearing in the last photo look wonderful against your skin tone!

    I'm guessing it's been almost 6 months now?

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