Beautification Night

I've been thinking lately it's a shame that I dont have "beautification night" like I did when I was college. My last post made me think about this because I expressed how lazy I have been with my locs lately...Thursday nights would always be my night of choice because of how busy I was with classes and work. I would always go back to my dorm room and wash my hair and style/experiment with it all night so it could be "fly" for the weekend. And that's when I would do all of my shaving, get my eyebrows waxed, nails done etc...just went the whole 9 yards. I even beautified my room!

Whhhhhhyyyyyyyy have I not been doing this since I have locs????? :o(. 

The only answer would be that the shake and go  thing has spoiled me like no other. I had much less time on my hands in college & paid more attention to appearance than I've ever done now. I have waaaaaaay more time now to do my hair and yet, I dont take initiative to change it :o/

When I was relaxed, I LOVED curls and I cant believe that I have not attempted curls that much since I'm free to do more styles. I've even been given permission to put a rinse in my hair.....what the crap have I been waiting on???

15.5 Month Old Sisterlocks

I will not reach exactly 16 months until the 27th of this month, but you can observe the fullness and length of my locs. My hair is much shorter in the back due to the fact that my hair was cut into a bob prior to my SL installation. I'm glad that it was cut that way so it could grow out into a simple style since I am prohibited to do anything extreme to my hair right now. My re-ti is tomorrow and I think going to add a cute style to it afterwards....my bf expressed that he misses my perm-rod set lol. I only did it once back in feb and I'm amazed that I didn't do it again because of all of the compliments I received. I'll admit that I have gotten lazy with my hair as far as styling. I just sport the braid-outs and sometimes do a half-up, half-down ponytail when it gets too hot smh. So much has been going on and I am in the process of looking for another j.o.b. You saw in my last post a month ago that my job was dramatic and the pettiness has gotten out of control {not on my part of course}. I just didnt have interest to do any special styles to my locs for that environment. "When you feel good, you look good" ~ and vice versa....that job did not make me feel good at all :o/. I thought when you're unsure about the people around you, you just keep it cordial and keep to yourself. Apparently that's not good enough to avoid mess. Not to say that my locs didnt look good, because SL's ALWAYS look good ;o). I just didnt feel the need to spruce up any styles that's all. Anywho, I may post more pics tomorrow since I have slacked off so much with my blogging :o(.

Work, Sadness, SL Update.....

I have been seriously busy and have totally neglected my blog. So much has happened since graduation and I dont even know where to begin. Work is work right now. I thank God for it, but you know working in a small office full of women spells D.R.A.M.A. Im pretty cool with everyone in the office, but you know I have to stay on my toes when it comes to being the new girl.

Unfortunately I heard some bad news today. I found out my high school classmate was tragically killed last night along with 3 other people. All sooooo young and the manner of death was not deserving to them. I just know that God does not make mistakes and the only thing we can do is pray for their families and that God grants them the strength to pull through this troubling time.....Im really at a loss for words of what happened to those 4 victims, but it hits so close to home when you find out your peers die in such a tragic way. Just gotta stay prayed up people smh.

Just had my re-ti two days ago and I got a great report from my locktician: I CAN USE A RINSE NOW!!!!!! But see, the trick to that is im on my own with that {She's not going to put it in for me lol}. The ironic part is that I have been whining about not being able to color my hair and here I am SCARED about doing it now. I guess I feel uncomfortable/sketchy about the whole thing because I am still using the braiding/binding technique to wash my hair.....im actually scared of what will happen when I wash my locs without binding them. I guess I was waiting on hearing when I could stop binding all together. I thought I would be able to get the rinse when I had the green light to no longer braid/bind. My locktician is granting me this one time opportunity to not bind so I can apply the rinse.....I dont trust myself smh. I have been compliant for 1 year and three months and I dont want to screw up all of this hard work and patience. What should I do???? She said its my decision, but I thought I had to wait til my locs were mature enough to not braid/bind anymore :o/. I guess if Im questioning myself of this task, I need to wait a while longer. I know it takes trial and error to know what works, but I have come a looooooong way. My re-ti time has been cut down to 3 1/2hrs versus 4 now......oh the irony smh

Graduation/Mother's Day

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers in the world! It was truly a beautiful day yesterday and also an exhausting one.....of course not from doing for mommy, but this was graduation weekend as well. I truly enjoyed myself this weekend, but it was also a draining one. I ended up sick with a cold and I feel bad because I work with patients. I reaaaaallllly dont want to get them sick, but ya girl gotta make her money too! I did not do a particular hairstyle for graduation due to the fact that heat & sweat does not get along with my hair and the ceremony was held outside. And I'm pretty glad that I did the regular 'ol braid out because it was sooooooo hot. When I was going back through my pictures, I realized my hair has gotten longer! The braid out turned out to be the best option for my cap & gown :o) {click on pictures to get larger view}

 Mi Familia :o) {Mommy, Dad & Sis }

 

My hair has gotten so long!!!! :o) 

This was me a exactly a year ago at my homegirl's graduation {look how short my locs were! }

Graduation Hairstyles/Weight Update

Graduation is approaching and I still don't know what to do with my hair. I'm thinking of doing the perm-rod curls again, but I feel like I wont have time to do it with this new schedule I got. There are plenty of styles I want to try, but I don't think they will work with the cap :o(. I'm facing the challenge of having these permed ends and I don't want to sweat them out {especially since I don't have permission to use products yet}. I'm at a lost with how to style this hair when the relaxed ends want to lay the way that they want to. I have researched youtube and other blogs, but everything seems to look so much better with the all natural locs *sighs*.

As far as the weight update goes, I have been maintaining my weight {no bueno}. I think I'm just going to chuck it up and start weight watchers. Whatever I am doing is NOT working I need an extra nudge to get things popping. I cant stand being at a stand-still and change is what I need. I gets hard when you are doing this by yourself and I don't understand how I keep allowing myself to get off track. There's not too much to be said until some changes really start happening. I'm pretty disappointed/embarrassed with all of the slack that I have experienced in the past month. Now that I don't have to commute for an hour anymore, there's definitely no excuse from here on out. Monday is the day to typically start over with your dieting, soooooo we'll try this again tomorrow. {Pray for me}

Adjusting To The New....

*Sighs* Ladies, I am TIRED. I have slacked a bit from my blogging, but let me tell you this 40hr week thing is taking some adjusting to smh. I thank God for my new job, but its keeping busy like no other. And it does not help that I have to commute an hour to get to work {thank God its temporary for training}. I have a few people driving me nuts, but this is the perfect way to practice professionalism more effectively. I will admit that I have fell waaaaaaaay off with my health regime for the past month and Texas is what triggered it all sadly. Eating out for an entire week will jack up your health flow quickly and I really dont think I can get back on track until I get to my permanent office at the end of the month {excuses I know}. My dieting is fine since I've been home,  but its just the physical activity that's absent smh. Things will get better soon enough, but I really am feeling that "I have no time" stage. I know the importance of taking care of self is priority and I just need to stop TRYING and start DOING. Just pray for ya girl.......Im feeling "off" from everything. Since I'm adjusting to new things out of my control {new job schedule}, I need to make my "voluntary" routines {diet, exercise and sleep} get  it in where it SHOULD fit in.

1 YEAR SL BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

 Its my 1 Year SL birthday and I am very proud of myself :o) Of course I am excited, but I am more proud than anything. Having these SL's for a whole year has definitely proven that I can be patient when I am determined about something I really want. If you knew me personally, patience is not what I possess {when it comes to hair} lol. This is a serious accomplishment for me and I am ready for the next stages of going natural. In dedication for my 1st birthday, I'm going to do a simple Q&A for my family, friends & others who have asked me questions since I've been SL'd. 

1. Why did you choose to go natural?

   ~I was tired of relaxing my hair & letting it get in the way of small things in life {"dont touch my hair", wind blowing, sweating, weather etc}. Also there was no consistent growth & I wanted to try various styles that my length could not achieve. {Weaves & wigs were NOT an option}....no shade ladies ;o) 

2. Why sisterlocks?

~I wanted traditional locs at 1st, but after seeing my mother not fully locking I knew my hair would do the same {she had TL's for almost 2 years}. I didnt know about SL's at the time, but when my mom told me about them, I immediately wanted them. The versatility is just....wow lol

3. Why didnt you do the "big chop"/ why did you keep your relaxed ends?

 ~ 2 major reasons: I'm REALLY tender-headed  & I have a big head lol.  Another reason was fear of not being able to style my hair/comb it. My hair is really thick and I knew that I wasnt going to deal with it really well. One of the main things that attracted me to SL's was that I could keep my relaxed ends while transitioning. Being a college student and not being able to afford a stylist every 2 weeks was very discouraging at the time. 

4. How do you wash your hair & how often?

 ~ I still use the braid and bind technique with the spray bottle to disperse my shampoo and I wash every 2 weeks. 

5. What products do you use?

  ~ Honestly? NADA.... except the "getting started" SL shampoo. I see alot of people on their blogs and videos saying that they are using different shampoos long before their 1 year mark. The getting started shampoo works fine for me & I see no reason to switch right now. Also, my hair is really soft & I refuse to risk slippage....LESS IS MORE :o)

6. But your hair is so shiny. You mean to tell me you're not using ANY hair oil?

 ~Nope and 2 Words: Natural Oil......You will be amazed at how much natural oil your scalp will produce when you do not smother your hair with products. If you happen to come across me when my hair is looking a little dreary/dull, it just means I need to wash my hair & POOF, my hair will be so shiny after a washing. Now that I think about it, this is the 1st time in years that my hair has the right amount of shine without it being overly shiny/greasy or not being shiny enough.

7. Wow. How do you sit there for 4 hours when you get a retightening?

 ~It's no different than sitting in a hair salon with clients sitting in front of you. I used to be at my beautician's salon from 4pm to 8pm for a simple relaxer & NO style. The only difference is those 4 hours are dedicated to ME and only ME :o).

8. Are you going to retighten it yourself eventually?

 ~Ummmmm I think not. I do want to take the re-ti class, but I am so lazy when it comes to my hair. I love the shake-and-go thing, and as long as there's a good consultant like mine around, I'll sit in that chair for 4 hours. I rather not take up my entire weekend to finish my hair lol.  Much love to the DIY ladies! 

9.  How long are you going to keep them in?

 ~At this point, I honestly dont think I will be getting rid of my SL's. The versatility is too great and the fact that you can still achieve styles as if you have a relaxer is amazing. Why give that up when you can have healthy hair in the process?

10. Soooo what are the reactions of the opposite sex? Are you worried you wont attract men as much?

~ This is the most hilarious/ironic question of all lol. I have actually received MORE compliments as natural than I did when I was relaxed. I have always believed that if a man cant accept/love you in your natural state {no make up, real hair, basically anything that can be taken off at night} then he doesnt accept/love you at all. You cant always look like a diva/beauty queen 24 hours a day. But it doesnt mean you dont care about your appearance just because you're natural. I definitely wear make-up every now and then, get my eyebrows waxed and I sure do get my nails done, so femininity is not an issue. But I guess it depends on the man. If he wants a "barbie" looking chick, then that's on him. But I also see alot of single women who are relaxed and weaved up, so there is no difference in my eyes. I just dont understand how going natural is associated with being unattractive and single. My boyfriend LOVES my locs and he was with me when my hair was relaxed and silky ladies sooooo......

11. So what do you do when your relaxed ends lose that "crimp" from the braidouts in between washes?
 ~ I just braid and bind them at night. But usually if that "crimp" cannot stay,  that usually means its time to wash my hair again.

12. Since you've started working out, how do you protect your locs?
 ~ Braid and bind...when my hair is damp from sweating, it gives my locs the advantage to have a "fresh looking" braid out when I take them a loose. This is why I prefer to work out in the evenings so I can keep the braids in until they are dry by the next morning.

13, Have you experienced breakage with your relaxed ends since you cannot oil/moisturize them?
 ~Surprisingly, I have not had any breakage whatsoever with my relaxed ends. I guess my hair takes to relaxers well and my ends are still as smooth as they were when I had my last relaxer (november '09). Its crazy because they are still soft and strong. My hair was pretty healthy when I had a relaxer so I am just as surprised as anyone else that I didnt experience breakage while transitioning. 

These questions are not done in a particular order, but this is what I get asked pretty often. Im sure alot of locked sisters get these questions asked all the time, but there aren't many women around me who are natural. So many women have expressed to me that they want to go natural or get SL's, but not ready to take that leap for various reasons. All of that is understandable, but I hope this Q&A helped a little bit. I dont pretend to be an expert, but I have learned alot this past year. I still have a long way to go, but I believe the hardest part is over :o)