Lock It Up! Support Thread (Sisterlocs, Dreads, Freeform, Etc)

[shortycocoa]

I just want to say I am in love with my locks! They are coming along nicely. I have been spraying them almost every day with my sea salt spray, and they also get plenty of steam and moisture from my daily showers.

I didn't wash my hair last week, but I washed yesterday and put oil on my scalp.

 

[mochalocks]

Had my hair appointment yesterday, Curled my locks....something different.

 

[MayaNatural]

Hi, Ladies.
I am now on day 3 of my SisterLock journey. I love my hair! My morning routine goes much smoother compared to when I was a loose natural.

Question: I’m going to Jamaica next weekend and was wondering if anyone been to Jamaica before with natural hair that can tell me what to expect lol! I am trying to prepare the best way possible to keep my new sisterlocks intact. My ends are still loose and exposed. I appreciate your advice.

 

[msdeevee]

Hi, Ladies.
I am now on day 3 of my SisterLock journey. I love my hair! My morning routine goes much smoother compared to when I was a loose natural.

Question: I’m going to Jamaica next weekend and was wondering if anyone been to Jamaica before with natural hair that can tell me what to expect lol! I am trying to prepare the best way possible to keep my new sisterlocks intact. My ends are still loose and exposed. I appreciate your advice.

Hey, newbie! Congrats on your Sisterlocks. You will love them and like most regret you didn’t do it sooner.

I’ve been to Jamaica with my Sisterlocks when I was a little more than a year out. I had no adverse effects from the sun. I did not go in the ocean though. If you do I would suggest you use a swim cap. If you dare to go in the ocean I see that many braid and band their locks. Especially being that you have loose ends. You can incur a lot of slippage. At this stage you have to be protective of your locks. Follow your consultants advice.

Once your locks are more settled I’ve read that the salt water is good for helping your locks mature.

Have fun!

 

[caliscurls]

Happy locaversary!

@caliscurls it sounds like the rinse went well for you! How long will it last? Do you think you will continue using it if your hair continues to respond well?

It’s supposed to last 28 washes but I find that it lasts about 3 months with weekly washes. The shorter time for me could be because I workout 5-6 times a week and my scalp sweats in the process.

It’s the same product I was using before getting sisterlocks so I’ll definitely continue if there’s no issues. I’m going to try to do it every other reti (every 16 weeks) as advised by a consultant since a reti will hide some (but not all) of the new growth color and what’s faded as well.

 

[shortycocoa]

Hi, Ladies.
I am now on day 3 of my SisterLock journey. I love my hair! My morning routine goes much smoother compared to when I was a loose natural.

Question: I’m going to Jamaica next weekend and was wondering if anyone been to Jamaica before with natural hair that can tell me what to expect lol! I am trying to prepare the best way possible to keep my new sisterlocks intact. My ends are still loose and exposed. I appreciate your advice.

Welcome....and enjoy your Sisterlocks! I haven't been to Jamaica but @msdeevee gave some great advice. I was going to say braid and band them, also. If you don't feel like doing that then maybe get your hair in a braided style so it can stay somewhat protected during your vacation. You can always undo the braids later for a wavy/curly set for certain activities/pics.

Have fun!

 

[MayaNatural]

Hey, newbie! Congrats on your Sisterlocks. You will love them and like most regret you didn’t do it sooner.

I’ve been to Jamaica with my Sisterlocks when I was a little more than a year out. I had no adverse effects from the sun. I did not go in the ocean though. If you do I would suggest you use a swim cap. If you dare to go in the ocean I see that many braid and band their locks. Especially being that you have loose ends. You can incur a lot of slippage. At this stage you have to be protective of your locks. Follow your consultants advice.

Once your locks are more settled I’ve read that the salt water is good for helping your locks mature.

Have fun!

Thank you so much! I am already wondering what took me so long to get them besides the hefty price tag lol. I appreciate all of your advice. I will buy a swim cap just incase I decide last minute to get in the ocean.

 

[MayaNatural]

Welcome....and enjoy your Sisterlocks! I haven't been to Jamaica but @msdeevee gave some great advice. I was going to say braid and band them, also. If you don't feel like doing that then maybe get your hair in a braided style so it can stay somewhat protected during your vacation. You can always undo the braids later for a wavy/curly set for certain activities/pics.

Have fun!

I agree with you, @msdeevee did give really great advice. I appreciate your advice as well. I didn’t think about braiding my hair into a style. I might do that as well as wearing a swim cap if I decide to get in the ocean. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that lol. Honestly, my mind has been focused on the heat and trying to figure out if the humidity is going to make my hair less defined and dry. I appreciate your advice.

 

[shortycocoa]

I agree with you, @msdeevee did give really great advice. I appreciate your advice as well. I didn’t think about braiding my hair into a style. I might do that as well as wearing a swim cap if I decide to get in the ocean. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that lol. Honestly, my mind has been focused on the heat and trying to figure out if the humidity is going to make my hair less defined and dry. I appreciate your advice.

I was thinking about something like this in mind for you.:




It's simple and elegant at the same time and you can still enjoy the beach/water if you choose without worrying about your hair.

YouTube has lots of ideas, too. I found her this morning and her Sisterlocks are EVERYTHING!!! She did a cut recently, though.:



I did a YouTube search for 'braided styles for Sisterlocks'... hope that helps!

 

[mz.rae]

My consultant gave me the ok to color my hair! I'm excited and nervous because I am seeing that people are saying color messed up their locs. I was wanting to go red or maybe highlights. I colored my loose natural hair in the past with no problems, so hopefully it will be the case for my sisterlocks.

 

[shortycocoa]

My consultant gave me the ok to color my hair! I'm excited and nervous because I am seeing that people are saying color messed up their locs. I was wanting to go red or maybe highlights. I colored my loose natural hair in the past with no problems, so hopefully it will be the case for my sisterlocks.

That's awesome! Are you going to let her do the color or are you going to go the DIY route? Either way, I hope you have a positive experience and get great results.

 

[Oasis]

i’ve been anti blonde on black for as long as i can remember but i’ve been itching to dye my hair blonde. i’m about 80% sure i’m going to go through with it but i have to figure out a plan quickly because i want it done before the summer ends.

i’ve also been wanting to cut into a bob but i want a black bob so i’m going to do that when i get tired of the blonde or once my hair starts to disintegrate from the imminent lack of care.

 

[mz.rae]

That's awesome! Are you going to let her do the color or are you going to go the DIY route? Either way, I hope you have a positive experience and get great results.

Thank you! My consultant doesn't style or color hair, so she is going to give me the numbers of stylist that do and know how to work with sisterlocks.

 

[mz.rae]

I'm always in awe when I see how far my hair has come. I appreciate and have been loving my journey so far. But if I'm honest when I look at pics from the first few months, I was looking a little rough.

 

[shortycocoa]

Hi ladies! I re-tightened my locks over the weekend. It's been about 3 weeks since my last re-tightening. I was initially going to try to wait until 4-6 weeks, but I'm glad I didn't.

I had several vulnerable locks in the back and front I needed to address because of slippage/unravelling, so I just did my whole head.

One thing I find interesting through this process is that even though I have traditional locks this time, I have some locks that are developing with the fat ends, just like when I had my Sisterlocks. Getting my locks to fit in the eye of my yarn needles and pass through the base of those particular locks was definitely a challenge.

I tried using a safety pin, and I ran into the problem JoyceMD mentioned in one of her videos where the hair gets caught in the loop at the bottom of the pin. I ended up having to pull really hard to get my hair out and I didn't like that.

She recommended using the coilless safety pins to avoid that issue, so I ordered some from eBay yesterday, as well as the bulb safety pins.

What I really need is something with a large enough base, like a bulb safety pin, and a pointy tip like a yarn needle that is varying lengths for my smaller locks in the back and front of my hair. But I also don't want it to cost a lot, either.

Do you ladies have any ideas or suggestions for what I could use? I needed something like that when I had SLs too but never found anything.

 

[mz.rae]

Ugh.... there is this one loc in the front that keeps slipping out!! It was doing fine up until the point of two months ago when it decided it wanted to slip out. Now it wont act right at all, ugh!!

 

[Foxglove]

Do you ladies have any ideas or suggestions for what I could use? I needed something like that when I had SLs too but never found anything.

There are a few options here
http://curlynugrowth.com/best-tools-for-interlocking/

I've used the nappyloc tool and it seems like it meets your criteria and comes in different sizes

 

[shortycocoa]

There are a few options here
http://curlynugrowth.com/best-tools-for-interlocking/

I've used the nappyloc tool and it seems like it meets your criteria and comes in different sizes

Thanks! I either saw that link earlier in this thread or stumbled upon it on my own. Can't remember which. But I just didn't want to spend that much for that Nappylocs tool. I might have to bite the bullet and do it, because there doesn't seem to be much else that fits my needs.

I did find some screws that look like they are made for hanging pictures. It has a circular base but the tip is not smooth, and I don't want it to tear up the base of my locks so I am hesitant to try it.

My coil-less safety pins did come in the mail over the weekend, so at least I have those on hand for the next time I am due for a re-tightening. Still waiting on the other bulb pins to arrive.

 

[mz.rae]

Natural Nirvana has decided to loc her hair again. I’m excited to her journey and if there is anything she does differently this time around.

 

[shortycocoa]

Natural Nirvana has decided to loc her hair again. I’m excited to her journey and if there is anything she does differently this time around.

I never watched any of her videos but they always came up in my suggestions, so I knew of her and her backstory. Other YouTubers did videos about her and a few others that cut or took their locks down.

That didn't take long for her to decide to lock again. I'm also interested to see the approach she uses this time. Her first set were thick.

I look for JoyceMD to do the same.

 

[shortycocoa]

Today marks 2 months for me, ladies! The frizz has definitely taken over these last few days, so I have been wearing my hair back off my face with headbands on.

 

[Platinum]

I haven't checked in in quite some time but I hit my 4 year mark last month. I've been going to the gym 3-5 times a week and my locs are looking quite "disrespectful" right about now. I'll probably make an appointment with my loctitican in a few weeks,

 

[cravoecanela]

I've been thinking about locing my hair for the second time... any recommendations for salons that could install in the NYC area?

 

[shortycocoa]

I've been thinking about locing my hair for the second time... any recommendations for salons that could install in the NYC area?

I don't live in the area, but I found this place on IG.:



ETA: I've been re-reading some old threads on NP. One poster gave some great advice in one of them. She said not to tell them you want locks, because then the price increases significantly as soon as you mention locks. Just go in and say you want whatever style you plan on starting your locks with.

 

[cravoecanela]

I don't live in the area, but I found this place on IG.:

View attachment 432177

ETA: I've been re-reading some old threads on NP. One poster gave some great advice in one of them. She said not to tell them you want locks, because then the price increases significantly as soon as you mention locks. Just go in and say you want whatever style you plan on starting your locks with.

Thank you so much ! I'll look into them.

 

[dyh080]

Hi, Ladies.
I am now on day 3 of my SisterLock journey. I love my hair! My morning routine goes much smoother compared to when I was a loose natural.

Question: I’m going to Jamaica next weekend and was wondering if anyone been to Jamaica before with natural hair that can tell me what to expect lol! I am trying to prepare the best way possible to keep my new sisterlocks intact. My ends are still loose and exposed. I appreciate your advice.

LOL, I went to Jamaica 28 years ago with loose natural hair and everywhere I went I heard " Hey roots". I finally asked why they were calling me that only to find out it was because of my hair. They said by looking at my hair they knew I was pro-Black.

 

[cravoecanela]

What was your experience like with shrinkage? My hair is armpit length when two-strand twisted without heat. Sometimes it shrinks to my collarbone if I sweat or it gets wet in the rain. Can I expect my starter locs to get to the same length?

 

[shortycocoa]

LOL, I went to Jamaica 28 years ago with loose natural hair and everywhere I went I heard " Hey roots". I finally asked why they were calling me that only to find out it was because of my hair. They said by looking at my hair they knew I was pro-Black.

This made me laugh, only because I used to have a cut buddy that worked with a mutual friend. The mutual friend and all his co-workers used to call the guy "roots." I asked why they called him that. I think they said it was because he was African.

 

[mz.rae]

My rebel loc is back in formation, and it better behave and stay that way. Anyway my locs are starting to bud and it’s fun squishing them lol. It’s crazy how I’m not counting down the months like I was when I first started.

 

[shortycocoa]

Anyway my locs are starting to bud and it’s fun squishing them lol. I

Lol... I squeeze mine too! I can't keep my hands out of my hair these days. I know I said it before, but it's so fascinating to see and watch them form. I love it!

I also relish every day in the fact that I DON'T have to spend the extra time for maintenance (detangling). There was a YouTuber I found recently that said having locks frees you from the mental pain and anguish of detangling. I had to laugh at that, because that's exactly what it is.