tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23350151617114210512024-03-14T04:09:14.976+00:00A Dreadlocking JourneyNaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-17961475417079321522014-08-01T21:00:00.000+01:002014-08-01T21:00:02.796+01:00Reconnect on WordPress<div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings all,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you've been having a splendid summer thus far. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry to leave you hanging for an update. It's been a pretty eventful month and transitioning over to WordPress proved to be more time consuming than I had anticipated but fear not I have just uploaded my next blog entry at:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://naturalocs.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/hello-and-welcome-different-platform-same-journey/">naturalocs.wordpress.com</a></span></b><br />
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1.8.2014:<b> this blogspot page is now permanently discontinued however I will preserve full access to the information already posted. Please follow the link above to continue communicating with naturalocs or email me at naturalocs@outlook.com</b><br />
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<b>Thank you</b></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-10360641365022909142014-07-25T22:39:00.000+01:002014-07-25T22:39:28.425+01:00Month 26<div dir="ltr">
Recently I've noticed that my<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>new growth is going through its unruly phase and has been quite resistant to locking up even to the extent that some areas in the front have begun to break off so I'm slowly reintroducing regulated retwist maintenance to tidy things up a bit. Having gone for so long without maintenance it's been quite the surprise to see how much my locs appear to have grown. I'm certainly heading towards a healthy 6 inches in length and my styling options have really expanded over the last couple of months. Alas I must be honest, I am still teetering in a love 'em or hate 'em mind set about my locs. As I've noted before, I really had envisioned so much more growth in the first two years of this journey and I'm still holding out for the miraculous "growth spurt" fellow dreadlock-ers rave about after their locs have matured. Though I must be grateful, I need only scroll through old blog posts to see that I've come a long, long way follow my big chop back in January 2012.</div>
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And let us not forget that strong healthy hair is the true goal here. Having opted out of a seven year commitment to chemically processed hair, that was never in the best condition I must admit, this journey has certainly taught me how to maintain and nurture my nature afro hair with relative simplicity and maximum affordability.</div>
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The weather here in the UK is hotting up but a steady routine of washing with moisturising shampoo and conditioning with raw coconut oil is helping to keep my hair strong and healthy. One thing I much improve for truly healthy hair and scalp is my water intake heading into the warmer months.<br />
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Got any tips for keeping your hair moisturised during the summer, share in a comment below. And don't forget to keep an eye out for extra photos added to the <a href="http://www.naturalocs.tumblr.com/"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NaturaLocs</span></a> tumblr page.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission.**</span></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.1996745 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-69961351784718230632014-06-18T02:53:00.001+01:002014-06-18T02:53:28.011+01:00Glitch 2: UnresolvedIt is with regret and for reasons beyond my control that I have come to a point where I must consider ending my dreadlocking blog here on blogspot.<br />
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The issue of the image glitch remains unresolved and aside from the tedious task of re-uploading more than 500 photos I have failed to learn of any other course of action.<br />
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I was in half a mind to just ignore the glitch and continue posting as normal however there is every chance that this glitch will occur again which will potentially render any future investment pointless.<br />
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All though the documentation of my loc journey has entered a uneventful lull I do wish to continue blogging elsewhere. I, like many of my online loc enthusiasts wish to see the progress and development of my locs in the coming years and from just wanting dreadlocks to establishing a pleasant pastime in online blogging I look forward to continuing with both.<br />
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Sincerest apologies to the public and private followers of this blog. I know that for some the move over to another platform will create a inconvenience but I do hope you'll find me at my new location on the web once I confirm were that will be.<br />
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Onwards and upwards.<br />
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Naturalocs<br />
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As always, question and comments are very much welcome below.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</span></b></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.1996745 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-27563838431105942232014-05-29T10:31:00.000+01:002014-06-18T02:33:21.604+01:00Glitch on Blogger?Hello all,<br />
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It appears that my blogspot has experienced an unexplained glitch. From what I can decipher, every image uploaded to the site has been corrupted and although they remain intact on my Google+ account and my computer's hard drive, nothing will display on the actually web page. As far as I can see this hasn't affected other blogspot users.<br />
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I'm not sure where to go from here. With over two years worth of images to have to potentially re-upload I wonder could anyone offer any advice as to how to regain the images on this site. Failing this I will upload a post next month and should the problem not be resolved by then I will have to discontinue this web page with a possible shift over to another blogging platform in the future.<br />
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Any input is very much appreciated.<br />
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NaturalocsNaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-24037311850148696482014-05-02T18:07:00.000+01:002014-05-03T04:13:29.824+01:00Month 25Short update, hope you enjoy the photos. My locs have be refreshed and restored to their healthy, hydrated state after recently maintaining my hair.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">go to basket weave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fresh colour - Jeans Color Chili Red</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stocked up on a 400g jar <br />
ordered from www.dolphinfitness.co.uk</td></tr>
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I did a shower cap oil treatment with the coconut oil above and my hair is so soft and shiny but I do need to back get into the routine of wearing my head scarves to preserve the moisture. I'm so keen for some more length I'm even considering kinky twist extensions for the summer but we'll see. Other than that I'm still enjoying the journey and steady maturation of my dreadlocks.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com1United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188224499999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-39399646590477471922014-04-26T20:47:00.002+01:002014-05-02T15:46:33.102+01:00Update: Maintenance and the loc that got awayHello all,<br />
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I want to thank all the loyal followers of my blog for there humour, advice and, kind words over the course of this journey and to the recent followers I've gained I extend to you a very warm welcome. Leave comments and ask questions and I'll be glad to share ideas.<br />
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Today, I severed a loc. My intentional two headed dragon was starting to bug me so I decided to snip the thinner of the two and the result looks pretty good to me.<br />
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Over the last few weeks I've been sporting various basket weave styles now that my hair is long enough to work with but recently I've noticed I don't really like my hair out and down. I'm still self conscious about the length and I've grown tired of the untamed roots. So last week I received a 0.75mm crochet hook and set to work tidying up my other two headed dragons. Nothing too noticeable but I did enough to realign my grid pattern and help the two headed locs along. I was sure to only crochet lightly just to form a spongy cylindrical shape and still left a quarter inch gap so that my roots remained loose and flexible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">after crocheting</td></tr>
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For the moment I want to remain open to the thick and full fuzz I have going but I also what my roots to start loc'ing together so I think crochet sessions every six months will work for me and I'll just keep with the up-dos when I want to be fancy.<br />
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I'm also rocking the basic stretch headband on days where I just need my hair to lay down with little effort.<br />
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I'm about to finishing re-colouring my hair and I might also do a retwist in a bid to smarten up for a meal I'm going to tomorrow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I prefer to retwist with the large<br />duckbill clips as they don't put<br />as much tension on my roots<br />and they don't compress<br />my locs as much.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-80168911752265320802014-04-16T03:14:00.001+01:002014-04-23T14:16:16.090+01:00She's Gone Natural Too: Where is she now?So last weekend my family came to visit me and I was amazed to see how much my mother's hair had grown.<br />
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I thought it only right to update you on her progress over the past eighteen months.</div>
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Started from the bottom:<br />
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Pixie cut wig:<br />
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Now we're here:</div>
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Since Autumn last year she's been keeping her hair braided under a wig, much to my dissatisfaction. I've always felt my Mom looked more youthful and fresh with a curly fro so the straight pixie cut was out with me but nonetheless it seems to have worked wonders as a protective style and even she was impressed with the growth as I insisted she have here hair out for the weekend.</div>
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She explained that her main reason for sporting the wig was essentially for convenience. After 6 months of being natural her hair had grown to a point where it took twice as long to maintain and style than here previous re-laxers and I have to agree. As if committing to cornrows every night and picking it out every morning wasn't enough she also had to endure the hour long process of de-tangling, washing, conditioning, deep conditioning and restyling along side her already busy lifestyle.</div>
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The reality of natural, especially at the in between stage beyond a twa, is that you have to make extra time to care for your hair if you want to wear it out. Which is why so many naturals wear wigs, sew-ins or extensions while they wait for their hair to grow.</div>
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All that aside her hair is currently in the best condition is has been in for several years. She no longer suffers with wispy, floppy hair as we've discovered here natural texture is a fluffy coil that's wonderfully thick and full.<br />
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- Naturalocs</div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.200105 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-3522578817357032672014-04-11T17:47:00.001+01:002014-04-11T17:47:49.986+01:00Locs TagShort and sweet, I thought I'd try my hand at the classic 20 question locs tag that frequently floats around on Youtube. Enjoy!<br />
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1. Do you remember the specific moment you decided you were going to dread your hair? Where were you and how did you feel?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I was probably at home looking at dreadlocked YouTubers and I felt pretty convinced I wanted to do this. I had very vivid visions of me with thick red locs, long and thrown back in a lazy ponytail and that was that. I was ready.</span><br />
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2. What method, if any, did you use to start your dreadlocks?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">Finger twists, rubber bands and three-strand-twists were put in by a hair dresser before they were restarted at home with comb coils. Some of my locs were later restarted with two strand twists.</span><br />
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3. How old are your dreadlocks?<br />
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<span style="color: #d9ead3;">My locs are 2 years.</span><br />
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4. What is the length of your longest dread? And shortest?<br />
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<span style="color: #d9ead3;">My longest dread is 5 inches and the shortest is just over 3 inches.</span><br />
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5. Do you have any dreads that are especially unique, strange, or awesome?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I have few that are just so fat and plump and I love them. I also have a couple of congos (two locs, one base) growing in.</span><br />
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6. How many dreads do you have currently? Is that the same number you started with?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I have 55 locs which is less than half of what I started with.</span><br />
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7. What shampoo or other products do you use on your dreads?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I've been using Cream of Nature's Kiwi & Citrus Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo and raw virgin coconut oil for over a year now.</span><br />
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8. How often do you wash your dreads?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I wash my hair once every 4-12 days.</span><br />
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9. Do you do any regular maintenance on your dreads?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">Maintenance has become quite irregular over the past 5 months. I want my roots to remain thick so I only maintain them on occasion.</span><br />
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10. What are your favourite beads or other decorations?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I occasionally wear silver cuff beads on my dreads.</span><br />
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11. If your dreads had their own personal motto, what would it be?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">Haha. I suppose they'd follow my motto in general, as quoted by Usher: " A lady on the street and a freak in the bed".</span><br />
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12. If you could start a new set of dreads, would you do anything differently?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I'd make sure my hair was over 4 inches long before I started and I'd make sure the partings where staggered (brick-lay pattern) so I didn't experience such prominent partings.</span><br />
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13. Is there anything else unique about your appearance other than dreadlocks? (tattoos, piercings, etc).<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I have 8 piercings but no tattoos.</span><br />
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14. How many people do you know personally with dreadlocks?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I don't personally know of anyone who has dreadlocks. Apparently my uncle used to have them but I was too young to recall.</span><br />
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15. Have any employers turned you down for having dreads? Any wanted you BECAUSE of your dreads?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I've never been turned down or offered work because of my dreadlocks but I did maintain a job whilst having them.</span><br />
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16. Whats the WEIRDEST question you've gotten about your dreads? DUMBEST? FUNNIEST? Most common?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">"How do you do your hair like that?" was pretty common in my first year but I rarely get asked about them these days. I notice people tend to comment on the colour more than anything.</span><br />
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17. Have you ever had a freak accident or an embarrassing moment involving your dreads?<span style="color: #d9ead3;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">Fortunately not. They're pretty hazard free at this length though every now and then I'll get them caught on either mine or someone else's glasses, especially as don't retwist my roots as often.</span><br />
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18. Do you have any dreaded role models? If so, who?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">I've never had a dreaded role model, I take inspiration from hundreds of loc wearers</span><br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
19. What dreaded YouTubers could you see yourself hanging out with in real life?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">oceangrins and meroekhalia.</span><br />
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20. Who are you going to Tag?<br />
<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #d9ead3;">Everyone reading this questionnaire and I'd really like to get a link to your answers too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-85316571214248982952014-04-03T00:17:00.000+01:002014-04-05T04:28:27.004+01:00Year 2<div style="text-align: center;">
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<u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Current Hair Stats:</span></b></u></div>
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Colour: Dark Red</div>
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Big Chop: 5th January 2012</div>
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Loc Birthdate: 3rd April 2012</div>
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Current Length: 5 inches<br />
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Starting Method: Comb coils and two strand twists<br />
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Number of Locs: 55<br />
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Maintenance Method: Palm-rolling<br />
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Current Shampoo: Crème of Nature Kiwi & Citrus Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>An account so far:</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Day 1: I started out with braids, twists and, rubber bands put in at a salon.<br />
Day 3: I removed the rubber bands and installed comb coils.<br />
Months 1-3: My locs started to form.<br />
Month 4: I had an issue with build up (Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist gel) and had to trim my ends and combine locs.<br />
Months 6-7: I started the palm-roll method.<br />
Months 8-9: I experienced severe unravelling.<br />
Month 10: I had my locs professionally maintained at a salon.<br />
Months 11-12: I combined more locs.<br />
Months 13-14: I used the crochet method.<br />
Month 15: I coloured my locs.<br />
Month 16: I did no maintenance.<br />
Months 17-20: I started palm-rolling again and reinstalled some of my locs with two strand twists.<br />
Months 21-24: Growth!<br />
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The most difficult part of my journey was between months 8 and 12 when my hair really struggled. I've since learnt that locs, and especially the thicker locs I was trying to attain, need regular maintenance to assist with their formation in the first year or so. I realise that low maintenance locs have their drawbacks, at least in the beginning, such as greater shrinkage and much slower maturation. Nonetheless, my locs did reach maturity around month 18.<br />
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I had noticed that around month 20 my locs were slimmer than they had been at around months 12-15 and I did wonder if this is normal condensation. I've since learnt that frequent retwisting will make locs thinner over time. Having cut back on maintenance over the last 4 months they have thickened up to a size I'm really happy with.<br />
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In terms of how they feel and behave, currently they don't have any stretch beyond the root (which thankfully limits shrinkage), and they feel dense and compact. They also hang instead of stick up and frizz isn't a problem any more.<br />
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Although my two strand twists in the front are completely entwined they behave in a very different way to the older locs. They stick up a lot now and require more maintenance. They're also a lot slimmer and more stretchy. Being only 7 months old now, they'll most likely take another year or so to reach full maturity.<br />
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(click to enlarge)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-srXxABmRsoI/Uz90pl9htDI/AAAAAAAATSQ/bZeOV5tM1ko/s1600/LR-6994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-srXxABmRsoI/Uz90pl9htDI/AAAAAAAATSQ/bZeOV5tM1ko/s1600/LR-6994.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">roots grown out since<br />last July</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1TX1zahOg-U/Uzo7yIxKXoI/AAAAAAAATRI/dlBE49_GBaU/s1600/LR-6776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1TX1zahOg-U/Uzo7yIxKXoI/AAAAAAAATRI/dlBE49_GBaU/s1600/LR-6776.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a little progress with the<br />
ponytail</td></tr>
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I cannot wait for the next 12 months of my journey.<br />
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Click <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/year-1.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a> to compare with year one.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span><br />
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NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com3United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-85222373137230394772014-03-03T09:28:00.000+00:002014-03-03T09:28:39.140+00:00Month 23Whoa, I'm only 31 days away from being two years loc'd. I'm currently experiencing a lot of tangling at the root of many of my locs. It's not causing any adverse effects but it's strange to feel how they're starting to interweave.<br />
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Here's a shot of one of my intentional congos (two or more locs with only one base or root):<br />
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I still think I have a lot of new growth and I can't tell if any of it has loc'd up in the last six months. Things seem kind of stagnant lately so there isn't much to update on but I'm hopeful for more fattening up and perhaps the two strand twists in the front will move out of their unruly phase and start to hang.<br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span><br />
<br />NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.200105 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-11083236570072559822014-02-14T14:10:00.001+00:002014-02-23T11:59:21.555+00:00Month 22Oh dear blog, it feels like for ever.<br />
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Let me keep things real on this dreadlocking journal. I wish I could upload a reel of cute head shots sporting my luscious mane of flowing locs but currently my hair is so dry, knotty and shrunken beyond belief. I did rinse my hair a couple of times since my last post but I've been so distracted lately I keep forgetting to oil it before it dries and we all know what kinky afro hair feels like when you let it air dry without moisturising it quick.<br />
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But my hair has thickened up so much in the past three weeks.<br />
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I'm still suffering with dry scalp, it doesn't itch much but it is starved of moisture which makes sense as I never keep myself hydrated (must do better).<br />
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I'm about to wash, oil and style my hair and continue this post soon...<br />
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Update cont. 22 Feb.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span>My five month old two strand twists are starting to get nice and plump. I have a few pairs of locs that have merged at the roots so I twisted together the ones I liked and popped the others apart. Kind of looking forward to my future two headed dragons (two locs, one base) after seeing all the videos from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PeaceandLoveHarmony/videos"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PeaceandLoveHarmony</span></a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission**</span><br />
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<br />NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com1United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-48605070835781258232014-01-21T19:29:00.000+00:002014-01-21T19:29:08.182+00:00Update: A Week Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi guys,<br />
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Just delivering a brief update from last week. I've washed my hair 4-5 times since then, massaging in coconut oil and letting it air dry each time. My hair felt dry at first but it's softened a lot in the last day or two.<br />
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So you could say I've adopted a wash 'n' go routine. I'm not sure how things will develop from here but since I can't rush nature all I can do is wait it out.<br />
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In regards to new growth, I saw a video that has me a little concerned:<br />
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thoughts?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span><br />
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<br />NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-36795576840283273162014-01-13T14:12:00.000+00:002014-01-14T00:01:33.442+00:00Update: Puffy Roots, New Growth, Length?<br />
Hi all,<br /><br />I've just washed my hair and am currently sat with a shower cap on feeling deflated. Essentially:<br /><div>
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<li>I'm tired of shrinkage.</li>
<li>I'm tired of my roots not loc'ing up.</li>
<li>I'm tired of a retwist being the only option to show my length.</li>
<li>I'm tired of having short hair period.</li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KXi_AxM1Esg/UtR2nZ69xrI/AAAAAAAATAc/eqBb2DG2sEQ/s1600/LR-5100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KXi_AxM1Esg/UtR2nZ69xrI/AAAAAAAATAc/eqBb2DG2sEQ/s200/LR-5100.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DbSpawGPlps/UtR2nobfEwI/AAAAAAAATAk/gwmo4szX7es/s1600/LR-5091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DbSpawGPlps/UtR2nobfEwI/AAAAAAAATAk/gwmo4szX7es/s200/LR-5091.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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It's been months since I examined my roots and running my hands through them today made me smile. But it's because of these puffy roots that the rest of my hair still looks short. My roots are a good 2-3 inches long and my locs are a good 3-4 inches long. It's that half and half thing that really makes them look so odd to me. Now if my locs were 7-8 inches and my roots were 3 that'd be fine.<br />
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I remember feeling this way in September and now it's January. I see you all with long locs and I know it's possible, but it's been 21 months already! At first I knew it was the buds that were swallowing up some of the length but over the last month or so I've noticed that my buds haven't made any visible progress. Actually all progress seems to have stopped in general.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rK-J3rIzxIs/UtR70Uh83PI/AAAAAAAATBE/KistLgAx6cM/s1600/LR-5111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rK-J3rIzxIs/UtR70Uh83PI/AAAAAAAATBE/KistLgAx6cM/s200/LR-5111.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HmoKfF9qeE/UtR7028YupI/AAAAAAAATBI/3raHZG_Blm0/s1600/LR-5117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HmoKfF9qeE/UtR7028YupI/AAAAAAAATBI/3raHZG_Blm0/s200/LR-5117.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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Yes it looks fine when I retwist them and my grandmother certainly approved of my last <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/twist-and-tuck-faux-crown-style-on.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hairstyle</span></a> but it feels so limiting, trying to preserve that level of neatness. It's lost its charm.<br />
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I don't really know what to do next. I need advice on how to work with short locs without the pinned up grooming. I've decided to give my hair another year before either getting extensions or putting this journey on hold until I have a length I'm comfortable with. 5 inches in almost two years just isn't fair.<br />
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I'm going to oil and dry my hair and then leave it until I get some input from you guys :)<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-78896472936541682082014-01-06T00:12:00.000+00:002014-01-06T00:12:44.049+00:00Twist and Tuck (Faux) Crown Style on Short Locs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all, here's the low key loc style I had last week.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHAT YOU'LL NEED:</span></b> Wide bobby pins (choose from small, medium or jumbo for best hold and comfort - I'm using medium pins).<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HOW TO:</span></b> I set my retwist going all back and once I removed the clips the front fell into a natural side parting. From the front I formed the crown by making two single row flat twists going in opposite directions around the perimeter of my head and secured them at the back. Inside the crown I made more flat twists starting from the top of my head, going down, and secured each one again. I then tucked the ends into the crown until I was happy with the look.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JH-gv1tH3w8/Ush4EgWlmuI/AAAAAAAAS-0/rTBM-S8nEIQ/s1600/canon8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JH-gv1tH3w8/Ush4EgWlmuI/AAAAAAAAS-0/rTBM-S8nEIQ/s320/canon8.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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With long locs you can do one complete flat twist going around the perimeter of your head to make a real crown and you'll probably get a nice low ponytail/bun at the back or you could have it to the side.<br />
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I knew I wanted something sleek and off my face for when I dreass up but with such short length I couldn't figure out how to make it happen until now.<br />
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Love it.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-34718840050157728692014-01-04T19:29:00.002+00:002014-01-14T10:12:50.212+00:00Month 21<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NATURALOCS</span><br />
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First post of 2014 and this blog just keeps getting better. Hopefully you'll have noticed the fine-tuned layout and improving photographs to come.</div>
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Yesterday my locs became one year and nine months old and tomorrow will mark two years since I had my hair cut off. It's a good feeling. My locs are relatively low maintenance nowadays and I do wonder about what it would be like to stop retwisting altogether but I would like a lot more length before that happens.<br />
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My scalp has been dryer than usual so I'm washing my hair a little more frequently (sometimes without shampoo) and applying coconut oil directly to the worst areas. I wrap my hair every night with a satin scarf and top it off with a satin bonnet and it's making a big difference to the quality of my locs, they stay tidier and moisturised for longer and of course it prevents lint build-up.<br />
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I was grateful to learn from <a href="http://narjsjourney.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MzTeequal</span></a> that my "slimming locs" are quite normal. She explained that maturing locs get thinner as they compact and that much of the fattening up of locs tends to happen in the budding stage, which makes perfect sense. I'm very happy with the size that I have but I'll keep an eye on the smaller ones.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ5A0o53mGQ/Uss5rhGQvNI/AAAAAAAAS_4/X_7SJ5Fenjg/s1600/Hair-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ5A0o53mGQ/Uss5rhGQvNI/AAAAAAAAS_4/X_7SJ5Fenjg/s1600/Hair-1.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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Next post: <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/twist-and-tuck-faux-crown-style-on.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twist and Tuck (Faux) Crown on Short Locs</span></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span><br />
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<br />NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-74887318815710559302013-12-03T17:29:00.000+00:002013-12-27T04:02:56.936+00:00Month 20And in the spirit of the season I wish each of my lovely readers a safe and merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.<br />
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Today my locs have reached the final quarter of their second year and compared to last December they have come a long, long way. It was about this time last year that my locs had just entered what I now look back on as the 'rough stage' when my hair refused to take shape. This year my locs are fully formed and much easier to manage. They're a comfortable 4.5-5 inches un-stretched which isn't much in twelve months but that's ok for now.<br />
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My two strand twists are three months old and I've since put in a few more for fullness. They are the most well behaved starter locs I've had. The buds are making their way down towards the tips and the two strand twist pattern is hardly noticeable. I'm looking forward to beyond this phase perhaps in the next three months by which time I'll be closing in on my 2 year milestone.<br />
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I'll leave you with a few pictures as always.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4pLzUfi5eoY/UpjMgZ_1toI/AAAAAAAAS6Q/Ju2xmqLSDB4/s1600/DSCF9430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4pLzUfi5eoY/UpjMgZ_1toI/AAAAAAAAS6Q/Ju2xmqLSDB4/s320/DSCF9430.JPG" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finally starting to see a length difference</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM7WXrlsQTA/UorxLElZVBI/AAAAAAAAS5U/uQvVrS0lyr8/s1600/DSCF8566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cM7WXrlsQTA/UorxLElZVBI/AAAAAAAAS5U/uQvVrS0lyr8/s320/DSCF8566.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com16United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.188654999999997 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-49734151522101469392013-11-19T21:40:00.000+00:002014-01-02T21:48:16.382+00:00Locspiration: Long LocsI had to share...<br />
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I've been secretly crushing on a particular set of dreads for a while and just this week I fell in love with another. Their locs couldn't be more different but I admire them equally.</div>
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<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><a href="http://public.fotki.com/Locksylicious/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Locksylicious</a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">aka</span><span style="color: #d9ead3;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://extragr.am/thyka_layone">@thyka_layone</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://images27.fotki.com/v992/photos/0/1573810/8299622/IMGP0407-vi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images27.fotki.com/v992/photos/0/1573810/8299622/IMGP0407-vi.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #d9ead3;"><b><a href="http://www.just-too-much.com/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cosmos</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">aka <a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/cosmostoomuch/">@cosmotoomuch</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8360715896_5e1f560113_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8360715896_5e1f560113_b.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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They both have various other social media pages including facebook, pintrest, and, twitter.</div>
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I have a long way to go to get long, beautiful locs and it helps to look a head and see the fruits of other people's labour. I'm so inspired to keep growing my locs through all the challenges, concerns and doubts. Thanks to blogs like theirs I've been able to really visualise how my own locs may turn out and it's exciting.</div>
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I hope you enjoy the unique qualities of each of these ladies. Let me know what you think, post crushes of your own and be sure to drop in with a message for these two loc'd women by clicking the links above.<br />
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UPDATE: Dec 13 - I've just found this beautiful lady on instagram - <a href="http://instagram.com/mwilliams7"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mwilliams7</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QsoOWdYdZ-A/UquP-vlhAqI/AAAAAAAAS6w/iF5BNmFW_bY/s1600/ig+mwilliams7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QsoOWdYdZ-A/UquP-vlhAqI/AAAAAAAAS6w/iF5BNmFW_bY/s1600/ig+mwilliams7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm certainly inspired going into the new year.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photographs are publicly available on Google images. Original owners: please send quires/removal requests to naturalocs@hotmail.co.uk**</span></div>
NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-30547909630190755042013-11-12T23:26:00.000+00:002013-11-12T23:26:26.005+00:00Curly Edition: Twist OutHello all, so since I've gained a little more length I thought I'd give styling another go. This time I used two strand twists to create a crinkle effect.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PwkqKXB3rho/UoK4iZS1PBI/AAAAAAAAS2A/IvKblQAcdeg/s1600/DSCF8132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PwkqKXB3rho/UoK4iZS1PBI/AAAAAAAAS2A/IvKblQAcdeg/s200/DSCF8132.JPG" width="157" /></a></div>
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And here are the results:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kP_X1YIBewU/UoK3mcE6JII/AAAAAAAAS1I/SXHSn_8TvVs/s1600/Image0478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kP_X1YIBewU/UoK3mcE6JII/AAAAAAAAS1I/SXHSn_8TvVs/s200/Image0478.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZiuMMNUteM/UoK3mILDgFI/AAAAAAAAS1E/VBG52Dk1fa0/s1600/Image0481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ZiuMMNUteM/UoK3mILDgFI/AAAAAAAAS1E/VBG52Dk1fa0/s200/Image0481.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CNOSepN9XBg/UoK3mIhGq0I/AAAAAAAAS1M/zkA88tqOBOM/s1600/Image0484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CNOSepN9XBg/UoK3mIhGq0I/AAAAAAAAS1M/zkA88tqOBOM/s200/Image0484.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZJrD_JBlzM/UoK3mzK08qI/AAAAAAAAS1U/ABPqQim-bko/s1600/Image0489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZJrD_JBlzM/UoK3mzK08qI/AAAAAAAAS1U/ABPqQim-bko/s200/Image0489.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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The best thing about twist outs, as opposed to braid outs or bantu knots, is that you can retain over 80% of your length and still get the textural effect. The only down side is that two strand twists can unravel at the root while they're drying and it results in a less polished look but I just held them in place with duckbill clips.<br />
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I think I'm going to wear this style for my concert.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DREADLOCKS ARE...</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-51737995884839325102013-11-02T18:51:00.001+00:002013-11-19T06:36:52.284+00:00Month 19<br />
I'm just so pleased with my hair this month. my twists are two months old and have progressed so quickly compared to my comb coils. I've coloured them, styled them and shampooed them as normal and they behave just like the rest of my hair. I'm now palm rolling them to help the buds form nicely.<br />
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My locs are doing just fine as well, they're growing steadily. A number of locs have a tiny area near the root that seems to be starting to loc up by itself. From the scalp my hair is just a normal retwist but about half an inch down there's this spongy, puffy section that then merges into the rest of the loc. As I mentioned before, I hope this spongy area is a bud but I'm not really sure how this works. I understand that there will always be an inch or so of roots that are never loc'd at any one time but how does new growth become loc'd? Can anyone explain?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6Z8kewoNrY/Um_ySY9v9cI/AAAAAAAASX8/U5Kor4WP_hQ/s1600/DSCF6787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6Z8kewoNrY/Um_ySY9v9cI/AAAAAAAASX8/U5Kor4WP_hQ/s320/DSCF6787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm still moisturising with 100% virgin raw coconut oil after every wash and I retwist my hair two or three times a month. Ponytails and hats are my go-to styling options nowadays as the twists in the front are starting to stick up more and more. By comparison I'm really noticing how tame and flexible my locs are in the back. </div>
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They actually <b>move</b> now!</div>
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Remember to check out the <a href="http://naturalocs.tumblr.com/"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">naturalocs tumblr</span></a> page for extra loc photos.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission**</span><br />
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<br />NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com5United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-66939230637473370962013-10-15T00:11:00.000+01:002013-10-16T01:00:21.217+01:00Update Continued: BuddingDid I guesstimate that budding would begin in a couple of months? Well I think it's started already! I could be wrong but they look an awful lot like my <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/question-of-budding.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">first set of buds</span></a>, starting at pretty much the same time, I've just noted, so I'm going with it. I was quite unsure sure at first because I didn't retwist after shampooing my hair but I re-coloured recently and noticed several buds when I went through my hair. Most of them seem to have formed where the new growth meets the two strand twist which I first thought was just unravelling but I tried to pull a twist apart and it didn't budge.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Buds:</b></span> From what I can tell a bud is a swollen bulge that feels somewhat thicker and firmer (but still spongy) than the rest of the loc. They can start at different points in the loc but most commonly towards the middle. Towards the end is common if your locs are particularly short to start out with. They usually form between month 2 and 6.<br />
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Now close-ups of locs and buds in particular aren't easy to photograph but I tried to capture a few of them for you:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fmLmJ_N1UE/Ulxt-PMLLJI/AAAAAAAASVY/SO9DLt1RhlY/s1600/DSCF6826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fmLmJ_N1UE/Ulxt-PMLLJI/AAAAAAAASVY/SO9DLt1RhlY/s320/DSCF6826.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrWmE6bdQF4/Ulxt-GEj0cI/AAAAAAAASVU/tBJovpu7s5o/s1600/DSCF6827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrWmE6bdQF4/Ulxt-GEj0cI/AAAAAAAASVU/tBJovpu7s5o/s320/DSCF6827.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJl-Efljz8g/Ulxt-HtI4xI/AAAAAAAASVQ/PlGBZ6m8alo/s1600/DSCF6828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IJl-Efljz8g/Ulxt-HtI4xI/AAAAAAAASVQ/PlGBZ6m8alo/s320/DSCF6828.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is what I hope is a bud on one of my 18 month old locs.<br />
I say hope because my new growth is <br />
now over an inch (as seen by the black roots) <br />
and it hasn't started loc'ing yet.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQLMc78bV8w/UlxuBtpa8oI/AAAAAAAASVo/jHwyM0hRKww/s1600/DSCF6829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQLMc78bV8w/UlxuBtpa8oI/AAAAAAAASVo/jHwyM0hRKww/s320/DSCF6829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is a bud just barely forming. It's not visible<br />
but if you were here you'd feel where it will grow in<br />
(the frizz near the centre)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLLl_yIDTaE/UlxuBvsRWMI/AAAAAAAASVs/aZYlCZOB5rE/s1600/DSCF6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLLl_yIDTaE/UlxuBvsRWMI/AAAAAAAASVs/aZYlCZOB5rE/s320/DSCF6830.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and my twists are now irreversible from the root</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1gqLmEJ9I/UlxxOnKT80I/AAAAAAAASWM/ZQ9BYLPl6l4/s1600/DSCF6817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1gqLmEJ9I/UlxxOnKT80I/AAAAAAAASWM/ZQ9BYLPl6l4/s320/DSCF6817.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they appear quite distinctly in silhouette here</td></tr>
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So far, in almost six weeks I've experienced:<br />
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Shrinkage^<br />
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Frizz/Fuzzies^<br />
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Budding^<br />
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And currently all three are happening at the same time i.e. shrinkage started before budding but shrinkage hasn't stopped even though budding has begun and of course frizz will be with us throughout.<br />
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For some reason the developing (^macro) stages of baby locs are much clearer to see in these two strand twists than they seemed to be in my comb coils. I'm sure it's due to a number of differing factors including the additional length, and being more informed/prepared and, possibly the starting method too.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>DREADLOCKS ARE...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com4United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-36229252205666033182013-10-10T01:41:00.002+01:002013-11-19T06:53:03.968+00:00Update/Tips: Two Strand Twists, Frizz & Baby LocsJust a quick update on how my two strand twists are developing. After shampooing for a second time they are really starting to frizz and knit together. I wouldn't say the two strand twist pattern is fading it's just becoming less obvious under the frizz.<br />
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I haven't started palm-rolling my two strand twists yet but I will once they develop some more as I already palm-roll my locs.<br />
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They've got a long way to go but I trust they'll form nicely. I have an inkling that budding will be starting in the next couple of months. I'm intrigued to see/feel how they develop in two strand twists compared with <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/question-of-budding.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">comb coils</span></a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Frizz</strong></span><br />
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Experiencing frizz is a brilliant stage to reach for anyone new to the journey and wondering how to deal with their newly developing fuzzies. It can happen in as little as two weeks after installation depending on your hair texture and is usually induced by frequent washing.<br />
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From what I can deduce, shrinkage and frizz are the first steps towards developing baby locs and with two strand twists frizz is even more desirable as it will progressively transform the visual appearance of two strand twists into dreadlocks.<br />
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Frizz isn't the same as loose hairs but can occur simultaneously, especially with comb coils. Loose hairs are often found coming from the roots and in between the locs themselves. Frizz forms across the shaft of the loc and those hairs will interweave over several months whilst hairs on the inside combine to thicken the loc and solidify it's structure.<br />
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To form neater locs you can start palm rolling your frizz, training it to form cylindrically, to your liking. I recommend starting no sooner than three months in or when your locs start to firm up (when you can't reverse the two strand twist).<br />
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(Week 5)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;"><strong>DO NOT</strong></span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-14534572385406471862013-10-03T01:00:00.000+01:002013-11-19T06:55:36.907+00:00Month 18So my last post was pretty full and really deserved to be a topic all on its own so I reserve this one for my eighteen month old locs. Not a lot to report. They're thick and becoming less unruly all the time (aside from the bottom rows that remains curled and crooked). I see the length in my ponytails but I still can't wait for them all too reach my neck/jaw. Getting a lot of loose hair (about 2" long) at the nape line, is that normal? <br />
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Really enjoying this colour, especially as the roots have grown in properly. If you want to colour your I really recommend semi-permanent, no ammonia, no alcohol, hair dyes as I personally vouch for how low risk and non-damaging they are even if used three times a month.<br />
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I'm back to retwisting twice a month for now and my hair is in great condition in the cooler more humid weather. I have a feeling shrinkage has come to end (past the roots), so it'll be length, length, length from here on out.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>DREALOCKS ARE...</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com4United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-28698906794813578862013-10-01T23:00:00.000+01:002013-11-19T06:46:49.009+00:00Month 1: Combing out my locs, then, now & what next...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over the course of three days I combed out half of my locs with a large safety pin and a fine tooth comb and put them in two strand twists. My hair was already clean and moisturised so I just left them for the month of September and what a long month it has been.</div>
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I've decided that my loc journey will continue with two strand twists in the front and locs in the back. It had crossed my mind to comb them all out and start fresh but I had not the time nor the heart to go through with it. After all I really like my locs in the back and as the twists will turn into locs anyway, there was no need to fix what wasn't broken.<br />
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I've never had two strand twists before so I never recognised them as a wearable style. I remember being so against them as a starter loc method because I was sure they'd be a fuss and bother with only an inch of hair but now that my loose hair is 5 inches long, two strand twists have been ideal.<br />
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(reinatallation - week 1)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WEEK 1:</span></strong> They started to shrink the day after installation and continued to shrink throughout the first week. The pictures above show them at their fullest length after installation. Non of the twists unravelled and my hair was baby soft as I wore my satin scarf/bonnet to protect them.</div>
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(week 2)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WEEK 2:</span></strong> I got caught in the rain so I re-applied a tiny amount of raw coconut oil before they dried. The twists stayed firmly in place but they'd shrunken to almost half their original length. I retwisted the two at the front to get them to lay down better after the shrinkage reached it's peek, as seen in the pictures above.<br />
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(week3)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WEEK 3:</span></strong> I decided to retwist to freshen them up a bit. My scalp is almost due for a shampoo, though I'm hesitant as it'll fade my colour and I don't know if I can re-colour without unravelling these new twists.</div>
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(week4)<br />
*PICTURES TBA*<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WEEK 4:</span></strong> Last week's retwist came undone after a night of dancing. I washed my hair with great success because unlike the very <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/day-10-first-wash.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">first wash</span></a> I didn't require an over haul retwist. They feel just that tiny bit more solid and are beginning to knit together so I'm expecting steady progress over the next 6 months.<br />
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So did reinstalling my locs solve the problem? I'd say so, they don't look as sparse anymore because I added a loc to each row. I also staggered the parts (brick-lay pattern) after doing some research online. Turns out the grid pattern I originally had in the front made my parts too prominent and as my locs were starting to condense it was clear they'd always be visible whenever I retwisted. All this time and I'm still learning.<br />
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My next post will be brief with clearer pictures of my actual locs as they reach one year and six months maturity.<br />
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Confusing? Yeah, but it's a journey all the same. Comments welcome below!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>DREALOCKS ARE...</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use out permission.**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com2United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-76338818078888027172013-09-03T23:49:00.000+01:002013-11-19T05:26:25.690+00:00Month 17<div style="text-align: left;">
Hello all,</div>
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As some of my locs made one year and five months today I'll continue with the photos and updates I was planning to share with you.<br />
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Aside from my unloc'd roots, shrinkage didn't seem as prominent as it had been which was allowing my locs to appear longer and making styling a little easier. I'd been comfortably wearing my hair in the following style for days at a time - click <a href="http://naturalocs.tumblr.com/post/58419978122/interview-style#notes"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a>.</div>
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Five months ago I wrote that I was going to avoid trimming my locs to be able to see as much growth as possible and I'm glad to say that since my ends had sealed I was been able to do just that. The one thing I did feel the need to do was groom my locs via pruning (trimming stray hairs along the outer shafts) in order to control frizz. I found that palm-rubbing wasn't effective enough due to how frequently I was washing my hair.<br />
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(photo take in mid August).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when will the ends stop curling up like this?</td></tr>
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(photos taken a day before combing out my locs).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">retwisting with coconut oil</td></tr>
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The overall condition of my hair is quite good at the moment. As the weather in August has been modest compared with July's hot spell, here in the UK, my hair has been able to retain its softness between washes. I've just been infrequently spritzing my hair with water and applying my raw coconut oil.<br />
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Remember that time I was so frustrated with my "unravelling fro" that I sort advise from a loc'd guy I saw on the bus? Well recently it was my turn to give advise, on a bus no less. A lady with slim, probably shoulder length locs (that were up in a ponytail at the time) asked for advice on minimising damage when colouring her hair. I was ogling her locs at first so I was slightly taken aback when she chimed in with her question. I directed her to the products I'd used to lighten my hair with considerably less risk/damage than when I'd experimented with bleach. She seemed keen to give it a go and got off the bus shortly after, but not before asking whether I was free-forming and then complimenting me on how bright and thick my locs were. That sort of made my day.<br />
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(photos taken a week before I started combing my locs out - click <a href="http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/update-reinstallingcombing-out-locs.html"><span style="color: #d9ead3; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a>).<br />
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I'll leave it there and get back to everyone once I've decided what I want to do with my locs and two strand twists.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>DREADLOCKS ARE...</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: #cc0000;">DO NOT</span> use without permission**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com6United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2335015161711421051.post-63273019982315187052013-09-01T23:29:00.002+01:002013-09-04T06:52:36.004+01:00Update: Reinstalling/Combing Out LocsThis weekend I started combing out my locs. To get straight to the point I was actually all set to tell you how I was just starting to really like my locs but this weekend something changed. I decided to retwist and that's when I realised I don't like how flat and sparse the front and sides look.<br />
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I've spent the last two days combing out the locs I don't like and put them in two strand twists:<br />
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I'm not sure what the end results will yield but once I'm done I'll let the two strand twists loc up from there.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><strong>DREADLOCKS ARE...</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. <span style="color: red;">DO NOT</span> use without permission**</span>NaturaLocshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09742014794183523448noreply@blogger.com4United Kingdom55.378051 -3.4359729999999912.202562 -86.05316049999999 90 79.18121450000001