Recently I've noticed that mynew 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.
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.
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.
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 NaturaLocs tumblr page.
DREADLOCKS ARE...
**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission.**
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.
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.
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.
I was grateful to learn from MzTeequal 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.
Hello everyone, do you remember my earlier summer post mentioning my mom's decision to go natural? Check it out here. It's been around 3½ months since she big chopped (BC) and she's enjoyed every minute.
We've since learnt that it's easy to get caught up in some of the common misconceptions surrounding the desire to go natural:
❝Natural hair will be easy❞
A twa certainly looks and feels easy but it doesn't stay low maintenance for long.
As the length comes in and the styling options increase,
hair maintence becomes a little more complex
requiring more time, effort and patience.
❝I'll have one set regime❞
In the weeks following your natural decision you'll
become a custom to a particular regime that your hair responds well
to but as it grows out things might not work as well as they once did.
Your hair will be exposed to the change in seasons
as well as your lifestyle choices which require some getting used to as
you go through your first year as a natural.
❝I'll have my true hair texture straight away❞
Don't get caught out by the textural changes afro hair
can go through as it grows. It may increase in density
and exhibit a tighter or more defined coil pattern.
This often leads to drier hair that needs to be cared for in different ways.
❝I can't do anything with my short hair❞
You can! Grow out your hair just 3" and you'll have styling options.
Because of shrinkage my mom didn't think much was going
on hair-wise until we tried an easy
two strand twist style a few weeks ago:
using olive oil and water
they stayed in with ease
My mother experienced most of the issues above. First she had to deal with the hair care products she possessed. Things like; holding sprays, setting lotions and creamy leave in conditioners. Having found that they didn't give her soft, manageable hair, she has since opted for simpler ingredients such as almond oil, water and herb infused deep conditioners. She had to wait a few weeks to see positive results.
less of this
We then came to the issue of styling tools: At first there was little she could do with a 2" fro but lately she's felt the need to comb through and pick it out each morning and she suddenly started to experience breakage. After getting in on YouTube's natural hair world we soon learnt from our mistakes. So it's out with the hot irons, afros picks and hair grips and in with a wide tooth comb and detangler.
more of this
She also learnt that even on short hair there is still a "root" and a "tip". Barely distinguishable when you leave the salon chair with something closer to a fade than an afro but as it grows out, even a couple of inches, it's important to comb from the ends first by hand stretching sections of hair and working towards the root.
YouTube gave us a TON of styling ideas for various hair lengths and textures. We had a lot of fun watching the magic hands of some of these brilliant women, all doing their own hair in their own homes. I'd like to share a video from my mom's favourite natural hair Youtuber - SimplYounique:
Peace
-NaturaLocs
**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DONOT use without permission. All other material is publicly available on the world wide web.**
It's quite the occasion in the hair community when someone makes the decision to go natural and few decisions are more significant than when they're made by someone close to you.
My mom had struggled with what to do with her hair for much of this year but she finally decided that a lengthy transition wasn't for her and instead bid her perm adieu and scheduled a big chop.
Then (2008)
Then (2011)
&
Now (2012)
She hasn't confirmed any concrete plans for herself yet but she does aim to improve the overall health and thickness of her hair in the coming years.
Well done mom!
-NaturaLocs
**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder.DONOTuse without permission.**
In preparation for this journey toward healthy beautiful dreadlocks I've been patiently growing my little afro for just under 3 months. After returning to a local salon we decided that my hair was in an ideal condition for loc'ing and that I had just enough length to begin my journey.
Last night I washed, conditioned and dried my hair ready to be "loc'd" for the foreseeable future! It's a weird feeling knowing this may be the last time I'll comb through my loose hair and I'm more than looking forward to it...I even have plans, hopes and dreams for my future locs.
Dreadlock aspirations:
I have about a year and a half until I start a new life chapter as a university student and at that point I hope to have -
Healthy hair.
A pony tail . . . of any sort!
A genuine fondness for my hair.
A better understanding of locs and how to grow them.
texture closeup
three months growth (picked out)
ready to say goodbye to the fro
This morning marks the beginning of my dreadlocking journey. I'll be having coils installed by professional hands and I must say I'm more than a little excited and all too curious about my eventual reaction. I think I'm generally prepared to adjust to whatever the out come will be. After all they'll grow and change and I just might love them right away.
I'll be reporting on the essential stages I go through with my hair and I'll try to give an honest view of what it really feels like.
DREADLOCKS ARE...
**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission,**
