MY IMPERFECTIONS, MAKE MY LOCKS PERFECT!

One thing my Sisterlock consultant was concerned about when we met was how much information I received from “hair blogs” she says there is a tendency for blogs to become a detriment to newly locked folks. After reading some of the issues folks seem to be facing on LIU, she may have a point. I told her I looked at few blogs to get an idea, but ultimately I knew my hair would do its own thing. In fact, when I researched Sisterlocks I only looked at Blaqkofi’s blog and Sandy’s blog. It took me a minute to explore other blogs, but I did and I found them helpful.

I know there was a time when there were no blogs to absorb information and making this lifestyle change was a big deal and one wants to know they are making a good decision. I am thankful for the blogs I explored and would later discover. However, I am a realist and when I started wearing my own hair; I knew my hair was not the texture I thought it was.

So thinking my hair would lock at the rate of Blaqkofi’s was wrong. I really did think we had the same texture of hair. Not. My hair square dab in the middle of my head may be the same texture as her’s, but the rest of my hair ranges in textures. I am still prone to slippage in the back. I came to realize in November of 2006, my hair wasn’t as nappy as I thought. Dang. So my journey truly was going to be unique because as many blogs as I had read and hair textures I’d seen, my hair was going to do what it is going to do. And 2 years and 3 months later, my hair still isn’t completely locked.

Back to those dissatisfied with their outcome so early in the game, you must have patience. Seriously. What so and so’s hair is doing, is not necessarily what your hair will do. I squirm and cringe when I read a remark that states their hair should be locked by now, um, not necessarily. I cringe when folks say there locks are not like someone else’s. They will not be. I cringe when folks are disturbed by the differences in each lock and they are not all uniformed. They will not be. My hair has great parting, but there are places where the lock is small next to a larger one. Want to know why? The texture of my hair changed in that area. Real talk. I have really thin locks in the front of my hair that I despise at times and they cause me to spend extra time babying them as I slowly retightening, but in the last month I have notice they are locking. I have this really fat lock that I love to death and I’ll find it and just relish in its locked appearance and I often wish all my locks were the same size. I have one lock that has decided after two years it wants to bunch up. I just laugh at it and pull it when I wash. I said all this to say, no one’s locks are perfect. Whining over what one perceives as wrongly done is not the answer. I have said it before on this blog a lot of unhappy SL wearers are because they didn’t research and prepare for the change. They went to a couple of blogs and garnered a form of lock envy and just knew beyond a doubt their hair would be just like there’s.

This experience will make you happy. It will make you sad. It will make you want to cut all your hair off in frustration. However, it does offer one a feeling of freedom. Yep, it is expensive, but once you break away from your consultant, you will reap the benefits. How do you think I was able to afford 4 pairs of shoes in one weekend? I saved my money like I had to go to my consultant and I haven’t been to her since February. I will not be going back to her until the end of June. We correspond by email with any problems I may be experiencing. Right now I am experiencing shedding. So now I must use the reconstructor and continue to moisturize regularly.

I have lost locks check back through my archives. I have locks that thin along the way due to the lock not locking in that section. I have a knot or two from my own carelessness in retightening. Oh, and let’s not mention my married locks. I have more gray than I want, but because I am not completely lock I will not put in a rinse until I feel more comfortable doing so. My locks are not perfect and newly locked folks yours will not be either. By all means if your locks are jacked up because the consultant didn’t follow protocol, parted your hair any which way they wanted and your locks just aren’t right hey, do you. However, thinking your locks are going to be perfect from the point of installation is not going to be good for the outcome of your experience. With all the imperfections of my locks, they are what make my hair perfect.