Goldwell Colorance Hair color Update

Goldwell's Demi-Permanent line is called Colorance. They updated the Colorance line this year. The non-intensive lotion now is equivalent to the bottle with the "blue C." The color of the lotion is different. It is more whitish versus clear from the old formula. I have not gotten to use the new formula yet, but the intensive lotion now is white, thicker, and required to be mixed in the bowl instead of the bottle. The non-intensive lotion is still required to be mixed in the bottle.

I do not know how compatible the Colorance line is now for relaxed hair. I will keep you posted.

Short Curl Pattern in SisterLock World

I found another gray hair. I believe that the curly portion of this grey strand is non-relaxed, and the straighter areas are probably relaxed.

In SisterLocks World, the diameter of the curl in the curly portion of this strand is considered "short." So this hair type is called a short curl pattern. The short curl pattern is usually the easiest curl pattern to lock minus the relaxed portion!

SisterLocks with Relaxed Ends

My SisterLocks consultant gave me a choice of locking my relaxed ends; however, I was taught by my Master SisterLocks Trainer that locking the relaxed ends was not an option. It is a fact that relaxed ends will never lock. So can you see the line of demarcation between the non-relaxed roots and the relaxed ends?

My length still consists of mostly relaxed hair that looks long and thin. I have had a lot of trouble keeping this relaxed hair from curling up into itself. My SisterLocks consultant called it "bubbling." During my first retightening session, she was able to work some of the "fat buds" or "knots" loose that had rolled up.

Pictured is a closer look at my SisterLocks. My roots are about 2 inches long and are not relaxed. Most of my hair length (about another 5 inches) is relaxed but in the SisterLocks locking pattern. I am struggling with the "locked" relaxed end. It seems hard to keep the relaxed ends from matting on itself. I have no idea if leaving the relaxed ends free would make the ends easier to control. Maybe? Maybe not?

On a separate note, the relaxed ends have different moisture needs, and I want to keep my length for styling purpose. However, in SisterLocks world, we are taught not to put anything on the SisterLocks. There is definitely a gap that I am trying to bridge. During my retightening sessions, a knot broke off of a lock, but it did not have any relaxer on it because it was a short lock around my front hairline. This leads me to believe that even my natural kinky curly hair needs more moisture to keep it from drying out and breaking.

The SisterLocks instructors told us that SisterLocks world is completely opposite of cosmetology world, but there is no way that every hair type should be treated the same in SisterLock World. Many of the SisterLocks sisters with kinky hair that I have met and read about all complain about not gaining length like some of the SisterLocks sisters with less kinky hair.

I personally am going to keep my hair moisturized from this point on. I believe that my curl pattern is too tight to unravel, but if moisturizing my hair interferes with my SisterLocks maturing properly, so be it! I will live and learn.

SisterLocks: One Month Anniversary!

It's my one month SisterLocks birthday! I received my SisterLocks Birthday certificate in the mail, and I decided to frame it! Also, I am proud to say that the SisterLocks website has been updated to reflect my name as a Qualified SisterLocks Trainee for North Carolina! So it's official! I received my first call inquiring about SisterLocks today, but the lady was so focussed on throwing the SisterLocks service into the same bucket as Microbraids and other braiding services. She did not understand why SisterLocks was soooo formal and soooo expensive. She claimed that some lady in the neighborhood installed "SisterLocks" in her daughter's hair three years ago, and her daughter is constantly getting compliments. She said the lady who installed the "SisterLocks" was not on the SisterLocks website. This caller did not care about the grid and partings that SisterLocks taught us in my four-day training class. As long as they looked good for the right price, that is all she cared about. I assume that there will be others who want to downgrade the SisterLocks service, but I am going to stand firm. People can go to SisterLocks "imitators" for cheaper, but if you want your "SisterLocks Customer starter kit" and your "SisterLocks Birth Certificate," then you need to stick with those recommended by the SisterLocks website like me!

www.sisterlocks.com for international service providers!

SisterLocks Install date: July 24, 2012

One month later . . . loving it!

Tool Review: Hard Plastic Mesh Rollers

I have determined that hard plastic rollers seem to deliver a nicer set to the hair than the soft wire Mesh rollers. In addition, the soft wire mesh rollers seem hard to roll and hold in hair steady. The ventilation in all of them seems to assist in shorter drying time. These hard plastic mesh rollers are ideal for drying extension hair.

These rollers come with the stick "piks." When it comes to rolling extension hair, I prefer using the multi-purpose clips.

Observation: 20 minutes True Indulgence relaxer time

Curl pattern: Type 4b Wouldn't you say?

Same hair sample after 20 minutes using the Regular Strength True Indulgence relaxer at a room temperature of about 73 degrees and full neutralizing process. Pictured is the end result.

Pictured is the hair sample with relaxer still on it and right before the rinse. As I was smoothing out the hair, some strands came loose from the rubber band binding that I placed on top. The hair was donated from a friend of mine. I did an article on the blog some months back about "Black women cutting their hair."

I believe that I achieved about 85% straightness.

Product Review: Design Essentials Curl Stretching Cream

I have written about Design Essentials Curl Stretching Cream before and unfortunately, I have not had anyone that the product has worked for. Complaints range from a "film" being on the hair to just "wet with oil." The last client that I experimented with this curl product had medium textured hair with a type 3c curl pattern. It looked great going out the door in hopes that it was going to "dry and set" later. She told me that she eventually shampooed it out a few days later.

This product seems to have vegetable oil and other oils like canola in it. It may be great for children's pigtails as final styling. However, I do not have any children with pigtails in my clientele.

Also, I blowdried the hair prior to product application. So the Curl Stretching Cream was applied to dry hair. Results were like wetting the hair without water.

Temporary Gray hair coverage

This grey hair coverage tip is compliments of one of my clients! I introduced the "Tween Time" cover stick to give temporary gray coverage around the hairline. I also introduced the "Total Transformations Edges" product to smooth edges down. However, I never introduced the two together. Actually, I fell out of love with the "Smooth Edges" product and discontinued selling and using it.

Well, over the years almost every black hair company has introduced their version of the "Smooth Edges" product/cream gel. So I picked up this one pictured by Silk Elements. It has a lot of glycerin in it. I liked the ingredients overall.

So how should you combine these two products? Well, apply the color stick to the hairline where you need gray coverage first, then apply the "straight edges" cream gel to seal and keep the color stick stain from rubbing off overnight and to keep the edges straight.

I have not put this combination into practice yet, but my client swore by it. Hopefully, the brand will not make a difference. I tried it on my arm, and it seemed reasonable. I will keep you posted on my client feedback on this tip in coming weeks.

Why Black Women are Scared of SisterLocks!

"My man wants to be able to run his hands through my hair like the White women hair."
With SisterLocks, you finger style 100% of the time. The longer your SisterLocks get the more you and your significant others can run their hands through. SisterLocks are micro-locks; therefore, they are much smaller than many of the traditional locks.

"People don't keep their locks well groomed in this area."
SisterLocks are typically a home based hair service. Only State Board licensed professionals can operate out of a commercial salon location. So many people are cautious about bringing new people to their home. New SisterLock clients almost need to be by "referral only" when Consultants are working from their home. This fact almost limits "chair hopping," but it means people have limited choices in order to get their retightenings done. Luckily with me being a licensed cosmetologist working out of a licensed salon, people can feel like they have more options in my area. Also, people mentioned that they do not like seeing the afro at the roots of people's locks. This is a neglect in grooming. It could be lack of time or money to go regularly.

"It seems so permanent."
You can grow out of locks just like you grow out of a relaxer. You have to let your new growth go free without retightening it in order to cut the lock down to about 3 inches, and then start detangling it. SisterLocks are no more permanent than a relaxer.

"I need to be able to wash my hair every week."
You can wash and go everyday with SisterLocks! Only in the starter stage of SisterLocks, shampooing is tricky because you do not want them loosening up and becoming undone.

"People like long, straight, hair on me better."
You can still wear full wigs when you have to have a more European straight look for performances, videos, and pictures.

"Do you keep adding extensions to them every time you get them retightened?"
There are NO EXTENSIONS added to SisterLocks. Your hair grows out of your scalp. The new growth is "tightened" into the rest of your SisterLock. Your hair continues to grow out as it would normally with relaxed hair.

"It takes too long for them to grow out!"
Sisterlocks are not for the weak in spirit.  You do need thick skin to bare through the criticism from the European straight mentality of corporate America.  Some people will consider adding loc extensions because they need a crutch to give them maximum loc styling.  It takes a good two years from a big chop in order to get somewhat comfortable with medium length locs.  This is the only reasonable excuse for delaying your loc decision until your support system and your workplace can handle your loc journey.

"I want to have the versatility to blowdry and flat iron my hair straight."
SisterLocks are small enough to use "hot rollers," curling irons, and flat irons. The SisterLocks need to be dry first of course. However, blowdrying is not a time efficient option. A hooded dryer would be needed with a wet set. But for last minute touch-ups, heat appliances can be used.

Colored Hair bands: Tracking Hair Extensions!

There are six different colors in this pack. These bands are easy to see and can be great for color coordination with little girls' fashions. However, for us adult ladies, we can use them to keep track of our hair extensions.
For example with the more expensive hair that is reusable, place a colored rubber band along with track weft upon removal. Record the placement and band color on a grid so that you can replace the track in the same order and area as the original style.
The extension hair can shampooed and conditioned with the bands along the weft of the extension leaving the rest of the hair strands unconfined to rinse freely.
Need more than six colors? Use two or three colors as another way to get additioning color coding options. Ultratress extensions and other reusable extensions can be tedious to keep up with small strips. The colored bands can be used to probably keep track of about 18 pieces at a time. Maybe get your client to assist with writing the information down where each piece belongs based on its color coded band.

Nine different colored rubber bands pictured above:  brown, yellow, navy, pink, white, purple, green, red, and light blue.

Soft Spikes Curlers

Soft Spikes Curler are made of a foam similar to the Mizani Hair Lacers. SisterLock Consultant Jackie from Boston, MA area introduced these curlers to me for the purpose of styling locks.

The curler on the left is a soft spikes curler. I did use these curlers to wet set my classmate's hair, and I did find that the soft spikes curler can slip out when used on long hair. This picture is from: http://kreyolalocks.blogspot.com/2012/02/reviews-lock-loops-vs-soft-spike.html The curler on the right is a Lock Loops curler. The extra notches in the curler would probably eliminating the curler from slipping loose. I like the review that was completed by Kreyola.

These curlers can probably be used on all hair types with some endpaper.

Long Hair Naturally!

I am proud to say that I am now a Registered SisterLocks Trainee. These are my class instructors! Yes, that is all of her hair! Lol! The class was intense - Four full days with homework each night. I could not ask for a better class. All the students were warmhearted. The energy was beautiful, positive, and ready to learn! We will all forever be bonded. So I am ready to keep my new skill set up! Now, booking SisterLocks clients for styling and retightenings!

By the way, you can color SisterLocks!