Unfortunately yes, this was the back of my head in December 2012 after returning from a tightening session by the second certified Sisterlocks consultant from the www.sisterlocks.com list that I patronized. I was only four weeks from my last retightening completed by my original certified Sisterlocks consultant. Instead of this new consultant turning me down for retightening, she tightened my whole head, charged me $75 for an hour and forty-five minutes of labor (no shampoo service) and mentioned that I probably should wait longer between tightening sessions.
By the time I made it back to my salon and really started to see at how bare my scalp was, I became desperate to figure out how to salvage my self esteem. Of course, I was still trusting in the consultants recommended by www.sisterlocks.com, and I just was trying to deal with what was being dished out the best way that I could. This is why my yarn unit was created. I needed a fix. I needed a "plan B" that would blend with my existing Sisterlocks. Yarn was the only thing that I could think of that would blend with locs. Then my making of the yarn unit was a combination of design considerations that I had been exposed to over the years.
I believe that Sisterlocks are supposed to be about empowering women, but for me, it tore me down over and over. The founder of Sisterlocks was quiet throughout my entire ordeal with the exception of the fact that she did not approve of my yarn unit being promoted in conjunction with her Sisterlocks name despite all my letters of complaint as well as suggestions for improvement for the Sisterlocks organization as a whole.
I am willing to forgive, and I sincerely hope that my ordeal will help others understand that the www.sisterlock.com listing does not guarantee any more than the consultants listed have met minimal renewal qualifications.
Well, below is my head again, May 2013. I was two months Sisterlocks free. Big difference right?
The lighting is different in this picture. No flash, but you get the idea. My scalp began recovering after separating myself from the Sisterlocks technique. For some people, Sisterlocks work because of their hair texture, their scalp's natural oilyness to keep their locks hydrated or a maybe it's their consultant. I do not know why it works for some and not others, but it did not work for me. What does work for me? Finger twisting and natural hydrating styling products.
I always try to make lemonade out of lemons. I am so happy to be far enough past my bad experiences with Sisterlocks consultants that I could share with everyone the driving force behind the yarn unit and stocking cap units. I still like the stocking cap units for a corporate straight hair option, but I no longer feel the need to hide my locks anymore in embarrassment. God can bring you through . . . I am a witness.
I ran into another woman who was patronizing this same certified Sisterlocks consultant that overtightened my head. She was also concerned when she herself started seeing the same thinning pattern in her crown. This was her second set of locks, and she said that she had never had thinning problems in her crown area before. She started stretching her Sisterlocks retightening sessions which allowed her crown area to grow back in. She also mentioned that her first set of locks were traditional locks, and she gained length very quickly, but with the Sisterlocks, it has been a slower process. I also will mention that her Sisterlocks were on the "too large" size like mine, but she paid at least $250 less than I did. They looked smaller than traditional locks, but not small enough to be true "Sisterlocks." Of course, I told her that based on her lock sizes converting back to the traditional twisting would be fairly easy for her. With this said, it's interesting that two people going to the same consultant experienced the same thinning pattern and uneasiness about the tension on the hair.
ReplyDeleteThis article gets a lot of traffic. As a seasoned loctician over 8 years now. The larger your Sisterlocks are the longer between tightenings. The smaller Sisterlocks then 3 to 4 weeks max. I still interlock my hair to tighten. Using products to twist was not a good match for me. Unfortunately, Loc technicians sometimes only know to do the same thing to every head. As an artist and licensed hair professional, I work to learn a client's hair and to develop the best routine for their locked or loose hair.
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