No hairspray! No haircolor!
Why does your Sisterlocks always look so manicured even though you self-maintain?
I have tightly coiled, compact hair that is resistant to be being pulled straight. It is not prone to frizz because it compacts onto itself. Some people mist water every day to keep their frizz down on the locs, but the nature of my hair is to shrink and stay compact. So my locs are not WELL manicured, but because of my length at this 2 years 7 months period, most people do not notice the little Afro living at my scalp area. My curl behavior also delivers more volume than movement when it is in a dry state.
Why are some of your ends thinner?
I never cut my relaxer out so yes, I still have matted relaxed hair at the end of my Sisterlocks. I actually like the thinner ends because it gives me an edgy look for my curly styling. Some people prefer uniform loc consistency down the complete loc, and if one's goal is to wear their locks straight and flowing then uniformity is important. Where I have a problem is when others try to impose their "look" on my locs. There is no hard standard for locs as a whole because there are over 40 hair types and curl diameters. Loc wearers need to adjust their regimen to address their own unique loc needs.
Do you color your Sisterlocks?
No, I do not color my locs. I have some gray strands curled up and parked along the length of my locs. Because my gray hair rolls onto itself, it can look like a "piece of lint" until you get close on it. And no, I am not pulling out any gray hair, and no, I figured out that my "rare" hair type will NOT do well with haircolor.
Do you grease your scalp?
No, I never embraced that tradition. Luckily, my scalp was always normal. No flaking. No itching. Of course, there are exceptions like when I am past due for a shampoo service or I used something that irritated it.
How are you getting your Sisterlocks to hold exotic hairstyling without hairspray?
I use Colorproof Volume shampoo or Pureology Volume shampoo to deep cleanse the locs. I also skip the conditioner because either I will get some conditioning from the moisturizing shampoo or the leave-in styling agent. Remember, I do not color my hair so I do not need a reconstructor. My natural curl behavior also helps me stack and build.
Why do you think that you are gaining density, volume, and length?
I do NOT stress my hair with clips nor any type of twisting with or without a hair accessory. I do NOT interloc with tension. The interlocking technique unwinds the hair, and my hair does NOT want to be straighten by chemical, heat, nor unwinding it too taut. Some people need the tension to control the frizz, but I naturally do not have frizz so I do not need the tension on my locs when I tighten. Now, if I was to perform permanent hair color on my loose tensioned locs, then I may get breakage because the haircolor may penetrate deep in the loc and trap. So I am committed to no haircolor for now. And to all of those with well manicured locs and loc updos, be careful with the tension, but if it is working for you, then don't change a thing.
How do you feel about relaxers now?
Relaxers work for the majority of the worldwide population, but unfortunately, my hair type and curl behavior does NOT fall in the range of the majority of the population. I really tried all of my life to do what most Black women do for their hair, but it just was NOT working. Most people probably felt that I had poor hair maintenance, but no, literally, my hair was more difficult to manage than most Black women. Truth be told, my hair was outright unmanageable in its natural, non-processed , non-locked state. The "Super" Paul Mitchell relaxer was not even strong enough to relax my hair completely straight, then because the bonds did not complete break, my hair would revert back within weeks. I tried so many brands of relaxers. My hair has traumatized me most of my life because it would not conform to the norms. Now, in my latter years, my hair has taught me to "work with it" versus "against it." I do not foresee another "bad hair" day for the rest of my life. I do caution anyone who wants to start a loc journey - results will vary. Locs were a natural fit for my curl behavior, but if people do not have my "hair type" then their locs will not look nor behave like mine.
As a cosmetologist, I have seen many different curl types. A paid loc consultation with me may save you a headache before you pay hundreds of dollars to start something that may not deliver what you are looking for. Group speaking engagements are welcomed.
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