The Sisterlocks Wet Check-in at 3 years 8 months

My Sisterlocks are 3 years and 8 months old.  I had someone to ask "is my hair real?" With a big smile, you all know the answer!  Oh yeah! It is real!

The craziest question that I have ever been asked was "do I have hair added every month?"  My response:  No, I just let it grow out the good old fashion way from my scalp!

The second craziest question that I have been asked "how hard is it to undo those when you are ready to startover?"  My response:  I have never tried to undo/unloosen them.

Every month gets better and better.  I have now reached the "promised land."

Clowning Around on my 3 years 8 months loc-versary!

That moment arrived. I see nothing but length and more length.  My Sisterlocks are now 3 years and 8 months old. Yes!!!!

All of my locs would not fit under this clown wig; so I improvised.

I had a little fun improvising! Ha Ha Ha

Yeah, my Mr. "Big Shot" eyeglasses were a perfect partner for some fun!

My HerbaLife nutrition which includes soup, tea, shakes, protein bars, and aloe keep my Sisterlocks shiny from the healthy consumption.

The clown nose was uncomfortable for my nose.

So very pointed noses are probably a better fit!

The Three Universal Hair Categories and 2016 Trend Analysis

There are three ways to describe hair universally:

• Loose natural
• Locked natural
• Permed (Permanently relaxed or Permanently curled)

Loose natural hair can be thermally straightened to look like a relaxer or it can be worn in its natural state.

As far as wigs go, they have become as common as lipstick in 2016.  With people changing hair length and haircolor on a daily basis, "wig shopping" has been the new "girls outing."

Blame it on the weather!  Blame on people wanting a look that they were not born with.

You can now wear any curl pattern that you desire through the use of the crochet braiding process in about two hours. Corkscrew coils?  No problem.  Romance Curls? No problem.

2016 Hair, especially "Black hair" has floored me.  I tell new customers that I actually service more hair than I do weave so that they know that my specialty is "haircare."

All the weaves.  All of the uniform sew-in's. All of the wigs. My head has been spinning lately.  I often ask myself - will the trend to wear your own hair come back any time soon?

The barbers must be seeing an increase in women with short afros. What happened to mens' demand for long hair?

More and more people have found hair partners, and they maintain each other's hair at home.  YouTube tutorials are cutting out the hairdressing profession.  We are going back to the time before Madame C. J. Walker started beauty salons.

Surprisingly, going to the hair salon, now means washing, conditioning, and blowdrying BEFORE you get to the salon to get the sew-in, crochet braids, or individual braids.

Natural hair practitioners can now provide almost the same hair services as cosmetologists in North Carolina.  Cosmetologists are also licensed for esthetics and nails as backup plans.

Is the hair extension/wig industry recession-proof?  Will all the protective styling mania end anytime soon?

Feel free to comment.  This article is more about you the audience than me the hair professional. Inquiring minds want to know.  Will the commercial hair demand ever peak out?

Sisterlocks (tm): Is the brand worth it?

(Almost at 3 years 8 months loc-versary)

I have been preoccupied with weight loss, mass incarceration research, along with hair and salon responsibilities.  Oh yeah, also, I had been doing a little "dating."  So I have been away from posting for almost two weeks.  Oh my!  Anyway, I apologize up front that my first post back is a soapbox speech.

This week on the "Sisterlocks forum" page on Facebook.  A lady shows her new "Sisterlocks" which really are "Sista locs."  You know how creative we can get!!!  

In a nutshell, the lady's "microlocs" look professionally done to me for the price of $250.  The technician was not registered with Sisterlocks.  Of course, the average consumer does not understand interlocs versus Sista locs versus Sisterlocks tm.  The reality is that all three of these terms can be used to describe a look where they all look like the same set of locs.

Now, Sisterlocks teaches a specific grid and specific loc sizing, but not all certified Sisterlocks consultants follow the protocol.  This is where I have the problem.

The Sisterlocks folks started suggesting that the "non-Sisterlocks registered" technician took advantage of the "happy client," and she should take her loctician to small claims court to sue her for not giving her Sisterlocks.

So the Sisterlocks folks on the Sisterlocks forum suggested to a happy client to take her non-certified "Sista-locs" technician to small claims court over a $250 full head of Locs that didn't look much different than the head of Sisterlocks that I paid $750 in 2012 to have a certified Sisterlocks consultant complete which I had to sue to get a partial refund while Sisterlocks headquarters gave me their "a$$" to kiss?

News Flash: 

Sisterlocks (tm) needs to learn how to run their own business before trying to run and ruin another loctician's business. The loctician had a satisfied customer at a satistfactory price; yet, Sisterlocks tm has had many dissatisfied customers globally. Their headquarters hide behind the fact that their people are independent consultants.  They suggest using their recommended people at your own risk.

So if anyone is thinking about paying over $600 for Sisterlocks, then they should think long and hard. One may achieve a beautiful set of microlocs for less without the Sisterlocks premium price attached.

NOTE:  Thank God they deleted the thread off the page on Facebook.  It was a disgrace. If they want everyone else to keep the feedback positive on Facebook, then the forum administrators need to follow their own rules.

Customized Crochet Braids by Benita Blocker

Crochet Braids service by Benita Blocker.

I started out with a custom braiding pattern,  and I strategically added 1 pack of color 30 hair to the 3.5 packs of color 1b hair to give her a hightlighted final finish.

She wanted the off black color as the dominant color throughout the head.

I also cut the final style into this look.

12" Havana Mambo Twist  were used to create this look.

Natural Hair versus Relaxed Hair: It is All Good!

Natural hair styling by Benita Blocker

This client received individual double strand twists throughout her full head using Design Essentials Honey curlforming custard.  We completed permanent haircoloring as well.

Fresh relaxer and trim service by Benita Blocker

This client has gained length while sticking with the Paul Mitchell relaxer system.  I use the Affirm neutralizing system in conjunction with the Paul Mitchell system to make sure no relaxer residue remains in the hair.  The client wants to continue gaining length so what you see is her length after I trimmed it.  If she wanted a cut, I would have taken an additional inch off.  Since she is a roller set client, curls hide a multitude of flaws.

Microlocs by Benita Blocker

Microlocs by Benita Blocker

Microlocs are small locs formed using the interlock procedure.  I still grid the front for maximum styling versatility for the client. It takes about 12 to 16 hours hands on to complete a full head install.

My client had plenty of natural hair.  She was a year or more ahead in loc length upon completion of our locking session.