My 16 months and a week Microlocks Showcase

It's December 2013 and I'm all glammed up!  I  used the "clippies" below to assist in lock styling in the picture of me in brown sweater.  My thickness is still not what I once had, but I am able to manipulate the length of my locks to give me volume.  Also, I purchased new blush color from MAC!  Love it!

I bought these clippies from the H&M store.  About $2.95 for 12.  They are not going to last forever, but they are small enough for me to use about seven clippies in the front without looking tacky.  Can you tell in the picture above?

Okay, there are No Clippies in this picture with the animal print top!  I just took the bantu knots out and styled.  So the locks had a firmness to them. The shadow in the picture makes my lock style look like a bob.  I can envision my bob style by December 2014. (another year easily!)

Rain and sleeping on my locks definitely loosens the hold of the Lock Styling Lotion.  The daily spray also softens the styling.  So I will be clip styling to keep some shape.

I also want to address that tightening locks can be done in a clockwise turning or a counterclockwise turning.

Sisterlocks patterns are mostly counterclockwise.  I find when I am twisting, it depends on how I am holding my head and my arms placement.  Some of my locks are twisted clockwise and some counter-clockwise.  I think that by the third hour of finger twisting - I am losing concentration so I try to follow how each lock is naturally twisting.

Also, the last Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly that I used would not absorb into my locks this last tightening session.  I do not know if something in my shampoo was blocking it???  I skipped conditioning all together.  So I had to go back to the Jamaican Lime and Mango Locking Gel.  Then I ran out of that and had to finish my head with Nahbila's Peppermint Twisting Gel.  The gels got the job done so I am grateful, and I love both products.

Okay, it may be New Years for the next check-in!

My 15 months Microlocks Check-in

I hope you all love my curls!  I had to perm rod it wet and then pin curl/bundle overnight without the rods.  I used the Jamaican Mango and Lime Lock and Set Styling Lotion for hold.  I sat under the dryer for an hour and a half and my ends were not dry from the perm rods.  So I am now convinced that my hair is too long to  perm rod set on small rods and actually expect them to dry in any reasonable amount of time.

I used the "Lily of the Desert" 99% aloe vera Gelly for my 3.5 retightening session this go around.  It is thicker than the Trader Joes' 99% pure Aloe vera Gel.  So far, I think I like it better because of the thicker consistency.  Both are moisturizing.

I have learned a few more lock lessons this month.

1) MicroLocks will double up on their own if they start to thin, so a loctician should NOT need to double my locks up intentionally.

2) Freshly twisted locks can be bundled up before swimming or any other wet recreational activities.

It is true that if the locks are interlocked then the bundling may not be necessary for mature locks, but I am still really content with not interlocking.

I also love my hair clips to give more volume in my top!