Comparison: Locked Look versus Relaxed Look

 

My 2014 Sisterlocks Look and my 2010 Relaxed Look show how versatile micro-locks can be.  I must admit that I have more weight on me as well as more age, but I really hope that comparisons like this one will give women looking to discontinue chemical processes will consider locs.

My Locs: March 2014 versus March 2013

March 24, 2014 makes my One year and 8 months  Lockversary. Styling is getting easier because I am not following any rules. I am tackling every section of locs and every loc in its own special way.  I am feeling the texture of my roots and based on what I feel I am making decisions as to what it needs. Because shampooing locs will undo twisting in the areas of the locs that are not matured nor interlocked.

Also, remember 25% of my locs are smaller than the other 75% of my head.  The smaller locs are the ones that were initially done within the Sisterlocks guidelines.  These Sisterlocks sized locs are the ones tucked behind my ear.  They fall differently than the opposite side of my head. So I will forever have two front sides that will behave differently because the number of rows and sizes are different.  I sometimes get frustrated, but it is like surgery.  You have to be content that it is not worse and move forward.  I do not want to double the smaller locs because it is still not going to be symmetric on both sides.  I have decided not to split any locs either because I am definitely too far along in my loc length to deal with long and short locs.  So it is what it is.

The benefit of having the quadrant of Sisterlock size locs in my head is for me to really see if the size does matter.  There are many locticians that believe that locs need a larger base to support shedding hair and the weight of the length of the loc as it continues to grow.  I believe there is some truth to this theory, but it depends on the hair texture.  Looser, medium texture hair may never have to worry about heaviness because of the nature of their hair texture.  Some hair when put into water floats; some hair when put into water sinks.  I personally have both types of hair in my head. I talk about these two textures that I found in my head in my blog article about "lopsided" hair in January 2014. I will keep everyone posted long term.  Since I am constantly reminded every day when I style my hair that I have two different hair behaviors, I will not forget.

The only analogy that I can think of to describe how I feel is this:

What if one side of your head was rolled with "red rollers" and the other side rolled with "teal rollers?" Do you feel me now?  Who would roll their hair with large rollers on one side of their head and smaller rollers on the other side? 

Well, that is how I feel every day about my front locs. I feel lopsided.  Not because of hair texture, but because of loc sizing. Well, enough said.  In the spirit of Throwback Thursday . . .  my March 2013 picture below.

Six Months and Three Year Thickness Comparisons

November 2013 (front hair twisted up) versus  May 2013 (with towel around my neck)

Pictured above is a six months comparison in thickness of my microlocks.  Again, finger twisting seems to work better for me for my lock tightening method.  March 2013 was my last interlocking session.

Pictured is the back of my head in November 2010 after a fresh haircut from another hairstylist.  I had relaxed hair at the time without any extensions nor any commercial enhancements. It is all my hair, and  I had quite a bit of fullness.  I had just turned age 40.  I really think chemicals, aging, and improper lock tightening technique was really taking me in a downward spiral over the last three years.

I really encourage women to take pictures to keep documentation of their hair.  Pictures are worth a thousand words.  It is hard to see subtle changes from week to week, but let several months go by, the story gets told vividly.

Many times, I post articles like this one more for my own reality check/sanity check to make sure that I stay on course for my own hair's sake.  If someone else can benefit from my journey, it makes these posts even more valuable.

Well, my 16 month lock anniversary is coming next week.  I'm excited.  I have not decided on a new product, new regimen, or just a new style to introduce, but I think that I am feeling inspired!