Week One of my Sisterlocks Journey finds me searching feverishly for a small umbrella for my work tote; a large umbrella for my car; shower caps for virtually any bathroom encounter with water; and the anxiety of, the possibility of, the mere THOUGHT of getting my hair wet has me afraid to be outside, sweating even, in the unpredictable weather of Memphis! I had become accustomed to NOT carrying an umbrella. In fact, I haven’t used one since October 2015. Luckily for me, I survived Week One without getting my hair wet, and the daily photos of my loc changes are fascinating.

By Wednesday, I experienced slight itching of my scalp, but nothing obsessive. I’ve been thinking about what it could possibly be-the only thing I can think of is dry scalp. For almost eight months, my natural hair and scalp was moistured DAILY, and my hair was used to the tejuvenative properties of Memphis water, along with hydrating creams, oils, and the occasional gel.

On Thursday, July 28, I took several photos of my hair, during a brief break at work, to include in this week’s blog entry. What is most noticeable are the little “buds” forming on the ends that look like “hair balls.” I’m sure there is a technical term for it, but through the eyes of a newbie, they look like little fur balls. 😁 The spacing seems less obvious to me, after four days. I’ve been following my consultant’s directions, namely wearing my Loc Soc while I sleep and under no circumstances getting my head wet. You may be wondering why it is important for my hair to remain dry. At this stage, my baby locs are too immature to sustain water which will cause them to unravel or increase the chances of slippage (unraveling). Indeed, the time and financial investment is just too great to be frivolous about maintenance of my baby locs.

By Friday, July 29, the itching has subsided. I was sure to use a flash to get a better look at the texture of my hair. My hair seemed a bit more “spacey” today; interesting that the flash magnifies this effect, but my hair does not look this sectioned when I look at it in the mirror. The individual locs appear to be a bit stringier today, too. See what I mean…?

On yesterday (Saturday), I was in my school building for two and a half hours trying to semi-organize my new office space, and I broke a sweat (or two) climbing two flights of stairs, no less than six times, to gather items from my old office, as well as to move a table and four chairs with the help of a parent. Afterwards, I did a lot of running around town because of my father-in-law’s retirement party, and my hair looks a bit different by late afternoon. Here are a few photos.

Week One turned out to be pretty successful, and I’m looking forward to sharing with you on next Sunday this week’s hair changes. What is perhaps the biggest success is the hair freedom…throwing away hair combs of all types, hair brushes, hair picks, shampoos and conditioners in the shower caddy, and ALL hair care products that cluttered our bathroom drawers, basin counter, and even the little spray bottle of water and avocado oil I kept in my makeup bag. This journey just got real for me.

Until next Sunday… 😘