Wednesday, November 16th was my third retightening. I’m still excited because my consultant told me that my hair has finally started to lock in some areas. When I look at my hair, I see hundreds of tiny, elongated curls. The interlocked hair, which is the lengthening, isn’t the exciting part. What’s exciting to me is how my unruly, mind-of-its-own hair seems to twist and bend and sway in the ways most comfortable to it. During this one-on-one time with my consultant, I confessed my biggest secret: I do nothing to my hair, I mean nothing, except wear my Loc Soc to bed, fluff and go.
One week prior to my retightening, it’s pretty clear that my hair has grown a lot over the last five weeks. The two photos below show how my grid has simply faded into the background due to the thickness of my hair. Since I believe that the edges of my hair are among the most fragile and delicate areas, I do not manipulate my edges by gelling or brushing them so that they can freely grow and thicken. We’re all born with the hairline we have, but since beginning my natural hair journey in December 2015, my hair’s edges have become stronger and more defined.
Two weeks before my retightening session, my hair seems a bit fuzzier. The three pictures below are closeups of the multiple textures (and natural colors) of my babies.
A few days before my retightening, I snapped a couple of selfies showing the thickness of my hair at its roots. It almost looks like my ‘fro days…puffy everywhere, healthy for sure.
For this latest retightening, I was immediately bundled and banded BEFORE shampooing. My hair was retightened, this time, AFTER my shampoo. Below are a few pictures from my Wednesday night retightening.
Finished product – first three photos
Retightening in effect (prior to shampooing) – next two photos
My hair has been growing like a weed over the past several weeks…at week 16.5, four months into my Sisterlocks journey, I am astounded by the stretch. Here is a comparison shot of the right side of my hair and the back of my hair, mid-July (top two photos) vs. mid-November (bottom two photos).
Not only has my hair growth been tremendous, I am learning that over-manipulation, product buildup, and too frequent shampooing can be enemies of the maintenance of healthy and natural tresses. Length has never been the goal for me, but thick, healthy hair remains the aspiration in my late-40’s. If length is a buy-product, I’ll embrace the changes ahead of me well into the half-century mark. It’s not just hair…or is it?
In my next entry, I’ll take on this quote and what it means to me:
AndisLocks 