Quick Update - regimen change :D

Hello! New regimen!

So, I've joined the gym & hired a trainer two weeks ago. Because of this, I pretty much sweat my butt off 5 days a week. The salt/sweat has increased my dandruff tremendously. Shampooing once a week was NOT cutting it for me anymore. To keep my scalp issues at bay, I've resorted to washing my hair nightly - after each workout. I shampoo, shake, separate, wrap in a towel to catch excess water, then let them air-dry before I tie them up for bed.

I know it sounds intense, but it is definitely working for me! All of the crazy scratching has been subdued. I also find that the frequent washing keeps my locs soft (I focus the shampoo more on my scalp than the locs, so the locs just benefit from water/moisture), as well as promotes the maturing process. My locs look more and more like locs and less like twists each month :D

I'm due for a tightening before Christmas. Time is running away from me & it will take a while to complete my entire head. When I do, I'll style them & take some pics to share with you all. :-)

p.s. I celebrated my 24th birthday on Sunday past. I'm alive and God has been/still is so good to me!!!


xoxoxoxo

SunshineSisterlocks

So much has changed! :D

Hello SL family!!!

First off, let me apologize for my absence these last few months.
I've been very busy re-adjusting to life @ home, thus neglecting this blog, my fotki hair album, as well as my Youtube channel. I don't take disappearing & reappearing lightly, as I have made some really good friends all over the internet :). Anyways, I'm hopping back on the hog and thanking all who have left kind comments while I was gone. *MUAH* [did you feel that? :)]

Soooo much has changed with my locks! First things first, I've taken over re-tightening my own locks...yes, the whole head, by myself. lol. It's a challenge but also a great feeling.

Secondly, I've had to change my tool from the plastic children's needle to a paper clip because my locks are now too thick to fit through that small hole (see a pic of that needle from last post). I personally recommend all newbies (with thin locks) to practice with that needle or something similar if they're thinking about self-retightening one day.

Thirdly, my regimen has changed - more on that later.

Finally, the majority of my Sisterlocks have buds. The rest of my hair is condensing and there are only 3 or 4 curly ends on my head. My locks have really thickened up too. Wow! What a transformation! I've been taking pics the entire time. I plan to make a video to celebrate my first anniversary with SLs. I can't believe I've been a loc-head for over 10 months!!! This time last year, I was so anxious about flying home to get my test locks installed! Where has the time gone?! :)

Check out some pics below. It's a progression from untightened->tightened->bantu knots->knot-out. More to come later!

Desperate times call for Desperate Measures...Self-Retightening!!

Hello SL Fam! Well, it's been a few weeks since my last post and I have yet to find the money for a re-tightening session. What's a girl to do with loads of new growth while on a trip? Take a whack @ re-tightening! I wanted at least the front to look neat, so that was my challenge.

I went to Walmart and purchased a small, plastic children's needle from the Craft section (pack of 4 for 99 cents) and got to work. It took me 3 evenings just to finish the front of my hair. LOL. I know it's because I was being extra careful, so I took my slow time. I used a simple 4 point pattern, cuz I know nothing else.

What have I learnt from the experience?
- re-tightening requires loads of patience and arm strength. lol
- once you get the hang of it, you don't need to re-tighten locks with a mirror (watching movies kept me awake and entertained)
- I'll leave the re-tightening to the pros...LOL...at least for the time-being. I felt very liberated and proud of myself for doing this, but I'll wait at least a full year or so before I completely take over with self-maintenance.

Here are some pics of the finished work in the front:






Extreme shrinkage following my first wash since re-tightening:


As for the rest of my hair, I'll schedule a re-tightening session with my lovely consultant Mrs. Whymns [after pay day]. lol. Oh the stories I have to tell her...she's gonna laugh her head off, I'm sure. :)

xoxoxoxox
SunshineSisterlocks

My Second Attempt @ a Braid-out

<- two and a half months of growth!


For this braidout, I used Pantene Pro-V's Relaxed and Natural Holding Spray on my SLs, then cornrowed them. They were released 2 days later. This really helped to make the thick roots more manageable.

xoxoxox
SunshineSisterlocks

Checking In about Checking Out!

Hey SL Fam! Just checking in! Things have been really busy!!!
I'm done with university life! I just moved back home for good to sunny Bahamas.
Things are really busy around here. Not only am I unpacking, sorting things, finalizing a job, etc. but I'm trying to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Surprise, surprise - I've done no styling or anything special at all to my locks. I really haven't had the time! I counted and realized that it's been a full 50 days since my last re-tightening session. My roots definitely show it! I have no idea when I'll be able to get my hair re-tightened because I'm flat broke at the moment. lol. But seeing as it's summer, I'll use headbands and pretty scarves to help me bide the time.

In non-SL updates, My bro and I were doing errands on Saturday and decided to take a load off. :) Here I am on one of our beaches last weekend. It's called the Western Esplenade and we have great views of the Nassau Harbour and all cruise ships that come into port. It's also next to Arawak Cay aka "Da Fish Fry" where we bought some nice daiquiris and conch fritters. Mmmmmm!!! Glad to be home!



Have a great week!

xoxoxoxoxo
SunshineSisterlocks

Curled Up and Twisted Out!!

Hey SL Fam!!! My last post was word-heavy, so I decided that my next one would be pic-heavy. lol
I'm really having fun with my hair. I've been styling it more and more as well. Below are pics from the last 2 weeks. First, I used LockLoops to create some really cute curls. And this week, I did two-strand twists on dry hair then rocked a twist-out this week. :)

LockLoops Curls:

Twist-out:

Have fun with your hair!

xoxoxoxo
SunshineSisterlocks

The Issue of Lock Imperfection

Hello SL Fam!

Like many other Sisterlocks enthusiasts, I'm a part of the Lock-It-Up group. There was a certain topic that struck a chord with me...being unhappy with how Sls look. I think because we invest so much money, we may at times seek perfection in our locks, but like a poster so point-of-factly stated, there are no perfect locks. I waited many months and researched for a long time before I was 100% certain that this was the route I wanted my hair to take. The final step was for me to accept my hair no matter how it turned out, and to realize that no, it will not look like my favourite heads of hair on these blogs. Why is that? Because each head of sisterlocks is different and I'd be doing myself a disservice to become frustrated with my own hair if it didn't resemble someone else's.

This has absolutely nothing to do with unprofessional or shoddy work done by uncaring locticians. Your locs should be installed properly [according to your hair type] and your personal preference. If you get less than the quality service you deserve, yes, you should speak up, have it corrected and/or find a new loctician.But please, ladies...don't nitpick or stress out over your hair! Patience is key! I am a witness to the fact that locks change so quickly with each month, and the time you spend complaining and looking for hair issues, you could be enjoying and learning how your hair reacts during this lock journey.

So yeah, that's just my encouragement. At a little over 3 months, my locks are frizzy, bumpy and a few of them still experience slippage. Also, a handful of them have 'pockets' in them. And you know what? I LOVE MY HAIR.

How about we all just grow along with our hair...grow to accept how it looks now and how it will change in the future.

Below are close-up pics of my bumpy, frizzy, imperfect, wonderful sisterlocks.

My Attempts @ Styling...don't laugh!

Month 3 = crazy thickness!

Well, the end of this month will make it 3 months that I've been sisterlocked.

My locks look nothing like they did when I first got them. They're blossoming so well you guys! I never expected them to get thick and swollen like this. Love it!!!

I can see that they are preparing to lock, as they are forming complete coils. They're also very frizzy and fuzzy. My loctician offered to "groom" my locs, but I'm not yet comfortable with that idea. I just wanna leave it alone and let it do what it wants. It's not perfect-looking, but it's mine and I'm so proud of my babies! I love that my locs have 'character' and I'm enjoying watching them find their own way. Personalized journeys are always the best.

Retightened Glory

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Hello SL Fam!

I got my hair retightened on Sunday, March 15th.

What a difference a tool and a few rotations can make!

She did a great job on redoing a few of my babies up front that completely unraveled.

xoxoxox

SunshineSisterlocks

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Well, this coming Tuesday will make 7 weeks without getting a re-tightening. Yes. One week shy of 2 months. Grrrrrr. So not happy with that. Hopefully it will be done soon, cuz I'd hate for my locs to mature bumpy-looking due to unintentionally lengthy stretches between sessions. If I'm unable to get it done by next week, then screw it (lol), I'll be attempting to do it myself with a paper clip (thanks to a youtube vid I saw a while back). Let us pray. LOL

Anyway, take a look at the thickness and the mini afro growing underneath in the following pics. A couple of my babies in the front have unraveled (about 4), so that's not too bad. Some days they don't even look like Sisterlocks cuz of how much thicker they've gotten. I LOVE it. :)

Til next time,

SunshineSisterlocks