Having locs is freedom but I always felt dependent on my loctician. And I didn't get this way until I started planning trips. I would look at my calendar and be like,
"Dang, if I leave on the 14th I need to make an
appointment on the 12th,"
appointment on the 12th,"
It got frustrating. I want my hair to look beautiful while I make my travels but my schedule didn't always work out with my loctician's schedule. What's a girl to do?
Um....do her own damn hair! I've been doing it for almost 4 years since I've been natural so why stop now?
And I did...
Big ups to my newly appointed loc'tor (that's a mentor of locs) BSquared86. I spent a good hour looking through her Fotki photo albums. Her hair texture seems to be similar to mine and I love how she updates each month and shows comparison photos. She inspired me!
So....I washed my hair with Dr. Bonner's Magic soap. I added a little tea tree oil to it and concentrated on my scalp....you know I've got that dandruff issue.
I gently rinsed and then used my Oyin Honey Hempy Conditioner. I let that sit for a minute and then checked out the hair to see if the locs were doin' okay....they were!
Here I am frettin' that I would wash my babies out and all they did was puff up. I gently rinsed...
Look how clean my hair looks!
....the inner afro-hippie in me secretly wants me to rock my locs just like that. Free, nappy and beautifully messy. But alas the classy chic lady won this round.
I made a mixture of shea butter, olive oil and aloe vera gel.
I sat down for a good 2 hours and palm rolled each twist. THIS video shows how that works. Although I should add that this lady has "dreadlock extensions" . WTF are dreadlock extensions? I have an attitude about that the way I have an attitude about weaves but that's another post for another day.
I clipped down the locs and added some of that black paper stuff on the edges. This is what my loctician uses to keep the hair slick in the front.
Then I sat under the dryer for a good 20 minutes.
Yes, I use heat. Very little and on a low temp.
The results....
Not bad for my first attempt! I was elated. I thought that I would miss some of the locs in the back but I managed to re-twist each and every one. I will post pictures of how they look in a few days. I'm thinking I can do this myself from now on!
I will cancel my appointment with my loctician and visit her at the end of March.
DIY maintenance. I'm lovin' it!
Peace and loc've
