Products and starting pics

Here are the products I'm sticking with for the next 6 months:

Cleansing: Cantu for natural hair cleansing cream shampoo and hydrating cream conditioner, Aussie Moist conditioner for cowash
Deep conditioning: Alter Ego garlic mask and Nexxus Promend Split End repairing conditioner concentrated protein
Leave in: Mizani 25 benefit leave in, Cantu natural hair leave in conditioning cream
Oils: Elasta QP mango butter, JBCO, EVOO, EVCO
Daily moistuizing and styling: water & Aussie, Cantu natural hair coconut curling cream
Gel: Eco styler with olive oil,  Shine n Jam conditioning gel

Day 1 July 5 2018
I did a wash and go today, here are some photos
No more bleaching my hair
No more braids

I'm back!

I cut my locs off March 2017 and have been on a natural journey ever since. Thing is, I don't really knownwhat I'm doing and not sure what is working ... this motivated me to track this journey to understand and grow my hair in the next year. My next hair wash, I'll post starting photos so I can keep track of my progress. Not sure best way to do it for curly hair but I'll figure it out before then. In the pic here, I used perm rods in this pix and I like the way it and bantu knots on dry hair look on me ... adds volume to my relatively fine/thin hair.

Here is my planned regimen:

Rotate A / B every other week:

A)
Shampoo
Deep condition with protein
Deep condition with moisture
Perm rod set / roller set with bantu

B)
Co wash
Perm rod set / roller set with bantu

Every day:
Oil & cream moisture
Satin cap

Will post products next week
Need lots of advice about hair care during & after the gym

Some additional pics of my hair now

At the risk of shocking you all - 2 posts in one day!!!

Wrap-A-Loc curls, blog updated (new banner, loc regimen, everything!)

Hello lovely folks,

Well  I have finally updated my blog to reflect my hair's current status!

I used Wrap-A-Loc about 2 weeks ago to try curls and boy did I get my entire curl life!! Here is a quick summary of my thoughts.

PROS -
1) If you want curls, you are going to get neat, tight curls using this tool - it does what it promises!
2) There is no heat required if you have the patience to wait for hair to airdry (I didn't).
3) If you have short locs you can cut the long (size large) in two
4) Easy to use - there is definitely a learning curve to using the instrument but that is expected with everything
5) I've seen many people wear them in the locs for a few days before taking them down. I refuse to do this but if you can swing it then I've seen some pretty ingenious styling on Google Images (search "Wrap a loc").

CONS-
1) If you some how do it wrong and your curls don't drop (as only one side of my head did - not cute) then you need to somehow be flexible because those curls are here to stay! I chose to flat twist the side that did not drop to the other side and it worked out beautifully. I will try to do better my next attempt.
2) If you have a lot of locs, good luck to you! I have 87/90 locs and there is no way I was going to pay for 5 packs at $20 dollars a pop on my student budget...I cut the large ones this time around. That'll do till I can fund as many as I need (maybe I'll take up a collection).

These are before I separated (did 2 locs to one wrap a loc tool)

Separated and pinned to side (other side was a failure hehe)

loc update - I am 2 years in

Hola whoever is out there at this point!

Life has really taken over my blogging aspirations. Anyhoo August 14 2011 I installed loc extensions to my hair after a weak 6 months trying to transition to natural. I had decided if I wanted to remain chemical free and sane I needed to ease myself in with a style that wasn't too demanding and wouldn't take too much out of me. Ha!

My loc journey hasn't been like others but it has been something. First, the poorly installed extensions that had me going crazy the first year and half of this experience. Too small pieces with too heavy extensions pulling on my ends and giving me alopecia related nightmares. Then the numerous untrained "professional" locticians; all deaf to my opinion, doing their own thing in my head, forcing me to once again become self stylist (I was happily my own hair care specialist with relaxed hair - mostly successfully). Then the BC of the extensions leaving me with the challenge of styling short locs; something I never intended to try. Oh LORD then the questions of why did you do it, you had such lovely hair, UGH. My experience has been something. 

I had to learn to love my locs - it wasnt love at first sight. Learn to love the matting, learn to be okay with foreign matter in my hair, learn to love the texture. Certainly learn to love them enough to not care what others were thinking and to feel like it was okay to be like this, rocking locs, while still being me. 

Today I am just happy because my locs now make it into a ponytail and look kinda njce! This is a pic of it. Hasn't been retwisted in 4 weeks (& counting) but still loving it. 

Will follow up with a regimen post :)

First 2013 post :)

Hola!! So just a quick update.

1. I cut my locs to the top of my neck! Short I know but finally there is less weight on my locs and they have a chance to flourish! That stylist who did my loc extensions did a number on me. Anyhoo some of them are now 100% mine and the rest 60-80%. The day is coming when it'll all be mine.

2. I am taking care of these babies myself...for now I think shampooing and tightening myself is what is best for it. Not that I'm the best retwister but my hair has always done best under my own care and attention.

3. I need to take some photos of my hair. I will when I retwist next week.

Promised photos :)

Notice the twists are showing through the extensions :(