Lociversary - Year 5

5 years ago today, I started my loc journey. When I walked out of the salon that day, I felt the cold winter air on my scalp after wearing it in an afro for about a year or so. I could've put my hood up but I was happy with my new style and I wanted to show it off. 

I wore earrings a lot when my hair was in an afro

Okay, sure it was shorter than what I pictured BUT I loved it and I couldn't wait until it got longer. The loctician predicted that my hair would lock up in less than 12 months because my hair pattern was so tight and curly. When I had my hair in an afro, I would have to pick it out numerous times during the day because it would kink up and well... start locking up on it's own. It didn't matter what I put in it or what kind of pick I used. By the end of the day, my 'fro looked like I woke up that morning and didn't bother to touch it at all.

Day 1 of my loc journey - started with a two-strand twist

The loctician was right. It did lock up before I reached the one year mark. But at that point, it was still poofy and locs stuck up and out at weird angles. Not to mention that it was still shorter than what I had hoped. Given my (still) short hair and my build I felt like I looked too masculine. So I continued to wear earrings and tried to have a little bit more fun with my outfits. For the next 1 1/2-2 years-ish I was on a journey of building self-confidence and loving my hair exactly as it was.

Today at year 5, I'm still amazed at how long it's become. How long do I want it to grow? *shrugs* Dunno. I may decide to let it stop at my lower back and I may decide to let it grow out longer than that. Either way, for the first time in my life, I'm enjoying my long hair. So many styles to try, so little time. ;)

That's not a broken loc. I palm rolled some hair that just wouldn't merge into other nearby locs.

No make up club! *woot woot*

Loc'd Up Thursdays: "Can I Touch Your Hair?"

You're going about your day, locs (or natural hair) looking good and fresh, when someone you don't know or barely know comes up to you with bright, wide eyes and asks:

"Can I touch your hair?"

How would you answer? Honestly. Would you say yes, no or walk away without responding?

Me? My first instinct would be to say no simply because you're a foreigner in my introvert bubble. But there are times when I might make an exception. For example, if it's a family member or friend, if it's a small child that has asked nicely or someone who has asked me about my hair and shows a genuine interest in learning about something that's different.

Some people perceive another person touching their hair as a negative thing. The idea of another stranger entering their personal space simply to touch hair that looks different makes them uncomfortable. It makes them feel like an animal in a petting zoo. And the feeling is very valid.

I can also see things through a different lens, too. I understand that some people are truly curious. They just want to know more about our hair and some people are in awe. Black people, women in particular, are rising up and learning to accept their God given skin color and hair type as something that's unique and beautiful. Our hair texture doesn't look, feel, or behave like what is so commonly shown in the media. I believe that if Black natural hair on women and men were shown in the media just as often as Non-Black hair then there would be little need for this topic.

So if my saying yes to a curious person helps them appreciate differences, then I will say yes. That doesn't mean that my answer to anyone will always be yes. I could be having a bad hair day and my answer to anyone including family and close friends will be no. It just means that I am a little more open towards helping others appreciate differences.

DISCLAIMER: This does NOT mean that Barb is giving you permission to go up to a random black woman's hair and just touch it. Children included. Not only is it beyond rude but you run the chance of getting chewed out or slapped back into last week. Can't say I didn't warn you. The best course of action is to ask. If they say no, accept their answer, respect their wishes, and move on. If they say yes, don't run your hands through their hair like you're their lover. Touch the ends of the hair gently. If you're sick, just touched something sticky or didn't wash your hands after using the bathroom, please don't bother asking at all.

Loc'd Up Thursdays - The "Ugly" Stage

Created via fotor.com

What's up loc-wearers?? It's a new day and I want Thursday posts to be all about locs. Styles, maintenance, personal updates, products, tips, etc. So, let's get to it! Just a quick reminder, I'm not a loctician. I am simply someone sharing their experiences. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

In the past few weeks, I've had two people ask me about my locs. Both individuals wanted to know how long I've had them, if I maintain them myself and how I got past the "ugly" stage.

What is the "ugly" stage, anyways? It's like puberty for locs. They do whatever they want. At this point, only the ends of the locs are developing that matted, interlocking appearance while the rest of the locs have yet to catch up. This means that locs won't always lay down and can stick up or out at odd angles.

So how do you skip over it? Some people do loc extensions but since I know absolutely nothing about that process, I won't suggest it to you. All I can say is that you have to ride it through. The "ugly" stage is a growing phase for your hair and for you. It is a test of confidence and patience. Things that are good-looking and beautiful don't pop up overnight. There's always a growing stage whether you see it or not. So when you're feeling self-conscious about your locs, don't threaten to get the scissors. Embrace its current stage and take extra special care of them. Before you know it, they'll be longer and have a more mature appearance.

In the mean time grab a spray bottle of water and visit YouTube for style tutorials. Experiment with head wraps. (Not everyday!) Invest in some hair pins when you really need to maintain a neat appearance. Talk to a loctician about coloring. Head over to Etsy or Amazon for some loc jewelry. Treat yourself to a scalp massage. Write an ode to your locs.

Remember, when feel like your locs aren't looking up to par, don't forget to put on an extra dose of confidence before leaving the house. Every loc model on social media or loc'd person in public had to go through some sort of "ugly" stage. Just rock it and keep being the best you you can be. You just may get a compliment from a loc-admirer who may be too afraid to start their journey. 😉

3 year, 9 month old Locs

Hey all!

My locs are almost 4 years old. Most of them are sitting a little past my shoulders and others on my upper back.

I'm wearing a dress, btw.

I've been getting more compliments and questions about my hair regime from other women and men in passing. Which makes me wonder what will my hair look like in December 2015 or even December 2016.

Confession: I often dream about letting my locs grow really long, dying them red, being a stronger swimmer, buying a mermaid outfit, and pretending I'm the Little Mermaid at a beach. *hee hee*

When I wash my hair, I still use Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Shampoo and I wash it weekly. During a wash, I give my locs a really, really good rinse before I'm done. This is to make sure all of the shampoo or debris is rinsed out completely and to give my locs the moisture that it needs. When I'm done washing it, I use a plain t-shirt to absorb excess water and let them air dry.

During the week, I keep my scalp moisturized with a combination of castor oil, coconut oil and olive oil. It's important to note that I don't use a lot of this oil. Just enough to massage into my scalp and edges. When I style my hair, I spritz the roots and locs with water. Never style on dry locs.

Every 1-2 months, I do a pre-wash ACV rinse with apple cider vinegar, warm water, baking soda, sea salt and lemon juice. I massage the scalp and squeeze the locs in the rinse mixture for about 10 minutes. After that, I wash my hair normally, use conditioner and give them a final generous rinse.

When it's time to re-twist them, I only do it every 4-6 weeks and I only use water. No locking gel, no locking butters.

When I sleep or shower, I gather my locs together and make a messy bun on top of my head. Or, in the case of sleeping, I just gather and place them in a way so they're behind or lying above my head.

That's basically how I maintain my locs nowadays. One thing that I would like to do, is to semi-permanently dye my locs a different color, perhaps like a deep red or copper color. However, I want to use something that's natural and has no animal products in it. We'll see. ;)

Feel free to leave any questions or comments below and be sure to like the CBLV Blogger Facebook page.

Locs - 3 years, 3 months

Happy Sunday everyone! I wanted to take some time and provide an update on my locs. I've had them for 3 years and 3 months now and they are a little past my shoulders. I'm at the point where I have to hold my hair back when drinking from the water fountain. (If you're wondering why is that important, my hair in it's unaltered, natural state hasn't been past my jaw before.) So here's my hair now. 
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Some little things that I kind of like: the way it keeps my ears warm when it's freezing cold out, having to make sure I have hair pins or a hair tie just in case, putting it up when I shower, and the "hang-time" when it's in a pony tail. ↓

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I don't use locking gel anymore. Straight water. I found that the gel worked when my locs were still babies and teenagers. Now that they're adults, the gel doesn't do much of anything except leave flakes {eww}. 

I also use Shea Moisture's African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo. I love the smell and how it really gets the scalp and hair clean and itch-free. 

Once a month (usually on retwist days), I use a deep cleansing baking soda and ACV rinse (courtesy of FranChescaleigh) and oh. my. goodness. does it work wonders! Given the ingredients, I usually follow this up with washing and conditioning it.

It's been a long time since I've used a dedicated hair and scalp oil to moisturize. For a while I've been using Trader Joe's coconut oil all year long and it works well for me. A little bit goes a long way. I tried olive oil but for some reason, it made my scalp itchy, so now I stick to using it for cooking.

I've been asked on a couple occasions whether I will cut or trim it. At some point, I probably will trim it to keep it a certain length, that's a long ways away. Right now, I don't have any plans of cutting it really short or completely off.

I am considering adding some temporary color to it. Something fun and flattering but not too wild. No matter the color, I want the ingredients to be completely natural. I'm also hesitant to do it myself. Any advice?

1 Year Lociversary

My locs are 1 year old today! Yay!! Seems like it went by rather quickly when I really think about it. When I was at camp and they're going through their "teenage" phase, it seemed kinda slow then. They were really fuzzy and did whatever they wanted to do. Here's what I learned about caring for them and myself:

1. Water is good for locs, it helps speed up the process. So, don't be afraid to get your locs wet.
2. My hair grew even when I didn't think it did.
3. There are cute styles out there for really short locs... you just have to find them and play around with your hair
4. I can't be afraid to run my fingers through my hair. I was worried that I might accidentally yank a loc out.
5. Patience, patience, patience
6. One product may work for a little bit then later on down the road, it may not. See #5.
7. What you eat affects your hair. Eating more fruits, veggies, whole grains and drinking more WATER helps keep locs and scalp healthy.
8. There are (and will be) days when I feel like my hair looks "blecgh". There were times I wanted to take it down and restart again because I compared my locs to others and thought that I did something wrong. A: that's what scarfs and learning different wrap techniques are for. B: keep pushing through  and STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS!!
9. Locs will NOT be the same as another person's. Each step and journey will look a little different from person to person.
10. Learn to have fun with them and enjoy all the steps from "baby locs" to "mature locs"

Check out my journey below......

baby locs

3 months

7 months

10 months

 11 months

11 months again

1 year!!