Move, Get Out The Way

For many years I've been trying to obtain a post-secondary degree. Due to changing my major a gazillion times, switching schools, incompleting courses & so on, I've been on this trek much longer than anticipated. If you're one who believes in astrology, my being a Gemini is partly the blame. According to my sign, I get bored very, very easily & am quite flighty, which describes me to a T. I find it very easy to get motivated but even easier to lose it. I am ambitious & set goals to attain them, but often fall short when I'm either close or don't see an end in sight. I am known to those close to me as the "wishy-washy" one. When I sit back & think about this, this isn't something I want to be remembered as when I pass on. This pegs me as indecisive, unsure, unreliable, fickle, just to name a few. In essence, being "wishy-washy," in my opinion, somewhat attacks my character. I consider myself to be a good-hearted person. I'm giving & love to share, especially when it empowers. Today, I'm making a conscious effort to combat flighty tendencies whenever necessary because it is no fun NOT being taken seriously. With all that being said, I realize that as much as I would like to blame unforseen circumstances, disabling obstacles, & my Zodiac sign for my setbacks the truth is, I've been standing in my own way. And now is the time for me to move out the way!!

Tis The Season To Be Nappy!!

Greetings Everyone.

A few months back I blogged about a book called Thank God I'm Natural. With the holidays just around the corner, I thought this would be a great stocking stuffer. I absolutely love, love, love this book. I refer to it for all sorts of things regarding napptural hair. Everyone should have this book as a resource guide.

Below is a message from the author herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank God I’m Natural: The Perfect Xmas Gift for the Special Woman in Your Life
The holidays are right around the corner and Thank God I’m Natural would make the perfect Xmas gift for that special woman in your life. Surprise mom, your daughter, or your best friend with an autographed copy of the book with a personalized inscription that reads “Dear XXX, Always stay natural. You’re beautiful just the way you are.” As black women, it is not often that we’re told we’re beautiful as we are, which is why this is such a unique present. The book is available online by http://thankgodimnatural.wordpress.com/store and Thank God I’m Natural is offering free shipping on all purchases from now until Christmas, excluding international orders.

Hey, Hey, Hey!!

Greetings everybody. Haven't blogged in almost a month. I've been super busy. How are you liking the Fall weather? Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love watching the leaves fall & change colors.

There's not much going on with my hair. It's getting much tighter/firmer. I have a few in the back that are heavy & hanging like for-real locs (see pic). That's it. Just wanted to say "hello" & let you know I haven't forgotten about y'all.

Happy Fall!!

Loc Loops Day 2

My curls are still hanging in there. I'm really digging 'em....makes my hair look more voluminous.

I got my loc loops, it's my birthday!!!

Well I succumbed to the pressure to try Loc Loops. I placed the order last Friday & received them yesterday. I know I probably shoulda waited until I get more length, but I just couldn't resist. Anyhoo, I like the results. At first I was a bit apprehensive because I didn't wanna look like I used sponge rollers the night before. Yall remember those sponge rollers, especially those of you who sported the mushroom...LOLOL. Ok, I digress. Here are the results. I slept in 'em overnight & when I removed the loops they were a bit tight but relaxed shortly. I pushed my hair back w/a thin hair band. It gives my hair a different look. I think I can rock it.

Are You Stressssssed Out?

As most of you know I went back to school a few weeks ago. One of my classes is Health & Physical Education. It is very interesting. The chapter that I read yesterday focused on physical & psychological health/well-being. I know with this trying economy many people are affected. And the fact of the matter is EVERYONE has stress. The key is how we manage it. I came across this website that has a plethora of information on ways to manage stress, how to identify stress, etc. There's even info on job analysis, is your job a good fit for you. I wanted to share this with you because it is imperative to stay optimistic & healthy, both physically & mentally, during these times. Let me know what you think -->Mind Tools

They're loc'ing...they're loc'ing...

Greetings Everybody.

I just wanted to post a shot of what my locs are doing now. They are getting much tighter & are less springy & spongy. The braid pattern is disappearing. Some of the ends have bulbs on em, as opposed to the ringlets they once had. Here is a comparison shot. Can you tell?

As you can see in the pic on the top, the ends of my hair are really curly. The pic on the bottom, not so much. I still have a few curls, but definitely not as many! YAY!!

5-month Locaversary

Tomorrow marks my 5th month locing. I must say, time is moving right along. I just have some small updates. I'm noticing some "budding" in the locs in the back of my head --YIPPY! Below are comparison shots. The pic on the top is at 2 months, the bottom is at 5 months. Can you see a difference? The pic on the right, I can see that my locs are beginning to drop/hang, as opposed to sitting upright. It's a subtle change but a change nonetheless :-D

A Lil Sunt'n Sunt'n....

So, I had an epiphany. I strategically created small braids in the front of my head to give my hair a more fuller look & made the braids in the middle/back of my head a bit bigger. With that being said, I've decided to continue using the nappyloc tool to retighten the smaller braids, while palmrolling/twisting the ones in the back. This will save me a whole lotta time when it comes to re-tightenings. I completed the front of my head & placed two side/flat-twist-thingies to keep 'em seperated from the middle/back, which I still have to do. See...

Goodbye Artistry in Motion

Season Four of America's Best Dance Crew introduced us to these very talented young ladies. I really dig what they brought to the show. Sadly, America didn't appreciate it. Though I have a few picks as my fave, this season isn't as, for lack of a better word, good as previous seasons. I'm curious to see who makes it to the top!

**New Natural Hair Book**

This lovely sistah sent me a message on Facebook. Her new book Thank God I'm Natural talks about caring for & maintaining natural hair. I am definitely going to support this sistah. I hope you will do the same!

Back Together Again!!

On August 6, 2009, my 2 daughters, my mom, & I went to New Jersey to visit family...and friends. My mom & I moved to Newark, NJ when I was 4 years old. We stayed there until I was 10, then we moved back to Michigan. While in NJ I made a few friends along the way. Sadly, I lost touch with all of them once I moved. There was one friend in particular that I felt I shared a bond with. From my recollection, we were bestest friends. Through the years I often wondered how she was doing, and what she looked like. Every now & then my cousin would tell me she saw her here & there & that she would ask about me.

March 2008 I received a friend request from someone on MySpace. I couldn't believe my eyes; it was her!!!! After all these years, she actually remembered me. Well, I knew that she remembered because of what my cousin would tell me. However, she remembered specific details about me, i.e., how I was, and still am, pigeon-toed, how I used to chew on the strings of my jacket, shirt, whatever, and even how I loved Five Star. I never thought in a gazillion years that someone else could have a memory like mine. I remembered fine details about her as well, like how she had very hairy arms, long fingernails along w/very long, thick hair. And that she & her mom looked like twins.

Though we didn't get to spend as much time together as I would have liked, I am grateful for the time we shared. To my surprise, another childhood friend joined in the festivities. She, like my other friend, not only remembered me, but also recalled a stuffed animal I had given her before I moved away.

Needless to say, this reunion was much needed and way overdue. I am so happy to have reconnected w/friends who I hadn't seen in forever. Here's to new friendships!! I love yall!!

My 1st updo

As many people may know, I get bored very easily. I began looking at my hair & decided that I wanted to try something different. Sure, it's quite convenient to get up in the morning, spritz, & go. But i wanted to see if my hair was long enough for an updo. Being that this is my 1st updo, please be gentle :-D

What I did to achieve this style was, the night before I 2-strand flat twisted the back of my hair. There are 3 flat twists total . Then I cornrowed the front in about 5-6 braids & took them out the next day...to give my hair a crinkly look. And...VOILA!! What do ya think?

Fun in the Sun

I was sitting in my car Saturday afternoon & decided to take a pic of my hair. I like this pic because it somewhat shows the density & thickness of my tresses. I was just having a lil fun w/the camera...

I love my locs magazine!!

While stopping by a fellow blogger's page I discovered this magazine called
I Love My Locs . Though I am already deeply in luv with locs, I truly believe I've submerged deeper. This magazine has over 100 pages of bios & pics of those who are at varying stages in their loc journey. You can download it
here for immediate viewing and/or purchase it. I'm going to do both.

Thanks to new2locs for providing the information to this inspiring magazine.

Month 4 - Almost!

Tomorrow will mark my 4 month locaversary. Not really doing much with my hair besides spritzing it w/water, peppermint oil, & glycerine daily. I can definitely see some growth. I'm just ready for my hair to be down the middle of my back already... :-D

3rd re-ti almost done

Yesterday I began my 3rd re-ti. I've only completed the front of my head, but I wanted to show a before & after shot. Surprisingly, it only took a few hours to do. I am going to be retightening on my breaks & on my lunch to get it done as soon as possible.

Please excuse my niece in the background w/the scary blurry face... :-)

I removed over 500 Sisterlocks. For Real. True Story!

In June 2003 I had over 500 Sisterlocks (TM) installed. I had been natural for a little over a year before deciding to get SLs. My then consultant happened to be a relative of a former co-worker. Since she worked out of her home she didn't charge super ridiculous prices to install or for maintenance. I absolutely LOVED my locs. But with the loss of my job, maintaining them became way too expensive. So I had this bright idea to remove all of 'em & restart w/braidlocz, which, at the time, I thought I could maintain myself. NOT!! With a lot of diligence & hard work, it took approximately 2 1/2 months to remove my 2-yr-old locs - tool of choice: curtain hook.

I would like to think that the removal of said locs was not done in vain since I ended up backsliding & going back to a relaxer 6 months later. The process taught me patience &, believe it or not, to love my natural kinks. It also taught me to believe that I can do anything I put my mind to. To see more, take a gander at my Fotki Album .

I'm suffering from serious hand-n-fro disease...

Since installing my braidlocz on April 1, 2009, I have taken down & redid several of my locs at least two times. I started off with a few thicker braids then decided that I wanted smaller ones. Well, as time went on & some of them began to swell I decided, again, that I wanted smaller ones. For the most part, I split only the ones toward the front of my head because the ones in the back are doing a great job getting tight & looking more like locs than braids. The ones on the top/sides are a different story. With all that said, I do not plan to do any more revamping unless necessary, i.e. thin locs, repairs, etc. So here are some before & after shots. Can you see the difference? Please say yes because otherwise I'm going to think I'm obsessive/compulsive...LOL!

4.3.09, 4.25.09
6.19.09, 6.25.09
4.25.09, 6.25.09

I'm on the grow. YIPPY!!!

Swelling Up & Filling Out!

While I don't have much of an update, I just wanted to acknowledge that my braidlocz are swelling & getting fuller. I don't exactly know my hair-type, but I will say that it isn't really kinky nor is it really fine. My hair falls somewhere in the middle. The back is much kinkier than the front/top. Because of this, the locs in the back will loc much sooner than the rest. The ends are really curly, which I like but cannot wait until they're locked & sealed. Anyhoo, take a look-see.

A Perfect Solution. A New Journey.

What most of you don't know is that I have a 2 1/2-yr-old who is like no child I had ever been in contact with. She is much more active than my 15-yr-old was at her age. Calling her hard-headed is an understatement. In addition to she and my oldest daughter being polar opposites of one another, doing her hair is no easy feat. Thankfully the lady who babysits her while I'm at work is a beautician & doesn't mind doing her hair. However, I have to reserve large blocks of time to take down her hair, wash it, & re-do. This, sometimes, can take well over a week. Needless to say, this is quite exhausting. Now, I know many of you are probably saying well maybe she's tenderheaded so on & so forth but, NO. She isn't. She's just extremely non-compliant.

A few months back I had mentioned to my husband that I wanted to loc her hair. He replied, "He** NAW!" With that response I thought I would not mention it again. After he witnessed how difficult it is to get her to cooperate he agreed.

This past weekend I began installing small-sized braidlocz to my baby's head. Most of the process was done while she was asleep. Being her usual stubborn self she did wake up a few times to give me a hard time but, once she realized I was determined & not taking her BS this time, she gave up - reluctantly!!

Surprisingly, my oldest daughter, although she thinks the locz are cute, doesn't want the baby to have locs. Mostly because she thinks she's going to meet opposition, which she probably will. I told her that I am going to equip her with the utmost knowledge & try to instill in her the beauty of natural/kinky/loced napps & the warped, tainted views of society. If after all of my teachings she still is unhappy with her hair, then, & only then will I consider other options.

Well, here goes my baby.

Nappy-Inspired Tees and Handmade Earrings

A few months ago while stalking fotki albums I came across this very talented woman named Cherie Huff aka Nappy Rutz. In addition to having one of the baddest afros I had ever seen, she was also very crafty, creative. See for yourself ...
Nappy Rutz

2-month-locaversary

Greetings!

I decided to try something different w/my short braidlocz. So I 2-strand-flat-twisted one side, secured w/bobby pins and left the rest down. I spritzed my hair w/a water-aloe vera juice-peppermint oil combo first though. What do you think? Should I rock it or stop it?

1st re-ti

About a week ago I did my first re-tigtening using a small-sized nappyloc tool. It took me a little over 13 hours to complete my whole head, which isn't too bad. I took many breaks in between. I was able to only take two pics because my camera phone was acting up. Let me know what you think!!