Nafrolinky

I love my hair and I'm proud

2010-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

There's a video that has been going around for a while and I'd like to share it with all of you that may have missed it. Enjoy

I posted this a few minutes back coz I only wanted to share the video but after watching the video for like a hundred times, I've decided there's something I'd love to add to the comment from the video. I definitely think it is great when media "accepts" other kinds of beauty other than the traditional forms usually portrayed in movies but do you really think that media should be left responsible to decide whether WE accept OUR form of beauty????

Many people keep complaining about media always portraying light and white skin as more beautiful, but can you really decide what media decides to show as beautiful? I personally think regardless of what is in the movies or what is considered main stream, you should have your own standards that determine what goes and what doesn't. My mother taught me that I am beautiful and that my natural hair (she wasn't into me getting locks but she was ok with me being natural) was the best thing I could rock, and regardless of the fact I grew up with a barbie doll and watching "white" tv, that never changed my mindset or my belief on MY beauty.

All those that may be reading this post and have kids, teach them they are beautiful, just as they are and not to think that they will only be beautiful when they have extensions and relaxers on their hair. Relaxing your hair and wearing extensions is not a sign that you don't think you're beautiful but when you would rather die than be seen with your hair in its natural state then that's madness. Know yourself worth and pass it on to your kids cause even when they get to a hundred, they will always remember what their parents told them.

It's next to impossible to avoid the media nowadays especially in a developped world where media is closer than your relatives but it's about time as adults we took back the power to influence your children. Don't try to be the cool parent that lets their kids live like movie characters, this is real life that requires real advise from parents and relatives, and when most kids don't get that, they check the net. Not everyone on the net is out to harm your children but to tell you the truth as much as I'm honoured by all the readers I would hate it to know that, some kid somewhere reads my blog to find identity that their parents don't help them to find.

Yeah the other excuse is that most people don't appreciate black hair, but hey, how many times does what other people think affect your life. What other people think is none of your business. Work on your self confidence and stop blaming people who should not matter in your life.

The post has turned into a rumbling of sort but I'll stop here and hope you enjoy the video and be proud of who you are coz YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL regardless of your race, religion, gender, age and beliefs.

Starting locks at home

2010-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

As you may have read on this blog, I had a professional loctician do my locks for the first 2 times then had my mother retwisting them for the next couple of months and by the time I started doing them myself they were already locked. Those who may have read my earlier blog posts may also know about how I started using the hairclips to hold my locks and try and make them look “professionall” whenever I retwisted them myself and this lead to the thinning of some locks and unfortunately loss of some others. Got me scared there for a minute but as my mother says, “It’s just hair, it’ll grow back”.

Well 2 of the locks I lost were at the back of my head, and the back always looked so bad without the 2 locks as they were from the side and were very visible when I hold a pony tail. That wasn’t much of a problem considering when my locks were shorter I let them fall freely, but now they are growing longer; I hold the ponytail and it looks horrible to say the least thus I decided to start the 2 on my own.

I have tried starting the locks before with the usual twist and gel method but considering I suffer from "Hand in Hair syndrome" (nothing serious only that when I'm idle, I prefer having my fingers on my hair), so I always ended up removing the lock before it could lock up. I honestly thought this would be easy but I realized it isn’t hence the post for all those who are in an area with no loctician in sight but definitely want to start locks. The process will take time before they actually hold or even lock but hey, you’ll be a proud owner of DIY locks afterwards.

This is how I did one lock; the other I decided to join to a nearby thin lock. I used the method on short hair so I can’t assure you it will work the same way for long hair but anyone who’s willing to try it out is welcome to share their story with us.

Decide on the size of locks you would like to have thick, thin or medium, choose a size you’ll be able to maintain.
Partition your hair into squares of the size of lock you have decided you would like and braid the hair. In Kenya we call these matuta. Make them neat as you’ll have them for a while.
This step may be done a couple of days later preferably after a wash of the hair. Do NOT re-braid the hair after the very first braid. After the wash; the root will be loose, now you will need to interlock the lock/braid. Interlocking will help tighten the root of the lock ready for locking. Do this repeatedly, every time you wash your hair, interlock the root. Remember to maintain the usual hygiene, wash the hair right and oil it.
After about 4weeks (i.e. after 2 washes depending on your lifestyle), a good length of the root will be interlocked. After the wash you can twist the lock with gel. For the first couple of times you’ll need to gel the whole length of hair. Don’t undo the braid though coz then the hair goes loose, for the next couple of times you can stick to twisting without interlocking.

The missing locks are on the left

If you continue doing this, within 3 to 5months your hair will have locked. I’ll repeat again, maintain your hygiene standards, leaving your hair to accumulate dirt will not fasten your locking process.

The lock I started is now about two and a half inches long. I feel so proud, after 3yrs I'll finally have a lock at the side again.

Removing build up from Locks

2010-10-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a lock with build up in it, not very clear but I hope you get the picture

Build up is a major issue many people have to deal with especially those that twist their hair with gel or shea butter that cause build up in the lock over time. You may wonder why not stop using these things and avoid the build up? That would be a possible solution to the problem, but sometimes you get addicted to the sweet smell of your gel or shea butter (not a great excuse but hey, what to do when you are an addict?). Sometimes the build up is caused by using too many products at the same time, especially chemical products. I advise to use one product at a time but sometimes the impatience (I'm so guilty of impatience), you buy a new product a few days after your last retwist and you can't wait to try it out but waiting another 2weeks will "kill" you so you just use the new product. Well, you do satisfy your curiosity and impatient self but most of the times the chemicals react and they do lead to build up.

So now that we have discovered what causes the problem but we are human and we are still bound to do the same silly thing even after knowing the consequences, how do we solve build up?

The web is full of recipes for it from using Vodka (which I must admit was the most interesting of all) to the usual Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). What these 2 have in common is alcohol, apparently you can use alcohol to remove the build up, due to its low density it dissolves the residues from your hair faster and easier than water. But you may want to read this article before you decide to use just any alcohol you find on your hair.

What you need:
- Usual shampoo and conditioner
-A cup of vinegar/ alcohol -I used wine vinegar, it doesn't matter what vinegar or alcohol you use just make sure it's nothing that will leave your hair smelling and/or looking worse than before you tried solving your build up problem. If you find this to be too strong for you, you can dilute it with some water to the ratio of 1:1

1. After shampooing your locks and rinsing them thoroughly, take the vinegar and pour it onto your locks. It would help if you had a small bucket to hold the vinegar so that you can pour the vinegar on your locks several times. The first time you pour the vinegar on, it just flows without wetting the lock cause the locks are wet. You could also try drying the hair after shampooing then pouring the vinegar onto your head to make sure your locks are only wet from the vinegar. The smell can be very pungent depending on what kind of vinegar you use.

2. Cover the locks with a shower cap/ polythene bag and leave them for about 20mins

3. Rinse out the locks several times cause of the smell and the acid (though I've come to learn it's not that bad to have it there after all) from the vinegar.

4. Condition your hair, preferably a deep conditioning (DC) cause the acid leaves the locks a bit dry and stiff.

5. Continue with your usual routine.

A lock after being soaked in ACV and rinsed out. Hope you notice the difference from the before picture, this one has no white pieces in it.

I learnt the ACV, also "helps to balance the pH and helps the hair shaft to open up for growth" by Sandy C.

Do you know any other reasons why ACV or any other alcohol or vinegar rinse is helpful to our locks?

Neglect, Free-form and organic locks, what’s the difference?

2010-09-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, many have expressed anger after reading my post on Neglect post arguing my comments were unfair and that not all neglect locks are dirty etc. Let’s start with clearing up the differences before we get angry, shall we?

Neglect locks are exactly just that, they are neglected locks. The owner lets nature do everything and they just watch the hair grow, they don’t wash them, they don’t oil…the hair is neglected and due to this unkempt state, the hair mates up and forms locks. This happens to all kinds of hair, and only the tips hold and the roots are usually straight hair. The hair stinks and is very ugly.

Free form and organic locks are the ones hard to differentiate because many people have their own definitions of the same. These usually look much like any other kind of locks and it would only take the owner to tell whether they are free form or organic.

I asked people on facebook to tell me what they thought the difference between free form and organic locks is; the answer I got was that free form, you only wash and oil but do nothing else but for organic you do all these and on top of that partition the locks.

Here are my personal definitions of both locks, though some people easily interchange these terms (free-form, and organic).

Free-form locks, they are washed, oiled and partitioned, sometimes they are started using other methods e.g. twisting, braiding or two strand twists but after the hair locks, then they are mainly only taken care off but left to do the rest. Any products may be used, natural or chemical it doesn’t matter much.

Organic locks may be any kind of locks started by any method but only organic or natural products are used on these locks i.e. regardless of method used to maintain them, only natural products are used with no chemicals. For example if you have twist locks, instead of using hair gel that’s made mainly of chemicals you use pure honey or natural oils to twist your locks, to dye these kinds of locks you only use natural henna but not the hydrogen peroxide dye or the lab-made henna most people use.

So those are my definitions, what do YOU guys think is the difference?

Bantu knots, how do I do them?

2010-09-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Bantu knots, they look very easy to do and they are but for a beginner it can turn into a very angry session trying to do them. This is a post specially dedicated to Nappy Headed Black Girl who requested a tutorial on how to do Bantu Knots. I hope you'll be able to do them after you read this.

What you need:
wet locks and your hands :D I prefer doing the knots on wet hair so that the curls come out "stronger", on dry hair the curls don't hold too well. The locks don't need to be dripping wet, just enough water to soften them up. You can use a spritz of choice to wet them. (Some homemade spritz recipes will be coming up soon, anyone interested can submit their ideas)

Step 1: Partition the locks and hold them perpendicular to the scalp then twist the group of locks along their length

Step 2: Bend the twisted locks and this time wind them around the lower half, don't make it too tight cause when the locks dry they contract and the knot becomes tighter and this can be very uncomfortable and painful.

Step 3: Now tuck in the tips at the base of the knot and start with the next. The tucked tips should hold on their own but in case the come out, just tuck them back in it's normal for that to happen.

Head full of Bantu knots, can't wait to rock the curls

And this is what my babies looked like after the Bantu knots were out. Lots of volume, I'm now in love with the new found secret.

Central Florida's first Natural Hair and Beauty Expo

2010-09-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hallo People,

Here's an invitation to all My Dreadlock readers to the very first Natural Hair and Beauty Expo in Central Florida. Please mark your calendars and pass the info with all your natural friends, family and neighbors to share in this great event. More information about the event can be found at their website.

Dying locks, how to do it right

2010-09-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have been contemplating coloring my locks for a while now, after seeing so many beautiful colored locks I thought maybe it's time I left my natural jet black hair. It takes time to make the final decision, I have never known any other hair color in my life (apart from my braids that were always a different color) so it was a BIG decision for me, now after about 2yrs...lol....yeah it took me over 2yrs to make the final decision. I tried last christmas to dye it but ended up with the wrong type of color, I wanted red but didn't lift the black first so there was practically no change in my hair color. I bought the dye last month and was ready to dye but I still had to think about it again, and finally today I woke up and decided to do it.

All the products I used

I had checked the internet for tips or instructions on how to do it, considering I did it the wrong way last time, but not many have documented any of it with pics atleast. So here are my steps of lifting the color from my babies from jet black to to blond. I'm aiming at Dark Chilli chocolate, so there'll be a part 2 cause I thought dying twice in one day might be a bit too much.

1. Talked to my loctician about it, I do that a lot just to be safe and to make sure I have professional advice as back up and talking to my loctician ensures I get advice from someone who has worked on my hair before. According to him, it's possible to dye my babies in one sitting from black to red but I have to bleach first.

2. More psychological preparation, had about a week between the talk with the loctician and my d-day. You can use this step to go buy the products you will need for the whole process. I bought my products before the talk with my loctician.....I needed a lot of psychological preparation but I guess you are prepared and ready for it right?

3. Search the net for info, now you have it on my blog so it won't be hard to get all the answers at one place.

4. Most companies advice to take an allergy test before using the products. This is not a problem, 48hrs before the d-day follow the instructions and dye a single lock at the back of your head and see how that works out. If it causes you to itch or get boils or stuff, DO NOT proceed to dying the whole head, this might turn out ugly.

On the d-day,
What you will need:
- Bleaching product, to lift the color out of your hair, you won't need this if your hair is blond only for black and dark brown hair
- Final hair color
- An old Tee and a towel, you don't mind trashing
- A pair of gloves, some dyes don't come with them in the pack
- Neutralising shampoo ( or if you feel adventurous like myself, toothpaste :), I'l explain)

1. Pray that everything goes well

2. Lay all your products on the table, open the boxes and check if all you need is in there and read the instructions.(Incase you skipped the part on allergy test. I didn't do the test, cause I'm rarely allergic to stuff...I'm only allergic to protein (wierd but yeah that's my only worry))

3. Partition your locks into tiny pony tails and hold them with a rubber bands or tiny hairbands. You could tie them once at the top or twice, top and middle depending on how you like it.

4. Prepare the mixture according to the instructions in the box.

5. Spread the bleach at the tip of one tail and squeeze (till there's the ksh ksh sound)to ensure the bleach gets into the locks. Do this to each tail then leave them on for the instructed time on the box or till you like the color on your locks.

6. Wash the locks till the water is clear, this is where the toothpaste comes in.

The partition of the locks after a couple of minutes with the dye on

I had a discussion on how dye affects your locks a couple of days back, and I almost decided not to dye my hair when one person complained that his locks thinned and became so weak after he dyed them and had to cut them. Then a professional stylist came up with the reason for the thinning, not neutralising the effect of the dye. Well, a short chemistry lesson for all of us. Dye contains hydrogen peroxide which is an acid (pH less than 7) when it is left in the hair it continues to break down the hair follicle that is made of protein (keratin), to stop the process you need a base (pH larger than 7) to neutralise the reaction and come back to neutral (pH =7). Depending on which city you live in, the water in your tap may range from pH 7,5 to about 8, thus it is possible to neutralize with the water from the tap alone but considering hydrogen peroxide is at pH between 1,0 to 2,0 depending on the mixture of solution, water from the tap may not be enough to neutralize it completely. To cut a long story short, with no neutralizing shampoo, I used toothpaste (it can be used in place of anti acids when you have a heartburn so why not to neutralize your dye?). You might not need this whole explanation or step anyway, I was just too paranoid thinking my locks would fall off if I didn't do it....lol.....I actually washed the locks for almost 2hrs, with plain water, with toothpaste, with normal shampoo then conditioner. Let's see how the babies look after a week to see if it was worth such a long wash.

My Bantu knots after retwisting

When all is done and you're sure the locks are clean and no more dye is left in the locks, you can do a DC (deep conditioning), retwist and finally style your locks to whichever style you please......I decided to try out Bantu knots, lets see if my babies will have curled by Monday when I remove the knots.

PS: I used some organic oil on my babies, meeenn it smells like some herbal medicine.....even tried to drown its smell with Olive oil and it's still smelling arrrggghhh hope it doesn't smell like this the whole week. :)

The Winner is....

2010-09-18T01:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you for taking part in the blog giveaway. The winner of this week's My Dreadlocks Giveaway is Smoothsilk. Please send me an email with your details at dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com before Tuesday, failure to do that the prize shall be granted to the next winner.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

This week My Dreadlocks will be hosting our very first giveaway sponsored by Uprinting.com an online eco-friendly printing expert. We'll be giving away 250 custom made Die Cut cards to one of the My Dreadlocks readers. Check out their other cool cards. Are you interested in getting one of those cards? Then check out the regulations to winning them.

The regulations for the prize are very easy,

1. Become a follower of My Dreadlocks, click on follow* ( I just realized that some people are having problems with the follow button. Until it's repaired, you are all allowed to take part without following the blog)

2. Leave a comment on this post stating the post you like most on My Dreadlocks

3. You have to be above 18yrs old and a US Resident.

The giveaway ends on 17th and the winner will be announced on the 18th. Have fun fishing out the title to your favorite post and I look forward to reading the comments. Let the games begin......

Gel or wax for your locks, how to make the right choice

2010-09-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

I bet this is the most asked question about palm rolled/ twist/ gel locks and not only with newbies but also with those that have had locks for a while and still haven't settled in with any specific kind. The most irritating thing though is the answer to this question. It's usually very ambigous as it is very common that the answer goes something like " the type of gel or wax you choose will be influenced by a couple of things which include your hair type, how often you wash your hair and your preferences". I know most have asked and got that same answer and you think, thanx a lot for NOTHING.

Though it is true that these do affect your choice in a gel or wax, I have tried to compile a small list that will help you out. The list might not give you a specific brand that you'll go pick at the store tomorrow but atleast it will help you choose one more easily and faster.

First things first, what are all these things, there is gel, wax, pomade, mousse, paste and gum? What can you use on your locks and what can't you? What is the difference between them? Well considering we all want our locks held in for at most 2weeks, we'll just cancel out mousse, paste and gum from the list as they are not meant to hold the hair for too long. If you have dry hair, completely stay away from mousse, it contains alcohol that dries hair. Now we're left with gel, pomade and wax. Pomade is wax like, actually for some it means the same thing but according to the Wise Geek, pomade contains wax in it plus other oils and fragrances while wax is pure. Both of these lead to build up in the lock though they do hold much better than gel. I would say pomade is better than wax in that it contains oils that moisturize your hair unlike wax that's just plain wax. Though wax doesn't dry up hair like mousse I do think the extra oils in pomades do make a difference. You have to check what kinds of oils are in the pomade as sometimes they use petroleum based oils which cause more build up than moisture.

Now that all those are solved, we're now left with gel and wax yet again. Which is better?

1. Gel is water based so it can easily be washed out of hair after only shampooing once while wax tends to build up and to avoid the build up you may be required to shampoo more than once.

2. Gel should only be used on wet hair as it tends to set the hair, setting dry hair may cause breakage. Wax on the other hand is very flexible and may be applied even on dry hair with no damage.

3. It's advisable to stay away from alcohol based gels, especially for dry hair.

Lastly, I would insist you always check the ingredients of the gels you use before you take them to the cashier at the department store. If you definitely want a specific gel even with it's unadvisable characteristics, you can always "pimp" it. Check out websites on different homemade recipes to enhance your gel, or wax or pomade.

You may also use honey as a substitute for your usual gel or wax, it doesn't hold as well as either of the two but it gives a very fresh feeling to the scalp, you can read about that at Sweet Locks and Sweet Locks Aftermath. But even with honey it's not advisable to use it throughout your locking journey as it bleaches the hair not unless you already do bleach your hair.

Another school of thought advices to completely stay away from both of the above (wax and gel) and instead use oils while other advice to make your own gel. Shea butter is a no go zone, as adviced by various readers when I revealed I wanted to try it out on my own locks. I hope with this I've brought you closer to a decision on what is best for you. Unfortunately, I still don't really know what is in the gel I have been using for my 3 locked years but I'm still trying to get my loctician to reveal the BIG secret.

Finally just for the fun of it, does anyone
remember this scene on There's Something about Mary when she used the guy's sperm thinking it was hair gel?

Tips to healthy beautiful locks

2010-08-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

I was reading Parents Magazine recently and found this article, I pimped it a bit to focus on locks though it was orginally written for "combable" hair. So here it goes

1. Massage your scalp often. You can do this everyday before styling your locks; everytime you oil your locks and when you wash your locks. The massage helps increase blood supply to the scalp ensuring more nutrients needed for hair growth, also massage works as a stress reliever and remember no stress increases hair growth.

2. Avoid products with harmful chemicals that destroy your scalp and/or hair. Rule of thumb, if it's not safe for kids or your skin, then it ain't good enough for your hair.

3. Don't hold your hair too tight, it causes the hair to break. Many website encourage people to use hairclips when they retwist their locks, take it from me, this IS NOT a good idea. I know you want your locks to look like they were done by a professional loctician with all the tiny hairs held in the lock, but those hair clips usually break more hair than they hold. I have lost a couple of locks from this tip on websites, please don't do it.

4. Don't use too many products on your hair simultaneously. Some products are basic others are acidic while others are neutral, if you mix all of them on your hair, they'll be reactions taking place and something will end up burning, stinking and having build up.

5. Rinse out your locks until the water is clear regardless of what you put into your locks. Unlike straight hair, locks are like sponges that suck up everything into them, so squeeze out any residue that maybe left in the lock. And I think I should add wash your locks regularly to avoid stinking locks. They stink coz of sweat from the scalp.

6. Reduce the use of too much heat on your hair, I know most of us think that this rule only applys to straight hair but it doesn't. Always going into the drier to dry your locks ain't such a great idea after all, take a walk under the sun. If you're in Scandinavia where you only see the sun like twice a year, then try and retwist your hair early mornings so that you have the whole day for it to dry. The funniest thing is, most people I know guilty of this are Nairobians who are at the equator and have the sun all year round.

6. Exercise for great blood circulation throughout your body. Good blood circulation ensures that all cells have the required nutrients to function as required, it also helps to transport the waste from your cells for excretion by other organs.

7. Sometimes, as much as you try to avoid build up, it still does occur, so try once in a while not too often to soak you hair in Apple Cider Vinegar for about 15mins in between rinses to take out the build up. Don't do it too often because vinegar is acidic and when you use it too often on your hair it will destroy the hair follicles.

8. Balanced diet, you are what you eat. Nutrients will only be transported by your blood when they are supplied to the body in the first place.

9. My last and "favouritest" tip is don't care too much it's just hair. You changed from relaxed hair to locks to be free from all the rules on relaxers, don't walk in the rain, don't wet your hair, treat it every 2weeks, etc now you're locked and you got even more rules that's not how freedom works. I think the only reason free form locks, grow longer and waaayy healthier than most "modern" locks is cause the free forms only have the basic care, they are clean and oiled the rest is left to the hair.

Hope your locks are now looking lovely and fresh....

Locked swimmer

2010-08-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

So you have dreadlocks and wondering if you can swim and if you can then how with the locks down to your waist. I thought I should put this up before summer is over and everyone has found their own solution to it or don't need to swim anymore.

Apparently, chlorine and salt help your locks lock faster, I guess because they dry up the hair follicle (this also applies to dyes). The catch here is not the chlorine nor the salt but the water getting to the locks. If you have hair like mine that is soft and silky when wet and turns into steel wool when dry, then I bet you are also worried that after every swim you have to retwist and this is not very convenient especially if you want to swim more than once a week. So here are a couple of tips to help you out.

1. The easiest, would be to get yourself a swimming cap for the locks which are available online. Sites suggested by acquintances are: My Swimstuff, Aquapride and XL Swimcaps by Fran. I read a suggestion, that you divide the hair into and stuff each side into a cap then stuff both caps in a larger one, I don't know how that works though.

2. Those with new locks, need lots of rubber bands. Tie one at the root and the other at the tip, this helps to keep the hairs in place.

3. The main reason we wash the hair after swimming is to remove the chlorine stuck in it, a great idea would be to avoid getting any chlorine in in the first place. Wet the hair before getting into the pool, so it won't take up any chlorinated water in it.

4. After the swim, dry the locks completely don't try to tie them up and forget about it. First of all, they will stink (Just like a wet towel). Second of all, they might form mildew in them (the kind that forms on damp clothes).

5. Lastly, enjoy the swim and keep keeping fit, it's healthy.

Interlocking

2010-08-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I found myself hooked to youtube (instead of reading for my exams (^_^)). I discovered Ms Island Spice. She has some great videos on styling locks and great advice. What I particularly interesting was the one on Interlocking.

If you can remember I had written about Crotcheting sometime ago. Interlocking is more or less the same concept only that with interlocking you don't have a crotchet, some locticians use a specialized hook for the same but if you're doing it at home right before your next retwist as you watch tv, just use your fingers.

Interlocking is very helpful especially for those locks that take too long to lock. You know the locks that usually distangle until you're left with hair at the root and a dangling lock? Those need interlocking. My loctician usually does the same but for him, he braids the root then passes the lock through the bottom of the "braid". With time the braid comes out and the hair locks without the lock falling off. I always thought that was a complex process that only a professional could do, or atleast someone who can see the top of my head. After the video I sat down and interlocked a couple of locks and I feel like I just visited a professional loctician.

Something to remember; if you plan to comb out your locks in the future, interlocking makes it next to impossible because it's like combing out a locked braid. If you plan to keep your locks then keep interlocking but not too often cause it makes them bumpy. I think I'll try and do it about every 3months atleast or until my locks start misbehaving again. I wish I knew about this when I started my locks, I would have saved myself a couple of locks.

I'm trying to start 2 new locks (they aren't really new, they fell off after bad maintenance) using braiding and interlocking, I'll tell you how that goes, hope it works.

In other news,
I'm still waiting to see if the tips I sewed onto my locks have joined to the lock, it doesn't look too hopeful though but I'll keep you updated.
I solved the issue with my email address, you guys can continue emailing. I even found out the email add of the person who hacked the account, apparently they're based in South Africa, I'm definitely disappointed in the person's actions.

My Account Hacked!!

2010-07-29T02:36:00.000-07:00

Hallo Everyone,

My account was hacked sometime last night and an email sent to all those that have ever emailed me at dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com I would like to apologize to all of you for any inconvenience that may have been caused by that email. The email states that I'm in Scotland and require money from you. Please DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY, just delete the email it was a spam.

I have solved the issue and I hope this will not occur again. I thank all of you that emailed to inform me of the spam mail, I appreciate your concern and support.

I'm deeply sorry for that email and hope you will all continue to support My Dreadlocks.

Moisture and oil for a week

2010-07-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello people,

you wouldn't imagine what I just discovered. I have the funniest scalp/hair ever in the world. My scalp dries up so fast I even thought I was sick. After oiling it looks all beautiful and glossy but that lasts a maximum of 3days (If I sock it in oil). I know choosing the correct hair oil is a problem many ladies all around have. Some oils cause dandruffs while others make you itch and the wierd ones make your hair drier. I guess I have only been using the wrong ones that make you itch and your hair drier through out my life.

Last week after my retwist with honey, (nowadays I do the sweet locks a lot, very refreshing) I decided to try something new that I hadn't tried before on my hair, it doesn't hurt to try and anyway, I had used the worst available so nothing new was really going to happen. My mother swear to the power of Glycerine, for the kenyans, remember the glycerine with a bluish purple cover called Ideal that the ladies used to use to "dilute" their Lady Gay, yap that's exactly what I used. After the usual retwist and the locks were dry, I decided to oil my scalp with glycerine. I'm not usually a fan of liquid hair oil but, I know glycerine on it's own when used on rough feet, it moisturizes and makes the feet supple and soft. You can use glycerine on your skin without lotion, or use it to dilute your lotion and you'll see the difference between with and without. I've used glycerine most of my life, I kind of graduated to glycerine after vaseline....lol...and i have the softest skin you'll ever meet, though there are times I thought I'm now a grown up and should try a way other than that my mother taught me and one time I used some lotion ( I won't mention the name to avoid a lawsuit cause I've seen it advertised on CNN and Ebony for years as the solution to black skin). I used it for 2 months and by the end of the 8th week, my skin was soo rough like a sisal bag, and it was soo itchy and painful....I did a glycerine treatment for a week and my skin was back. I think I'll stick to glycerine for my hair also.

I have heard about jojoba oil, coconut oil, aloe gel and shea butter being great for hair, I'm yet to use them but I sure will tell you after I have.

In other news, my babies are officially shoulder length after 29 months. Did you notice the curls? I tried curling it by braiding and undoing the braids after about 24hrs, but I have to improve the technique.

Wet hair and locking

2010-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you're all doing great after the looong World Cup break. Did you see all the beautiful locks on the field? You didn't? No worries, I'll be posting some pics for those that are anti-football like myself. Though I must admit, the world cup being hosted in Africa kept drawing me to ~~watch~~ catch a glimps of some the matches and the locked players.....anyway enough of derailing.

Back to the subject at hand, why do people wet their hair during the initial process of locking? Most people wet their hair during the initial stage of locking only because they wash their hair right before they start locking. Ok that sounds obvious but this is what I think, most people decide the next visit to the salon, I'll do locks instead of relax so when they get to the salon they do the usual wash and after the wash they have a locking instead of relaxing. Others that do it at home do it also in the same fashion, when I undo my braids I'll lock hence after undoing the locks and washing they try and lock the hair.

So should you or shouldn't you? Many people have attended different schools of thought on this issue, but here is my 2cents worth. First of all you should definitely wash your hair before locking, just for hygienic standards and good smell. Secondly, it always depends on the method you want to use to lock your hair, some methods that require friction e.g. the hat method, wouldn't work too well on wet hair. Others like twisting with gel are usually easier on wet hair, remember when you used to use gel on permed hair? The gel was always smeared on wet hair right? Exactly. And if you are doing your hair yourself, and your hair is like mine that is soo springy when dry then wet hair is easier for our to separate and work on.

There is no universal rule on wetting hair before locking, it is a personal decision on whether to do it or not. Some people do advise to stay away from water and washing for a while after you start your locks, but I don't. Locks should be enjoyed and not be a reason for anyone to be ashamed. Locks take approximately 3months to lock fully, can you imagine yourself walking around with unwashed hair for that long? I would personally prefer to delay my locking by 1 or 2 weeks and still keep them clean though I highly doubt washing your locks delays their locking.

Dreadlock loom

2010-06-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

I don't understand how looms work, tried to learn during some arts and craft class but I guess that doesn't fall under stuff my brain ever wants to understand. Either way, I find what you can doo with looms very interesting and usually beautiful. Here is one that you can use to make dreadlocks, I ain't sure if you can use it on your head though. (I doubt its practicallity but maybe you can use it to make a cute belt....)

Courtesy of Crotcheted wedding dresses

Short locks

2010-05-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hallo People,

Here is a picture from one of the readers who has recently started locking. It's a beautiful picture to show all the My Dreadlocks readers it is possible to start locking even with very short hair. Another thing is how neatly the locks were done, very organized, well spaced and very professional. What matters most when starting your locks is not the length of your hair but the person who does them.

NYC

2010-04-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

Hallo everyone,

Repairing locks with a crotchet

2010-04-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Incase your have very long hair and some of the hair is lose from the main lock, you can use a crotchet to tighten the lock. Crotcheting has more or less the same function as latching (will post an article about that also) but it's easier to crotchet that latch on your own (This may vary, others find latching easier, I unfortunately can't do either of them but my loctician always uses latching when I do my annual loctician visit.)

Pic courtesy of Dreadlock HQ (In german)

CROTCHETING

2010-03-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden, I'm crazy about the whole concept of crotcheting in relation to locking. I love crotcheting funny little stuff like small cell phone bags but now, the bags aside, it's crotcheting locks now. Considering there is a lot about crotcheting in relation to locks I'll do a series like I did back then with the head wraps. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
For those who are still looking for a method of starting their locks, crotcheting is also a possibility.

1. Now take one of your sections of hair. If you have straight hair, this is the point when you start twisting gently but back-combing like mad. Once you have a nice long puff, continue to the next step. If you already have naturally coiled (3c, "biracial", Moroccan, tight-Polish spiral-wave) or Afro-kinky hair (4a, 4b), don't worry about the back-combing. Just mash it together, or twist it mildly until it coils a little loosely.

2. Push the crochetting needle through Twist the hair at least a quarter turn more, and then push the needle through a little more hair at about a 45 degrees angle from the last loop.a small subsection of the loc. This should only be maybe 10-20 hairs thick.

3.A little further down the loc, twist it until at least the side of the loc that was away from you, is now facing towards you.

4. Then push the needle through some hair that is at about a 45 degree angle from where your initial loop is.

5. Pull this second loop through the first one.

6. Twist the hair at least a quarter turn more, and then push the needle through a little more hair at about a 45 degrees angle from the last loop.

7. Then pull this loop through the last one.
Continue this cycle of twisting and looping until you run out of hair. Then pull the last loop all the way through until it's loose.

Courtesy of Cornrows

Recycling locks.

2010-03-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

Ok before you all think I'm completely gaga with all my "wierd" ideas hear me out. After I wrote about 24hr locks, American made a comment about cutting his locks then reusing them. Funny enough I hadn't thought of it like that when I wrote about the 24hr locks. Guess I looked at it from the outside and only saw buying a stranger's locks and locking with your own especially for the unlocked people.
I had shared about my twist locks thinning and eventually cutting during the early stages of my locking. This was basically caused by inexperience hence tightening my lock a bit too much while I twisted. I got this wierd idea for those who may be going through the same problem I did. The whole process will require a lot of imagination, I only got the idea after I had already separated my locks, but I'll try and add pics of the sewing the tip sometime.

When your lock thins
1. Attach it to a neighbouring lock, after a while the 2 will lock and you will end up with 2 locks with one base.

2. For tidiness sake, just cut off the tip of the parasitic lock. Be very carefull to differentiate between the parasitic lock from the host lock. Don't throw away the tip of the lock you cut, store it well.
The host and parasite take about 2 to 3 washes before they join together and lock but this depends on the magnitude of damage on the parasite lock and also kind of hair It may eventually range from 2 to 3 washes or even 2 to 3 months.

3. Search for the parasitic lock and separate it from the host lock (for those with a lot of hair, but no worries if you do your own locks then your hands will intuitively find them), at this time the tip of the parasitic lock has locked to some level meaning when you wash, the hair won't magically disappear (kinky hair shrinks and scatters on the scalp).

4. The parasitic lock now appears as a small new lock, twist it and give it time to completely lock on its own.

5. When the lock has eventually locked then attach the lock you had cut. You may use thin black thread either by sewing the old lock tip or crotchetting it to the new lock. Attaching the tip only helps to increase the length of the new lock so that it doesn't look too wierd in the midst of the rest.

Combing out locks

2010-02-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

Is this really possible? Some say yeah some say no, I guess it's just another case of glass being half full or half empty. I have watched many videos on youtube and read about it on many blogs and magazines so I thought I should also try it and see what happens. Instead of throwing away my last lock that fell off, I decided to comb it out and see what happens.
So question is, is it possible to comb out locks? My answer is yes you can, but before you start trying to comb your locks, I don't think it's worth it. Wait a minute, I don't mean it being worth it in the sense you shouldn't let go of your locks or anything like that. What I mean is, your locks are an entanglement of dirt, hair that cut but didn't fall off and many other tiny little things. If you can look at your lock closely, you will realise it's not like a braid that you can undo and comb out soo simply. Do you remember when you would braid your hair and when you would undo the braids, where the artificial hair had been attached to your hair, there was like an accumulation of oil, drandruff and small bits of hair. Then when you finally finished undoing your hair, it would look soo full then after you comb it out, you end up with a whole ball of hair and the dandruff out of your hair but now on the comb.
When you comb out your locks, it's more or less like that or for me it was. You won't end up bald or anything, but you won't end up with hair as long and beautiful as your locks. Combing out your locks will definitely give you a headstart if you want to grow back your unlocked hair, but it won't maintain the length. Maybe this also depends of the method you use for locking because some of the videos I watched on youtube, it's like combing out a normal braid and the hair remains the same.
I don't know though, has anyone tried combing them out or knows someone who did? Did it work out? How did your/their hair look like after the combing?
All in all, if you are tired of the locks, a change is as good as a rest and instead of starting from bald, you might as well buy a tough comb, get yourself a movie or two and some time to kill then comb out those locks till you got your hair back.
What I would ask for from you would be, a before and after pic and maybe a short summary of the whole experience.

My babies turn 2

2010-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

I have learnt alot from my locks as they turn 2 today. Here is a list of stuff I learnt.

1. Know the reason why you have locks: people have very many different reasons for having or not having locks. Some for religious reasons, others for beauty, others cause it's the cheapest hairstyle or easiest to maintain while for others it's a sign of the african liberation etc.

2. Realise not everyone has or doesn't have locks for the same reason you do. Just because you think locking is a sign of african liberation doesn't mean everyone who has locks agrees with you. Sometimes there are more "unlocked" people who agree with you than the "locked".

3. Do you want people to respect your reason for locking? Then respect other people's reason for having or not having locks. It saddens me everytime I vist a blog on locks only to find "locked" people cursing and writing trash about all those that are not "locked". For whatever reason you decided to lock, that's great but don't force it down any other person's throat.

4. Your locks are unique and special: Don't try and compare your locks with all the others out there, there are many factors that play a vital role in your hair's texture, colour, weight and even length eg your genes, hormones, climate, hair products you use, age etc. Understand and treat them special they are as unique and special as you are.

5. Too much of anything is poisonous: yes and this applies to all the good remedies you get online too. For anything to work well, it should be used in moderation. Just use enough when you need it but not too much.

6. Excersice patience: It's funny how my locks have taught me how to be patient with other people. I was formerly the most impatient person I knew until I got my locks and I had to wait for 22months before I could hold them in a ponytail and also sit for a little over an hour twisting them myself every fortnight. (All of you, you have locticians, count your blessings)

7. A change is as good as a rest: just because you got "locked" doesn't mean you have to look the same all year round. Change the way you hold your hair once in a while regardless of the length of your locks. If you can braid your locks, even with bought hair ( I aint against enhancing your lock). I have braided my hair twice since I started locking but let me warn you, if you braid your hair after a long time, you scalp will itch like crazy. Maybe for me it was different also cause, I let no one else do my hair so getting "foreign" hands on my head caused the itch.

8. Enjoy every stage of your locking: I guess I was too caught up waiting for my locks to be long enough to hold up and style that I missed their growth. I see pictures of people with short locks well styled and I wonder why didn't I try that when my locks were short?? If any of you is starting their locking or even if you are regrowing your afro, enjoy every single minute of it.

9. Don't use every single product you read about in the blogs, some people are just making money out of you. People do get paid for advertising you know.

10. Keep it simple: stay away from all those compound named chemicals Ammonium lauryl sulphate, dodecahydroxyclohexane, (yes that's one word). Just because it sounds fancy and intelligent doesn't mean it'll help your hair, trust me, I'm a scientist. I use more baby products that adult products. Baby products are usually more expensive, have less intoxicants and contain more pure substances that are less harsh on your skin adult products on the other hand, are usually cheaper than baby products ( to be cheaper it means there is more substitution of pure substances with chemicals) and some can be very harsh on your skin.

11. Locks are just hair don't fuss too much about them: wierd that I'd be the one writing this considering, I call my locks my babies, I take pictures of anything that happens to them and even started a blog for them. Anyway, locks are like any other hairstyle, don't feel guilty for getting tired of having them, it's normal and you are only human. If one day you wake up and want to cut them, feel free to do so. You'll still be welcome at My Dreadlocks. What you feel inside is what matters most, your appearance only enhances but doesn't define the feeling inside.

Threading

2010-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

I met a guy who is trying to lock his hair but wasn’t sure which style to use to lock. When he visited the loctician, threading was suggested to him.
Threading of locks is done by first subdividing the hair into rectangles (sometimes it's an undescribable shape) and then tying the thread loosely along its whole length to form a lock. Space the thread along the lock length NOT like the raffia locks though (it is quite complex trying to explain this style so I made pictures of the locks, hope they give a better understanding of the technique). It is preferable to use black thread if your hair is black. Later as the hair grows out, you twist the root with hair gel or beeswax.
This method is just a starting method to help make the locks lock faster and equally through the whole length of a lock. This method is usually used on long hair. DO NOT tie the thread too tight cause then the lock will develop with bumps on it. Tie it lightly but firmly enough to hold the lock in place.

More of OUR Beautiful Pictures

2010-01-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

This week we feature, Francene's Pictures.

Being glamorous on her birthday. Hope you had a wonderful Birthday Francene. May you have many more birthdays to come and continue enjoying your locking journey. Keep us updated.

If any of the other readers would like to be featured on My Dreadlocks please email me a couple of your pics you would like to share with us at dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com

Get Locks in less than 24hrs

2010-01-03T05:23:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and are all ready for the New Year. January is the month we all try and recover from the fun we had and lazing we did during the festive season. In some parts of the world, kids are starting their first days in school while other are moving to a class higher than a year before making this one of the most hectic months of the year. We have made resolutions to become better people, parents, friends, parents, employees and bosses. In the new year and new decade, My dreadlocks will try and help you take care of your "crown" better. We'll help you look more elegant, have less stress being natural and be even more interactive while the page remains easy to navigate. Happy New Year to all of you and may you all have a prosperous one.

So back to the Quick Locks,

Would you like to move from the lady on the left (short straight hair) to the lady on the right(long beautiful locks) in less than 24hrs?? Amazingly it is possible. I was recently in Nairobi and I was surprised at the number of people with very looong and beautiful locks. The reason for my surprise was not the locks being beautiful, not at all because one of the best locticians I know lives in Nairobi. The reason for my surprise was in less than 2yrs Nairobi had moved from no lock zone to almost everyone is locked and they are all long. My locks are only 23months old and it was only recently that I was able to hold them up in a pony tail. So I decided to investigate how most people in Nairobi moved from short straight hair to very long locks in such a short time.
What happens is, people with long locks cut their locks and sell them. If you decide to lock your hair, you go to the loctician in upmarket salons in Nairobi and buy the locks. As you get your "afro" twisted into locks for the first time, they attach the bought locks to your new ones. The bought locks are natural, i.e. they were growing on someone else's head before they were attached to your hair. They are not synthetic nor are they like the "human hair" weaves you attach to your hair, these means they are not treated in any way.As your new locks grow, they gradually lock with the attached locks.
This method is very fast and hustle free especially when done by a professional. You also don't require too much patience to wait for your locks to grow, (I have been waiting 23months before I could hold my locks in a pony). It only requires about 3months if not less for your hair to lock completely with the attached locks. The method is quite cheap, if you compare it to dread perm that's just as fast. 24hr Locks cost about €60-€80 ($100-$120), according to the living standards in Nairobi that's a lot of money but for a visiting kenyan from the diaspora, it's manageable if you want to hurry your locking.
The only disadvantage would be the use of someone else's hair, and in most cases someone you know nothing about. I think if I had been presented with this option when I wanted to start locking, maybe I would have done it but now I have been with my babies for 23months, I wouldn't exchange them for anything.
What do you guys think? Those that have been locked for a while, if you had to reverse time, would you do it? And those who would like to lock, would you do it if you found a salon that does it?

Happy Holidays

2009-12-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank you all for your continued support of My Dreadlocks through reading the articles, commenting, sharing your pictures and even sending me emails with questions and encouragement. I salute you all for your dedication to this blog. I cherish the time you all take to visit the blog and make it a success. Locking can be quite taxing but the journey is made easier travelling with wonderful people like you from all over the world.

I would still like to encourage you to share more pictures of your beautiful locks and even stories of your locking journey. Keep the questions and comments coming on what you want to see more or less of in the new year.

Do you own a locking salon? Or do you have a website on dreadlocks? Or maybe you make products that you think would be great for locks? My Dreadlocks will be offering low cost advertising to those interested in advertising locking products or services, your location doesn't really matter, My Dreadlock readers are everywhere around the world. On rates and further details please contact me on dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com

I wish you all a Merry christmas and a very Happy New Year, may the joy of christmas reign in your homes and your hearts at this time. May you all remain blessed and hope to see you all in 2010 with lots of new stuff on the blog. Finding the right graphic to use for this message was quite a challenge but I finally chose 2 and I hope you will all like them.

Black hair turning Brown

2009-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well someone recently asked about her hair turning brown. What would cause your locks to turn brown and how can you solve this? I decided to research on the topic and here is what I dug out from the net and from friends.

Why Hair turns Brown
This can be caused by:
1. the sun, especially if you move from a cold region to a very hot one. It also happens during summer for those in temperate climate. Many call this "sun bleaching" or "tinting".
2. The water you use to wash your hair. Water depending on the source, contains many different dissolved minerals that may affect the natural colouring of your hair. Chlorine is a known criminal and is usually used in swimming pools for hygenic reasons.
3. Using products that contain peroxide (a bleach, worse than chlorine) and/or lemon
4. Using very hot appliances on your hair burns it, making it look brown
5. The wrong diet, if your diet is not balanced then that may also be a reason
6. Extended use of honey on your locks or also chamomile and rhurbarb

What you can do to get back Black Hair
1. If you hair is turning brown due to exposure to the sun, you can try and always wear a hat or just covering it when you go out. If you are in the temperate region, just enjoy the sun, your hair has the whole autumn and winter to recover to its natural colour
2. For the swimmers, use a swimmers' shampoo to wash your hair and always use a good conditioner and hairspray. Don't forget to wear a swimmingcap and tucking all your hair into it, you may also try and smear a bit of petroleum jelly around the rim of the cap before you enter the pool.
3. Avoid bleaches as much as you can. I have been encouraging use of natural products of your hair but you have to BALANCE, too much of anything is poisonous (even something good. Completely stay away from Chamomile, rhurbarb and lemon while for honey you use it in moderation
4. Again, BALANCE, you need it everywhere. Please have a BALANCED DIET a burger, pizza and fries are heathly, soja milk, lettuce and tofu are also healthy but if that's all you eat every single day, you're not helping your body or your hair
5. Don't burn your hair it's not firewood, it's your crowning glory.

Kitchen recipes

Please do remember to use all these recipes in moderation
1. Mix cocoa with your shampoo and use it to wash your hair
2. Use coffee (the drink not the beans) to rinse your hair advised to do it every fortnight
3. You could also use ground coffee mixed with yoghurt/conditioner cover with a shower cap and leave it on for a few hours
4. A mixture of soy sauce and apple cider vinegar may also be used to rinse out the hair
5. Sage tea also helps darken hair even grey hair, just mix it with your leave in conditioner and use it until your hair reaches the shade you desire
6. A mixture of curry powder and coconut oil applied on your scalp may also do the trick. You can also use plain coconut oil
7. Ground blackpeppercorns mixed with curd help darken hair and stop premature greying.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried any of these recipes on my own hair so I'm not sure of their legitimity. Please be careful as you try them out.

Dread Perm

2009-10-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

Before I went on Holiday Kicukalah asked what a dread perm is. I got the Wikipedia explanation and left it at that, but I made a note to explain further when I got back. Here are a few explanations on what it is:
"Hair Police uses a comb and our hands to create dread shapes in the hair, then permanently "perms" them in with a chemical solution."
Charles Nicholas:"This technique is where the hair is teased {backcombed}, twisted and reteased and then it is wrapped in rags with wire.
It is like bandaging the dread.This forms the dreadlock into a straight dreadlock with only a small amount of frizz." Charles Nicholas further explains that "If you want dreads and you have non-afro hair, absolutely YES1 The dread perm speeds up the formation of dreadslocks. It forms the dreadlocks into the sizes you choose, either fat ,normal or thin. It helps afro hair too but it mainly assists the afro person in the sizing of their dreads."
According to Fierce Locks from whom I got the picture : "Dread perms involve a comb, perm rods, end papers, and AT LEAST 6 inches of your natural hair to form dreadlocks. Dread perms also entail the use of permanent wave chemicals. Dread perms are the most efficient way to begin dreadlocks. Dread perms are NOT for everyone, if a dread perm won’t work for you, dread crochet would be the solution to beginning a new crop of dreads."

The price ranges from $275- $660 (€184.95 - €443.88) for the first timers and from $50 - $88 per hour for maintenance. This is quite expensive I'd say, it's more expensive than my rent. The things we women go through to look good.
Generally from all the posts I have read about this method, it is more for the non-afro hair. I'm not sure if it would work on afro hair (please do enlighten me if any of you knows). As I told Kicukalah, I haven't tried it nor do I know anyone who has so I have no real opinion about it but someone who has done it has penned down his thoughts here. Hope all this info helps all of you out there contemplating this method.

What's Good hair?

2009-10-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Hallo People,
I'm back summer is over and so is my holiday. I got a lot in store for all of you. Lot's of new stuff and new ideas I learnt during my holiday, even an interview with one of the best locticians I know. Thanx a lot to all those who have remained tuned to My Dreadlocks, I will definitely not disappoint. Feel free to email questions, topics you want discussed, criticism (always welcome), encouragement and anything else you may think I need to know or want featured on the my dreadlocks website. If you have a great My Dreadlock story please do share with us, you may also share pics of your journey, Lisa I hope you will share yours. Enjoy the Autumn/Fall season, my side of the earth is already cold and feels more like winter while others are having extended Summer and others predicting El Nino, I hope you will all take care, remain safe and continue enjoying the My Dreadlocks blog.

Many of you may have already watched this episode on Tyra but I would like to share these videos with African women all over the world. Hope they get you thinking on a lot of things and lead you to make better decisions in the future. Better decisions don't necessarily mean going natural but this being a problem that mainly affects women, I bet your intuition will tell you if the decision is better or not.

Readers' Pictures

2009-10-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Image

2009-09-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Considering this is a blog about hair, I thought I should share this beautiful image

Greetings from my holiday

2009-09-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hallo people,

I'm currently on holiday and that is the reason for my long absence. Don't worry I'll be back soon with even more topics for you. If any of you have any specific questions you want answered please do post your questions and queries as comments on this post or send them to my email address dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com. I'll be looking forward to your questions and many comments about the blog....Until I return from my holiday, enjoy your locking journey....

Bye
Cee.

2009-08-10T00:42:00.000-07:00

Thickening thinning hair

2009-07-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hallo people, hope everyone is great. I apologize for the loud silence....I'm trying to finish up somethings then I will be back. Enjoy this follow up of the thickening of hair using Garlic and Onions. Hope it helps...

To prevent further thinning of hair, I got a couple of tricks to do it
1. Avoid any Sodium Laureth Sulfate. What is this you may wonder? It's a degreasing chemical used in shampoo to lift trapped dirt and oil.
The only problem is that it leads to hair loss and will soon thin your hair out with continued use. Aim for natural haircare products such as those containing healing ingredients.

2. Eat more nutritious foods that contain hair-growing minerals and vitamins. Yes you need certain vitamins for healthy growth functions in the body, but you also need some for the healthy growth of your hair.All vitamins do not benefit the growth of your hair. Go for the use of biotin, vitamin B, vitamin C, and even ginkgo biloba as an aid to restoring the natural growth of your hair.

3. Work on your Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, DHT is abiologically active metabolite of the hormone testosterone. A great way to fight this off is to drink four cups of green tea daily.

4. You could do one of the easiest and fastest things which is to buy a weave or just attach artificial hair to your thinning hair. ( I don't recommend this though)

5. Be happy and less stressed. Stress increases hair loss in both men and women.

6. Massage your scalp. This helps stimulate the hair follicles, unclog any blocked oil glands in the scalp, and help promote a healthy scalp and new, healthy hair growth. Plus, it’s relaxing and it feels good, so it’s not such a chore!

Bye Bye Michael

2009-07-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

I have always said I won't mix My Dreadlocks blog with any other subject other than hair, but this time around I guess I will have to break my own rules and pay tribute to the Great King of Pop....It Might be already a whole week since he passed away but, his greatness will never be matched, it might be challenged but no one can ever replace him.....Here is a picture I found online with a message I guess most of us should try and apply in our lives

To My Dreadlocks readers sorry for the silence, I will definitely be back soon with more great tips on maintaining locks.

Motown Girl

2009-06-24T01:10:00.000-07:00

A blogsphere friend suggested this website and I thought I should share it with you. It is very informative and educative hope you will like it, you can check it out from here

Maintaining Locks

2009-06-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

My Dreadlocks is a blog about the locking journey, everyone is welcome to share their experience and also to learn from others. I just got a comment from a reader and I thought I should post it for all of you to read it. Some great tips shared by Shasta from Nairobi, hope all of the readers enjoy them and thank you Shasta for the tips.

Shasta said...

Well shampoos in the kenyan market 98% are bogus we kynda have a culture of just buying cosmestics without looking and caring about the ingredients at all.I dont use shampoos on my hair coz most of them have chemicals dat workup the scalp like drying it n covering the spores hence hindering hair growth so when you think of buying shampoos sulphites,petrolatum and any chemical you learned in chem shouldnt be the ingredients.I usualy use the locally made aloe vera soaps infact if you want the best ones go for the less commercial one which are advertised everywhere with fancy boxes they are no better,just know dat commercial products do more damage than good in your beautiful hair.I have always considered when using wax in your hair you aint growing natural locks.So many of my rasta friends use mashed avocado mixed with olive or coconut oil to twist locks which stay on the head for two weeks without rotting or doing anything to the hair but the only problem with avocado is dat it kynda builds up in your hair hence if you use it in very large quantity over regulary your hair root will weaken so be cautious with dat.Honey also works wonders infact dats is what l use to lock my friends with soft hair and the good thing is dat if you wash your hair with hot water it wont leave any residue hence has less buildup but again it if used for long periods can turn your hair brown to much sugar but if you wash your hair properly dat wont be the case. Washing your hair,as much as people say dat you can wash your hair as many as to 3 times a week is good,a big no the most recommended is washing you hair after two weeks,if you oil your hair regularly and leave it open most of the time after every one week will be fine if you rarely oil your hair and keep it covered most of the time after every one month will be fine or when you feel they are dirty. Dust is the main culprit in making dreadlocks dirty so when you keep your locks covered most of the time less dust in your locks,if you keep then open n oil you hair alot dat attracts alot of dust hence regulary washing but if you dont oil it dat much it attracts less dust.Alot of water is good for your locks when it is the one flowing from a natural stream or unpolluted river l wonder where you will find those in nairobbery.But if its then coming from the tap your locks need limited of it coz it has alot of chlorine used to purify it for drinking so the more you use it in your locks the more the damage unless you neutralise it with other natural herbal remedies.Swimmers also beware of the large amoumts of chlorine in the pull so after every swim thorougly wash your hair.I will putting more natural tips for locks up only dat we cant fully grow natural locks the Mau Mau one were the natural ones all the way from locking to maintenance.Peace.

Onion

2009-06-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Use of Onion to thicken hair works more or less in the same way as using garlic for the same reason. Onion juice rejuvinates hair follicles and boosts the scalp circulation, so it should likely help the re-growth of strong hair. Onions contain a quantity of important nutrients, like vitamins C and vitamin B6. Onions also contain calcium and magnesium, along with potassium and germanium. The onion is also high in sulphur, which is a mineral contained in every single cell in the human body.
Sulphur has its highest levels in the hair, the skin and in the nails, which is why it is known as the "beauty mineral".

Here is a recipe to try out.

Apply the onion juice to the top of the scalp and massage deep into the hair roots - but again, do gently, so as not to cause traction alopecia.
You will need to leave it onto the top of the scalp for around 30 minutes and then shampoo.

Garlic to thicken hair

2009-06-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yet another cooking item finds it's way to your hair. After Lisa asked me about treatment for hair loss/thinning I went to work on it immediately and I found out using this famous Garlic Recipe you can reduce thinning of hair. It might not smell as good as the Rosemary or honey, but I guess it helps a lot and that's what matters.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of aloe gel

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of garlic juice

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons of chamomile (tea bag content is fine to use)

24 fluid oz of water

Instructions:

1) Peel garlic and use a garlic press to squeeze the juice out

2) Mix it with honey and place the bowl in the fridge

3) Boil water with chamomile tea for about 30 minutes

4) Stir occasionally

5) When tea is done, take the bowl with honey and garlic juice out of the fridge

6) Stir in an egg yolk into the garlic juice/honey mix

7) Add Aloe Vera gel to the mix.

8) Use the mix and gently rub it in your scalp. When you run out of the paste, wrap a towel around your head.

9) Keep on your head for 20 minutes and wash once with a neutral shampoo (I used Johnson's Baby shampoo). Rub in the second egg yolk and wash off using only warm water.

10) To finish off, wash your hair off with the previously prepared chamomile tea.

It seems garlic prevents hairloss by killing parasites and bacteria on your scalp that may be causing the hair loss and also by nourishing your hair follicles.

You could also try this:
60 minutes before you go to sleep, crush up a garlic clove and then rub the clove into the area of hair loss. It is important that the juice of the clove is smeared over the area fully and firmly.

Do NOT rub the the crushed clove too hard against the scalp, or you may cause traction alopecia - baldness caused by pulling on hair.

Leave for 60 minutes and then apply olive oil, gently rubbing the olive oil into the scalp.

For sleeping, you will need to wear a shower cap or something similar.

When you awake the next day, the first thing you should do is shampoo your hair.

(Adding a garlic extract to shampoo can also help to further strengthen hair and stop any breakage, while, at the same time, it can add good body to the hair and a nice gloss).

This hairloss and baldness remedy will work best if you can do this for a few weeks.

Hopefully, the hair will no longer be falling out and may start to re-grow.

Rosemary for hair

2009-05-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Before I started this post I just thought from the look of things soon our hair cabinets in the bathroom will resemble the kitchen spice cabinets even more after this post. Apparently, we can use Rosemary to stimulate the hair follicles and hair growth, it's generally believed to slow down or even permanently hold off premature hair loss and gray hair. It heals the scalp of its problems including drandruff. It also helps darken grey hair overtime as confessed by many people though no real scientific evidence has proved this.
If you have blonde or light colored hair you may NOT want to try this recipe as it may darken your hair.
According to the wikipedia: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs.The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea" — apparently because it is frequently found growing near the sea.
Here are a few recipes to use rosemary

Rosemary Rinse
put several handfuls of rosemary into a water-filled pot, bring to boil, and gently simmer for about five to 15 minutes. Allow to cool, strain into a clean container, and pour throughout your hair just after shampooing. Due to a very pleasant aroma and strengthening effects of this rosemary rinse, you do not need to wash it off with additional fresh water.
You could use the rosemary rinse after using the honey conditioner ( a recipe for that here)

Rosemary homemade Oil
wash and dry a handful or two of fresh rosemary sprigs, rub them lightly between your palms to release the flavour, and place them in a clean bottle (you can also add several slices of fresh ginger to intensify the flavour and medicinal qualities of rosemary). Pour extra-virgin olive oil
to cover the herbs, seal tightly, and leave in a dark cupboard for at least two weeks. To use, massage some rosemary oil into your scalp and hair and leave overnight for the beneficial particles of olive oil, rosemary, and optional ginger to penetrate deep into your hair roots and shafts. Repeat weekly and watch your hair quickly regaining its strength and vitality!

Dried Rosemary leaves

Rosemary Vinegar

fill a clean jar or bottle with fresh or dry rosemary sprigs and pour raw, unheated apple cider vinegar over the herbs to cover them completely. Seal and leave to infuse for at least a fortnight in a dark place, shaking the jar occasionally. You can store ready rosemary vinegar in a dark cool cabinet or a cellar to undergo further beneficial fermentation. Use weekly to make a hair rinse by mixing several tablespoons of rosemary vinegar with lukewarm water and pouring the mixture onto your scalp and hair. This rosemary remedy has a power to completely rejuvenate weakening hair just within a few months!
It is advisable to infuse rosemary only in raw and, preferably, organic apple cider vinegar of the highest quality you can find. Apple cider vinegar has long been praised for its hair-rejuvenating properties. Combined with rosemary, this vinegar makes a super-remedy for dull, weak, and shedding hair.
The recipes are by Christiana Roberts

Weleda a well known brand offers rosemary hair lotion, I haven't used it yet, but I think it's worth a try

To get more info on using Rosemary here are a few links
Stop Hair loss
Rosemary for you
Rosemary will make your hair grow
A Natural Herb to make your hair grow

Sweet Locks the after math

2009-05-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally decided to try out the Sweet locks. Mad thanx to Juju for the tip. If you haven't done it yet, you better try it. I washed my hair as usual and instead of my usual gel I used honey to twist my locks. I sprayed some virgin oil to the honey and mixed it up before using it. I was kind of sceptical at first, but after the results I will definitely go the sweet way. Considering honey isn't as heavy as the gel I usually use, it took sometime to get used to applying to my hair without sticking. Honey might be viscous but it is not really sticky like gel. The best part is it's not oily, but it gives the scalp a glossy look. I'm really loving the honey on my hair no lie.
Another thing I love about using honey on my hair is that my face doesn't react to it. I usually have a few locks falling on my face and when I use the gel, my forehead forms pimples the first few days after a retouch, but considering honey also moisturrizes the skin, my face is loving the transformation as much as my scalp and hair are...
Anyone out there who has tried it out? Please do share your experience...

Sweet Locks

2009-05-05T06:06:00.000-07:00

According to Juju, one of "My Dreadlocks readers" You can use honey to lock your hair.
"...honey is quite good for hair generally, as a moisturiser. I use it to twist my locs and its not smeller or sticky or all those things." I will definitely try it out and tell you what happens. Here are some other comments about using honey on hair from the internet:
"I actually just used a home treatment made of warm olive oil and honey, and it worked very well to moisturize and smooth my hair! I have also heard of people mixing honey with their conditioner to add an extra punch of moisture to their routine. Although you mention its obvious stickiness, it seems to rinse out pretty easily in water IF it is mixed with at least one other ingredient.
Also, I would definitely suggest shampooing after your treatment to avoid residue." by Jen
"Honey is a bleach. It will lighten your hair (remove pigmentation) overtime. People in my home country use it to lighten their skin color." by Shilpa
because honey is a humectant and it does great things for dry hair. I use honey once a week and nothing can moisturize my hair like honey does. My mixtures is adding at least 5 tablespoons to a papercup. Warm it up in the microwave for NO more then 30 seconds and some conditioner to it and mix it together. I then wet my hair and then apply the mix and let it penetrate while I finish taking a shower. It rinses out without any sticky residue left on my hair because when you mix honey it basically liquifies." by Ashley
"You can also use it (honey) as a moisturiser and a hair conditioner. To use it as a conditioner, mix the honey with olive oil. Be sure to wash your hair thoroughly before you go outside." by Ada Onyema
"To give your hair lustrous shine, mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. Use as a hair rinse. And if you're a blond, add the juice of 1 lemon, too." by Bees-online

Maintaining twists on Soft Hair

2009-04-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

"I have tried twisting them myself but I end up so tired and give up halfway. My hair is very soft and sometimes have to use black strings for the locks to form. Help"
by N.W
Twisting your locks without a loctician is not easily and more so if you have lots of soft hair.
First of all, if you have lots of hair I could suggest you get a friend who also has locks and take turns to twist each other's locks ie they do yours and you do theirs that could be either fortnightly or monthly. It's easier to twist someone else's hair that it is twisting your own. The only disadvantage to this is that you become dependent on the other person. You could also try dividing your hair maybe into 4 sections and do one at a time. Rest between twisting each section. It will take long but atleast you won't feel pushed for time. I would suggest you also twist when you have time eg on Weekends because then you don't feel rushed. Twist your locks as you do something else like watching a movie or listening to your favourite music or hanging out with friends, keeps your mind away from the twisting, you won't even realize when you finish ( as long as you don't get carried away and forget about twisting as you tell jokes/dance)

As for the soft hair, you could try and use olive oil/ beeswax/ light gel to hold the newly twisted hair. Don't use petroleum or heavyweight products as they cause build up in the lock. Don't fight to have all the newly grown hair in the lock, or to hold it up. I remember when I started twisting my own, I would get frustrated because I have very soft hair, I would twist and I wasn't able to hold every single hair, so I started twisting with gel and holding them up with a clip till they dried, but I soon realized my locks were thinning and my hair was breaking...Just relax, twist the lock with gel/wax/oilive oil then let them dry on their own, the hair that is not held is probably not ready to join a lock yet, give it time next time maybe it will feel like it.
Hope I helped....

Maintaining locks between Loctician Visits

2009-04-22T03:14:00.000-07:00

"How to keep them neat in between the visits to the kinyozi is my main shida." by Mwasjd
So many of you have been wondering how you will keep your locks looking beautiful, here are a few tips I have learnt during my locking Journey.

1. Wash your hair regularly, stinking hair doesn't look tidy. New locks need to be washed more often than older ones. This is tricky cause everytime you wash you need to retwist or rebackcomb it. Choose a shampoo that moisturizes, you could also use a conditioner but remember to rinse your hair properly to avoid build up.

2. Sleep with a headwrap on. Your hair is not pleasant to look at when it's full of flint from the duvet/blanket/matress.

3.Brush up the tiny hairs on the sides. Don't walk around with "ndengus" (when hair rubs together to form seedlike coverings on your head) on your head. Use a soft bristled brush.

4.Oil your locks. You hair needs oil, don't let your hair cuticles dry up. Keep away from heavyweight and petroleum products, they suffocate your hair. Use more of moisturizing lotions and oils eg Olive oil.

5. Let your hair breathe, don't always hold it up, or cover it. It needs the fresh air and the freedom.

That's all I can remember for now, but I will definitely add more as time goes by.

Sisterlocks/ Brotherlocks

2009-04-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

This trademark dreadlocking technique is unique in that this locking system starts from the end of the hair shaft and works up toward the scalp. It is customized for the individual--for YOU--by certified company-trained associates.

Don't forget, whether you're getting Sisterlocks or Brotherlocks this is a lifestyle and may not be suitable for everyone. Only your hairdresser (and you) will know for sure!

Dr. Cornell(founder) mentioned that clients with Caucasian hair types didn't often opt to start dreadlocks with this method but a select few of the certified stylists do have experience working with straighter hair types.

The "Sisterlocks Package" consists of three sessions:

Session #1 is an assessment visit. You and your consultant review your preference for hair styles, your daily activity level, the kind of hair you have and how well it will hold a lock.

Session #2 may take 10-18 hours, depending on the length of your hair and lock size.Many clients end up with over 450 Sister locks which accounts for the amount of time it takes to complete.

A special tool is used to create Sisterlocks, interweaving parted sections together to form new dreadlocks. They can be very thin and much more flexible than the dreadlocks you're used to seeing and can be styled like straight hair!

By the end of this visit, you'll get a Starter Kit which includes bands, shampoo, tip sheets and helpful hints. You'll also schedule your follow-up appointment to make sure your finished locks stay gorgeous.

Session #3 is a refurbishment visit. During this visit, your certified consultant will adjust your locks, tightening and reweaving as necessary. This session lasts 4-6 hours.

It is at this point that you can begin to take your own Sisterlocks (or Brotherlocks) maintenance in hand by enrolling in a certification class to learn how to maintain your dreadlocks yourself. This will help you minimize the cost of future hair care.
I find them really beautiful and very neat. For more information and more pictures you could visit their sisterlock website

All pictures courtesy of Sisterlocks.com

Neglect

2009-04-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

Advantages: You can do it without assistance. It is the easiest method. No special tools or products are needed, just time.

Disadvantages: It takes at least 3 years to start looking like dreads in most hair types. You need to have about 10" of hair for the knots to start forming. The dreads form unevenly, some dreads will be huge and flat, others skinny. People usually get sick of having nasty hair and cut it off long before they get dreads.

Instructions: The neglect method is pretty much just that. You do nothing but keep the hair clean. (Some people don't even do that but not washing your hair is unsanitary and it slows down the dreading process) Just let it grow and in a year or so it may start to knot up or it may take 3 years Hair texture and hair length has a lot to do with how long it takes. You can rip it into dreads and try to combine dreads that are too small with rubberbands if you like, but in the spirit of true neglect most people don't.

I personally don't like this method of locking, because they really look dreadful, untidy and ugly. But it is a free world.

Twisting

2009-04-16T02:11:00.000-07:00

This is the kind I have, they are a bit messy in the beginning because of the gel, but they look really beautiful. You can either just twist with gel or if your hair is long, you could start with double strand twists.

Advantages: It is all natural. You have control over the size of the dreads and how they form. Many salons are familiar with this method and the cost is usually much lower than a dread perm.

Disadvantages: It only works in African textured hair but that doesn't mean salons won't try it on Caucasian hair!
Instructions:
Hair should be sectioned into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads.
As you section the hair you can secure each section with a rubberband. When the whole head is sectioned twist each section clockwise using a comb( using your fingers is easier than using the comb) to snag the hair at the ends and twist.
As each section is twisted dread wax/gel should be worked in to hold the twists. Thick waxes without petroleum hold the hair much better when starting the dreads. After the dreads mature thinner waxes can be used to add fragrance and sheen.
Hair should be twisted by hand regularly to help it lock up.
For the twists, I don't recommend using the rubberbands to hold them, or twisting too tight. You might be tempted to hold every single hair on your head but that only cuts/breaks your hair. A professional loctician can hold them easily without breaking, but please don't try it at home. If you twist too tight, the lock thins and falls off and we don't want that do we? Here is how to do it

Friction/ Rubbing Method

2009-04-15T02:04:00.000-07:00

Advantages: The main advantage to the rubbing method is that if you happen to own something wool you can get started right away. It is an all natural method. You can do it yourself.

Disadvantages: It hurts like hell and the dreads that it makes vary greatly in size and do not look very good. Hair will usually need to be cut after trying this method so you will have to grow out your hair again before trying another method.

Instructions:
Take a wool sweater or hat and rub it in circles on your head.
After about 15 min, if your hair is long enough, knots will start to form. As the hair knots together you rip it apart and try to separate it into dreads.
After you rip it apart you resume rubbing for another 15 min or so.
Repeat this process over and over and over until all your hair is knotted.
Lots of loose hair is common with this method and the neglect method, just try to stick them into the nearest dread.
If your hair is shorter, you can use a brush to do it. Rub the soft bristle brush in a clockwise motion. Rub about an inch at a time, you will start to see little sections of balls forming. After you have rubbed your entire head, use a small amount of wax on each little ball. You can use a hair dryer to melt the wax into your new little dreads.

Different Locks

2009-04-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

I have gotten many questions on how to maintain locks and I thought I should start with defining the different kinds of locks available, then how to maintain them. The maintenance is pretty much the same though it may differ just a bit.

1. Back Combing
Advantages: Hair looks like dreads the same day and reaches maturity faster than other methods. You can control the size and shape of the dreads, anywhere from thick and smooth to thin and sexy. It is an all natural method. Backcombing will work on all hair lengths 3" and longer.

Disadvantages: The initial dreading takes a few hours and is pretty labor intensive, nothing a good friend or two can't handle. The best way to back comb is to take your time and make the dreads as smooth and tight as possible.

How to do it:
First section the hair into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads. The sections can be secured temporarily with rubberbands. After the hair is sectioned use a dread comb to comb the hair backwards.
Start close to the scalp, not more than an inch away.
Comb repeatedly towards the scalp. Eventually hair will start to pack up at the roots. It is not necessary to twist the hair. It is helpful however to roll the hair you are holding between your fingers a little while you are backcombing. Continue backcombing, slowly working towards the ends of the hair, making the dread as tight as possible as you go. When you reach the ends you can secure the dread with a rubberband. Another rubberband on the roots will help the dread stay tight at its base. The rubberbands can be removed after the dread has a chance to mature. After the rubberbands are applied to each dread the dreads should be waxed with a dread wax that does not contain petroleum. A good dread wax will tame loose hairs and help the hair dread much faster.

Last but definitely not least, my favourite the Skintolo aka Gélé

2009-04-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

This is a famous Headwrap from Nigeria the names range from Satellite dish, Unicycle, Amina Aminu, Kite, Parachute, Kintele, The London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Gbenuesoun, Hollywood, Fan, Global Warning etc. so the next time you hear a Nigerian speak about one of the above you will know exactly what they are talking about. The naterial used is either Aso-oke, paper gele, abada, Damask or kente.
Here is a video on how to tie it. You will need some practice before you are a "Gélé Master". From the length of the post I guess you might have figured it is one of my best kind of headwraps...Hope you enjoy it.

You could also read these instructions:

1st Type

1.Start by folding the head gear piece to a width of about six inches. This can be achieved by folding the piece in half lengthwise twice or so.

2. Rap the piece around your head with the right extending about one and half of the left side.

3.Push in the left side but keep the ends out while crossing the right side over (on top of the left end); also keep the right-side ends out.

4.Pull both ends as tight as desired. Push the left side while pulling the right side to get the desired comfort.

5.Push in the right side only from where it touches the left side but without pulling it all the way through. This forms a bow.

6.You may now move this bow to the front, side or leave it on the back; the choice is yours.

7.Spread out the two ends to obtain a rose petal look, or pin the two ends to obtain yet another look. The different styles and looks are endless. You'll be surprised what you can achieve by experimenting.

2nd Type

• Fold your headtie into two equal halves, triangular or rectangular, depending on how big or small you want it to look.

• Place the headtie on the forehead, ends of the headtie being equal; take the longest end of the headtie, turn it around to meet the other end. Remember to fold your headtie into two equal halves, then the two wings.

• Take one of the wings at the right end and one of it wings at the left edge, join. And when trying them, make sure it is tight and well- laid in front. Knot twice.

• Straighten the edges of your headtie, starting from behind till you get to the front.
• Then push the headtie backward a bit to fit.

3rd Type

• Fold the headtie into two equal halves, making a rectangular shape, depending on how big or small you want your headtie to look.

• Bring it from behind, use your right hand to take the right wing of the headtie to the left and left wing of the headtie to the right. Then, let the two ends of the wings meet to make a beautiful style and make sure your headtie is properly laid in front and firmly balanced.

• Make a knot out of the two wings, making it tight enough, so that your headtie doesn’t fall off. Then knot the second time.

• Straighten out the edges of the layers of the headtie starting from behind till you get to the front.

• With this style, you are supposed to get a ‘V’ in front of your headtie. If not, it is still all right and it will look gorgeous on you. Then push the headtie backward a bit to fit.

Always keep your head gear piece crisp with a spray starch for better results.

You could also visit the Gélé Masters site it has great music about the Skintolo...hope you enjoy it. Here is a pic of the Master

This marks the end of the Headwrap Series, hope you learnt new ways to tie your wraps. I will definitely continue to research on how Erykah Badu ties hers. Enjoy your weekend.

I hope you ain't tired yet....

2009-04-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hope you have enjoyed learning how to tie different headwraps, I'm yet to figure out how Erykah Badu does hers, but I promise to share immediately I do. Here are a few other ways to tie the headwraps.

Another Lockwrap (Turban)

2009-04-01T05:51:00.000-07:00

You can do this on your "bad" Hair days, you will still look good without having to trouble yourself with the that much. You can get creative and change a few steps to make it look better.

Instead of wrapping the extra fabrik around your head, you could wrap it around the held back hair. to get something like this

Goddess Wrap

2009-03-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

For this you could either wrap your locks or even your Afro.

Here are other looks of the same wrapstyle

Another kind of Headwrap

2009-03-30T04:56:00.000-07:00

The "Back to Front" Tying Method:
1. Fold the material depending on its width to make sure if covers the entire hair {how much you fold this material depends on its width}
2. Stand in front of a mirror
3. Hold the material with the folded part away from your face.
4. Place the material over your hair.
5. Adjust the material so its middle is at the base of your neck. In doing so you will have two ends of material. Holding your head up, and looking straight ahead, grab the right end of the material midway to
the end with your right hand and hold on to while grabbing the left end of the material with your left hand.
6. Hold the ends close together with your thumbs, allowing the rest of your fingers to be free.
7. Keep holding the material with your thumbs, but use the two
fingers next to your thumbs to switch the right end of the material to your left hand and the left end to your right hand. {I always find that I bend my head down when doing this}
8. Tighten the gele by pulling the ends. Your right hand holding the formerly left end of the material will be up above your right ear.
9. Let go of the left side of the material, but keep a hold of the right.
10. This step is for those who wear their Headwraps over their ears. Some women don't] Raise the material or otherwise manipulate the material around your ears so that your ear lobes are showing and are comfortable.
11. I usually hold my head titled a bit for this neck step. Take the right end around your head with your right hand until it gets to the left ear.
12. With your left hand, move the left end away from piece you are working with

{Now here's where you're creativity comes in. You can twist, tuck, or tie this end. If you want to make a crown gele, you're going to be tucking the ends in so no piece shows. And then you when the right end is tucked in, you will do the same with the left end. But I like to do this:

13. Tie the right end and the left end together at their base. Tie the ends so that they are comfortable on your head-not too loose and not too tight. You should now have a Headwraps that covers your head with two pieces hanging down-one longer than the other. You could just leave it like that, or you could experiment with twisting, tucking one end at a time or tying both pieces together until you end up with a "finished product" that you like.

Traditional Headswraps

2009-03-29T04:08:00.000-07:00

I found there are sooo many ways to tie the many headwraps so I
will try and post a different style each day of the coming week. Hope you enjoy the different styles and try them out. So the first is a traditional headwrap... Enjoy your week...and Look out for more Headwrapping styles

Headswraps

2009-03-21T01:44:00.000-07:00

This is an age old hairstyle, some may look shubby, others look wonderous but all in all, the headwrap is a woman's crown. The names range from gele, skintolo to "Orie Rogos". You can have a complicated do or a very simple one, a very colourful or a plain one. I do love headwraps especially the Nigerian ones or just the simple hiphop ones. You can wear them anyway anytime. Depending on size though you might try and avoid wearing an elaborate skintolo to the office you might look really confused. In some cultures there are rules on who can wear which colour and what size, but as the world becomes a global village I think more people are wearing headwaraps for their beauty and not their representation. Next I will add a post on how to tie the wraps. Do you tie the wraps? Do you like them? Do you admire them?

What to think about before Locking

2009-03-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

1- You have to be prepared for negative "reactions" from family, friends and even colleagues. Growing dreadlocks is mentally, physically, and spiritually challenging. It would help if you spoke to your family and friends before you grow your locks so as to understand their feelings toward the matter and even their reason for having such an opinion. This will help especially when the whole world seems to have turned against you. You could have a talk with the Human Resource Manager at your work place to get an idea about the company's policy concerning locks. Be prepared for rejection. There are companies that will not employ you or will fire employees with locks. I remember a friend who had to wear wigs during interviews and the first days at a new work place and after a while reveal her locks. In some countries Locks is not a good enough reason to get fired, but it is not to be hired in the first place.
2- Locks need lots of attention especially in the early stages. Locks are not an instant hairstyle, they require lots of TLC, and you can't just wake up one day and undo them like braids. Locks will test your last nerve when it comes to patience.
Locks like any hairstyle require maintenance. All those that say that locks look good even when dirty lied.
3- Considering Locks require lots of maintenance, I guess you should consider whether you will have enough time to take care of them or if you will require the services of a Loctician (a person specialized in locks). Locticians are quite expensive though depending on where you are. Some areas almost don't have any.
Success in your decision making and preparation for Locking

Dreadlock Myths busted

2009-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

1. Only Black People can have dreadlocks. Anyone can have dreadlocks, though it is easier to with some hair textures than with others. IT's very possible to lock caucasian hair
2. Dreadlocks represent rebellion or drastic opinions. I guess India Arie is the one who said "I'm not my hair". Some people have dreadlocks because they love the hairstyle, others as a tradition due to where they come from while others are just experimenting.
3. Dreadlocks should be left dirty and should never be washed. Locks like any other hairstyle needs to be well maintained and part of that maintainance includes washing. Locks are on your scalp and involve your hair, meaning, the sweat on your scalp accumulates in the hair together with all the dirt from the environement leading to the locks stinking and looking really horrible.
4. Dreadlocks drain out your body weight. There is no direct connection between body weight and length of hair. Ofcourse when you are healthy you have healthier hair but it doesn't mean you will never grow fat because you have dreadlocks.
5. Locks are for Rastas only. Locks are like any other hairstyle and considering it's a free world, anyone can have them.
6.Mayonnaise, Honey, Toothpaste, Glue, Rubber Cement, Mud, Chewing Gum, Peanut Butter, Shea Butter,and Candle Wax all work great for starting dreadlocks. This is just plain wrong. What will your hair smell like with all these stuff in it? Please do not try this at home. Have mercy on your beautiful hair
7.Locks damage your scalp. Quite on the contrary. Locks are very natural, you just wash and twist, meaning you never damage your scalp with relaxers, or pulling hence relaxing you scalp. Just give your head a massage once in a while and you will be surprised at how relaxing it is compared to perming and braiding
8. You have to cut your hair to get rid of locks. Today with the amount of products in the market, you can undo the locks anytime and maintain the wonderful length attained during the locking stage, just soak the locks in V05 conditioner and comb them out.

My Journey to Hair Locking

2009-02-13T13:15:00.000-08:00

My fascination with locks began when I first watched "Sarafina" the movie about Freedom in South Africa. Whoopi Goldberg was the first person I had ever seen with that kind of hairstyle. After the movie I asked my mum what Whoopi had done to her hair and whether I could do that to. At that age and the kind of mentality held against people with dreadlocks, my mother wasn't going to think of doing it to my hair. SO I kept up with the blowdrying, braiding, cornrows and nights when I couldn't sleep cause my head hurt from the tight braiding. Arrggghhh it was all a bother, then I went to high school, and I decided to relax my hair. Relaxing hair is a complex issue and I salute anyone who can maintain beautiful relaxed hair without a hairdresser. Mine with or without the hairdresser was just a problem. It cut and I decided to cut if further, at first it was difficult to see my hair go, but as my mum says, Hair will always grow back. When it regrew, I cut it again and let it remain Afro. After high school I finally decided to lock my hair.
The multitude of opinions concerning dreadlocks made me rethink the idea for a while, but I took the leap of faith and locked it. I love my locks, they are easy to maintain, complex to understand and just fabulous.
Are you still wondering whether to make the BIG Decision or not? Believe me, I love my locks and I do not regret a moment of having them.