My first up-do! *pic heavy*

Well, y'all...I did it! I got my first up-do and I'm in love. Styling the locs may become the norm for me. While I thought my locs were a little too short to do much with, they really are at the perfect length. Those with longer locs told me that. They say,

"Enjoy this length while you can. Sooner or later your locs will be so long that it will take more effort and time to style them."

Okay, yeah....I can see how that's true.

Before I put them up in a style I washed and re-twisted them. I washed with Heads and Shoulders 2-in-1. Thank you Rayna for this suggestion! I was afraid about the SLSs and parabens but at this point I'm more concerned about keeping the dandruff/itchies down to a minimum so who really cares about a paraben or two. I'll do a formal review on that but it was a pleasant experience. The locs weren't stripped and check this---no build-up!!!!

I palm rolled, clipped, sat and under the dryer for 30 minutes or so. It's my Mommy in that picture. Hi Mommy!

I'm having a "before anyone else gets to the office" photos hoot. Don't mind me.

 

 

So glad to be back to palm rolling! I am also using Organics Twist and Loc gel. I'll do a review on this too.  I've been using this gel for years. It is great! I won't be using any butter based/creamy products anymore. It's either this stuff or aloe vera gel which is just as good!

 

I am soooo not a phone talker. So when I actually have to talk to people I am always a wee bit annoyed. Close friends: that don't mean y'all so don't trip. LOL!

Later that evening I got my first style. You ready for this...it's bad ass!

Yeah, y'all did know I had skills like that, did you? LOL..lemme stop lyin'. I most certainly did NOT do this. The lovely Corline hooked me up with this style. Look how intricate it is. We've got basket weaving in the back..

Twists on each side...

A pony tail above the basket weave...

A classy wave swoop in the front which can also be re-arranged to a hump or bang...

Home girl hooked me up, did she not? I've hailed her as my regular 'last minute' loc stylist. She created this on her own. Extremely skilled, uh? I think I'm going to be seeing her again this Friday. I could get used to this.

Q&A: Session 2

Q: Have you found any staple products?
A: Sure have! I am not a product junkie in the least. I believe in sticking with what works. Olive oil, castile soap, baking soda and apple cider vinegar are all products that my hair loves. Even if I try something new (which is a rarity), I always go back to those.


Q: How did you deal with friends/family members hating your locs?
A: Honestly, I never cared. I could give two flying flips about what anyone thinks about my hair. I don't even know why people take it so personally. It's YOUR hair. You can do whatever you want with it. The best you can do is educate people about what's going on with your hair. It's up to them if they want to emancipate themselves from the mental slavery that says only straight and long hair is attractive and professional. Besides, I've always been the "different/unconventional" one in my family so my loc'ing was like "B being B".

Q: How do you get rid of the dandruff?
A: The dandruff is still hanging around. I really don't know what else to do besides visit my dermatologist. A reader suggested that I try Head and Shoulders and despite the fact that I hate the way sulfates make my hair feel, I think I'm going to give it a try anyway. Dandruff, for me, is a chronic issue. I've had for many years and I've tried everything. I don't like it but it ain't goin' anywhere so I'm just learning how to deal with it and keep it down to a minimum. 


Q: How often do you wash your locs?
A: When I was latching my hair, I washed it once a week. Now that I'm back to palm rolling I wash it every 2-3 weeks. I don't want to HAVE to wash it every 2-3 weeks, but the itches leave me no other choice.


Q: I latch my locs and love it. Why did you stop?
A: I was terrible at grasping on to the latching concept. I could never do it correctly and ended up with a ton of Y-shaped locs. The locs also appeared to be a lot thinner/skinnier and had more of a box-y shape to them. I just didn't like the look. I prefer rounder/barrel locs and I think they look better with my hair texture. Latching also took longer. Sometimes I do miss it because I was able to wash so often. But I don't regret my decision of going back to palm rolling. You gotta do what works for you!


Q: My locs are at the same month of yours but I mine still look super fuzzy. What am I doing wrong?
A: Hey now...what did I tell you? Learn to love the fuzz. It ain't goin' nowhere no time soon. Everyone's locs and hair textures are different. Sometimes I see people whose locs are younger than mine and look more "mature". It is what it is. You aren't doing anything wrong. Say it with me: "THE FUZZ WON'T BUDGE".


Q: I want to start loc'ing my hair. Do you think it's okay if I start them off myself?
A: If you can afford it, I say go to a professional. It's an investment but it is definitely worth it. Loc'ing your hair is a journey and it helps if you have a professional talk you through it. They can provide you with a ton of information and alleviate any nerves you may be having. I think it's important to have a support system. Plus, they REALLY know what they're doing. And let's be honest...if you've never had loc'd hair before, you don't. Save your pennies and get them started off by a professional.

Q: Do you condition your locs?
A: Nope. Since I've struggled with build-up before, I stay faaar away from conditioner since that can only bring about more build-up. At 14 months of loc'ing I can honestly say that I don't "need" conditioner. My scalp stays moisturized thanks to olive oil and the locs stay moisturized by daily spritzes of water or Oyin Handmade's Greg Juice. I'm still going to make a homemade leave-in and deep conditioner though. Stay tuned!

Tis all this time! Don't forget you can email me about whatever at Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com.

Styles for Medium-lengthed locs

Well y'all..I'm bored. I had a style for two weeks and curls for another two weeks and I'm just not digging my locs in their straight-down state. It's boring and uneventful. And of course I'm wanting to color again. But I won't.

I'm also itching to go back to the loctician so she can give me an updo or a pretty style for a wedding I'm attending this weekend. But her salon closes at 5pm and I don't leave work until 5pm. Sucks much, uh?  So, I had to do some research on styles for medium-lengthed locs that aren't curls. I love my curls but I want something different. It's SO hard to find information for us loc'ers who are in between. We're not short but we don't have super long locs either. I refuse to not know how to do my own hair. So I've got a lot of learning and practicing to do.

These videos have been CRAZY helpful.

My life will be SO complete if when I learn how to basket weave. I was pretty dope with flat-twisting when I had loose hair so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult. My only issue is that my scalp is SO sensitive. If I pull any of my locs too tight...it hurts. Does this mean I'm tender headed? Ain't that a crock of bull! I was never tender headed before. *scoffs* 

Anywhoovers....I'm inspired now!

If you have any suggestions or know of any other videos and/or styles for medium-lengthed locs, leave them in the comments section. I'm going to make this post a sticky on the side for reference.

Nudred: Twists in 2 minutes?

Thanks to reader Rani for putting me on this. Have y'all heard about Nudred? It's this little sponge-y thing that when used on loose natural hair can twist it within seconds.

 

So while it takes a good hour or so to achieve comb coils, Nudred can give you comb coils in 2-3 minutes. I didn't believe it either. Y'all have to check this out. Hit the banner to visit the site.

 

All I can say is "Interestiiiiiing".

Whatcha think?

(photo source)

When locs bud...

I realized that I never talked about one of the most important stages of loc'ing.

Budding!!!

The definition of budding comes from the book "Nice Dreads" by author Lonnice Brittenum Bonner. If you newbie-loc'ers don't have this book, get it!! I got it as a gift and it really helped but a lot of things into perspective for me.

"You may notice that some of your coils have little knots of hair in them, about the size of a small pea. This knot is more or less the nucleus of each lock; the hairs in your coils have begun to intertwine and interlace. Individual coils may seem puffy and lose their tightly coiled shape; this is part of the process and shouldn't be disturbed. What is important here is to keep the original scalp partings, to allow the spinning process to become established for each individual lock. Don't redivide your budding locks, twist them to death, or get to patting them down, trying to make your hair look "nice," because you'll just end up with a badly packed, busted-out do."

Buds are so funny looking to me and it's interesting to see them turn into a loc. They can come at any time. My buds came about within the first month of loc'ing. Some new loc'ers find buds within a week.

Because I am going from latching back to palm rolling again, my locs are magically budding again.

 

  

  

Pretty cool, uh? It's amazing to see buds transform and just as quickly at they come, they turn into locs. Woooooo!

To the strugglin' loc'd ladies...

I dedicate this post to the ladies who are thinking about loc'ing or in their 1st-6th moth of loc'ing.

Believe it or not, I didn't always love my locs. In fact, I realllllly didn't like them.

And here's proof from one of my older posts...

 Told you. And that was only 8 days after my locs were installed. But wait...it gets worse...

Can I be honest? I am ashamed of myself. Who hides away from social activities because of their hair? For someone who claims to have reached this awesome level of self-love, there is no reason why I should have felt this way.

But I did. All because I wanted to achieve this...

But didn't want to go through that...

 

It's easy to understand that but hard as hell to go through it. I found that blogging about my journey made it worse because it was a constant reminder that I had a loooooong way to go. I was silly and anxious. Impatient and intolerant. All over hair. I now understand why they say that loc'ing your hair is a journey. Just wait and see how your thought processes will change. How your ideas will change. All prompted by the change and growth of your locs. It's amazing.

And it's worth the wait. I encourage y'all to hang in there. Surround yourself around like-minded folk. And I'm not saying all of your friends have to have locs but it is important to have a nice and strong support system. Follow blogs, read books, visit online resources. Educate yourself about what your hair is doing. This is a new journey and to go in it blindly will indeed lead to frustration. Even if you decide to loc without a professional, visit locticians in your area. Ask them for a consultation. Most will do so without charging you. Talk to other loc'ers. Get inspiration, advice and support from them.

And celebrate milestones. Made it through Month 3? Celebrate! Managed to get a ponytail? Celebrate! Colored your hair stupidly 4 times in a year and didn't loose any locs? Celebrate! The more you thoroughly enjoy and acknowledge the loc'ing experience, the greater you will feel about yourself and your locs.

Now the UP side to blogging my loc journey is that I am able to look back. Each month I celebrated my locs. I look back at photos and am amazed at how far I've come. This, I think, is a must. A visual journey will keep you motivated. Document your journey. Write about it. Vlog it. I can't tell y'all how many YouTube videos have inspired me to hang in there. And all these ladies were doing was talking about their locs. That's it.

Educate others. If they ask "Why does your hair looks like that?" Tell them. If they want to touch the locs...slap them (hehe). I am the only loc'd lady in my family. I get a lot of questions. And  lot of disses too. I don't care though. The more people ask about my hair, the less ignorant they will become. And the less ignorant people become, the better this world will be. Am I right, or am I right?

Yes, people may give you funny looks. Yes, people will assume that you don't ever wash your hair. Yes, people will probably think you're Rastafarian, vegan, super Afro-centric, a neo-hippie, unconventional, etc. Yes, people will judge you. You may be the only loc'd lady in your office, classroom, social circle or group. You may actually stand out.

And you know what? I don't have a problem with it. I have embraced it and I love it. India Arie says "I am not my hair" but I disagree. My hair tells a story. It is strong, unique and versatile. It is constantly growing and changing.

And so I am.

Love your locs and always ALWAYS love yourself!

Curly locs=protective style

A friend of mine is loc'ing is was asking me about protective styles.

When I think of "protective styles" it reminds me of the styles that loose naturals do to protect their hair. It gave the hair a chance to rest while remaining untouched. It could help promote hair growth and give the hair and hair do-er a break. This was usually achieved by braids, twists, weaves and wigs.

I rarely did protective styles when I had a loose fro. But when I did I looooved them. I never thought to do one with my locs though. I assumed that the only way to do that would be with a wig on top of the locs.

Hell to the nah. Number one, you wouldn't catch me wearing a wig. And number two, if I did get a wig, that mess would look hilarious on top of some locs. Am I right?

And then it dawned on me...curls! The curls you see have been in for a good week and a half.

 I'll more than likely keep them in for another week or so. I would consider curls a protective style because you don't have to do a thing to them yet you still manage to have a classy look. It takes some time for the curls to drop and I love how they last throughout sweaty work-outs. The curls prevent me from OCT (obsessive compulsive twisting) and no matter how I lay on them at night, I still wake up to them.

So yes, ladies...if you're looking for a style that will prevent you from twisting/latching and look decent for weeks, curls is the way to go!

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