Lock It Up! Support Thread (Sisterlocs, Dreads, Freeform, Etc)

FlawedBeauty said:
Lol wowsers!! You have a ridiculous amount of patience and determination :lachen:
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Pre baby I would do it a couple of hours each night as I watched tv and it would take me 1-2 weeks depending how lazy I was. Post baby
tenor.gif
 
Foxglove said:
Post reti. I always find it difficult to show the grid in pics but you can actually see my scalp and the color from my past henna
OKKZwBY.jpg
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Nice! I can see the tint much better in this pic. The salt and pepper parts look more evenly distributed and also lays better after your retightening, if that makes sense. Alright now!!!!
 
Foxglove said:
My consultant takes 3 hours but I take like 2 weeks lol
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This is also how long it would take my consultant, and when I did it myself.
I never got that fast or good to be able to retighten in that amount of time. I would usually be ready to tap out once I got the bottom half of my hair done.

Foxglove said:
Pre baby I would do it a couple of hours each night as I watched tv and it would take me 1-2 weeks depending how lazy I was. Post baby
tenor.gif
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:lachen: :lachen: :lachen: word! I don't blame you! There were a lot of times when I was STRONGLY considering combining mine after I started maintaining them myself. It definitely made me appreciate and respect consultants and people who took the retightening class more. That's a skill that's very hard to perfect.

I'm hoping that I get to the point of being able retighten all of my locks in 2-3 hours but it is still a struggle.
 
shortycocoa said:
Look on the bright side....you thought they would be annoying and asking you 50-11 questions, and they weren't. At least you didn't have to deal with that.

@ the bolded....understandable....compliments are great, and no compliments at all will have us second-guessing ourselves. Try not to let it wreck your flow or kill your vibe. On this journey, you will learn that you will have to be your own cheerleader when the people you expect to be cheering for you don't. We'll always be cheering for you!

:bighug:


What products did she use in your hair? Those could be the culprit, or your hair and scalp may just need time to adjust to having starter locks. Especially if you were heavy on moisture and/or washed your hair frequently when you had loose hair.

First, try spraying your scalp with some water and peppermint EO if you have it. Or use a light oil in the areas that are itching. If those suggestions don't help, then rinse your scalp under the shower head using low water pressure. Don't disturb your coils or touch your scalp vigorously and use the fingertips to gently massage your scalp, not your fingernails.

Have you decided what products you are going to use to retwist? If you think the products the stylist used are causing the itchiness, it may not be a good idea to continue using them. Are you going to let the new loctitian maintain them or are you going to do your own retwists?
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OMG you saved me with your peppermint oil suggestion. It is like 100x better. It was itching so badly and I know know know better than to scratch but it was so bad I had to and made it bleed a little :( the itching isn't completely gone but it's definitely bearable now.
 
FlawedBeauty said:
OMG you saved me with your peppermint oil suggestion. It is like 100x better. It was itching so badly and I know know know better than to scratch but it was so bad I had to and made it bleed a little :( the itching isn't completely gone but it's definitely bearable now.
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I'm glad that helped! I've been there with scalp itching that bad and I was miserable because my consultant was telling me I couldn't put ANYTHING in my hair or on my scalp, and to only use the Sisterlocks shampoo, but that shampoo was not agreeing with my scalp. I hated it. I ended up going against her advice and using a small amount of Aussie Moist conditioner to cleanse my scalp, but I didn't care and I was well aware of the risks and that we're not "supposed" to use conditioner. The health of my scalp was more important. Spraying wasn't really working for me. It would help a little, but that itching was severe! I feel like it took forever for my scalp to adjust and calm down.

She ended up contradicting herself months later, saying that clients can use whatever products they prefer or work for them on their hair, but they would just have to be prepared to pay her extra to resolve any issues that come from not using the Sisterlocks shampoo and not following other guidelines.

I never bought another bottle of that shampoo, and once I was done with the bottle she gave me as part of the Sisterlocks package, that was it.

If you feel like you need more moisture, try adding a few drops of glycerin to the spray.

I just checked for you, and there are several posts discussing moisture recs, products etc. on page 5, so I would probably start from page 4 or so or just search the thread to find more posts discussing that.
 
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shortycocoa said:
I'm glad that helped! I've been there with scalp itching that bad and I was miserable because my consultant was telling me I couldn't put ANYTHING in my hair or on my scalp, and to only use the Sisterlocks shampoo, but that shampoo was not agreeing with my scalp. I hated it. I ended up going against her advice and using a small amount of Aussie Moist conditioner to cleanse my scalp, but I didn't care and I was well aware of the risks and that we're not "supposed" to use conditioner. The health of my scalp was more important. Spraying wasn't really working for me. It would help a little, but that itching was severe! I feel like it took forever for my scalp to adjust and calm down.

She ended up contradicting herself months later, saying that clients can use whatever products they prefer or work for them on their hair, but they would just have to be prepared to pay her extra to resolve any issues that come from not using the Sisterlocks shampoo and not following other guidelines.

I never bought another bottle of that shampoo, and once I was done with the bottle she gave me as part of the Sisterlocks package, that was it.

If you feel like you need more moisture, try adding a few drops of glycerin to the spray.

I just checked for you, and there are several posts discussing moisture recs, products etc. on page 5, so I would probably start from page 4 or so or just search the thread to find more posts discussing that.
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I think I'm still going to have to wash it Friday. I have gunk build up I mentioned when I first started posting here. Also, I got my first ignorant comment at work. And I hadn't seen this guy and knew if anyone was gonna say something it was going to be him. He thinks he can say anything to me because we are semi friends because he used to date one of my friends.

So he said something to the effect of a lawnmower run over my head. I said don't come over here with your ignorant comments and said I knew if anyone was going to say something ignorant it was gonna be you. He tried to back track with a no, no it looks good. Yea, yea, get the fk out of my face, sir. Slightly annoyed.
 
FlawedBeauty said:
I think I'm still going to have to wash it Friday. I have gunk build up I mentioned when I first started posting here. Also, I got my first ignorant comment at work. And I hadn't seen this guy and knew if anyone was gonna say something it was going to be him. He thinks he can say anything to me because we are semi friends because he used to date one of my friends.

So he said something to the effect of a lawnmower run over my head. I said don't come over here with your ignorant comments and said I knew if anyone was going to say something ignorant it was gonna be you. He tried to back track with a no, no it looks good. Yea, yea, get the fk out of my face, sir. Slightly annoyed.
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Ugh. People are so rude and inconsiderate. Ignore him and report him to HR. See how he likes those apples!
 
I washed DS 2's hair yesterday. I was supposed to wash it Monday but time got away from me. The frizz has kicked up a notch, and his hair is starting to bud. I'm so excited! I sprayed his head with the rosewater spray that I use on both our locks and let that dry. (It doesn't take long to dry, especially since his head is so small and it's not really a lot.) Right before I laid him down for his nap, I oiled his scalp.

This is my water wash day, so I'm getting ready to go and do that while I'm in the shower. I will oil my scalp tonight before bed, then put it up like I always do before going to sleep. My hair will be dry by then. I'm going to wash again on Saturday since I'm planning to retighten this Sunday, at 8 weeks since my last retightening. I am going to try to get an early start (like shortly after I wake up) to see if that will help me with getting done quicker.

Also, I am going to look at the calendar and decide on a start date for DS 1's locks. I already know I am going to start them in December, when they go on Winter break. However, if I'm feeling adventurous and think I will have enough time to get it done over their Fall break in a couple weeks I will do it then. I'm losing two days since they have to make those up from being out of school for Hurricane Florence, so that might also factor into my decision to wait a little longer.

I will definitely have to get him some hats for the Winter to keep his head warm after I start his locks. Now I'm wishing I had bought 2 skull caps for him and his brother when I was in Family Dollar yesterday. I wasn't sure it would fit DS 2's head. :lachen: I do need to start training him to wear something on his head to cover his locks at night, because I am still having to pick lint and fuzz out of his hair when he wakes up in the morning or from his naps.
 
Ok I need help!!!! My hair is flaking like crazy. I think it's a combo of whatever she used and my scalp as I've always had scalp issues. What do I do?!? I don't want my hair to start off tangling with bunch of flakes in it :cry3::cry3:
 
FlawedBeauty said:
Ok I need help!!!! My hair is flaking like crazy. I think it's a combo of whatever she used and my scalp as I've always had scalp issues. What do I do?!? I don't want my hair to start off tangling with bunch of flakes in it :cry3::cry3:
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Have you tried oiling your scalp yet? Start out with a basic olive oil and tea tree mix to see if that will help. But if you have flaking on top of the scalp issues/gunk you mentioned earlier, it might be time for you to go ahead and bite the bullet and wash your hair a few days early. Just keep the other pointers in mind when you do so your coils don't unravel.
 
shortycocoa said:
Have you tried oiling your scalp yet? Start out with a basic olive oil and tea tree mix to see if that will help. But if you have flaking on top of the scalp issues/gunk you mentioned earlier, it might be time for you to go ahead and bite the bullet and wash your hair a few days early. Just keep the other pointers in mind when you do so your coils don't unravel.
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Yep, I tried that. Is unraveling the only reason they say to wait to wash until your first retwist? Im going to wash on Fri @ the one week mark. Waiting any longer just seems like it will br doing more harm than good.
 
FlawedBeauty said:
Yep, I tried that. Is unraveling the only reason they say to wait to wash until your first retwist? Im going to wash on Fri @ the one week mark. Waiting any longer just seems like it will br doing more harm than good.
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My apologies! I think I do remember you saying that tea tree oil doesn't work for your hair, correct?

Waiting to wash your hair is part of the reason, but the other reason is because the hair needs time to start shedding, matting, forming buds and locking. On the other hand, there are proponents of frequent wetting, washing and spraying the hair to accelerate the process, myself being one of them. It definitely helped me, and @Platinum also mentioned that it helped her locks form quickly. There are probably several other ladies that can chime in and attest to this.
 
@Foxglove, I like your grey, it pretty.
I am biased because I love henna, it looks very pretty at the ends of your locs. I vote for another henna application. I use it too but I have very little grey so its not nearly as pretty as yours.
Your locs are beautiful, I really wish we had sisterlocks consultants here, I would have gotten them.
 
shortycocoa said:
My apologies! I think I do remember you saying that tea tree oil doesn't work for your hair, correct?

Waiting to wash your hair is part of the reason, but the other reason is because the hair needs time to start shedding, matting, forming buds and locking. On the other hand, there are proponents of frequent wetting, washing and spraying the hair to accelerate the process, myself being one of them. It definitely helped me, and @Platinum also mentioned that it helped her locks form quickly. There are probably several other ladies that can chime in and attest to this.
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Yes, I did a water only rinse one week after I got my starter locs and mine started to bud quickly. I have very thick, 4b-c hair with a patch of 4a in the crown. I didn't manipulate my hair, I just allowed the water to run over it while I was in the shower.

I did this for about a month or so then I started using diluted shampoo, I didn't use any creamy conditioners. I made a homemade leave-in with aloe.
 
Platinum said:
Yes, I did a water only rinse one week after I got my starter locs and mine started to bud quickly. I have very thick, 4b-c hair with a patch of 4a in the crown. I didn't manipulate my hair, I just allowed the water to run over it while I was in the shower.

I did this for about a month or so then I started using diluted shampoo, I didn't use any creamy conditioners. I made a homemade leave-in with aloe.
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I did the same. Water only rinses starting out, then water washing with fingertips on my scalp. When I did incorporate a cleanser, it ended up being mild soaps/washes. Sometimes I would dilute them.
 
@FlawedBeauty I have another suggestion for you that you might want to try. DS 2 has eczema, and I used Dove's tip to toe wash sensitive moisture a couple times to wash my hair and his. Any product marketed towards sensitive skin/eczema might also help with your hair and scalp issues. It's worth a try.

I would probably buy it in the future if I needed to, but I wash our hair with Dial Spring Water soap now and I'm content with it. I dilute it and I don't use a lot. I got the Dove from his pediatrician's office. They would give me samples/trial sizes to take home. Aquaphor makes something similar, called Aquaphor baby wash for eczema, but I only used it to wash his body. At the time I hadn't started his locks yet and was still conditioner washing his hair.

They gave me the Dove, Aquaphor, and Eucerin baby wash and shampoo. If you use the Aquaphor or Eucerin products, keep in mind that the pH of a baby's hair and an adult's hair is different, so you might end up throwing the pH of your hair off. But it just might work for you as far as cleansing and healing your scalp. I do remember using the Eucerin and the Aquaphor on my hair once, and there weren't any problems. However, I also don't know what that would look like or how to rebalance the pH if that were to happen.

If you're apprehensive about using any of these, only test them on a small section of your scalp first and make sure you replenish the moisture afterwards. I always oil my scalp once my hair is almost dry.

You could also try an Aveeno soap to wash your scalp with to see if that will regulate your scalp issues.
 
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shortycocoa said:
@FlawedBeauty I have another suggestion for you that you might want to try. DS 2 has eczema, and I used Dove's tip to toe wash sensitive moisture a couple times to wash my hair and his. Any product marketed towards sensitive skin/eczema might also help with your hair and scalp issues. It's worth a try.

I would probably buy it in the future if I needed to, but I wash our hair with Dial Spring Water soap now and I'm content with it. I dilute it and I don't use a lot. I got the Dove from his pediatrician's office. They would give me samples/trial sizes to take home. Aquaphor makes something similar, called Aquaphor baby wash for eczema, but I only used it to wash his body. At the time I hadn't started his locks yet and was still conditioner washing his hair.

They gave me the Dove, Aquaphor, and Eucerin baby wash and shampoo. If you use the Aquaphor or Eucerin products, keep in mind that the pH of a baby's hair and an adult's hair is different, so you might end up throwing the pH of your hair off. But it just might work for you as far as cleansing and healing your scalp. I do remember using the Eucerin and the Aquaphor on my hair once, and there weren't any problems. However, I also don't know what that would look like or how to rebalance the pH that were to happen.

If you're apprehensive about using any of these, only test them on a small section of your scalp first and make sure you replenish the moisture afterwards. I always oil my scalp once my hair is almost dry.

You could also try an Aveeno soap to wash your scalp with to see if that will regulate your scalp issues.
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Thank you. I will probably wash tonight or tomorrow. I just saw a commercial last night that head and shoulders has a new line for black people. Head and Shoulders Royal Oils I believe it's called. Might be a sign for me lol
 
shortycocoa said:
Now what, now???? Everybody wants that black dollar! :lachen:
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Oh I also wanted to say my hair is really frizzy, like really really frizzy. Like oh, you got frizz frizz :lachen: I know it's from the steam and water spritzes but is that bad? I know some frizzy is expected, but all the retwist videos I've seen I ain't never see no heads goin in there looking like mine :lachen:. Maybe it just looks worse because my hair is light idk
 
FlawedBeauty said:
Oh I also wanted to say my hair is really frizzy, like really really frizzy. Like oh, you got frizz frizz :lachen: I know it's from the steam and water spritzes but is that bad? I know some frizzy is expected, but all the retwist videos I've seen I ain't never see no heads goin in there looking like mine :lachen:. Maybe it just looks worse because my hair is light idk
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Yaaaaassssss!!!!! Bring on the frizz. And girl if you don't put that lid back on that pot and get out that kitchen! :lachen: :lachen: :lachen:

But to answer your question again, all the frizz isn't bad. A fresh retwist or retightening is always going to look neat. That's kind of the point. Catch them at 3 and 4 weeks post, then see what them locks do. :lachen:
 
shortycocoa said:
Yaaaaassssss!!!!! Bring on the frizz. And girl if you don't put that lid back on that pot and get out that kitchen! :lachen: :lachen: :lachen:

But to answer your question again, all the frizz isn't bad. A fresh retwist or retightening is always going to look neat. That's kind of the point. Catch them at 3 and 4 weeks post, then see what them locks do. :lachen:
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LMAO I'm trying!!! I'm no longer waking up early in anticipation of snatching my scarf off :lachen: and yea I was talking about the retwist vids that show them getting a retwist. Before they start or get in the loctician chair their starter locs don't look nowhere near as frizzy as mine lol. I might be thinking it's worse than it really is. I do that all the time lol
 
FlawedBeauty said:
LMAO I'm trying!!! I'm no longer waking up early in anticipation of snatching my scarf off :lachen: and yea I was talking about the retwist vids that show them getting a retwist. Before they start or get in the loctician chair their starter locs don't look nowhere near as frizzy as mine lol. I might be thinking it's worse than it really is. I do that all the time lol
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Iono what retwist videos you be watching cause a lot of the ones I've seen, their hair is thick, full, frizzy, all kinds of stuff going on. But it also depends on where they are in their journey, how long they have waited, hair type, how they take care of their hair between visits, etc. All kinds of factors come into play.

I'm willing to bet the people whose hair looks semi-neat/no frizz are the ones who retwist often, tie their hair up ALL the time, and don't wet their hair or wash their hair a lot. You have to consider those things as well. No two lock journeys are the same.

It might be all in your head. But chill out, Queen....you got this!
 
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