This is who I am.... Experience my Redemption!

holiday pictures

2012-01-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

In these pictures I wanted
to do something new so
I did an updo with twist on the side
and before it fell I had a hump in the
front and I added a deep wave ponytail
for that extra something. I loved
it because it was new and classy and

it still showcased my locks and the
awesome diverisity the SLs provide!

For Christmas day I did a simple braid out in which the ends were curled. These pics were taken towards the end of the day when the curls pretty much fell but the braidout lasted for a few days.

LOok what the cat dragged in

2012-01-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hey All Its been a looong time I know. Life has a way of sweeping you off your feet and carrying you into uncharted territories for months before you even realize you've left your business as usual day and mindset. All that being said things are going really well on my end, I am in the clinical portion of my Chiropractic education soooo if any of you are in need of a chiropractor and in the Florida area hit me up I would love to be your student intern ;-)!

On the sisterlock front I have news..... I CUT MY LOCKS! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.....

Just kidding LOL but they have been going through some serious changes which have made me wonder if I should cut them.. short, not off to get rid of all my color and just start over with my uncolored new growth. The problem is that my hair has never done well with chemicals, be it relaxers or color ( especially color) this is the same problem I faced when I was a loose natural and colored my hair I loved it and then months later my hair started freaking out and breaking off at an alarming rate which is whats happening with my locks. ( I should have known better right?!?) Its growing really well but my colored end are breaking despite efforts of deep conditioning and things of that nature which just aid in my hair becoming very soft and unlocking. Decisions decisions...

I am still very much in love with my locks though, more so now than ever. My grid is still intact almost 3 years later ( a testament to the absolutely amazing job my initial consultant, Claire Greene did, and the ease of DYI after taking the reti class) They are at an awesome length, I wear my hair out quite often now and I don't curl it much these days either but when I do curl it or put it in a updo it looks great. It has so much bounce and it never looks dry so aside from the color breakage issue My hair is doing wonderfully. I'll post a few pictures of some styles I wore for a holiday party I went to and some comparison shots a little later.

I've also been considering becoming a consultant myself.... Hmm what do you guys think?

Still here

2011-07-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all, First I'd like to say big thanks to Gigglz for the creative page shout out I haven't had a chance to post it but I will. Life has been so busy I have not had a lot of time to post but I have still have been following many of my fav blogs.

On the SL front my locks are doing very well. They have gotten a really nice length to them. I saw my reflection in a hallway mirror one day and I was surprised at how long they had gotten without me noticing. Now when I curl them it gives it a great bounce. Below are pictures of the first spiral set I did, it came out great I left it in the big spirals for about two days, it would have lasted three but it got wet in the rain so on the third day I separated it and it gave a great full curly look which i wore for the rest of the weak. Now its just a slight crinkle in them but still looks nice.

As for the integrity of my locks some of my front locks have broken off midway and I must admit that its most;y my fault. Mainly because I have had the build up issue in the past I would rub and scratch my lock to try and get it out that way ( instead of squeezing them while washing) and it began to slowly damage the lock strand by strand until there was a thin spot where the buildup use to be, two broke and I cut the other two so they wouldn't break.

Products: Since I used a lift and have colored my looks I needed something that would replace some of the moisture in my locks and the sisterlock products which are designed to make your locks rough to promote locking were not cutting it, well mainly the shampoo. So I went to a consultant down here, ( Finally found one that works really fast and does quality work) suggested I use design essentials color system and their leave-in conditioning spray. I was apprehensive at first but let me tell you. First off both products smell fantastic! Next the shampoo cleanses my hair and scalp very well without drying it out and the leave in condition has to be heat activated meaning I spray it on damp or dry hair and blow dry my hair for about 3-5 mins to activate it and it leaves m hair feeling so incredibly soft its amazing. Although my hair feels soft I have not noticed any of my locks softening to the point where the unravel or begin to unlock. Best part of all... neither product leaves me with BUILD-UP!! Which those of you who have been following me know has been a problem of mine on and off since I started my locks. THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING!!!! I've been using it since April and still no build-up, no unraveling, no dry brittle locks. YAY!

My routine these days in: Wash with Design Essentials color shampoo and Sisterlocks Moisture Treatment as my conditioner. once a week-2weeks depending. I believe this is still the best rinse out conditioner out there for sisterlocks it always leaves my locks feeling great, but if I don't wash it out completely it does leave build-up. Then I'll do a DE leave in conditioner spritz about 3-4 days after that just to moisten and soften my locks in between washes. Rarely do I spritz with water and EO mix in the mornings anymore simply because I've been doing roller sets or braidouts and the water would cause them to falls and I try and make them last at least a week. I do do it before I set my hair though.

Totally missed my 2 year Anniversary!!!!

2011-03-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

Wohooo Its been two years since I've been Sisterlocked and I'm still loving my locks, lets take a look back shall we!

Spicy Locks!

I Choose....

2011-02-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

Oh my oh my, Hello there fellow lockers!! I come today with a cheery spirit and a renewed sense of peace. It's been a long time since I've felt this good about life and the greatest part is, its not really due to anything. These last few months for me "haven't been no crystal stairs" let me tell you. But as I sit here on this last day of February I'm reminded that I have so much to be thankful for and so in this moment of serenity I choose joy, I choose happiness, I choose peace, I choose adventure, I choose romance, I choose to love and I choose to live. Stuck and stifling in a world filled with death and sorrow I choose to live. And live I shall!

My Redemption from sorrow has brought me into a state of Renewed, joy, faith, life and love!

Blessings all...

Redemption Empress Kay Exquisite.

thoughts

2011-01-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend was interesting... A friend of mine suddenly died while taking the physical portion of a police academy test. Then Sunday another friend informed me that their grandmother had passed that day only a few hours before. It made me stop and really really evaluate life. Is it even worth it to make plans? I mean really... the word says "man makes plans and God laughs at them" (paraphrased but you get what I'm saying) If He is the only one that knows and directs or future should we even plan for it? I mean your whole life could change in a instant, your thought process, goals, reasons for going on... all of it could be drastically altered by one decision or by one unchangeable moment in time. Then what?

Sometimes I wonder why death can be so incomprehensible. Its truly hard for me to understand how someone can be here one minute and then cease to exist the next. All that's left of them becomes a memory until you have to sometimes wonder if they ever really existed or were they and the way you really felt about them all just a figment of your imagination.

Stylez

2011-01-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is the style I did for a Christmas party and a wedding I went to. For the Christmas party I wore it as is in the pictures and for the wedding I did tiny bantu knots and connected them together where the loose hair is on the side and left the bang out. I didn't take any close ups of it then though . It was a simple twist back with bigger twist in the back. I didn't want my hair sticking straight up so that's why I pinned it to the side.

Thousands of birds falling dead out of the sky....Hundreds of thousands of fish dead?!?

2011-01-05T11:10:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you all are up to date by now about the freaky occurrences of the US that are now spreading to other parts of the world. For those who have not heard yet, on New Years eve thousands of birds started falling dead out of the sky in Beebe, Arkansas. Many folks of the small Town awoke only to find their lawns and streets covers with dead birds.

A few days before over 100,000 Fish washed up dead in Arkansas.

Then on Monday More dead birds began to fall in Louisiana. It brought the number to over 5,000 birds. Then today the news has reported that on Tuesday over 500 Black birds fell dead in Sweden.
Crazy right? The craziest thing is all the birds seeming have all died from the same thing, some sort of blunt trauma. They all have massive damages to their eaks, wings, liver and heart as if they collided with something midair or that something hit them.

I want to know, What do you all think is going on?

What Happened to my bloglist?!?

2011-01-04T12:09:00.001-08:00

Soooo my entire blog list has disappeared from my blog somehow. What the heck. I was looking into a new template and playing around with it but I didn't apply or save anything. Now I'm looking on my page and my entire blog list is gone. Does anyone know what happened or how to get it back. Will I have to create it all over again? Sadly aside from a handful of blogs that I frequent and who frequently update I don't remember all that I had on the list. Help!

Fantasising about an unearned reality.

2010-12-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish Life was easy and came with all the answers you know. That it was already laid out for you and all you had to do was live. Everything in life that was for you would come to you naturally without work. Things wouldn't be so hurtful, sadness would never come, pain would be an alternate reality. But I guess there in lies my fantasy. I stare at this picture and although I am no longer a little girl, I find myself still doing the same thing. Staring into a mirror and imagining who I will be when I grow up. Yet am I not grown? Is this not my future? Am I the woman that little girl thought she would be those years ago?

reflections

2010-12-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well its that time of year again. Preparing to close another chapter in my life entitled 2010. It has been an interesting one I will definitely say that. I've grown to become very comfortable in this city I'm in. Developed some really wonderful friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. throughout this year though I have had many experiences that have broken me, hurt me, strengthened me, excited me, brought me immeasurable joy and lots of peace. I thankful that God has allowed everything He did into my life this past year. Its hard at times but I know He is molding me and shaping me. One day I will be a finished product, right now though I'm chipped ill formed, mispositioned and soggy (lol). To be finished though I know I'll have to continue to push and one day face the furnace called life. No worries though because I know that I'll be a lot stronger once on the other side.

Stylze

2010-10-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

So what have me and my hair been up to? Lets fill you in

My locks are growing like crazy now that I have colored it is a lot easier to note the change in length each month by the line of demarcation of color to dark.

My hair doesn't curl nearly as easily and when I do get it to curl afters hours- a day of having it in curlers it falls flat in no time, so I have not been using my lock loops or bantu knot sets lately.

I can get my hair into one ponytail and have it not look too stingy, or at least bearable LOL Yay!!!!!! BIg accomplishment especially on those days when spending time on my hair is just not an option.

I have been experimenting on styles a little. Something to spice up my locks and bring new life into our relationship. I find I'm favoring the pin up styles more and more lately and more tussled appearance to set of evenings out works really well with my length the way it is now.

I do still to the braid out but not as much as I used to. I find myself free styling a lot more now, mainly because of my length and the natural bounce my hair has it just doesn't look as bad to freestyle as it once did at my shorter length.

I'm still in search of a consultant in the central florida area that I can go to when I just dont feel like doing my hair.

I change my reti schedule from every 3 weeks- front one week-end then back the next to and every 4-5 weeks entire head or split, which just did not work for me. My hair grew out too much in that time and it just took way too much time to complete my retis, time which I just did not have. It didn't look horrible but my hair also didn't look that great at the 5 week mark either. Definitely not the tapered look I'd gotten myself accustomed to. ;-) So I'm back on a 3 week half and half schedule, it works for me.

I definitely don't obsess over my locks anymore, well at least not as much as before lol. I've kinda just been allowing them to do their own thing, but I guess that's just natural now that my ends are completely sealed I really don't have as much to worry about. I wash them when I want, style them how I want or just leave them alone and it all works out the same.

The only thing is now that I've colored, I realized that i need some new type of conditioning treatment or something to restore the moisture balance to my hair especially to my ends. Anyone have any suggestions?

New landmark revisited, its awesome to have my hair tickle my neck, shoulder and face and freak out because I think something is crawling on me, only to realize that its my hair at its new length. :-)

I'm still totally in love with my SIsterlocks. Every new stage brings new life and a new quest to learn how to manage this hair of mine.

Year 1 of Chiropractic school FINISHED!!!

2010-09-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

WooooHoooo. Last Thursday marked the completion of my first full year of chiropractic school. I am so thankful to God for keeping me and showing me favor throughout this year. My program is very challenging and time consuming hence my absence from the blogging world, but I loved every moment of it. Every quarter filled with new and interesting facts, experiences and knowledge that just excites me more and more about my soon to be profession. The holistic, caring and patient centered approach to health care that chiropractic presents is just so amazing and I just can't wait to finish and be amongst some of the finest physicians in health care! ;-)

In search of a good Florida consultant

2010-09-27T08:40:00.001-07:00

Hello all, is anyone in the Central Florida region that has an experienced consultant that they would recconmend for a retightening?

17 vs 1 months comparison shots

2010-08-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

TRYING TO GET BACK ON TRACK

2010-08-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all so sorry for my delayed absence but I'm trying to get back on track. Ok so from the pics below I tried coloring with Clairol textures and tones but I also attempted to lift my hair with Clairol's professional basic white, now I wasn't sure if i was suppose to lift, rinse it all out and then mix the Clairol box color as is so I decided to mix the hair die with the basic white lifting stuff just to be on the safe side of not double bleaching my hair. When the color was in it looked great I loved it and I made sure to do my hair line last because I've been told that takes the fastest. So i let it sit the allotted time then 5 minutes before I was to wash it out I wrapped my head with a plastic bag ( had to make do I didn't have any plastic wrap or a shower cap) and I put the blow dryer on it to really speed up the process and to try and make the color seal a little bit more. The mistake I think I made is that I started to rub my hair but I should have just let the heat penetrate on it own. When I washed it all out none of the color was on my hair and my hair was a bright orange. Oh my goodness talk about nightmare. I calle dmy firends screaming My HAir My Hair My haaaaaiiirrrr!!!! Hence my blog entry a little while ago lol. The next day although it was still very bright it had toned down a notch and I received a lot of compliments which made me feel a lot better about my hair mishap. My friends loved it and didnt see what I was freaking out about, they said the bright color really looked nice and those areas where it didnt take as brightly just made it look like a more natural color and like i had natural highlights. The topping on the cake, I was in Walmart and this girl comes from across the aisle and stops me to ask me where I got my hair done when I told her they were Sisterlocks and that I colored them myself she asked if she could get my number so I could do hers LOL I was like ma'am, you just dont know the drama I went through to accomplish this lucky mistake, unless u wanna go bald I dont think thats a good idea lol. All in all I may not have done it right but it turned out well. The color kept darkening day by day now its more brown than red or orange, a much calmer color and I definitely have started appreciating it. I'm glad too becaus emy roots have started to grow out already and I couldn't imagine what it would look like with a brighter contrast, yuk. Anywoo I'm definitely loving my locks more than ever.

Now I'm just trying to find a product to use to moisturize my locks, it been almost a year and a half and all I've been using is was and an occational EO mix but I feel with the color My locks definitely need a little more TLC to keep them moist and soft. They were a little stiff at first but now they are back to being bouncy and they are still pretty soft. Any suggestions?

Update

2010-08-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

My Ponytail is getting up there :-)

Update

2010-08-01T12:33:00.004-07:00

Hello everyone, Life has been so hectic for me blogging became just a distant memory but not to worry even thought I was not blogging I was definitely taking pictures. My hair has grown a lot I think and it was very healthy. For the past 3-4 months I've just been in need of a change so I started on the coloring binge. I started with a rinse which did not take and then went to henna which was a lot of work and still did not take then I resorted to a do at home permanent color which also failed. At this point I was totally over trying to color my hair myself. But this morning I said to myself, self, give it one more go. It became very obvious that my hair is too dark and in order to achieve any type of color that I want I have to lift the color. So that is what I did. I bought some Clairol products, texture and tones dye and the BW lifting agent and went to work. OOOOMMMMGGGGG I do not recommend this to anyone. My hair my hair my hair. What have I done?!?!?!?!?! Some parts of it are orange some parts are brown and light brown ohhh just one big mess. Surprisingly though I'm not upset. I think its because I knew the risk I was taking before I opened the box. SIghhhhhh another hair mistake. I will post pics soon.

My Hair, My Hair, May Hair!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-01T12:33:00.003-07:00

What have I done?!??!?!?!? AhHHHHhhhHHhHHh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm coming back soon

2010-06-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

Hello all sorry for my extended absence, Life has been a little crazy but I will be posting soon...

My baby needs a name!

2010-04-10T07:18:00.001-07:00

FINALLY GOT MY BABY! After a totally horrible experience with the first set of people I was trying to get a puppy from. I randomly came across this little beauty. She is such a sweet little girl. Very quiet and laid back and loving. She will lay in your lap and sleep all day if you let her. Its so meant to be. I'm so happy, I have wanted a dog for so long but always felt I just never had the time to care for one as it should be cared for. Now I have a little more time and more friends with pets which makes mid-day walks a little easier during school because we all have agreed to tag team with our schedules.

Sooo since I was soooooo disappointed the first time all the names I had to choose from I feel were for the other dog and I don't want to use them on her. Anyone have any Ideas? I'm really not good at naming animals lol, I've had tons of suggestions but nothing that I think fits her just yet. Lets hear what ya got!

Henna Experience

2010-04-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

Well I finally got the time and the nerve to do my first henna hair color. I have to say that it wasn't nearly as messy as I thought it was going to be from reading other blogs and looking at various websites. It definitely did look like poop and the smell wasn't all that great but it definitely wasn't that horrible either. Anyway I just added warm tap water as the instructions stated and applied it to my hair. I didn't have a shower cap so I tied my hair tightly with two plastic bags and then added a towel on top to add more heat and to kind of catch any dripping. I let it sit in my hair for 3 hours and then went to wash it out. This was the messiest part, but still not that bad. I started in the shower and quickly realized that this was causing it to splash all over the place so i turn on the tub pipe and washed most of it out that way. Then I turn the shower head back on, it took about 30 maybe even 40 minutes to get the water to run somewhat clear. I couldn't rinse anymore so I got out dried my hair and looked to see what I got. At first It was barely noticeable, then in about an hour I noticed my tips and my roots were kind of red. By that night my tips looked kind of like a dingy red. It definitely showed up more in the sun and it showed up more than I expected it to but definitely not as much as I wanted it to. The instructions said not to wash with shampoo for 48 hours and needless to say the color was still coming off on my sheets and pillowcases. Finally I washed my hair with shampoo 2 days later and it still took 3 washes to get the water to run clear. You can still kind of see the color in the sun but mainly on my tips. It almost looks like I had color and it faded and its only left on my tips :-( not exactly what I was going for.

Now as for the softening quality of henna, I have to say I did not experience that. I hated the way my hair felt after I finished using the henna. It felt stringy and hard. After washing with the shampoo 2 days later it went back to its normal soft texture, it may be slightly softer than before but I'm really not sure because it had gotten so hard and stringy I was just relieved to have my softness back. What I did notice though is that my hair almost seems fuller since I used it. My locs are laying straighter and they kind of have a little more bounce to them than before. They also felt really light today again I don't really know if that's the henna or the tremendous amount of washing that I gave it.

blogging

2010-03-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

so keeping up with my blog has not really been that easy lately. Being torn between wanting to post and entry of substance or just an update with pictures often leaves me not posting at all. Those times when I find myself with lots to say often come when I'm least able to jot down my thoughts for a post and when I have time to post I find myself with a loss of words. What to do what to do?

Just as an update my hair is doing well it is really growing and I can get it all in one ponytail but I don't have any hang time so I wont be wearing it that way anytime soon. There is still a big section in the front that is not locked yet but its getting there. I have not been taking a lot of pictures lately I've been too busy with school to even do my hair let alone pose for a photo opp. I've been looking back on old photo and I am really pleased with the progress my hair has made in fact sometime next week I think I'm going to shoot my original consultant a comparison shot in an e-mail. I still think the groundwork she laid is fabulous.

In other news I go to pick up my little maltipoo puppy on Friday and I couldn't be more excited. I've waited 4 weeks for her and I'm so amped! As you can see from my previous post I've gotten all the Little necessities and goodies all ready for her. Can't wait!

Finally as my life goes, these past six months have been very interesting to say the least. I have had an emotional roller coaster ride. I dunno I think I'm just at a point in my life where I want more, while I'm in the process of attaining more, if that makes any sense. I'm learning to be content, trying to be content, praying for God to strengthen me as I accept things for what they are but all the while desiring more. The funny thing is I'm not so sure if I know what that more is.

Till next time be blessed
Kay

Preparing for baby

2010-03-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Yep that's right I'm adopting a baby, A baby puppy that is! She is a white Maltipoo born 1/29/2010 and she was the runt of the little and the shyest of all her brothers and sisters when I first met her. I can't wait to see what her personality will be when I get her. At first I went to look at her sister who was a feisty and spunky little cutie pie but there was something about her that just appealed to me. I plan on spoiling her rotten! I'm so excited.

Today is my 1 year Lockversary!!!!!

2010-03-05T15:22:00.001-08:00

This year has been

Filled with twist,
turns,
bumps,
bunches,
slippage,
do's,
don't do's,
style hits and misses.

Love, war, peace, discovery, embracing, acceptance, forgiveness, frustrations, elegance, blog stalking, a total love affair. Consultation $$ Installment $$$$$$ reti for 6 months$ retightenting class$$$ a lifetime with Sisterlocks? Priceless! Thats what this year has been for me and I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

This was the style I decided to do. I twisted the front and then braided and locloops the back. It came out great! I have had it in for about 3 days now and the curls have dropped but the braid out is still going strong. Does anyone have any advice on how to make my curls last through the night. Everytime I go to sleep and wake up my curls are all flattened out. I've use a bonnet, scarf and nothing at all it no matter what its flat. I tried sleeping different too, that did work LOL. Anywhoo I'm so glad that I made the decision to get SL. 1 year and counting can't wait to see what this year will bring!

approaching 1 year

2010-02-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

well its coming up to that time that I have been waiting for since the first day of my installation. My one year lockversary!!! It has been an interesting year. One filled with frustrations and mishaps but mostly pleasure and adoration towards my hair. Its been one of uncovering what my hair was really made of as it went through its various stages. I'm so pleased with the state it is in now and as I faced slight slippage and a build up issues I REALIZE THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE and all the obsessing I did could have been totally avoided. My consultant just did a fabulous job with my locks as I have been maintaining them for six months now and they still look fabulous because of the ground work she laid. My hair is almost totally locked. They have dropped and the front is finally sealing all the way. My hair has bounce and its getting a lot of body to it. Its great even when my hair was relaxed I never had this much body and bounce. I am absolutely and totally in love with my hair. I can't believe it has been a year this time has really flown by. So for all you newbies out there enjoy all your stages while you can because before you know it you will be at your one year mark and beyond. Oh and my air has been growing like crazy lately. I don't know if its a Florida sun or maybe due to a change in eating habits or maybe its just in a growth spurt stage. What ever it is I hope it keeps it up. Until next time.

Pink Love service project

2010-02-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone I would really love it if you could check out this blog and become a follower of it. Its is a service organization that has really been doing some great things for the impoverished and is trying gain more recognition, check it out. http://pinkloveservice.blogspot.com/

11 months

2010-02-06T07:51:00.001-08:00

fresh reti by new consltant

2010-02-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

I found her...

2010-01-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of the young lady with 10 year old locks, I have blocked out her face to protect her privacy.

I'll get here one day :-)

10 months

2010-01-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

here are some pics

3 months

10 months

9 months

1.5 maybe 2 months

9 months

Now
1 month

evolution

2009-12-16T16:22:00.001-08:00

9 Months

thinking about my future...

2009-12-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

I'm learning to pray for my husband even now. For his strength, for his purpose, for his protection, guidance, for his love for the Father, for his love for me. For him to be spiritually filled, exceedingly glad and ready to pour into the nations with me as I know he is doing the same for me. I'm learning to expand myself, embracing obstacles and phases that I did not see coming. I'm learning to accept the curve balls that have been and are destined to be thrown my way. I'm learning to gain knowledge and search for understanding even in a doubtful state of mind. I'm learning to trust in God more now than ever when everything in life is going well. I'm learning what it takes to be me, a woman, a daughter, a sister, a soror, a classmate, a Christian. I'm learning to be satisfied as I wait on what the Father has for me but most importantly I'm learning how to be the person God has called me to be.

Whats my redemption? Emancipationg from ignorance and an acceptance of self.

Check me out

2009-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hello all just wanted to try something new with my Blog Hope you enjoy :-)

10 year old Sisterlocks vs my 9 months

2009-12-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I met this young lady who had a head full of beautiful 10 year old locks. I was sooooo excited to see her and clearly walked up to her and asked if I could get a good look at her locks and so the conversation began. If I bump into her again I'll be sure to take pictures.

In other news I've been so busy with school and finals that I guess I've kinda neglected my blog I dunno, maybe. But my locks are doing progressively well. I've mainly been doing the braid out which is surprising because most of you who follow my blog know its not a style that my hair took to at first but now it looks pretty good with it. It still doesn't last longer than a day though neither do my curls even though I have not done any in a very long time. Its growing, slowly now a days but growing.
9 months and I'm still loving my Sisterlocks even with all its quirks.

9 Months

2009-12-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all, on Friday I will be 9 months locked. This is where my hair is right now:
1. Back is locked
2. Middle just about locked
3. Front fighting it but on its way to being locked.
4. Reti every 3 weeks except this go around I've been busy with school and Thanksgiving so I had to push it back and for some strange reason my back has not grown as much this cycle. (maybe due to my rinse who knows)
5. I can get my hair into two piggy tails a style I liked to have fun with when I was a loose natural.
6. I have had to start putting Fantasia oil in my hair every now and again because it feels and looks so dry.
7. I rarely do water spritz anymore it actually makes my hair misbehave and dry out unlike when I was a younger newbie.
8. I try not to style as much so I don't stress my hair out but I kinda have been forced into it because its not behaving at this stage.
9. My hair seems healthy and strong although I went through a shedding phase all of month 7 and part of month 8. Turns out I just needed a good conditioning which I didn't want to do because my hair in the front was still unravelling. It didn't make the front any worse so whatever and my hair stopped shedding afterwards.
10. Using a rinse was a waste of my time all it did was make my hair dry.
11. Since month 7 I have been having the craziest itchy scalp which I did not used to have at all along with dry scalp.
12. I still love my locks

Looking forward to:

1. Coloring my hair with Lush Henna Caca Rouge-red or Manna?-----the chestnut one lol. I've looked up the reviews and I've look at a couple results on youtube and I like what I see. Plus from various blogs that seems to be the way to go as far as color with conditioning. Especially since I know from previous experience that my hair does not do well with permanent color.
I'm shooting for the middle of January before my second quarter of school starts but only if the front of my hair is locked because this method is said to really soften the hair. If not then I Will probably wait until about March for my 1 year. ( wow I cant believe how close it is)

2. I can't wait until my hair is long enough to go into a ponytail I'm sooooo ready to just throw it up and go.
3. Going to a consultant in January to get a good shampoo and reti and maybe a style, maaaaybe... its been a while ya'll.
4. being able to wash with regular shampoos the way I want to and to use conditioner.
5. Being able to spritz my hair again and let it air dry without it looking and feeling crazy.
6. My hair settling enough so that this build up goes away. Another locker maid a good point to me, she said that when her (traditional) locks were young she would get build up on a few of hers too no mater what she did but once they locked and fell it went away on its own. She said its probably just what that part of my hair has to go through in order to lock and once it does the buildup will go away. So I figured I would just stop worrying about it as long as it does really go anywhere that's too noticeable.
I have not really been taking any pictures lately I have been so Busy but I will try to take a few to post. But for the most part my hair looks the same at lease to me it does anyway.

peace

Whomp Whomp

2009-11-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Coloring a bust!!!! Sooo Um my main objective for adding a rinse to my hair was to deal with my build up issue in the back and my hair. DOn't you know that it did absolutely NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! Nothing do you believe that. The build up so still there bright as day I couldn't believe. SO what do I have to show for it nothing but crispy lock. After the rinse no color showed up at all like I said not even over the build up and my hair felt like straw. SO I had to take affirmative action and add conditioner lots of condition then after I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed I added some fantasia tea tree oil because my hair still felt dry and the braided my hair. I had no slippage throughout the whole process which was about the only good thing. Thats about it :-( I have not tried the shampoo yet because I didn't want to do too much to my hiar all at once. I plan on doing a moisture treatment with the SL products the end of this week just to make sure my hair has a little added moisture after the rinse. But all in all my hair feels and looks ok. Not as soft as it normally is but I feel after a few washes it will be back to normal. I twisted it and did a twist out which came out somewhat ok. Not a fav but definitely an option.

I Abosolutely Love My Locks... That is all! LOL

2009-11-11T20:04:00.001-08:00

I gave into peer pressure ;-)

2009-11-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

soooooo I gave in. LOL I said to myself, self stop stressing about your locks and just do what you want to do lol. I was in target looking for the Vo5 shampoo that gigglz talked about and looking straight back at me was the organics shampoo I picked it up and smelt it and it smelt so good then I saw next to it the Tahitian vanilla and ohhhh myy goodness it was like heaven. So I had to get it and I got a box of Clairol hot cocoa non-permanent color. Yep that's right I'm going to color, probably next week. I can't wait. Cross your fingers people.

8 Months

2009-11-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

wow I've been so busy I almost forgot about my 8 months anne. I am absolutely in love with my locks but as all love does it comes with its share of frustrations. For one this build-up issue will not rest and I am at a loss for what to do. I have switched shampoos, I use a scarf i just dont know. Also the front of my hair still is not locked. It has actually begun slip can you believe it? At 8 months my hair is slipping, the unraveling at the ends has officially turn to slippage in quite a few locks. sigh. Also my edges have begun to get week since I have been retightening. I think this is partly due to me connecting some locks by a couple strands and popping them to seperate. So needless to say I believe I will be going to a consultant very soon. Other that that my locks are doing very well LOL. The back is really locked the middle is partly locked and some of the front is showing good signs of becoming locked soon and other just want to be free. Most of all my locks have lots and lots of personality.

I've reach 50!

2009-11-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I have reached 50 followers. Again Thank you all for taking the time out of your schedule to read and follow my blog. :-) I'm so happy to know that someone out there or at least 50 someones lol want to know what I have to say and about the progression of my locks.

Until next time.
stay blessed
Kay

Bounce!

2009-10-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hey so whats new in Month 7? Well my hair has some bounce to it y'all. Its not heavy or weighed down at all but I guess its reached the length where it just bounces now. I am soooooo excited about this. Because even when my hair was shoulder length it wasn't very bouncy at all. When I shake my head it just flows from side to side and and and when I SLIGHTLY TILT MY HEAD BACK MY HAIR SITS ON MY SHOULDER!! yep that's right it has been so long since I have had hair touch my shoulder. Also I have given up on the battle against build-up. No matter what I do its just not going away so how did I reach a happy medium? Mascara LOL I took my brush to my locks and painted away. I will wash my hair tonight or tomorrow which should wash the mascara out of my hair but hopefully the build-up will still be stained black. cross your fingers *X* But if not I'll whip it out again :-) That's all for now

Have a Happy Halloween
Oh and the funniest thing I've seen for any Halloween was from my classmates today they dressed up as Snow White and the Seven dwarfs. Needless the say the guy was snow white I wish I took a picture it was great.

Okie Dokie here is the outcome

2009-10-24T12:20:00.001-07:00

Then I styled it...

I absolutely love my locks!

YAY they finally arrived!!

2009-10-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

Well I got my loc loops today yay! I have been retightening my lock for the past week its really not so easy when I have to fit it in between studying and classes. Anyway I have retightened my entire front but not the back. I decided to trythe loc loop anyway bcase I want to wash my hair so I figured why not. I set it up and can't wait to see how it comes out tomorrow morning. Also here is a seven month pic

There is beauty in the Broken

2009-10-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Broken, Shattered, Crumbling, Destroyed

Reach for your inner beauty, There is something beautiful almost majestic about those who struggle.

Have you ever looked deep into the eyes of the wounded

There in the midst of desperation and hopelessness there is a sparkle of hope, trace of happiness even if its just the one happy memory of days long gone

there in the midst of devastation is a trace of God

and for some reason no matter how unthinkable or how unbearable

you know better days are coming

there's beauty in the broken

Redemption~Learning to Love myself...

2009-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Redemtion~Learning to love myself.

What was my redemption? I've been liberated from bondage of the views and expectations of others.

Just being own my own and far away from home has sparked a lot of self reflection in. I’ve really been evaluating myself and previous friendships and previous relationships and the reasons why they worked and they didn’t and it surprised me to realized how thin the line between the two were. The biggest difference was my perception of myself at the specific time. I’m sure like many of you I’ve been in relationships were I just felt I needed to stress or even prove my feelings to the other party and I never realized it then because truly I just thought that’s who I was. I care about people a lot and I like to show them that but now I realize that maybe I was trying to prove it to myself. I was trying so hard for their approval, love and affection that I lost myself in the midst of it all. So now I’m beginning to realize more who I am in God, as a person, as a woman and as a partner. Its so funny how life’s experiences are all lined up to clarify future life’s questions. First step to learning how to love is truly learning what things make me happy. Second step is doing those things until the joy in my spirit just burst and spills over into my reality. Surprisingly even in the midst of some of my loneliest hours I am so happy. I feel blessed, I feel so loved by those who matter and as far away as I am from my Mother and Sister I feel closer to them than ever before. I guess what I needed all along was separation from the negativity that unknowingly was draining me. This chapter in my life seems to be one of discovery, challenges, peaks and plateaus, fulfillment, and most of all Growth. I wonder whats around tomorrows corner?
Until next time,

Be blessed and self-sufficient Know that you are wonderfully and beautifully made. Know that even in your darkest hour God is there to be a comforter, a friend, a lover, a partner, or just a silent listener. And if it’s your darkest hour things can only get brighter and just think how miraculous the light will be!

WOW

2009-10-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

well I had my first encounter with racism this week y'all and wouldn't you know it was from black folk. *sigh* this was the shocker to me, the roles were totally reversed and I saw and heard first hand the things that in my mind make them soooo racist. Its crazy I was sooo prepared for it to possibly be from the other end of the spectrum and some point in time maybe. But man oh man having it be the reverse really caught me off guard. I know i'm being so vague and maybe not even making any sense to those reading this but I just had to vent in some way.

First Day down 9 hundred and somemore to go LOL

2009-10-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well I got through my first day of Doctoral School today. It was cool I was so Anxious last night and even this morning. But most of the people there were very friendly and welcoming. It was a little disheartening however that out of a class of 80 there were only 5 African Americans. *sigh* Thankfully I have had a very diverse child and early adulthood so this isn't really that strange to me but I mean 5?!? I guess that just means I have to be on my game 75 times as much. In a way I feel like I have to prove myself as if just being there isn't testament enough to that fact that I am just as capable and competent as anyone there. Ah but such is the life of a young black women on a professional path in a big not black world. Please don't get me wrong this is not to offend anyone or to place blame or play the race card, nor am I prejudging because no one has treated me differently or unfairly in my one day of attendance LOL and the administrators have been wonderful since I've been dealing with them, but that still doesn't change that fact that in the entire school of a few thousand I have been told, the Black community does not surpass 30 people. I feel like I have to represent, like all eyes and assumptions are on me and based on those that came before me whether they succeeded, exceeded expectations or just got by.

Question to those who are in the workplace or school and are really the minority of the place do you feel that you have to work twice as hard to prove yourself or do you just do you no matter where that places you?

In the picture above is one of my classmates who I met prior to school starting. She is a lovely young lady and we have become good acquaintances and hopefully with time great study partners and friends.

just a bit

2009-10-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hey couldn't sleep so I figured I'd update my blog.

My hair is in a weird state these days the back is really sealing well almost all of it. I can clearly see it still has a long way to go but its well on its way most of them really aren't loose at all. The front however has condensed and has more of a fro appearance which makes wearing it out a little difficult. As I often say I don't really care for big hair and that is the appearance I get right now. It looks like its trying to start to seal but its just mostly unravelled. ( not slipping though)

I will be 7 months in a couple of days. I didn't really take any pics of my hair out lately but I'll try to get some in a couple of days.

Fall hairstyles

2009-09-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hey so my computer decided to work today so I'm taking advantage of that to post some pics of some styles I have been experimenting on. I was jst twisting my hair up and I loved the way it came out, more so than anything I have done with my hair before, I thought it was very classy yet calm enough for everyday wear. This is def a style I will repeat.

Then after the style got old I took out the smaller twisted side and wore it half up with crinkles.

the final is just a basic pin back which is kinda how I wear my hair the most these days.

Reti number 2

2009-09-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hey all I just finished my second reti today it took me waaaay longer to do thus one and it was way more painful to my fingers. Does anyone else have this problem? I tried wrapping my fingers with tape and that really didn't work. I'm getting frustrated because I don't wanna have to put up with a sore swollen finger every month. Anyway my pc is down So I won't be posting any pictures. My hair is doing well otherwise I think the back is locking well my front is still very unravelled I'm hoping it will start locking soon and that when I go for my follow up with a new consultant I won't have to go through a lot of or any grooming and fixing. I give mad props to those who do there hair all the time with the sisterlock tool.

Bantu Knot

2009-09-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

This was a Bantu curl set I did a while back it came out great and the curls lasted about a week they loosened up about day 3 and by day 5 it was a nice wave. I loved it so I wore this curl often.

Now it seems that my hair does not curl as well with this set I think it may be due to the fact that so much of my ends are loose I dunno but it does get a nice wave.

Reti pics

2009-09-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Loving my Sisterlocks 6 Months Later

2009-09-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hey so I'm at six months today! YAy!! I will post pictures later my computer crashed and it stores all my pics so lets hope that it gets fixed real soon shall we.

What I have noticed:

I don't style my hair half as much as I used to in my first 3 months or so. Now a days I mainly do I bantu set and wear it like that for 3-4 days then do another or just wear it freestyle.

To my surpise I don't wear as many headbands these days, which is strange to me because I love headbands.

My head has gotten very tender since my installation something I never experienced before this may be contributed to the fact that I have not combed my hair in 6 months. this could also be the reason why I have not been wearing as many headbands sometimes they hurt my head again something that didn't usually affect me before.

I still dont like the braid out especially now that my locks have expanded and my ends are loose. Its just a waste of time and gives me a giant afro.

my locks have expanded

MY LOCKS HAVE GROWN A LOT!

The back of my hair is locking first

I started washing my hair every week to see if it helps my build-up issue although I took out most of the ones that had build up anyway.

My hair likes the heat of the sun, I think that is what has prompted my growth spurt over these past couple of months.

I mainly style when I have somewhere to go.

I really really love my locks.

what I'm looking forward to:

My ends sealing so I can wash my hair without bundles and banding.

the front of my hair to evenly be at my chin

Being able to have a decent pony tail

I want to try wrap a loc or at least pipe cleaner curls, just haven't devoted the time yet

I want to color my locks by December, if my locks are sealed.

I want to learn how to properly basket weave my hair I've tried and lets just say it turned out horribly.

Then I want to have enough length to do a really nice basket weave up do maybe with pipe cleaner curls in the back :-)

I'm Finshed!

2009-09-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Whoo Hooo two days or 3.5 two hour session later and I have finished my first full self retightening. and I think I did a pretty bang up job if I do say so myself! Toot toot LOl anywho I started to wear a latex gloves which help a little with the pinching of my fingers so I was able to go a little faster and longer between sections and breaks. I found the back the easiest to do and I did it the fastest maybe because they were a little larger I'm not sure either way I divided my head into 3 sections in the back and four sections in the front. I watched tv and before I knew I was whipping through the sections. I will say though that its not as 'Tight' looking as when Claire does it but its cool I tried not to go too tight because I didn't want to weaken my lock and I wasnt really sure how tight was too tight so I just played it safe and went until it was close to my scalp even there was still loose hair, if I couldnt get in another full rotation I just left it alone. I'm so proud of myself! YAY me!

I give props to those who do this on a regular basis because um a rahh its not easy, not that hard either but definitely not easy. Big Ups to all the DIY whichever tool or method you use to tighten your locks More POwer To Ya!

Pictures coming soon

First DIY

2009-09-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ok well I washed my hair a few days ago and decided that I had enough new growth to begin my retightening before it got out of control. I got my little Sisterlock box equipped with all my tools, clips mirror and TV and I was ready to go. This is what I found on my quest:

1. Even though I am no stranger to doing my own hair, braids, cornrows, and various styles for the first time in years my arms were killing me shortly after I began.

2. I found it way easier to just feel my way through rather than looking in the mirror while doing my rotation.

3. I don't know if its because I have a new tool but it was really hard for me to push down the spring. This was the main reason I stopped with finishing the whole left side, which was my plan.

4. After two hours I only had about half of the left side of my head done mainly dues to the painful spring issue. I wasn't really tired but my index finger and my thumb really hurt after pushing on the tool the whole time. Does anyone else have this problem?

5. Surprisingly once you get started the rotations are pretty easy and you just begin to flow. Like I said the only hold up was the spring hurting my fingers.

6. To those that have taken the retightening class did you guys get both tools or just two of the same one?

7. I still feel that taking the class was well worth it because I can do my hair on my time I may not be as fast as the pros but I know its a work in progress and it will get better! :-)

Thats all folks

Lockling Rivalry

2009-08-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well well well, it appears that there is more to the eye than just different tools when it comes to Sisterlocks Versus Nappylocks. Now I like i'm sure many of you thought that there was not much of a differnce between the two locking styles aside from the obvious tools of course. But apparently Nappylocks is a knock off of Sisterlocks or rather a spin off, yeah I think I like that word better a spin off. It seems that the creator of Nappylocks was once a student of Sistelocks and decided she wanted to go off and do her own thing but in the midst she used very similar if not the same patterns as the sisterlock patterns. So what distinguishes these methods? For one because the nappylock tool is so thin and needle like it makes it a little difficult to create tension in the lock which can lead to larger locks over time. No big deal if thats the look you want. Also although never being a user of the nappylock tool myself I hear the sisterlock tool is by far easier to use. Check out blogs such as sunsail, or gigglz-----> on my bloglist or follower list for more details on that. I also am not sure if the grid is the same either. Has anyone ordered their book that can answer this?

Ok so I guess some of you may be saying to yourself 'big deal people take original creations and make them their own all the time' and yes that may be true but when it is a patented creation I'm pretty sure its illegal. The rivalry comes in when SL originator sued Nappylocks for infringement I believe they won on some counts of the lawsuit but Nappylocks also won some parts of the case as well. To check out the case go to www.sisterlocks.com. Now recently before I took the retightening class I was thinking about ordering the NL tool instead to save some money and I was surprised to see statements on their page referring to the competition such as (not quoted) get the same results without paying a fortune like with that other method I giggled because thats exactly why I was on their page but still surprised because I new it was a shot at SL or at least thats how it seemed to me. Now I am by no means putting down nappylocks, not at all I still think the tool makes beautiful locks check out Kalia dewdrop's page she is a SL that maintain with the NL tool and her locks are wonderful. I was just intrigued by this tid bit of information. Because many of us newbies don't know whats really going on in the politics of the locked world. Now I pose the question, do any of you feel that Sisterlocked ladies who opt to tighten using the Nappylock tool are selling out or do you feel that it just doesnt matter?

Just wanted to say thank you

2009-08-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to say hey. Just got home from a long day at work, I wanted to check out a few blog to get styling ideas and just to see the progress of my fellow newbies. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who pop in to check out my blog every now and then and to those who offer all the wonderful advice that has been helping me along my journey. You ladies are so awesome and I truly appreciate you all.

Reti;

2009-08-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am approaching my six month mark and as I have posted before I will be taking the retightening class next week I am really excited about it for one I will save me a lot of money and a lot of stress when my hair needs to be done. Anyway I asked my consultant about the things Ive been noticing about my hair such as the unraveling and she said it is normal at this stage, she said that it is part of the locking process because as I stated before its not slippage the hair isn't coming out, its just unravelled so not my hair is curling back on itself to create the spiral lock and soon the ends will seal and as luvlocks stated in my comments eventually it will condense to an even lock. So I suppose that answers the question but I gotta tell ya I can't guarantee that I wont try to fix it once I learn how. I will wait for 8 months though and if there is no change I'm gonna start meddling. :-)

Anyway This was my final reti with my consultant Claire who I have grown so very fond of, she was very professional from installation until now and just made my overall experience wonderful. Now that I am relocating I will find another consultant but just for quarterly check-ups. I hope I can find someone as fast, neat, and nice as her. She was awesome.

Finally the next change on the horizon is color. I want to color with henna in about 3-4 months. But I am torn. I actually like my natural color a lot and I luv to see long dark locks. But I want to spice up my locks a little, I also don't want to experience any problems with the color and my hair so we will see what happens around the 10 month mark. Does anyone know where to order from in the states or any store that sells Henna??

Also is anyone Else's blog acting strange, so that when you add pics you only see the html format until you preview it or post it? WHats up with that?

P.S. I know I look busted in some of these pics but in my defense I just woke up! LOL

unraveling

2009-08-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Quick question:

Does anyone Else's locks unravel from the root up? My slippage no longer occurs from the tip much, it unravels from the root up and if I didn't know my hair I would just assume that my hair grew a whole lot but nope it unravelled after I washed it. Anyone have any suggestions or similar situation?

Plump Locks Vs. Skinny Locks

2009-08-10T18:22:00.001-07:00

OK so I have looked at countless blogs and I think I have come to a conclusion. I have been bewildered by how some people locks can start off so thin and then once they mature end up so thick. Now I know density plays a part in this but I truly believe it is due to how much your lock unravel between retightening.
Now I have been watching my locks very closely as I'm sure you have realized by now and Many of my locks are unraveled at the end almost halfway down the shaft and many of those locks are locking in this manner. They are way thicker than when they started due to the fact that they are unraveled and my hair has shrunk and expanded due to my curls and my loose hair which does what it wants to do best which is shrink, curl and stay. Now the locks that have my 4pt pattern all the way to the end are still as thin as they were at installation and some of them are locking as well. Now it is my belief that if at your retightenings your hair isn't tightened to the end then it will definitely expand fully and become really really full and fat. Although this looks great on lots of lock wearers, I have never really been a fan of big hair on me. Probably due to the fact that my natural hair is thin an dwhenever I had relaxers in my hair was very fine and thin and I was ok with that ( for the most part)

Solution?

For my retightening this week I'm going to ask my consultant how she feels about what I just mentioned and if she will retighten my hair all the way to the end, it may take a while but I really do not want my locks to expand a whole lot more. Where they are now is great to me and with my ends unraveling, (all part of the process I'm sure) my hair doesn't look as tailored as I would like it too. Obsessing I know, I can't help it! Anywhoo we shall see if my hypothesis is correct and if my pockets can handle my consultant taking the time to retighten to the ends if this in itself wont hinder my locking.

What do you think?

5 months

2009-08-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

In other news Today and tomorrow marks my 5 month lockversary. I go to get retightened next week and my hair is doing very well I can feel the change in my texture my curly ques aren't quite as curly as they once were and I can feel many bumps and lumps up and down the shaft of most of my locks. Also there are many many balls on the ends of my locks. I have only had one lock slip this time and it was on my hairline. I have washed my hair twice so far and it pleases me to say that the majority of my build-up is gone. There are still two locks that I see which still have build up but its not nearly as much as it was. This leads me to believe that the culprit was the baby lotion I used on my face. A while back I ran out of face cream and I started using baby lotion it left my face clear and cool and did not break me out like most things do so I stuck with it. Now my consultant did warn me about not using baby shampoos in my hair because they can cause a protein buildup in the hair but it just didn't dawn on me that baby lotion might do the same thing it is contact the hair from the skin near my hairline which is wear most of the problem was, around my hairline and in the back of my hair near my neck where I would also put the lotion. Now whose to say that this was the real problem I don't know but I continued to use the dr. bronner lavender shampoo followed by the SL shampoo and its going away. Other than the texture change there has not really been much change in length this month or at least not from what I can see. My mothers says differently.

I have also decided to take the retightening class in Philadelphia, I am relocating and I really don't want to have to go through searching for a consultant and all that stuff so I have decided to take the class at the end of this month and set another appointment with my consultant in September after I retighten just so she can let me know how I did. Then for the future I will follow up with a consultant every three months or so. Or at least that is the plan we will see what life brings along.

I'm Baaaa Aaack!

2009-08-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all I just got back from a wonderful Jamaican vacation. I got a chance to catch up with family and friends and most of all I got plenty of time to rest and do absolutely nothing. It was Great. I have a few pics to post sadly I was enjoying doing nothing soo much that I just didnt take much pictures. ON my vacation though I experimented on some head wraps and my brother who is a Rasta showed me how to wrap my head Bobo style, still havnt gotten the hang of it just yet but I'm getting there. Also I got so many compliments on my hair many people thought it was twisted but when I explain they were sisterlocks they liked them even more. I had to constatly tell people that I was locking but not a rasta, in a country where culture is so important I felt the need to clarify my position, although I do love some of the standpoints of Rastafarians and their lifestyles I am not one of them I just truly love locks.

I got a chance to go straight back to my roots and although I go home almost every year, each time just seems as unique as if it was the first time I've ever stepped foot there. I gain new experiences and new friendships everytime I go, I see a new a breathtaking part of the island everytime and it fills me with a sense of peace and serenity that just cannot be explained.

Now I'm back and its bitter sweet, I have a long road ahead of me, the journey has really just begun and as excited as I am to begin I am also a little sad to leave my past behind me.

Pictures coming soon...

comparison shots

2009-07-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to see for myself how much growth I have had. Not a tremendous amount but good enough. I'm really glad that my locks are growing healthy and strong. They have definitely thickened up and are now starting to take on a more locked feel as apposed to the feel of the SL pattern. All is well with my hair now if I could just get rid of this build up problem everything would be great.

4 months and retightening

2009-07-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got to tame the beast. My retightening took almost 5 hours, yep thats right 5 hours. Now that its done I'm sooo happy I can see and feel my scalp again. My hair feels so much softer now that it has been retighten, all is right with the world, almost there wasn't much my consultant could do about my build up especially given the fact that I had to have such an extensive retightening. Here are some pics of before and after. My hair has def grown a lot this time around.

As promised here are the pics...

2009-07-06T16:49:00.001-07:00

I only posted pics of close family as I'm sure not everyone there wants their face on my blog. :-) This is a pic of me and two of my aunts, here you can really see the length of my hair. Not to mention everyone here was in on the surprise.

Here is a pic of me and my best friend who I affectionately call Ducky, A true friend that has stood by me throughout the years.

Here is me and my momma, I love this woman dearly she always goes above and beyond for my sister and I to make sure that we get the very best in life. Not to mention that she always floods us with so much love, affection and support she is soo awesome and I am so blessed to have her.

And here is my sister and my very best friend in the whole world. I could not have asked for a more supportive big sister. She is so wonderful to me, no matter what I know that I can turn to my sister for anything and likewise she can do the same with me. Its funny looking at old pictures and visibly seeing how close we have always been, something clearly attributed to the way we were raised.

Finally * keep the wise cracks to a minimum please!* here is a poster board that my sister made of pictures of me through the years. ON the far right there is a pick of me and my dad and all over are pics of me and various friends and family. I am a very sentimental person so I could not have asked for anything more that this. This was absolutely the perfect gift. I got a chance to hang out with many of my favorite and closest friend and relatives and pictures of memories and days long forgotten. It was sooooo great and I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a wonderful and thoughtful family.

For me?

2009-07-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all so for the 4th of July my family threw me a surprise graduation cook out, It was great a indeed a surprise which for me is no easy task! I will post pics soon. I go to get my retightening on Wednesday and I'm soo happy, I can't wait!

Well...

2009-07-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

OK so I'm approaching the 8 week mark for my retightening and boy I will NEVER do this again. I thought because there wasn;t much growth for my last retightening that I would be able to make it to 8 weeks no problem. Boy was I wrong, my hair has grown so much and I have major slippage in the back. My edges are getting a little thin because all I have been able to do with my hair in wear it back because I desperately need a retightening. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT i AM DREADING the time its going to take my wonderful consultant to fix this mess. *Sigh* the things you do to save a little money, that often wind up costing you more money and more of your precious time in the long run. I guess I can call this a lesson learned. Also my hair is experiencing major shrinkage and I believe that is due to the amount of new growth and the amount of slippage because with all of my natural being exposed my hair is free to do what it does best and that is curl up real tight. So now I spend my days that I have somewhere worth going, inventing ways to lengthen and relax my curls. All the others days I just get up shake them out, finger comb them through on a head band and go. Don't get me wrong I still love my sister locks, I just wish I didn't do this to myself.

Tomorrow will make four months for me. I think i'll be more excited about it when I get my hair done and I can see and feel my scalp again. Go figure, first I was worried about too much scalp showing now I can't wait to get my scalp back!
Until next time cherish what you have and remember no amount of money is worth lost time!

Kay Exquisite

Arg!!!!

2009-06-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

This dag on build up is really working my nerves. I have tried everything and it just seems to be increasing, I'm at my wits end with it. I'm really about to take down a whole bunch of my lock and colmb them out before I go for my retightening in two weeks. I am sooo blown!!!! I have washed it, I havnt used anything in my hair in forever and the buildup has increased. I just don't get it, I don't know what is causing it. I tried listerine and yeah that did nothing. Yesterday I tried nail poilish remover and that did nothing. Grrrrrrrrrrr...... I hate my hair looking like its dirty and like I've been rolling around in dust and glue. This really ticks me off.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest. My hair otherwise is doing well. It has gotten very thick and my consultants says is has expanded to just about its full thickness in my lock pattern. I have had a tremendous growth spurt which is probably due to the change of the season, who knows. Anywhoo I hope someone can help me with suggestion on how to get rid of this build up because I can't take it.

In other news, I can't believe Michael Jackson is dead, I mean its so sad. Music has never been the same since he left the game and now it will never be the same again. Michael Jackson had such an impact on the world through his music and his action. His music was not about the booty poppin and senseless garbage that most of today's music is about, it had substance and meaning. He will truly be missed. Now in death I hope he finds peace and that the media will finally leave him alone.

Consultant to the rescue YAY!!

2009-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

So I just spoke to my consultant and she told me a few possible reasons for my build up. First no more EO spritz at least not until she can see my locks for herself to see exactly what kind of build up is in my hair, which isn't really a big deal for me anyway because Once the build up started getting out of control I stopped EO spritzing anyway only water every now and again.

Next I was using Fantasia's Aloe shampoo and she said this could be a possible reason because some shampoos even though water based can cause a protein build up in the locks, one in particular to look out for is baby shampoo, humph who knew. You would think Baby shampoo as gentle as it is would be a safe bet but nope, nope, nope. Also my shampoo even though I follow with SL starter shampoo may not be washing out of my hair completely, even though I dilute it, it may still be too concentrated for my locks at this stage.

Finally because its mainly around my hairline, my face creams, lotions, or make-up which I rarely wear may be the culprit. Needless to say I have a lot of detective work to do, until I see my consultant in 4 weeks. She said the slight slippage I have is normal and not due to the spritzing or the washing but that my hair is just really soft in that area and is prone to do it no matter what. NOw I have to eliminate things one by one after I Wash my hair next week and the following two weeks to see if there is any change. That's all for now, Thanks you to all those who offered their advice on my previous post.

thoughts...

2009-06-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

Just popping in to say hey. Nothing new is really going on with my hair. I have left it alone for the past couple of days and probably will for the next two weeks or so. I did a lot of manipulation for the past month so I'm going to take it easy. I washed my hair two days ago and even though I banded I still have some slight slippage in the back and on the side near my ear. Not a lot really its more like 5 locks total but it leads me to believe that whether I band or not my hair will slip in those areas because of how soft my hair is.

I used the Listerine thing as a second rinse for my hair because there was some type of build up on my locks near my hairline and along my nape. I'm not sure what it is or what is causing it but it seems to be coming from my scalp maybe? You know when you sweat in your hair and you get that film, that could be what it is and its just sliding up my locks. I don't know it just looks nasty. When I look in the mirror it looks like lint but when you get close you can see that it not lint and that its really in the lock. I have had to really scrape it to get it off and sometimes that wont even do it. It doesn't wash out and I don't like it. Trying to get it out makes me feel like I'm damaging my locks because i really have to dig and pull at it and when I'm done my lock is all fuzzy with spilt ends from me scraping and pulling at it. Needless to say the Listerine did nothing but make my hair smell minty. I'm really anal when it comes to my hair and it being clean and healthy so needless to say this is really driving me crazy.

Anyway the back is starting to fill in and now I'm trying to start wearing my hair without headbands more often so I can train my hair to lay forward in a manner that I like.

How long did it take for your locks to start relaxing and laying down?

Any thoughts on what my buildup may be?

Three months comparison

2009-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hey guys I'm one day away from the three month mark I just wanted to post some comparison shots, mainly for my own purposes, just to see how much of a difference there really is. I think I see some changes.

YAY I WOn!!!!!!!

2009-06-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Well I entered the give a way that new2locs http://new2locs.blogspot.com/ and her consultant were putting on and guess what I won. I was the winner of the Tif stick, I am soo pumped about it and I can't wait until it arrives so that I can start styling with it. Again thank you soo much to New2locs and her consultant for selecting me and for putting on the give a way. You guys should check out her shop on etsy, it is filled with loads of cool hair accessories. I'll be sure to post pics of my styling adventure with my first real lock accessory. That's all for now.

Almost Week 12

2009-05-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

So I've had an exciting week, I did some traveling and saw some family, a great way to start the summer I believe. I have been experimenting with various curls with my hair. Well really just one and I like it. I now can tell that my hair has gotten thicker and I'm starting to get a 'fro' feel from wearing it out which is good because i miss my length and sometimes I miss my hair being out but when I curl it, it becomes fluffy and soft and feels like an old familiar phase. The first set of curls were created when I took out the style that I had in the slide show below and the second set of curls which are in the new slide show were created with bantu knots that I did the night before, spritz my hair and went to bed. I took them out in the morning and they looked great.

So this is so random but today as I came into the house from a friends cookout I stood at the door looking for my keys, I felt something on the back of my neck but I just assumed it was my hair blowing in the wind, well I went into the house and I was washing my hands in the bathroom and I saw my hair slightly move I looked a little bit closer and there was this huge bug in my hair!!!! Needless to say I let out a shriek that rattle the house and was heard for blocks to come. I brush it out and sent it to meet it maker.

While traveling I took these pics from the plane, I love flying. It is so relaxing and captivating. It makes you really look at what God has created and focus on the beauty of all things. I did a lot of thinking and reflecting on this trip. About what I want out of life, who I want in my life and where I want to go. Its almost like I had a one on one session with God and it was great.

I know this post was kind of all over the place but These are the things that I have been thinking about throughout the week.

Be blessed,
Kay Exquisite.

Hairstyle

2009-05-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hey here is the style that I am currently wearing, I did it last night so my hair would be in a decent state for church. I was really attempting a lockhawk but it didn't really work out. There are a lot pictures but I figure you can look until you get tired. LOL hope you like, tell me what you think.

11 weeks

2009-05-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

here is a hair update at 11 weeks, I have a few little balls on my hair, mainly in the middle and in the back. My hair has condensed a lot since my installation. It is a little fuller than before but not by much. As you can see there is still a lot of scalp showing in the back but I believe that is because there is a patch in the middle of my head where my hair was cut shorter than everywhere else when I got the color cut off my hair. As for my hair regimen Most days I just get up and go. Sometimes I spritz with water and essential oils but not often. Even though my hair has grown since my installation its hard for me to tell. It still looks the same to me but I know it has because of how much needed to be retightened a couple of weeks ago.

Sidebar: don't mind my swollen lips, I had just gotten a root canal and my mouth was really swollen LOL but these were the only clear pics I had with my hair out after graduation.

Graduation

2009-05-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone this is my attempt at a slide show. Graduation was great, Randy Pinkett was our speaker and he was Fantastic. My Sister graduated with her Masters the very next day so needless to say it was a very eventful weekend. I had a Blast hanging with family and friends.

graduation hair

2009-05-12T18:45:00.001-07:00

I went for my retightening and I got my consultant to style my hair for graduation and this is how it came out. What do you think? Sorry for all the pics but I didnt have time to put them all on one page nd I don't know how to do the slideshows can someone tell me please.

hair update 9 weeks

2009-05-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

here are some pics of the slippage in the back sorry the picks arnt very clear. Also here is my first attempt at curling hair. It wasn't the greatest but it was ok.

WoooHoooo Bless The Lord Somebody I'm Graduating!

2009-05-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

YAY God!! In two weeks I will Be a proud graduate! I've finished all my finals and received all of my grades, I know where I'm going to grad school in the fall and everything is all good .... Pressure is way OFF

Here are the pics of my hair as promised. There's not much going on with it. It has condensed a lot and is not as springy as it used to be. Since I've noticed that I have not been doing any up dos just so I don't hinder what my hair wants to do naturally. Okay OKay so I haven't done as many up dos sheesh...

Anyway I am going through phase where I am not at all content with the size of my locks. I believe they are Way too big. I know crazy right!?! But here me out, the front is fine but the back ranges from what seems to me as mediums to large which I didn't really start to notice until my locks started to condense and and, the middle of my hair is shorter than the rest of my hair so it makes the size that much more apparent. *sigh* Alas I am going to leave things the way they are at least for six month or until my locks settle and I get some length before I make any decisions. I've read in Kalia-dewdrops blog where she had to combine some of her locks because her retightenings took forever and for various other reasons and things like that make me think and just want to wait it out because right now my consultant is a beast she tightens all my 490+ locks in under two hours, yeah buddy! But later on in life I wont be in this area and who knows if other consultants will be as proficient in expedient in their tightening sessions and what about when I start to DIY, so much to think about, but right now I am not happy, not happy at all. But I still Love Love Love my locks.

P.S

the last pics are of a style I saw on Fucshia page and it rocks it doesnt take much manipulation and I love it I believe it is my new favorite style Thx... Check out her blog at http://fuchsia-soul.blogspot.com/

8 Weeks!

2009-05-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

wooo' I almost missed it. LOL yep thats right my Locks are 8 weeks old today. I will post some pics later, Right now its back to studying for Finals!! *sigh*

Getting ready...

2009-05-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

I'm getting ready for my journey,

don't really know where this road will take me

But I stand strong and hold fast to God's hand

Hoping that my stride is in line with his plan

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone

even as I return to the place I call my home

I'm facing forward and pressing toward

the mark of the one true God

I'm getting ready for my journey

and where it leads I have no clue.
But I'm leaning and trusting in God to tell me what to do.

As I face uncharted territory

I'm documenting my story

As those did who came before me

and like them another me, there will ever be

Yes I'm getting ready

Getting ready for a world that I see through Spirit filled lenses

A world ready to be explored, United and conquered

I'm getting ready to let my light so shine before men

and I know that when God calls my name for that journey to Heaven

I can and will truthfully and Gladly proclaim

I AM READY!

Sisterlock Sighting

2009-04-16T23:13:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone I was so excited today. I was in the computer lab when this young lady walked in with a thick head of locs that immediately caught my eyes. I asked and she happily responded that indeed they were sisterlocks. It was a welcome surprise for both of us as she is the first SL head I've seen in this area. We had a pretty good conversation for about 20 minutes and then I asked if I could take her pic for my blog and she said yes. She has been locked for two years and was lock by a lady in Bowie Maryland. I told her I wouldn't show her face in the pic just to conceal her privacy. In our conversation hair washing came up. Now I wash my hair about every two weeks, she said she only used to wash her hair right before she got each retightening which was about every six weeks. Sadly I have been experiencing a lot of slippage. I don't know if it is due to washing or my spritzing with water and essential oils. What do you guys think, am I washing my hair too often? How often do you wash your hair?

texture pictures

2009-04-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give some clear texture pictures of my hair at 1 1/2 months. As you can see my hair has thickened up a lot. I do not have as much scalp showing and my hair is now very coiled as it was when I would wear my fro. The medium locks in the middle act very different than the smalls everywhere else in my head they tend to flatten out easier and stick up way more than they rest of my hair. In a nut shell they just won't behave most times, so I have to just let them be. This could also be due to the texture of my hair there and the fact that right where the mediums are happens to be the shortest portion of my hair.

Essential oils

2009-04-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

OK well I've been searching high and low to find some essential oils that people have been blogging about. The first one I found was a tea tree one from Fantasia one of my favorite product lines I might add, but it was super potent and broke me out. So I continued my search and found these products but now these are just greasy and the scent although somewhat strong in the bottle is not apparent in my hair at all. *sigh* what to do what to do. I don't want to keep adding drops of oil in because I don't want it to add build-up to my hair. Ohhh and I wasn't even sure if these were the ones that could be put in my hair, what do you think?
Here are a few pics of my hair I already washed my hair this week but after picking up the spray bottle full of shampoo and thinking it was my water and essential oil spritz I had to wash it again. Everyone keeps telling me my hair has grown but I don't see it. It definitely curled up and shrunk and therefore looks thicker but not longer, not to me anyway.

Happy 1 Month Anniversary to me!!

2009-04-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

Birthday Hair

2009-04-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

I braided and unbraided and pined and took out and at the end this is what I achieved. What do you think?

here is a close up of my hair at 1 month.

Retightened

2009-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

I had my first retightening on the 29th on March. Afterwards my hair was so fluffy and light I loved it so I have not spritzed it since and I dont think I will until I absolutely have to. I have added tea tree oil to my water and talk about potent. I put like one drop and the smell was so strong I had to dump out the bottle of water rinse it and I filled it back up and you could still smell it. My face has started to break out around my hairline, I'm not sure what exactly is causing this problem, I added the oil around the same time I had my wash so it could be the shampoo, or the oil or just stress who knows *sigh* I just need it to rectify itself and now! Hey both my birthdays are coming up the end of this week. My 1 month Locversary is on the 5th and my B-day is on the 4th YAY ME!

Sooo ummmarahhhh how about this April Fool's bug I mean really? This sucks I am at a computer center now instead of at home because I just don't know about these things but I don't think it really matters where I am anyway because I'm still logged in to my site so it can still reach my personal information. This is ridiculous!

Anywhoo My locks are progressing well I think I might feel the little balls on the end... maybe just wishfull thinking. I am totally loving this stage of my hair though. The little curly ques give me a nice wet and wavy look especially after I have washed it and rock the braid out. Yes thats right I've made my piece with the braid out, well sort of. The braid out for me works really well when I do pin-up styles. It gives my locks a nice wavy look and well.... I don't know it just looks better to me when wavy than straight in a pin-up. Now me and the braid out are still at war when it comes to wearing my hair out. It just doesn't work for me. Since my last post I have taken Dewdrop's advice and I've left my hair alone for about two weeks, really trying to just freestyle and not manipulate them as much. This has made me spritz a lot more to tame and liven up my locs though.

My second wash went a lot better I guess, My hair didn't feel the way it did after the first wash. This time it felt soft after the wash once I took my braids out, it still didn't feel squeeky clean and some of my scalp was a little dry but that quickly went away. I still didn't band I didn't feel like it. I havnt told my consultant though shhhhhhhh! It was too many braids to do all that and then to take them off when it dried and they would probably knot on the ends of my hair uhhhhg I just didnt want to so I didn't. I didn't have any problems with it though, I only had one little braid in the back slip and that's because my hair is really soft back there. Other than that my consultant says that my hair is staying very well. By no means to I reccomend anyone not banding, please follow your consultants instructions what works and doesn't affect me may not do the same for you. Now that I've written a disertation I have a question does anyone know where to get a microfiber towel from? I have found pesky little towel lint balls in the front of my locks and that just wont do.

Kay

1st wash

2009-03-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Braiding wasn't bad but banding was a bit much so I opted out, oops! :-o I didn't have any real problems because of it though. When I go for my follow-up I'll ask my consultant if it is really that necessary for me to band if I've already braided it. I really didn't like the way my hair felt after using the SL shampoo, it still felt dirty, dry and dirty. I'll keep using it though at least until my sample bottle is finished and then I may switch to another shampoo now that I know I can. Here are the pics, its official I really don't like my hair in the braid out at this length and stage but the braid out makes for a mean pin up style. I'm trying to leave my hair alone in response to advice from various people but its hard. I hate wearing my hair the same way every day but I'm seriously going to try because I don't want to slow the maturation of my locks in anyway.

In need on encouragement

2009-03-18T20:48:00.001-07:00

Well here I am, these past couple of weeks have been hard for me. I find myself struggling to hang on to a thread of familiarity, something that reminds me of me. I stare at myself in the mirror and I no longer see me. I look at my pictures and wonder who is this woman I'm starring at? No, it has nothing to do with my sisterlocks but more to do with my presence or lack there of. Lately I just feel so empty. I mean I feel like I'm stuck in a never ending cycle of foolishness. I wake up I go to class, I eat, I come home I study, I go to church twice a week, I read my word but still I feel so empty. I feel like the world is passing me by, I feel like my life is passing me by and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to slow things down so that I can feel whole again. I read a book once that spoke of a man who went on safari in Africa and got some natives to be his guide, apparently it should have taken them about a week to get half way through their journey but it only took them about threes days and the man's guides stopped and sat down and would not move. When he asked them why they had stopped they said to him we have moved too fast and we need to wait for our souls to catch up. Is that what has happened? Have I moved so fast the my soul is still in my past chillin? This may not make any sense to you but I am really treading in unfamiliar water here. I feel like I'm having a midlife crisis and I'm only in my twenties. HELP!

Sisterlocks Week 2

2009-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well This week has been a lot of fun. I have experimented quite a bit with my locks this week. I cornrowed it, and tried the braid out which as you can tell by the pic above after the cornrows did not work out well at all. But after a little manipulation I decided to try a pin-up style which ended up in the hump and the sides pined back. The hump slowly deflated as the day went on but I still like it. Ahhh I'm so please with my locks.

I have started spritzing about once every two days so my locks would be more fluid but it has made that divide between small and medium extremely obvious because as my hair shrinks the mediums really shrink up and get fat and the smalls just get the little curly cues on the end, which are soo cute might I add. Also as you can see from the braided back my grid in the back is not straight up and down. *sigh* ahh well I guess its where it transitions from small to medium. I guess nothing in life is perfect huh? I still love my sisterlocks though, they are great. Now drawbacks If I have to have another debate with another female about my hair not being really tiny two strand twist out I'm gonna scream! I mean these chicks just will not take an answer for an answer, surprisingly more guys have know that my hair was in sisterlocks that females. I plan on washing my hair tomorrow, I have not had any flakes and my scalp really isn't dry so I'm thankful for that. I hope I never go through the itches that others complain about. I want to get some essential oils just to add a scent to my hair but I'm not sure where to get them from, I have some peppermint oil but its the one that you can eat or mix in water for tea rather so I don't know if that is the same one I should use in my hair, any suggestions? I will post my braid and banding and post wash pics later in the week.

Stay blessed,

Kay

Loving my Sisterlocks Week 1

2009-03-08T22:43:00.001-07:00

I'm Sisterlocked!!!

2009-03-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone Its been a long time coming but I am finally a member of the Sisterlock crew. YAY!!!!!! here are pic of my hair in stages:

Day 1 Day 2

So I am really ecstatic about the way my hair turned out. Every row perfectly parted, perfectly even. They are so tiny I love it! I was scared that my hair wouldn't look full but I love the way it looks, but jeese do I have a big forehead lol. My consultant was so great I truly enjoyed the whole experience. My locks were installed in 12 and a half hours not including lunch over a two day period. The first day flew by the second day took a little longer, my butt and the back of my head was going numb so I was a bit squirmy, but it was still and enjoyable day. We watched TV and talked, good times. My lock pattern is 4 and my consultant said my hair type is medium to small curl pattern.

The Final Product

Here is the lady that made this all possible. Ms. Claire Green Herself #1 Consultant WOOOOOHOOOO!

Hair Experiences

2009-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post a couple of various styles I've sported. I really like to have options and to experiment of various styles.

When I went to get my hair colored I asked for just my tips to be colored, needless to say more than half of my hair was colored. Talk about the worst decision I ever made. Look at the length of my hair a year prior to me coloring it. It was healthy and a real nice length. After I colored it by the way the real color is below. It began to break and continued to break until I had to just cut most of the color off which you can see in the pic above is a lot of hair. I loved the color when I got it but it quickly turn from a red to a bronze which I loved even more and finally into a brittle hair disaster. I don't know if my hair just really could not take the chemical or if it was just a bad job but I don't think I'll be doing permanent color again any time soon. When I think about the length I could and should have right now I could just kick myself.

As you can see I wore twist a lot I love this look which is one of the reasons I chose SL for the look and the diversity.

This is a pic of my gel twist before learning of SLs This is the method I was going to choose to start my locks. And the one to the right is probably a couple days before getting my gel twist. I was rocking my swoop fro. Both pics where taken probably a week before I colored my hair.

In regards to this last pic, I was feeling myself that day, A girls gotta have a little fun Loving herself doesn't she?

1 day to go!!

2009-03-02T19:57:00.000-08:00

Wohooo well I thought it would never get here but I'm one way away from my installation. I think I've been excited so long that I'm all excited out, at this point I just want to get my hair done. I am now at the point where I'm nit picking and becoming very anal about how I want my hair done, and thats not good for anybody. So I'm trying to just chill out and go and start my journey. Sooooo I had a snow day today, it was great I got a lot of well needed cleaning done and I was able to relax. All of my classes were cancelled which was not a good thing for me I had a lot to do in some of those classes today which I will have to now do another day, sigh. But since its there is it too much to ask for another one so I just don't have to bother tomorrow either? I washed my hair and did a deep conditioning treatment tonight. Sorry for the rough pics but ahh well what can I say it was late and I was tired when I took most of them. I will post on Thursday if I'm not too tired or on Friday of my installation. Until then, stay warm.

Kay

Searching for my Sex in the City!

2009-02-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

I have needs, strong needs that need to be met. No its not what you think, recently I have been a little off with my work, with school and with my friends. I find myself evaluationg all those around me and just trying to find those outside of my family that truly give me comfort. I'm really in search of some Sex and theCity friends, some girls who really have my back no matter what. People who I can disclose my inner feelings to, my problems, my hopes, my secrets, my inner turmoil and have them really just listen, throw some advice my way and leave it alone. I want a Jack, quirky and full of sarcasm to offset my seriousness and I want a Will to be my cuddle buddy, no strings attatched, no chance of them trying to put the moves on me, just comfort. Yeah I mixed TV shows so what its my blog... anywhoo I can't help but wonder if S&C's really happen. I mean do they exist? My favorite TV show is Sex and the City and I watch as these women end up in their various situations time after time but the one thing that is consistant is the sisterhood they share. Its the bond that through all the men, mistakes and arguments is never broken. I can't help but wonder where my S&C's are.

Heres to you very own S&C's,

Kay Exquisite

2009-02-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

TEXAS WHERE YOU AT?

So I am reaching out to those from the Dallas FOrt Worth area, I'm considering the area and I really would like to know the ups and down from an inside point of view. I have visited it and I loved it and I had a great time but of course once is never enough to tell. So can you all give me the run down on the area please. Thx.

NOW, WHERE MY DAYTONA FOLKS AT? LOL

I need the same run down and a comparison of the two places. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

Well these past couple of weeks have been interesting. I've started my final semester and it has been anything but a breeze. I hard some pretty hard and time consuming classes but all is well. I'm so glad my apt is right around the corner because i have no clue what to do with my hair. It has been really unruly lately. All of my color is officially gone and I'm excited because I still have a decent amount of length left. Hey can someone please give me a step by step on how to get music from my windows media player or real player on my page please.

As for my hair I have not really taken any pic lately but here is a braid out picked out fro with all of my color gone.

AHHH I got the BUg!!

2009-01-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

OK so I'm a little upset, my class ended last week after some hard studying and taking two long finals on Friday I went to work for the week end. I received my grades on Saturday morning and needless to say I was ecstatic because I passed with a 'B' which clearly is a blessing. Anyway after having a great weekend at work I decided to go home instead of straight back to school. I got some good home cooking watched a movie with my mom and went to bed happy.

But then the Monday morning came and brought with it the worst stomach ache ever. Mind you I had to leave early that morning to get back my first day of class for the semester but that clearly was not going to happen. I layed in bed an assumed full baby mode, with the pouting, the blankie, a Moooommmy my tummy hurts and everything, Yep and I AM NOT ASHAMED! lol anyway I got the full mamma treatment complete with home remedies and vitamins and the boot to go to class. I gotta say I was a little hurt that I got the boot but I did feel slightly better so went on my way. I got about half way home and the headache started about 3/4 the way the whole body ache started and by the time I got home to drop my stuff off I knew i had a fever because even my eyeballs were hot and class was no longer an option. I felt like poo and I made the mistake of trying to eat McDonald's to see if food would help with the pain on the way home, BIG MISTAKE... I went to bed but i felt so bad i couldn't sleep. After a couple of hours and a couple of harassing phone calls from my mother to get up eat some soup and take some Aleve I gave in, I did just that and went to bed.

My Mamma said it was due to stress and tiredness considering I had been pulling all nighters studying for my class from the nether regions and then going to work and then trying to prepared for my new classes. But I blame the vitamins that she has been making me take, I was fine till she tried to make me healthy! LOL No but I later found out that it was some bug going around and one of my clients had it and I picked it up *sigh* and thanks to those vitamins I didn't get it as bad as they did. There goes my theory, but If you tell her I said that I'll deny it.

Stay healthy, Stay stress free, Stay Blessed

Kay

Help... Color or Not

2009-01-24T21:27:00.001-08:00

Okay, hey everyone so I am a little shy of a month away from getting my Sls installed and I really want to color my hair. My issue is that I got it colored for the first time maybe about a year ago and the color a bright red faded to a gold in about 3 weeks and it was a permanent die or so I was told by my hair dresser. I asked for just my tips to be color and after everything was over, more than half of my hair was colored. Needless to say my hair broke and kept breaking which is the affect perms have on my hair so I should have know I guess. Recently I got most of the color cut off of my hair to stop the breaking and to even it up, but I really did love my color, both the real color and the faded color. I've been seeing a few blogs about Hena rinses and I've asked a few people about it but I still dont know. I really want some color in my hair but I am really fearful about it now because of how my hair reacted and because I'm about to have my installation and I wont be able to moisturize and condition my hair as much as it will need to be. Are Hena rinses damaging to the hair? Do they show up well? Do they get all over your stuff like regular rinses? Please anyone who has some advice about what I should do it would really be appreciated.

1/20/2009

2009-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Okay so I guess I do have something to say after all. After getting in from class I started watching the Presidential Parade and snippets of the inauguration. I must say that I honestly never thought that I would see a black president so soon in my life. I would certainly say that this mile stone leaves us as a people at a crossroads. So many Black Americans are so proud of this monumental event but my question is will that same pride bring about change amongst us or will we as a people continue to degrade ourselves and use the fact that we now have a black president as our excuse to be a hot mess or will we truly embraced this change and strive to be the very best we can be and continue to pave the way on this road less traveled? I am extremely excited to see what changes will occur in our nation and yet I am fearful all the same. I watched with great excitement as the parade traveled through DC and as our new President waved at the crowd and participants. I Truly pray that God gives him the strength to endure the grave task he has in front of him and that this nation will rally together as a people united through faith in God and in our new Commander-in-Chief. How do you feel?