It's Been a Long Time.... I Shouldn'tve Left You

I started this blog two years ago with the thought that I would fill it regularly with all of my loc wisdom that I have accumulated since 2002. I'm sorry to admit that I have failed miserably, and for that I apologize. But, in my mind, there just isn't that much to locs that I can't sum up in one sentence: Wash 'em, moisturize 'em, twist/latch 'em (if you feel like it), and style 'em. On a day-to-day basis, that's pretty much all I do with my locs. I don't go through 8 hour routines of washing, no 'pooing, deep conditioning, detangling, moisturizing, twisting, untwisting, protective styling, etc. that the loose natural women go through. That's part of the reason I went back to locs in the first place (NOT saying that locs are better than loose natural for that reason, because loose naturals are gorgeous as well). I got over my Product Junkie phase, trying out a new product or technique every other week, a very long time ago. Basically what I am trying to say is: I just don't have much to say.

However, I do get plenty of questions on Twitter about various things that perhaps in my 10 years of loc'dom that I take for granted. I'm sure I had a thousand and one questions when I first started locking.... In fact, I am sure of it, because I was on at least three Yahoogroup loc listservs (back in my day, we didn't have all these websites and message boards and blogs and Twitter and Facebook groups). Forgive my old head status.

So, I need your help, and your questions. What do you want and need to know about locs? What questions do you have? Feel free to e-mail me at naturalafrodisiacblog [at] gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @afrodisiaclocs and perhaps we can help each other out.

Afrodisiac Formula #3: NaturaLocs

Natural Afrodisac is proud to present NaturaLocs, a loc (and music) aficionado from "across the pond" as she shares her afrodisiac formula:
 

Tell us who you are, where you're from, what you do.

Hi, I'm NaturaLocs, a music teacher from England UK.

When and why did you decide to go natural and/or start locs?

I decided that locs were for me in Nov 2011 and entered 2012 as a new natural. I think locs are beautiful and I needed a change. Locs will signify my transition from a negative past to a positive future.

What method did you use to transition to natural hair and/or what method did you use to start your locs?

I started wearing kinky twist extensions for about 2 months and cut my hair down to a TWA shortly after. My locs were started with comb coils.

What is your favorite way to style your hair?

I like wearing head scarves and throw in occasional flat twists when shrinkage isn't against me :)

What are 3 products or tools you cannot live without?

I couldn't live without water, olive oil and baking soda for a good cleanse.

What have been some of the challenges and rewards you've experienced with going natural and/or cultivating locs? 

Social confidence has been a challenge recently, it's hard for people to understand why you'd have such "rough" looking hair by choice! I've been inspired to change other aspects of my life and have become more self aware.

What advice do you have for anyone interested in going natural and/or growing locs?

6 months progress

Do it when it feels right, prepare for how to look after your hair in it's new state and avoid obsessing over the wealth of info on the net it can be overwhelming. Only you know for certain what your hair is going through - act accordingly not impulsively.

Where can we find you on the interweb? 

My corner of the web can be found here: http://naturalocs.blogspot.co.uk 
Hair and loc questions to: naturalocs@hotmail.co.uk

The Secret to Long Natural Hair is Out!

Finally!! Natural hair vlogger ChescaLocs has discovered the secret to long, beautiful natural hair.  Whether you have a fro, twist or locs, this product works for everyone.  And she was kind enough to share it with us all.  Even Myleik Teele, founder of CurlBox, endorses this product.  Now, you too can get the long, luxurious locs or full, bountiful afro that you have long coveted on the internet, TV, and magazines.  Hold onto your wallets, because all you need is.......  *drum roll*

Yup. That's it.  If you were hoping for another "miracle" serum or oil to add to the big basket of products under your sink, I'm sorry to tell you that this is the only guaranteed way to have long (natural) hair.   We have become such an instant gratification society that people forget the value and effectiveness of good old fashioned patience.  There is a Zen quote that is a favorite of mine: "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself."  It is the exact same thing with your hair.  I have heard of people going so far as to put anti-fungal yeast infection medication on their scalp in attempts to make their hair grow faster, when bottom line it just takes patience.  There is nothing that you need to do or add, just let nature do what it does.

I view my locs as a life lesson in patience; that's what they represent to me, and what I hope my children have taken from their own locs. People ask us "Oh! How did you get your hair so long and pretty??" and my answer is "Nothing."  "Nothing" is an oversimplified answer, but the real answer is not much more complicated: it's patience.  Patience is the reason why I am a big advocate of the Big Chop method of transitioning to natural hair.  Patience is why I am not an advocate of "loc extensions" as a way of starting locs.  It is hair, it WILL grow back with no effort or intervention on your part (besides, of course, keeping your overall health in order).  Stop obsessing over the length of your hair and one day you will look up and realize "Wow.... my hair is really long."   

So, save the Monistat for your lady parts, leave the new miracle products on the store shelf, and put away your rulers.  You already have everything you need to get the long, beautiful hair that you so desperately desire....Patience.

Hair Wars: To Perm or Not to Perm

News reporter Rochelle Ritchie made headlines after her "big chop" & transition to natural hair.

Natural hair is not just an aesthetic issue. It has many social, cultural, political and even economic implications. Michel Martin, host of the "Tell Me More" segment on NPR, speaks to a panel on natural hair, including Michelle Breyer, founder of NaturallyCurly.com, Danielle Belton, author of the blog, Blacksnob.com, and Rochelle Ritchie, a reporter for WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The story originally aired on December 29th, 2010 on NPR.  Take a listen....

(Or if you would prefer to read the story instead, you can find the transcript here.)

Reflections on One Year

One year and one month ago I made the decision to cut off my locs of 7 years. After a month of reflection, tears, frustration and a lot of hair products, I was ready to leave my natural hair pit stop and get back on my locs journey. Cutting (and unraveling) my locs was a purging process and an outward sign of my commitment to change myself. At the time I had hoped that the seriousness of the sacrifice would be appreciated by others, but now a year later, I have accepted that it is only important that one person appreciates the true depth and meaning of the whole process: Me.

India Arie may say that she is not her hair, but I have no problem with admitting the contrary: I AM MY HAIR. If you follow me on Twitter, you would know that natural hair is not just a fad for me or something to make me look pretty. From the day I cut my perm off 12 years ago, natural hair has always been a philosophy and a statement for me. A statement of my refusal to accept European standards of beauty, a statement that there was nothing wrong with my hair the texture the Most High created it, a statement that I would not yield to the pressure of society and my peers telling me how I ought to look. I went natural before it was the “thing” to do. I did not have any support groups, or websites, or blogs, all I had was a little book by Lonnice Brittenum Bonner called “Good Hair: For Colored Girls Who Considered Weaves When the Chemicals Became Too Ruff” and a lot of youthful determination. My hair expresses who I am and what I represent, and the way I choose to express that is through locs. I may change up my clothing style, from business suits to hippie attire to sexy vixen, but the one thing that remains constant that conveys to the world who I am underneath all of that is my hair. I recently interviewed for a job and the interviewer expressed concerns to my friend who referred me that I was too reserved. The thing my friend pointed out to him to show him otherwise? My locs. Though I was in a suit, had my locs nicely done up in curls, my hair still conveyed that I am not your average woman, I do not follow the mainstream, I am my own person.



Bantu knot braid-out

I went back to locs because what was NOT me was the loose natural, which lasted only a month. I have absolutely nothing against loose natural hair and I love it and embrace it (on others) just as I do locs. I just feel that I looked better with locs, that they are more “me.” I did not immediately go back to locs after I cut the first set, even though I had plenty enough hair to do so at any time. But all that was part of my sacrifice and penance. I needed to wait until I was ready to loc again, until I felt that I had purged the residual negative energy from my hair and from my life. I did not want to start over with a new set of locs and harness any of the negativity that I was trying to escape from. When I started my locs over, I wanted it to be a truly fresh start. I even went to a new loctician, a woman who was full of life and joy, and who unfortunately shortly thereafter had her life cut too short by a drunk driver. I took that as a sign that this loc journey was one that I had to do on my own, just as the change within myself could ultimately only be done by me. I had to choose not to repeat the mistakes of the past.



Curled braid-out

This past year has been an entire process of penance and a lesson in patience. Change does not come overnight. It is a step-by-step, day-by-day process, making gradual progress over time. Going through the locking process was an outward manifestation of my inner change. Cutting my locs and going to have my single strand twists put in to start the locking processing were only the first steps, my commitment to journey along a path of growth and development that did not conclude on that November day in 2009. With my life, as well as my locs, I was committed not to make the same mistakes of the past and I made sure I took actions so those mistakes would not occur. I avoided harmful people; I avoided harmful products. I avoided situations I would later regret; I avoided over-manipulation. I took care to nurture relationships; I took care to nurture my locs. Over time, in both my life and my locs, I started to see positive progress, but all the while I was forced to focus on the day-to-day, not the end result. Yes, I looked forward to the day where I could shampoo without unraveling, the day when I did not feel constant guilt, the day where I had enough hair to do an updo, the day when my word was once again good. The outside reflected the inside, the process was one in the same.


Flat twists & bun

I am now at the one year mark, looking back over my journey thus far. My locs have gone from 2” hollow coils to 6” solid locs that are well into their maturation phase. I can curl them, bantu knot them, do braid outs, and flat twist them to the back into a bun. Retwists are now optional and I can wash my locs as often as I please, AND use conditioner from time to time if I so desire. In my personal life, I have become more responsible with my money, more proactive in handling my personal business, have forgiven myself for my past sins, have a more positive outlook, I am less self-centered and more transparent in my dealings with people. However, the journey is by no means over.

I really hope that people around me, and especially people I love, can see and believe these things as well. I have had some recognition and acknowledgment of the change from those who know me; even my ex-husband said he could see a definite change in me over the past year; he does not even know any of the background or events leading to or away from last fall’s purging and new beginnings, and we do not even speak or interact regularly. People say I look happier, I smile more, laugh more, that my joy radiates. Much of this comes from being more content in my relationship, but even that stems from my commitment and efforts to change and his help along the way. And though not everyone in my life may appreciate the true significance of my journey, looking back I have to be content with the fact that I did this for myself and everything else will take care of itself. Not everyone has chosen, or has been chosen, to come along this journey with me; I have definitely lost some friendships, abandoned some friendships, and scaled back other friendships. I can only go forward knowing in my heart and knowing that the Most High knows that I am a better person than I was in October 2009, and, like my locs, I will continue to grow, change and be better. There is no going back.