Oh my, time has flown

Can you believe it? We are now approaching 2009 in only 1 week. Time has surely flown by and I can say that most of my goal list was turned upside down with an abrupt change in my life. I thank God for being open to change. Not only is my hair growing out after almost 8 years of being short but I am embarking something new in all aspects of life. I am totally excited but yet a bit nervous. What more can I say?!

I've been away from blogging but I am slowly getting back to the things that mean the most to me. Being healthy this year has helped me in a big way to deal with all the change. It's so important. I took up Bikram Yoga and I am totally addicted. Having sisterlocks allows me to relax in the class. I don't have to worry about what my hair is going to do after class. Its such a blessing.

I will approach my anniversary on January 15th. I can't even believe it. My hair has grown tremendously. Check it out! I was able to put it up and I did a bit of color again to jazz it up.

I can't wait for it to hit my shoulders. When it does, I'll be so happy.

Growing, Growing, Growing

Its now November and my hair is growing like weeds. I am so thankful. I just got my hair retightened and now I'm ready to learn how to retighten the front myself. I want that cute fresh look all the time. When the front starts looking like it needs to be retightened I get sad. One thing for sure is that I am looking to talk with my consultant because its taking her 7 hours to do the entire head. I have some friends with more locs than myself and it takes them a lot less. What's up with that?

So here is a pic of me. I decided to put my hair in bantu knots to curl it. It turned out really cute.

Talking about a flashback....

Here is a picture of my hair when it was natural. I was at a careerfair and my picture was taken. It looks like they used it for print. Now, can I get paid for it? LOL...

My hair has grown so much. I actually have color in it now and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT! I will post pictures of that soon.

Let it Grow, Let it Go!

Wow, time has flown. I am in my 6th month of SL's and I will tell you that I am finally enjoying the journey. My hair looks vibrant and the weight is coming off. All the things that I wanted to focus on is happening.

My consultant gave me some great tips and they are really paying off with my hair. I will tell you that the Apple Cider Vinegar is the truth. My hair color is just as vibrant as it was when I first had it done. That was like 9 months ago last year. Can you believe it?

For the first few months, my scalp was giving me major problems. After a few treatments with the ACV and other methods, I was able to resolve some of the issues. I would tear my head up with scratching. Now, I can be at peace with my hair. Its finally settled into its new state. Thankfully and prayerfully.

The only thing that I hate doing is banding my hair up each time that I must wash it. I will get over there as time goes on.

A New Consultant

I had my retightening done by a new consultant...This lady hooked me up with more tips and tricks for my hair. She told me how to remedy my problem with the itchy scalp and dryness. I've spent so much money on trying to find the right products.

I know I am in for the long haul because I want to see my hair grow. Its so easy to do and so carefree. I am ready to see it grow where I can make 1 big afro puff. I am so ready to rock that do.

With my new consultant, my hair looks a lot better and there is a lot less slippage. So it does make sense to find a consultant that can really help you out. I love my old hairstylist but I will only allow her to do my color.

I found the color that I want my hair next. I may let her do it or I may be brave enough to attempt coloring it myself.

We shall see.

Check out a pic of my hair now since my last retightening. It looks so cute in a head band. I was in Houston for Memorial Weekend hanging out with friends.

Desires that tug at your soul

Desires that tug at your soul.

Do not be ashamed of the things you desire. Be diligent in exploring the depths of those desires. Do not settle for mere superficial desires. Find the pure, undeniable truth of the underlying purpose that gives rise to those desires. The best way to be is to be who you are. True success is living with authenticity, being joyfully honest about your own life. Let your life unfold more fully with each moment. The passing of time is always your friend because it brings you ever closer to who you truly are. There is magic in the most ordinary of moments. For you are life witnessing itself from a fresh perspective, filled with more possibilities than ever before. Pay heed to the desires that tug at your soul. And discover new miracles to which you can give birth.

-- Ralph Marston

It's growing but it itches like hell!

I am in my 3rd month of my sisterlocks. I was travelling to NYC and my friends were amazed of the length of my hair. I have been natural for over 18 months now and I love the independence. Here is a picture of me at my friends baby shower. I did a twist out. It was humid but it always fall just the way I want it. What I really want is a bit of color to jazz it up.

I went for my 2nd retightening but it was expensive. My stylist charged me $45 per hour. Thats is really expensive. I love how she makes my hair feels but.....I can't pay that hourly fee. I am now on the conquest to find someone that can do it for even cheaper but as good as she does it.

One problem that I have encountered is extreme dryness. My scalp is itching a lot. I am not sure what I should try to curb the itching. I am trying not to put my fingers in my hair but I am breaking down. A sistah can get a bit weak at times. Does anyone have a suggestion to help curb the itching?

Right now, I am working out hard to lose weight and eating way healthier. I just tried kale for the first time as a new veggie. It is delicious. Just add a bit of onion and garlic and it will do the body good. Also, I have been doing bikram yoga and hired a trainer. I am on my way to losing 40 pounds. Its a hard road but I am determined to make it happen. Its been an interesting journey but I am loving every minute of it.

In the Wee Hours of the Morning

This morning I washed my hair and twisted it.  I loved the effect after I did the twist out.  Its all curly all over.  Its just too cute.

Here is a picture of me when I was little.  It shows my mother combing my hair.  As you can see her hair was long and luxurious.  You can tell she is having a time with my hair.  Just let me know it was time to go back to where it all started.   

The Challenge For Today

Today, its absolutely beautiful outside. This is not usual for the month of February in Seattle. I am so thankful that God decided to bless us with his presence. Too many days of gray days will work on you and your spirit. After being here for 3.5 years, I realize that I need the sun to help me get moving.

During the Springtime, woodpeckers tend to hit my chimney sending out a mating call to the other birds. This starts about 5:30 am. I normally get up around 5 am. If by chance I do sleep late, they wake me up by hitting the chimney cover. When it first happened, I didn't know what to think. Since I've been in my house for 2.5 years, I've witnessed this interesting experience twice now. I am mentally prepared. When the woodpeckers come, I know that Springtime is upon us.

On Saturday, I went by to see Danyale to tell her that she needs to wash my hair soon. Hairstylist are always so optimistic. She stated that my hair looked great. I proceeded to tell her that it was extremely dirty and I needed to enjoy the fresh water on my head. LOL.

Today, I have to write to a writing sample for a career opportunity. Am I up for the challenge, I am praying that I deliver the goods.

P.S. I am loving the sisterlocks. People are fascinated by them and want to touch my hair on a daily basis. Crazy, but hey. It definitely draws attention.

How it all began?

I can remember when I first moved to Seattle from Houston. The race was on for me to find a hairstylist that could do my hair like Randy and Earvin in Houston. I loved my hairstylist and I loved how they made my hair look once I left the salon. My color was fly and my cut was short an d hot. However, I had to leave that all behind when I moved to th 206 area code in 2006.

For the first couple of months, I would let a young lady do my relaxers in the local area. She was pretty good but not the same as Randy and Earvin. Believe it or not, I loved going to male hairdressers. They were my confidantes, my inspiration when it came to taking bold steps in hair styles and color. In addition, they cut my hair like it was nothing and I knew it would be just right.

Everytime I sat in the young stylists chair, I would think about Earvin putting his hands in my hair and giving me a oh-so fabulous color treatment or Randy trimming the hell out of my hair for that fly short cut. Randy was a master stylist and when he cut it was like a piece of art that had to be sitting in the halls of the Smithsonian. All the stylist in Seattle had to do here was maintain what I would get done once a quarter when I would fly back to Houston. I stayed at that salon for a year.

Eventually, I started going home less frequently so it was important for me to find someone else to do my hair. I did and she messed me up. That is when it all started to go downhill. A bad color to a bad retouch...Chemical burn city here I come. My hair didn't grow. My color was wack and I was not feeling like my best self. The last cut left me with so many chemical burns that it was time for me to just let it be and ride this situation out. I got braids as a remedy. However, I am not the braids type of girl. Besides, my hair was short and I was taking swim lessons at the time. I would see my poor little braids swimming in the water with me.

Thats when I took matters into my own hands. I decided to go natural and cut it all off. Well, kind of sort of....I got a texturizer. The girl had me looking like Reverend Al Sharpton's cousin on his mother's side. Finally, I reached out to a good friend in the Seattle area who had been wearing her hair natural and asked her all the questions that I should have asked prior to cutting it. But I guess, you live and learn. Right!

Well, she hipped me to the products and the person to get my hair done. She turned me onto to Danyale. She helped me save myself by cutting my hair properly and finally getting rid of the hideous texturizer that I had on my hair. She cut it all off and I was 100% natural. Thats when I realized that having the right stylist that knew about natural hair was important.

Since August 2006, I've been a client of Danyale. When I went natural, I realized that my hair is naturally thick. Twisting it takes at least 2-3 hours with just 3-4 inches of hair. That may not seem like much to some but when you try to do it yourself, it can be quite painful.

Check out the fotos...You can see that I've evolved over the years.

Dazzling In The Glow of Sister Locks

On January 15th, 2008, I had my sisterlocks installed over 2 days and in 14 hours. When Danyale, my stylist, last counted, I had 358 locks. I was so surprised to finally have the installed.

Now you are asking, how did I hear about sisterlocks? Well my friends and sisterlock family, it was from seeing one of the dazzling Diva's that I know have them. Each day she had new do or updo that was just magnificent. I had to inquire...I had to ask her if i could feel and see what was up. That happened sometime in 2006. During that time, I was just learning about going natural. I made the BIG decision to do the BIG BC. I started just wearing a mini afro and as time progressed started doing twist-out. Check out some of my pics. You can tell that over time, my hair was just growing like crazy.

By the end of Dec 2007, I had 6" of hair. That is with growing out my hair over 1.5 years without the use of a relaxer and using a curling iron. Instead, I used Miss Jessies Baby Buttercreme and Nairobi products. Every now and then, I would use Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding to twist my hair. One thing that still is a must is to have a hair dryer to dry the hair. It just makes a difference in a big way. From August 2006 to Dec 2007, I wore my hair natural.

Throughout this time of wearing 2-stranded twists and twist-outs, I realized that I wanted to see my hair long again. I did a bunch of investigation to find out about locs and sisterlocks. For me, sisterlocks are a bit more me...They are smaller and they just dazzle me when they are curled and done in a great hairstyle. The versatility allows me to rock my hair up or down.

Be mindful, that I am only in my first month and still have a ways to go but I wanted to let you now that how its going great thusfar.