Comparing my hair

I just realized how bad my hair was looking. It is partly perception. If I think of my hair as “dreadlocks”, I’m fine with it looking unkempt and frizzy but sometimes I think of my hair as “twists”. For twists my hair looks like crap (before the salon). Of course 99% of the people that see my hair have NO IDEA that I am locking my hair. All they see are messy twists or better yet they see it as messy hair. Hair that needs to be fixed in some way.

I’m just thinking. I am trying to come up with ways to keep my hair looking better. I think I am going to try different wraps at night. My stylist did ask, “are you wrapping your hair?” LOL. Yes I have been but obviously I need to do something different.

My hair album should be titled: Learn how to do your own maintenance or your hair will look like this. I posted my hair album link somewhere and now I am embarrassed. How pathetic. NO ONE’S hair looks as bad as mine.

Third doubts.

I can understand why people suddenly cut off their locks when something bad happens. I felt like doing that yesterday. Well I don’t have to cut, I can just untwist. I’m feeling a little better about my hair now but I really want to do my own maintenance. There are just some things I’m not good at: writing, speaking, fashion, HAIR and many more things. Sigh. I’m thinking about paying someone to show me how to do twists. Who? I have no idea. LOL. I think I’ll be fine once my hair locks but until then I’m clueless. I have read directions for twists and I twisted my hair. My hair looked nothing like my hair looks right now.

I would recommend the salon to anyone. In fact I plan on suggesting it to people online. Salons just aren’t for me. I hate them. I thought I could get over it for dreadlocks but no I can‘t.

So I went to salon yesterday. I finally got my hair washed! That felt good. Then I got my hair re-twisted and sat under the dryer. It only took 2 hours. You would think that I would have some kind of plan, now that I’ve had my locks for 40 days. But I still don’t know what products I will or won’t use. I think I’m sticking to Sulfer8 and Hairobics hair oil. I think. I don’t know how to clean my scalp without getting my hair a little wet so…

Hair album updated.

39 days in, help!

39 days of twists with no maintenance is not pretty. My hair looks like I don’t sleep with a wrap on but I do every single night. I wish I knew how to palm roll or something but I have a loctiation. He is supposed to do all that. I don’t want to mess it up more than I already have. When I gave myself the “dry” shampoo, I think too much of my hair got wet. I probably won‘t do it again. I hope he doesn’t notice any major damage when I go in on Saturday.

I was worrying about flakes for nothing. I had a pretty good mirror this weekend with excellent lighting. I couldn’t see many flakes. If I can go 39 days without major flakes, I’ll be fine. For some reason there are more flakes in the front but they are so tiny. The bad news is, I will be wearing a hat all week. I've never wore a hat for that long. I don't think I will cave in and take the hat off like I usually do.

i don't care

I have too much going on to worry about my hair. I am stressed out. With that being said…Some people should never try do to do anything to their own hair. That someone would be me. My hair appointment was canceled. Apparently my stylist has the flu. So I decided to give myself a dry shampoo. Ugh. Why? Now my hair smells like sea breeze! Ick! I give up.

Operation flake patrol

I asked my mom about my flakes again. (cuckoo!) This time we were in a place with bright lighting. I knew that if she couldn’t see flakes there then the chances of anyone seeing flakes while I’m work are slim. She said, “I can only see a little bit of flakes because you pointed it out. Otherwise I would never notice it.” She also said someone would have to stare to notice a few flakes near the top of my head. I hope she is right. I have become ultra paranoid about flakes. Obviously. I even covered my hair with a scarf for a whole day last week. I got fed up of wondering about the flakes.

I have finally received my hair products. I got natural hair oil (a mixture of jojoba, sunflower, soy, castor etc.) & braid sheen. I also got sea breeze astringent for my scalp. That is what the owner of the salon told me to use to clean my scalp. Um. I guess she forgot to mention that I have to WASH my hair after using it. At least that is what the bottle says. What happens if I don’t wash after I use it? Build up? Grrr!

I have been looking at other hair albums. Their hair looks a lot better than my hair. It looks like some of them have Sisterlocks but they say they have two strand twists just like me. It is probably due to hair texture. My mom says that my hair probably looks messy because it grows so fast. I don’t know…

Good news?

I thought I had to go back to the salon on February 11th. That would have been 4 weeks with my ‘dreadlocks’. Well I found out I don’t have to go back until Feb. 18. That is 5 weeks from my initial visit. Five weeks without having my hair washed! Five weeks of having these twists in my hair. I am sort of relieved that I don’t have to go back again so soon but in a way I would like to get my hair washed (what a novel concept) and I want some new twists. Oh well. At least I won’t have to rush around next weekend. No salon for me. I hope these twists last until the 18th.

According to my mom my scalp is fine. However, there are still flakes in my hair. How bad is it? I don’t know. The only way to get rid of them is to wash it. (here we go again) She couldn’t see the flakes with bad lighting. I hope we have bad lighting at work. Heh. I haven’t gotten my new hair products yet. Bummer.

Moisturizer

Just to clarify the salon situation, the problem is me NOT the salon. My stylist is fine. The problem is 100% me. I don’t think I will ever get use to going to a salon so I will always complain about it. This is just a warning.

I think my scalp problems are in control. Combine the Suler8 with the salon visit and everything is fine. I still need moisturizer. I ordered 2 products that the salon recommended. One day I will do a product review when I have enough experience with different products.

Nothing is really going on with my hair. It is dull and I can’t wait to get it re-twisted (even if it means 3+ hours in a salon. Haha). I have been reading about how people's twists unravel around the third week. I hope that doesn’t happen to me. Only the ones in the front seem close to unraveling. Oh yeah, I have decided to go hat free. I will only wear a hat at work if I have scalp issues (flakes!).

Confused

I am the most confused person on the planet. I should be the last person with a hair blog…

I went to the salon today. I am counting down the days when I don’t have to go there. I am not a salon person. I just dislike salons. I don’t even know how I would stop going. Do I just cancel my appointment and never call back even though they have my phone number? I have to be confident that I know what to do to my hair first or if my stylist in anyway indicates that he dislikes me I will just quit it. Until then, I will be there every two weeks.

Today I got my scalp massaged and cleaned (I guess?) and some moisturizer for my hair. I realize that at the very least I have to moisturize my hair between visits. I have to do that and clean my scalp daily. I am going to order what the salon supposedly uses. One reason why I don’t want to use anything is because of the lack of washings. My hair is only being washed one every 4 weeks. (sucks!) So I don’t want build up in my hair. I will wait until I get close to the fourth week as possible before I put extra stuff in my hair. That way it won’t matter because I’m getting it washed anyhow.

I don’t even know the status of my hair right now. I have it covered. I will add a pic or two today or tomorrow. I do know that my hair looks much messier than it ever has. I like the messy look (until I have to go to work…LOL).

Flake update: I found out why I didn’t know I had flakes that morning. Everybody’s scalp produces oil at night so there won’t be many flakes in the morning. But by noon for me, flakes appear! Ugh. So I guess I will wear a hat in the afternoons? Nah, I’m going to continue to try to go hatless. I will spray Sulfer8 on my scalp in the morning and at lunch. I hope it doesn’t smell. I have a coworker that sneezes at anything and I mean anything. I used a little Olive Oil one morning and her nose was irritated. I used hand lotion and she immediately spotted it. I washed it off during my lunch break. I don’t want any problems so if Sulfer8 smells AT ALL, I won’t use it.

Oh dear

#&@!

This is embarrassing. Slightly humiliating. I have to get over it. A hair problem can’t be that serious, I know. But I looked at my hair in the mirror this afternoon. FLAKES!!!! Not dandruff. FLAKES!! I have really, really, really, really, really dry skin so this was bound to happen. The only real solution is going to a dermatologist. For now I will wear a hat. Damn, I know the people at work saw my hair and probably thought, “ewww!” It looks horrible. Really flake-y.

Even when I wash my hair, I get flakes 6 hours later. That is just a by product of dry skin. My skin ALWAYS flakes. I do nothing, I get flakes. I wash my hair, I get flakes. I use products, I get flakes. I had stopped wearing a hat for the past couple of days. Well now I have to wear one.

I’m going to the salon on Saturday. They will probably treat my scalp. I have a bottle of Sulfer8 that I may use after I go to the salon. That seems to work for other people with dry scalp. This will be a lifelong issue. I’ll just have to deal with it. I just can’t believe I was walking around with all that crap in my hair. LOL.

Mistake #1

From now on I am using ZERO products on my hair. I know that products can cause flakes so what do I do? Use olive oil on my hair! Smart move, Kat. Seriously my hair isn’t that bad. At least I hope other people can’t see flakes. The only time I can see it, is when I am in a lot of light in the bathroom mirror. So unless the salon recommends I use something specific, I won‘t use anything. I‘m not worried about my hair being dry. After all I go to the salon twice a month, they can do something to it then. I have to go to the salon on Saturday. I think they will just clean my scalp. I have no idea what else they may do. I‘m just glad I don‘t have to pay this time.

My mom keeps asking, “You have to go to the salon twice a month for the rest of your life??!” Um, no not really. How can I explain this to her? I know more about dreadlocks then she does and I don‘t know a lot. She isn‘t a salon person either. She (used to) go more than me. She may go once every 2 months. I am going to try to go to the salon for a year. That seems like a big commitment to me. I don‘t see myself following through. After all I was ready to quit going to the salon after one visit. I feel stuck in a way. If I don‘t go, then I have to take care of my own hair. I couldn‘t style it without locks so….

I gotta go watch 24 on DVD. I’m on season 3. I refuse to watch it when it is on television. It is sort of tempting to turn to it when I know new episodes are on but I can’t. I just can’t!

Second Thoughts?

Yesterday I was feeling foolish for even thinking about starting dreadlocks. Shouldn’t I wait until I have more confidence? I won’t even try to explain all those feelings now since I no longer feel them. I have a feeling those doubts will come creeping back in. Now I feel silly for even getting so worked up about hair. But hair is important. People are judged by their hair. Hair matters. Getting my first negative comment about my hair yesterday didn‘t help matters. Of course I get negative looks but no one has said anything bad to my face.

I’m going to take more pictures of my hair today or tomorrow. I also have two new hats. I like the back of my hair but I hate the sides. I lay on my side at night so my twists in the front are flat. I want to hide that. I do feel lame for doing it but I gotta do what I gotta do. LOL. I was caught in the rain today. I was told, “Do not get your hair wet!” by the stylists at the salon. I don’t think too much damage was done. I haven’t inspected it yet.

I’m only one week in. I’m just (impatiently) waiting for my hair to lock.

Two questions

Why did I start this blog?

I have found many Sisterlocks blogs but I haven’t seen many blogs about traditional dreadlocks. In my own idealistic way, I hope someone thinking about getting locks will find my blog, read about my experience and then take the plunge! I also think it will be nice to have a record of this major change.

Why did I decide to get dreadlocks?

It seems like I have wanted them forever. I must have seen them on TV when I was really young. I do remember admiring Whoopi Goldberg’s hair but it wasn’t her who made me yearn for them. I always thought I couldn’t get them because I thought I had to be financially stable first. I worried about getting a job. Well here I am today no where near stable. I just got sick of waiting for everything. Waiting until I had money. Waiting until I had confidence. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I have put off too many things. I got sick of it. So I just did it. I guess I want them because I think they are beautiful. Simple as that.

I brought a can of Olive Oil for my hair. It has vitamin E and it is supposed provide moisture for the hair. I just read a pamphlet I got from the salon. Of course they want me to buy their products. I also found out I am supposed to go to the salon every 2 weeks! I have never done that. I understand why people don’t go to salons. One visit is free and one visit is $55. So as long as I go there I will be paying $55 a month. Not having dreadlocks was much cheaper. Well these salon visits won’t last forever. I will somehow learn how to do all maintenance myself. That is a goal of mine.

Third Day

Ugh. I am having a bad hair day. I better get used to this. It will only get worse. I have to be patient. There is a photo link on the side. That will be updated more than this blog unless I freak out daily. LOL.

First post

I'm a dreadlock newbie. I'm not freaking out too much. However, I am worried about my twists. I guess I should start by saying that I am not a hair person. I just don't have that skill. So I am going to the salon for my maintenance. My hair was started in two strand twists yesterday. Now some of them are looking/feeling flat. I know they can be easily re-twisted (not by me!) so I guess I shouldn't worry too much.

Photos coming soon.