Braidlocks Take Down

I am taking down my braidlocks. I know some of you complimented my hair but hear me out... I liked having them in my hair. I liked the freedom. I liked the low maintanance. I love being all-natural. What I didn't like was the size of the parts she gave me. The grid was too large and not even. I was splitting them to make them smaller but she gave me diamond shaped parts and splitting them into 3s was impossible to do if I wanted them to be even. I was going to just let them be when I thought of something; the purpose of getting my hair locked was because of freedom and pride. How proud could I be of my hair if didn't like it? What kind of freedom is there in having to "settle" for someone else's idea of how my hair should be? (I told my stylist how I wanted it done, showed her photos, etc. so there would be no question as to what I wanted. She mentioned something about not making them too small because of potential breakage. I told her I understood her concern, but to please do as I asked and what I paid her to do. She didn't.)

Although it would've been great if my hair had been done correctly, having this experience taught me something about myself that I had forgotten; a)I am worthy of goodness and b)that even though I may not see the destination from where I presently stand, if I keep following the road one step at a time, I'll get there. Starting these locks is like starting a new chapter in my life and the old me would've settled for whatever. I have to live with my hair. I have to like my hair. Just tolerating it isn't good enough.

After giving it some thought, I started taking them down. I still want locks! Although it will take me forever and a day, I think I will have to do them myself for them to be done good enough for me. (No, I am not a perfectionist. If you don't believe me, I could take some photos of my house!) Finances don't really allow for me to get them done by a loctician. I am about to return back to school in a few weeks and have some school related expenses. It'll be nice to have people admire my hair and ask who does it and I can say, "me". I won't be braiding them this time. I will be interlocking them. They're tighter and I think they'll lock faster than braids. I even started some practice ones in the nape area. I figured no one would really see those, so it wouldn't matter too much if I messed those up. Well, I did an ok job. (yay me!)

Thank you NubianLockedPrincess and Kalia Dewdrop for all the DIY info and videos. I am so grateful for your selflessness and willingness to share what you learn(ed). Well, that's about it for now. I have to finish taking out these braids!

My Daughter's Lock Journey Has Begun!!

omg! that's the basic reaction to my daughter's hair. she is now braidlocked (bradeloc'd)! it took me exactly 7 days. yes, an entire week to install her microlocks. because she was still attending school and i'm still breastfeeding my other baby girl (7 mos. old), i could only do a couple hours a night.I wanted them to be micro/small. the outer perimeter are smaller than the middle of her head. she LOVES them! they fit her personality. i love the styling freedom and the endless options. i owe all of you ladies out there a debt of gratitude for being generous with your shared stories, trials and tribulations, tips and tricks. you have helped us establish a new chapter in our lives. i am posting some before/during/after photos. i enjoy watching her hair every day it seems to change each day in some form. i just look at her and smile and i know we made the right choice. i already heard a naysayer mention that "...dreads aren't supposed to be that small". i rolled my eyes. this comes from a permie who wears long flowing weaves more often than not. what i wanted to say was, "no, our hair isn't supposed to be Caucasian straight. if it were to be so, it would grow out of our scalps that way and you wouldn't have to buy it from the store." but being me, polite and soft-spoken (most of the time), i kept this to myself. perhaps the next person who mentions something like that won't escape so easily. to borrow again from that often quoted statement made by marcus garvey : remove the kinks from your brain, not your hair!