2 Years

By the time of this installation I had damaged my hair with a final style named "cork screw" which left me with 2 bald patches at my temples and drastically reduced thickness. After a holiday in Brazil I had my date with Sisterlocks(TM)

6 Months later and I was getting used to being a locked Princess.

1 year passed so quickly and my hair began to thicken up. I started to colour but could not get that final shade.

Bingo! this is what I have been striving for. This colour was bought for me in Jamaica and this is the one for me. My hair is now 2 years locked.

Hair Story

I used to fight with my hair only to be beaten at the end

I spent an hour getting ready then another 2 trying to "fix it"

"it" would twist and coil and shrink back on itself when I was out

Betraying me

My hair never quite matched my outfits or my mood

"It" was something that had to be endured because I knew no better

Then came Sisterlocks(TM) and my life has changed forever

It has taken me years to get to know, love and cherish my hair

I can alter my styles easily from a daytime, studious work look to an evening sexy diva!

Gone are the days of wigs, weaves, braids, glue, frying and the list goes on

No more nasty surprises

I have a sense of freedom

I am now in full unison with my hair

Sometimes I catch people staring at me in the streets

Cos in England it is rude to stare

Then I realise it is a look of adoration

As they are truly loving my hair.

Until next time.

Kittylocks XX

Please do not copy anything from my blog without my express permission.

Sisterlocks(TM) Training

I met up with Dr Joanne Cornwall the originator of Sisterlocks(TM) at the London Sisterlocks Training. As you can see I was so happy to meet her as I feel that by identifying Sisterlocks(TM) as a means of making very versatile and flexible locks, she has enabled me to free my self from all the weaves, extensions and other styles which ultimately thinned and broke my hair. This is me with Michelle Bryant the Sisterlocks Master Trainer.

This is the London November Sisterlocks(TM) Training class. We were tired as the classes were very full and informative but happy and eager to practise our new skills. We are ready!

This is me with a fellow student and it was time to go home.

Yes I did it . Having undergone the 4 day training, I am now a Sisterlocks(TM) trainee.

I hope that if things work out I can get my certification soon.

I am rearing to go!
I will keep you posted on my clients.

Kittylocks x

Please don't copy.

23 Months

This is my regular look now that I have reached 23 months locked.

Just washed and I am finding that my hair is resisting the curl when braided. I finish them and within 5 minutes the braids have undone! I think I might have to use curlers more regularly now.

Need a little color here.

Low pony.

This is my latest accessory. It is called a loc soc and it is made of silk. I can sleep in it or go out with it on if my hair needs coloring. It can be used in many different ways. Want one? here it is:

www.soclocsoc.com

I cant wait until Year 2.

Until...

Kittylocks.

X

Please do not copy anything from my blog without my express permission.

Products

Hi there these are my current products.

I co wash with relaxed and natural conditioner weekly and shampoo monthly. These products are really hard to get over her in the UK I had to get them from EBay. I think that as I am not putting much in my hair then it is not dirty so no need to shampoo more than monthly. They smell wonderful and leave my hair feeling nice.

Ingredients:

Water , Petrolatum , Ammonium Laureth Sulfate , Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate , Sodium Lauroamphoacetate , Lauric Acid , Trihydroxystearin , Fragrance , Panthenol , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Guar Hydroxypropyl Trimonium Chloride , Sodium Chloride , Citric Acid , DMDM Hydantoin , Sodium Benzoate , Disodium EDTA , PEG-14M
I have just discovered Silk Element Shampoo and conditioner after reading a blog. I am sorry that I cant remember whose. I have started to alternate with these. I got them from Sally's in Basildon so they are a lot easier to get. For me these top Pantenes Relaxed and Natural as my hair feels so soft and silky after using them. Silk Elements products are for keeps.


Ingredients:

Silk Elements - Silk Elements Luxury Moisturizing Shampoo 16 oz.: "WATER ,SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE ,COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE ,DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIPROPIONATE ,COCAMIDE DEA ,PPG-5-CETETH-10 PHOSPHATE ,COCOTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE ,HYDROLYZED SILK ,ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE ,HYDROLYZED KERATIN ,SODIUM C14-17 ALKYL SEC SULFONATE ,PEG-30 GLYCERYL COCOATE ,GLYCOL DISTEARATE ,PEG-12 DIMETHICONE ,POLYQUATERNIUM-10 ,PROPYLENE GLYCOL ,DIAZOLIDINYL UREA ,FRAGRANCE ,BLUE #1 ,YELLOW 5"

I don't know if I need to use Cholesterol but I used to before my locks so I am using this silk elements monthly treatment, Sally's again and so far so good.

Ingredients:

Silk Elements - Silk Elements Mega Cholesterol Conditioning Treatment: "WATER ,MINERAL OIL ,CETEARYL ALCOHOL ,CETEARETH-20 ,STEARYL ALCOHOL ,CETYL ALCOHOL ,DICETYLDIMONIUM CHLORIDE ,POLYQUATERNIUM-37 ,PROPYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE ,PPG-1 TRIDECETH-6 ,PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL ,DIMETHICONE ,GLYCERIN ,ETHOXYDIGLYCOL ,PANTHENOL ,CHOLESTEROL ,METHYLPARABEN ,SILK AMINO ACIDS ,FRAGRANCE ,FRAGRANCE ,TOCOPHERYL ACETATE ,METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE ,METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE ,HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDE ,YELLOW 5 ,BENZYL ALCOHOL ,BENZYL BENZOATE ,BENZYL SALICYLATE ,COUMARIN ,LINALOOL ,HEXYL CINNAMAL"



All 3 products came up to £17 ,what a bargain. Given that I colour my hair every 8 weeks I want to make sure that it does not dry out or start breaking because I have read some horror stories on Fotki and Blogs about this. I know that the Silk Elements both contain alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate but they work for me.
I love this coconut oil and use it in my hair in the steam or sauna especially after applying colour. I bought it from Tesco for £1.49. It is natural and made in Sri Lanka and is 100% pure coconut oil. This leaves my hair shining. I also use it on my skin whilst still damp and blot dry to make my skin really smooooooooth.

Finally when I shampoo my hair I use my own home made oil. This is Darbur Amla oil, Obtained from EBay, Organic Peppermint and Rosemary essential oil from http://www.baldwins.co.uk/ Sorry I cant remember the exact price for these but I know they were reasonable and then I am only using the oil monthly so it will last. One thing though because it is made from the Indian Gooseberry it makes your hair darker. I apply it warm to my scalp and then massage for a few minutes. It feels lovely and tingly.



bye for now.


Look out for my 2 year anniversary pics in December.


Keep on growing.


Kittylocks XX


Please no copying without my permission.

Retightened at 21 Months

I thought I would show you a shot of my after being tightened. This shows that I will soon need to colour as the greys are starting to show hence the darker colour at the crown of my head.

Kittylocks.

Please do not copy any pictures from my blog without my permission.

Updo at 21 Months

My Sisterlocks (TM) are now 21 months old and I can really see them progressing well. Most of them are sealed at the ends and my layers are starting to grow down slowly.

I love the freedom of never having to worry about what to do with my hair and knowing that it will always look good.

I now co wash my hair weekly (conditioner only.) Shampoo and deep condition monthly. It looks like my aversion to washing my hair has gone haha. My hair is very manageable and soft even though I colour every 8 weeks using Clairol Textures and Tones flaming desire. I steam my hair 2-3 times a week in the sauna and use coconut oil for this.


My hair grip is slightly lopsided but this is my version of an updo using this grip.

Can you believe it that my hair is now too thick to go into this properly and I think I need a larger one.

My neck is a bit twisted here but my Daughter insisted this was a good shot of my hair.

I am quite proud of this look and will do it again maybe with a larger hair grip.

Until next time keep loving your locks.

Kittylocks.

Please don't copy my blog without my permission.

21 Months

Hi all this is a braid style that I wore to the gym. I do this when I want a crinkly or wavy look.

This is the side view and I still have blond temples.

Back view.

The final look.

This is the final result and my favourite look.

I hope you like it.

Kittylocks XX

Please don't copy any pictures from my blog.

Hair Politics

Hi there this is me at 21 months. I have become interested in hair politics. I have started to make my own products., spritzes, scalp oils and would like to branch out into shampoos and conditioners next.

Now that I am natural I wondered who makes and owns the products that I have used and continue to use in terms of the black economy.

African and Caribbean people make up only a small percentage of people in the UK however we are responsible for most of the sales in terms of false and real hair, hair care products and accessories.

I expected to find that the spread of ownership and wealth would represent many diferent peoples... I was wrong.

Check out the links to see what I found out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msY2S3wdFVY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67P2kT7TzQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SICRkQzww5Q

Stay happy in your naturalness.

KittyLocks X
Please do not copy.

19 Months

I am at the 19 month mark and I thought my hair had not grown very much.... I was wrong.
This is before my retightening and after I had washed my hair as you can see I look a bit frizzy.

This is a real summer colour what a shame it is rainy and cloudy here in the UK. I have discovered these neat small clips to hold the hair back.

I have started washing my hair either weekly or two weekly and this makes my hair really thick. My partings have dissappeared.

I rolled my hair over on itself to avoid using hair pins as they hurt my scalp. This creates a very Nubian look.

I am going blond at my temples...

I thought I would let my pictures speak for themselves. I am still happy with my hair and I am trying new styling options but I am impatient with the layers and cant wait for them to grow down.

Wait and see...

Kittylocks

Please don't copy.

Michael Jackson Tribute

It is with great sadness that I learnt during the night of Michael Jackson passing from this world with a suspected cardiac arrest.

I grew up in the sixties and had to fight both physically and emotionally every day of my life with racist thugs. From the school playground to Teddy boys coming into our area to fight on a Friday night.

I have fought men and women in my bid to ensure that I have the same rights as every one else and that I am treated fairly in all things.

Throughout that time Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 were legends. We used to run to the television to see them perform. They were able to instill in us black pride that we could achieve if we wanted to. I still to this day have all of their records and his albums.

He was a troubled genius who set the standards for both song and dance which still prevail even to this day.

This is the picture of Michael Jackson that I care to remember.

One with his brown skin, nappy, full hair and with all of his African and American features in tact.

I would like to offer his family and friends my sincere condolences and to hope that now he will truly rest in peace.

Kittylocks X

Please don't copy.

18 Months: Kreative Blogger Award Nomination.

I have been nominated for the Kreative blogger award by Nubian1. Thank you. I shall now share 7 facts about myself:

I love to go out and really dance. I love different types of music from reggae to salsa. I use dance as a form of exercise. This is what can happen when you allow your Daughter to dress you...

I love my new hair dye, Textures and Tones, Flaming Desire.

And the result which is a bright, wonderful summer colour. My friends and family love it. Of course I love my locks and everything locks.

This Champagne is the business and it is the only drink that I can not resist.

Sweets these are my favourites but I still manage to have good teeth.

I went on a holiday to Gambia and fed the Monkeys. They are intelligent, majestic, gentle and beautiful creatures.

I thought I would sneak this picture in. Don't tell.

Finally I love long haul travel and to swim in the Sea. This is the beach where I stayed in Gambia. I have also been to: Dominican Republic, Egypt, Trinidad, Grenada, St Vincent, Montserrat, Margarita, Venezuela, Brazil, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, France and the list goes on...

Happy hair and please don't copy any pictures or anything else from my blog.

Kittylocks X

I nominate: Naturally Sexy

Nubian Locked Princess

All about the hair

16 Months: Is My Hair Growing?

This is me looking chic if I say so myself. My hair needs to be retightened.

This is a beautiful book charting the history of locks worldwide in mainly black and white pictures. A great read and available from Amazon.

This is my latest hair dye. Nice 'n Easy number 108 in Natural Golden Auburn.

Here are the results. Freshly washed, tightened and dyed.

I cut the ends off my hair resulting in less flyaway hair.

This is an evening style.

I am now 16 months into having Sisterlocks(TM) and I am wondering if my hair is growing. This is me prior to my retightening.

I love my hair texture and also the colour but the rate of growth appears to have slowed when compared to other ladies blogs and fotkis.

I suppose I will just have to have more patience....

Kittylocks

X

Please dont copy.

What is a Friend?

I have found my self reflecting on friendships past, present and future.

What is a friend? I hear you ask.

A friend can be male of female

is some one who truly loves you for your inner self

Whom you can call on at midnight

to have a chin wag or cry to when you have a problem

A friend wishes only the best for you

with out jealousy or rivalry

A friend is some one who allows you to make your own mistakes

without telling I told you so

someone who will tell you when you are wrong

without fear or prejudice

Some one who is honest and that you can trust.

A friend wants you to do better for yourself.

I am lucky to have four such people who are special friends in my life. I praise God for them every day and try to reciprocate some of what they give to me.

KittylocksX

Please do not copy without my permission.

14 Months

Hi all I am 14 months into my locks and loving them. Most have sealed and I never have a bad hair day. My hair is recovering from previous bad treatment and becoming thicker. I tried an experiment of washing my hair every week for 8 weeks. Yes you did hear right me and washing my hair in the same sentence! It worked and my hair swelled up more.See picture below.

I am really trying new things and decided to try soft spikes. I used 30 small, long spikes. I spritz my hair first with my own mixture and then left them in over night.

This was the result when I took them out. No styling here.

I then loosely made a style. Family and friends loved it. I will try this one again with more spikes next time.

Well its time to go and for all the locks lovers out there. Remember the best thing for our hair is to: "leave it alone" and you will be rewarded with long, thick, luscious hair. All locks are beautiful but not the same.

Happy locks.

KittyLocksX

Please don't copy without my permission.