My Microlocks Journey!

My Shake n Go Baby locs! 

 Hello Natural Beauties! I hope you are  staying inspired to grow  your best head of Healthy Happy Hair?   I have been trying to get back here to write for 3 weeks now!  I do have a few things to share that should help spice up your natural hair care game, but first, I wanted to share what I've been into! 

  Yah  I know my title gave it away lol.   I've decided to start locking my hair!  It was an option I had been entertaining for at least a year and a half now.  I've always admired locs since year two of my natural hair journey but never thought I could or would do it.  In my research I found that there are several ways to start locking as well as several lock sizes that you could choose from that best fit your personality and lifestyle.   I narrowed it down to Sister locks and Micro Braid locs.  In the end Microbraid locs proved to be the best way for me to begin this journey.   I had 276 my micro-braid locks installed on 4-22-14 at Nappybliss Salon in Desoto, Texas.  

 Will interlocking new growth every 4-6 weeks

Some people were surprised that I decided to go this route, because my hair is/was " SOO Pretty"   What's that suppose to mean?  More on that when I start my new blog highlighting my new journey with microlocs.  But,  if you've actually read my blog posts about my regimen and process lately you could probably see the writing on the wall. lol.     

Love that its already full..I want full mature locs!

What lead to this final decision:  

After being a loose natural for 4.5 years I'd reached a point where I was no longer  enjoying my natural hair care routine/process.  I began to loath my wash days which began to take  3 days to complete from beginning to end(end meaning, my final desired style).  Because of my business schedule I rarely finished my hair in one day.  (And on those in between days, I was always looking crazy trying to conceal "the transformation").    I was spending so much time on my hair the longer it got, that I felt  I was starting to miss out on my life!  I felt I wasn't enjoying my natural hair in its full glory, but more so trying to maintain it and look presentable. Any extra styling flare had been placed on the back burner. My wash days had taken enough out of me.  And while I do natural hair for a living, by the time I got home I had no strength for my own?  I even cut it in February about 3 inches off,  which gave me some what of a fresh wind.... but that was short lived. lol. 

Whenever my hair was styled out it was always gorgeous to me. It's what people see.  But people, there is a process, and you have to be at peace with your process, before and after the style.  (Every person's Hair texture, density, lifestyle, skill level, patience level, and work schedule will dictate what your process is and how long it takes)    Natural Hair care processes are never one size fits all.   I have learned that my quick fix to problem areas are not always helpful to others because of the things I just mentioned, and vice versa.   I had began to complain so much about my process to detangle that I was starting to get on my own nerves!  Nothing I tried was ever good enough for me on saving time.  I was also starting to leave styles in longer and stretching out my wash weeks.  Whenever I did have time to do my hair, I was so tired from working I didn't want to do it. That really wasn't fair to my precious loose locks.   

Final loose hair shot.. hair shrunken from prev style. 

I finally had to admit that I was over my process, not my natural hair! lol.. I love my natural hair:  the texture, thickness, and kinky-curls.  I also love that natural hair can be locked and still look beautiful.

 I've done my research and I know locks are not NO maintenance, but  they are  LOWER maintenance.  I promised my self at the beginning of this year that I would enjoy my hair  and not stress over it but celebrate my freedom to wear my hair naturally, and as I please.  So Here's to my Natural Hair Freedom..

**exhaling**  Peace...I feel Great!   SO!  What recent turns has your Natural hair Journey taken?  

Stay tuned..my next post will focus on proven natural hair growth aides!  

My Top 5 Tips to stop Shedding and Breakage

Helllloo Ladies! How's your healthy hair journey going? Are you accomplishing your goals, is your hair showing much progress?  Well I hope so!  But if not,  today I'd like to offer a little insight to help you along the way. Hair breakage is something many of us face when trying to grow and maintain our best hair.  It can be really  frustrating doing all you "know" to do only to get less than acceptable results. If you are going to have the best hair of your life breakage is something that you will have to get under control first.   When there is unexplained breakage and questionable shedding, not knowing what to do can further thwart your efforts to grow and maintain healthy hair.  Below are my top 5  proven methods to bring breakage and excessive shedding to a screeching halt! 

  

1. Pay Attention: The best way to thwart excessive breakage and shedding is to nip it in the bud before it gets far gone. Pay attention to what's going on with your hair as you handle it on a daily basis, or weekly, however often you are manipulating your hair. Try not to mindlessly go through your hair without watching the sink, your comb, or your hands.  Inspect to see if there are many short broken pieces.  Check for single strand knots, or if your hair seems to be shedding more than normal from day to day or week to week. When you pay attention early, you can adjust what you are doing as it's happening before breakage manifest its self in a large way!  Example: as I finger comb or take a detangling comb through my hair,  I watch my sink to see if anything is popping off. If I see a short piece of hair right away I can determine why that just happened and correct it. Most of the time it was because there was a single strand knot that just popped off and took a piece of my ends with it!  Or it was because I was yanking through my hair  rougher than I realized. I then immediately adjust what I am doing.  I either move slower or take my scissors and snip any knots I see or feel before combing through it.  I always have my scissors close by when going through my hair. That way, if I come across a single strand knot I can snip it instead of just ripping it off which can lead to split ends, more knots, and additional  breakage.


2.  Strengthen your hair: This really is my first tip, but unfortunately most people don't think of this step until after their hair is showing signs of breakage or excessive shedding. As I said, you want to stop all of this before it starts. Protein deep conditioning sessions and or Ayurvedic (Henna,Cassia, Amla etc.) treatments is a great way to strengthen your hair so that it will resist breakage. I strengthen with protein conditioners twice a month and with an Ayurvedic powder treatment every two months.


3. Keep hair moisturized: By moisturize I mean use water, or using a water based product before using an actual oil to seal. When consulting with my clients I  learn that many of them believe that oil alone is an acceptable sole means of moisturizing their hair. It is not. Oil is a lubricant and aids in making hair soft to the touch and  shiny etc. But it is not moisture. Feel your hair on a daily basis to assess your moisture level; this will help you determine how often you should moisturize. Everyone can have a different schedule. By simply touching your hair every day to assess moisture levels you can avoid dry, crunchy, or stiff hair.  Bottom line: Dry hair breaks!  Try not to handle your hair when it feels too dry because you will more than likely get some breakage.  (Bonus: keep heat and  chemical dye usage to a minimum, these things promote additional dryness. If your hair is already prone to dryness you are asking for a hard time in this area.)

4. Be Gentle: I know you hear this ALL the time. But sorry, it is true.  The health of our hair is preserved in the way it is being handled. Just like delicate clothing you can not bunch, wrinkle,overly stretch, or use too much heat if you want your clothing to last. Our natural hair is not as tough as it looks. All of the curls,coils, and kinks make it easy to snap or break when there is too much force applied. Sometimes we don't know our own strength, I am a witness! Work with your hair in smaller workable sections that are moisturized and pliable. Use products like natural oils or leave in conditioners to soften before you handle.

5. Protective style your hair: This tip is very crucial when dealing with our hair. I  personally experience the best success with my hair when I wear my hair protected. I know as grown women most of us want to wear our hair loose and out, in its full glory all the time. But truth is: Most of our hair can not handle that and continue to progress.  This can be controversial for so many naturals. Face it, no one wants to be told they can't wear their hair like they want and keep it healthy. We women always want the best of both worlds. Now if you can  get away with that and still show amazing progress lift your hands and say thank you Lord, because you have been blessed in that area! lol. But for the rest of us frequent protective styling is the best way to see continual progress in  health and in length retention. There are many ways to protect your hair.  Find one that fits you and your lifestyle. Twists and or  braids is what I typically opt for, and occasionally I wear  buns.  You can go a week at a time, weeks, or months depending on what you choose. But the less you handle and go through your hair the less breakage you will have, and the more length you will retain.  


There you have them! My top 5 tips to stop excessive shedding and breakage. Of course there are other things to consider like hormones or medications.  But these 5 basics have never failed me!

So what do you do to keep breakage and shedding to a minimum?


Well, until we meet again!  Keep it Healthy and Happy!