Month 16

A very few pics just for you Tam.

I really do like my hair. It's really looking like true locks now. A few dreads in the back get caught in my shirt and annoy me. And I've come a long way from those early days and months. I was looking through pics, and I can now say I don't see how I did it. Some of these pics look kinda crazy to me now. I guess I knew how my hair would look in the end, so I was able to persevere.

A couple pics of my hair at around 5 months.

I had a wonderful holiday vacation. We went to Florida and saw both my husband's and my families. It was nice to get a few weeks off work, and just chill, laugh, and talk with family. I feel rejuvenated, and ready to go back to work.

I'm having fleeting thoughts again about taking my hair out. I don't really know why, but sometimes when I see individual braids or cornrows in a cute style, I want to replicate it. Of course, I know that I don't like to comb or style my loose hair, so the thoughts go away eventually. When will I be completely satisfied with my hair? I do love my hair now, but I'm just bored, I guess. And it's still so far away from the length that I want. Trying to ride out the feelings, because I've been so proud of myself for sticking to these locks, and it's not like I feel anything's wrong with my hair. No regrets about the way I started and maintain my hair. I wonder if other locked people have these thoughts at all.

I'm thankful

I'm really thankful for lots of things. I have a family that I love, and that loves me. I'm thankful that I have a good amount of vacation left this year, so I'm going to be off work a good bit (lol). But right now, I'm really thankful for my locks, because they represent a change in my life for me. I was with a friend yesterday, and she said to me that she noticed that I "made a turn" that started with my locks. In the past I've never stayed with anything for any length of time, really, but now I've stuck with the locks for over a year. I've been vegetarian for 11 months. I've been exercising at minimum 3 times per week since August (which, for me, is a lifetime). And those small successes give me the confidence that other things I want to improve in my life will happen in time.

A Real Freeformer

I've gotten a few personal comments asking me a few questions, and this post is inspired by some of those questions.

I don't mean to disappoint. I'm a freeformer, but ...

... I'm not spiritual - I didn't start my locks because I believe that they're the ultimate natural hairstyle. I don't believe that locks are Jah antennae. I don't know about the 47 laws of Maat (or however many there are).

... I'm not conscious - Sad to say, but I'm not. I'm so not conscious, I don't even know what it means to be conscious. :-( I am a worker bee. I am a sheep. I don't know about politics. I'm voting for Obama just because he's black. I watch BET (Okay, just kidding, I'm not that bad. I DO NOT watch BET).

... I'm not afrocentric - I don't know all about dread history. :-( I don't know all about Rastafarians (although I'm not completely ignorant to them). I am not a black power type (although what that has to do with dreads, I don't know). I don't know a lot about black history (although I'm working to learn more). I don't say "ase" or "peace, brother/sister" or call my husband "my king" or wear ankhs or cowry shells.

... I care about how I look - Well, okay, I don't wear makeup or arch my eyebrows, so maybe I look (and am) low maintenance, but I'm not totally forsaking personal grooming.

... I'm not vegetarian - Well, okay, I AM vegetarian, but not because of the locks.

I'm a freeformer, and to me, that just refers to how I do my hair. I started them by just washing and going, and I don't twist to maintain. Anything else that is assumed about me because of how I wear my hair is just that ... an assumption.

Note: Okay, I am being a little silly here at times, I was just trying to make a point.

1 year - video

Do you know what today is?

It's my anniversary. My locks anniversary.



It's been a year. I made it, lol. I was one of those who started locks over and over again, and never made it past a few months. This time, however, my mind frame was different, and I was ready to make things work. Cutting or combing out my hair was not an option, so I had no other choice but to try to analyze my thoughts. Thus, this blog, of course. After the first few months, everything was so easy for me. And now it's still so easy. I just wash, condition, separate, and oil. I really don't style my hair. I thought I was going to do something for this occasion, but I really didn't feel like it. Anyway, I don't seem to have anything else to say, so here are a few pics.

Me being silly.

Meet the Fam

(Note: I've updated this post a couple times with a few more pictures).

It's been 10 months for me. :-) So close to a year. I thought I'd show off a few of my special locks.



There's stumpy there on the right. I have no idea how he got that short, when every lock around him is twice his height. He's at the crown of my head.


Here's a lock that was originally two locks. I'm thinking I joined them at around 3 months, although I really can't remember. However, now, you can't really tell that they were originally separate. This one is one of my favorites.


Here are a few of the largest locks on my head. They aren't huge, of course. I like the size of these best.

And here are a couple of the really small ones on my head. These I think I will eventually join to some other lock close to them.

Now, I estimate that my hair is locked halfway up each lock for most of them, although there are a few that are still locked only very close to the end. I always heard that freeform locks lock faster than other types of locks, but now I don't believe it. Maybe if I started with shorter hair, that would have been the case, though. Who knows.

And here are a few locks that are quite weird to me. Closer to the root, the lock is thick/regular. In the middle the locks are ultra thin. Then they get thicker again at the ends of the hair. I have no idea how they got this way. I'm trying to fight cutting the thinner parts off, and just see how they develop.


And a few days later, decided to join a few locks that were too small for my taste. Now I have around 5-7 more two-headed dragons. I did it by latching the new growth of both together, and twisting together the locked portion. When I got to the last one, I remembered about wrapping the loose hairs around the locks, and I did that towards the end of my hair, and that worked well. I'm showing a pic of one that I joined.