It's been Six months already??!!

Hello Everyone!

I can't believe it's been six months already! It has been absolutely phenomenal as far as my hair is concerned. It is doing its thing! I have recieved so many compliments on it and several people in the circles that I travel, have decided to either go natural, and several have gotten locks placed. I don't consider myself by any means to be a poster girl for SL; however, I can't help but share with others the overwhelming joy and freedom that I have experienced as a result of locking my hair. It has not been a week that has gone by that someone hasn't asked by about my hair, wanted to touch it, have complimented me on it, or asked for the number of my lock consultant. This has been an experience in an of itself.

Along the way, I haven't had many problems, with the exception of some slippage around the edges, but other than that, it's growing like weeds in July! Recently, I was told by my consultant that she could tell that I was washing it too much. Of course I was trying to figure out, "how in the world does she know that?" I'll tell you how. She said that you could still see through many of my locks which I guess you shouldn't be able to do at this time. The solution of the problem is to cut back on washing it. I thought that I would die, when she said that! See, here's the problem, I work out 5-7 days per week, so I though washing it weekly was doing good! Well she suggested that I extend the time to 10-14 days, continue to use the SL Getting Started shampoo, and not wash it so vigorously or more than twice per washing. My first thought and comment to these suggestions were, "who wants to have stinky sweaty hair?" I know I don't. Needless to say, I have followed her suggestion and my hair hasn't smelled as bad as I thought it would. She also said that I could use Carol's Daughter's Black Vanilla leave-in conditioner spray once per week (3-5 sprays only!), if I am really concerned about the sweaty hair smell. I must say, so far so good!

Well, the pics in this blog are of me and my childhood friends Monique and Barbara, which is so funny. We called ourselves having a girls night out; I couldn't hang! I was tired so I left the scene about 1 am. The picture of me in the red dress is from my 30 (+1) and flirty birthday celebration. I was in the process of singing, "I don't wanna lose your love" by the Emotions. Notice the finger snap! The last two are from the last retightening. My hair is growing like weeds in July! Of course, you can't tell the length because it still draws up into it's own natural wave pattern. I hope I don't loose the natural "wave" or curliness for a while. I love how it helps me to keep my hair versatile. I must admit that I allow my hair to do as it wishes and I don't try to rush the process, nor do I force it to yield to my will. Now, if I could just apply these principles to the rest of my life...

In Him,

Brandon

Freedom!!!

It is finally behind me. On Monday, I had my qualifying exam for advancement to Candidacy for my PhD. By God's grace and His gift of knowledge, I passed!! I am still in shock. I am not sure if it's because I passed or that I survived it. I must admit that I was fearful about taking the exam, because you really don't know what the committee will ask of you. I did my best and I am proud of myself for not allowing fear to completely overtake me.

Yesterday, I also turned 30 again-which has been amazing in itself. I have grown up so much over the past year, that I thought it would be beneficial to maintain the age in order to continue to grow. Locking my hair was a huge step. As a result, others around me have been encouraged to lock their hair as well. Even a guy at my church had brother locks put in at the beginning of the month.

Making the decision to lock it has been one of the best things I could have done for myself. I do want to thank all of you who have blogged your sisterlock journeys. It was because of you that really gave me the encouragement to step out there. When people ask me about my hair and they tell me that they are thinking about it, I encourage them to look up blogs of people who have locked their hair as well. You all have been an inspiration to me. I pray that we all can experience our freedom of expression at it's finest-simply by being who we are!

On one last note: In the words of my 4 year old cousin, "Bawok Obama won! He's my black Pwresident!" I am SO excited about 44th President of the United States, Barak Obama. May God keep Him and guide Him in his presidency and his family.

KIM:Keeping it Moving!!

Well... It has been a very interesting past 2 weeks for me. Christ is continuing to be patient with me and allowing me to grow. Currently, I am supposed to be writing and studying; however, this seems a little more relaxing to do right now.

I must admit that I am still absolutely loving my hair! I have had to go in to get a few locks retightened and one completely replaced due to slippage around the edges, but otherwise things have been going fairly well. I have to admit that I can not stay from in front of a camera! A dear friend of mine who encouraged me to "take the plunge" of locking said to me early on, "no two days will be the same." I thought that she was kidding! Seriously, no two days have been the same. I try to capture a certain look or keep a similar style for the next day- it never works.

However, I have discovered that depending on what I use to tie my hair with at night, will dictate how my hair will look the next day. For example, if I want a shorter look, I wear an old pair of stockings. Don't gasp, it's just me, so I don't have anyone to look good for! When I want a fuller and longer look, I sleep in a satin bonnet. Both have worked out really well and I am having a great time. The look I like most though, is right after I wash it and let it air dry. My hair does what it wants to do and I just allow it to have its freedom!

I must admit, I am a little scared in trying updo's or really "fancy stuff" right now because it is so new. It will be three months in two weeks! I can't believe it- the time has flown by! Anyway, I must return to my task at hand.

If I don't get a chance to say it later, have a wonderful, blessed, and joyous Holiday Season!!

In Him,
Brandon

Installation and 1 week later Pics

This is the result of 3 days of sitting!! I felt so bad for my consultant. She did a great job though!

My installation was over 3 days!! I have a lot of hair. These pics are from the last and final day of getting all of my locks installed on Sept. 17th. The second set of pics are exactly 1 week later from the day my consultant finished. I was amazed at the difference! I didn't realize how much it had changed until someone asked me, "what did you do to get your hair to curl up?"

What isn't very obvious in these pics are the curls at the ends of the locks. They are very springy. My hair is doing what it wants to. I would encourage those who are starting out, to allow yours to do the same.

So Grateful!!

Hello Everyone,
I know I haven't checked in for awhile and a lot has happened. Since my first retightening, I have enjoyed my SL even more! My hair is so full, and literally, no two days have been the same. It has been very exciting.

Let's see, where do I begin... Well, I am continuing to work on my dissertation; I've told the person that I really care about how I feel about him; hung out with my sis and Anthony Hamilton in D.C., kicked it with my dad; celebrated my Grandmother's 7? birthday with family; and just recently today- had my last name officially and legally changed back to my maiden name. If my SL could talk, they would have a lot to tell.

I must say that I have enjoyed every moment of my life, the ups and the downs. I would not be truthful if I gave so much credit to the new freedom that I am experiencing. I know that it is because I surrender my will everday, to the best of my ability, to the One who loves me completely and fully above all, and that is Christ. Through Him, I had the courage to share my feelings with someone new and leave my past behind me. The quote for today is so fitting. It reads, "Have courage. Do not fear. Put the old mistakes away and start anew. You must be glad and joyful." I must say, this sums up where I am today, and for that, I am grateful.

Be Blessed and Enjoy Thanksgiving!

In Him,
Brandon

Profile Picture

My profile picture is when my locks were just 6 days old!!

1st re-tighening

Hello,

I got my first retightening on Monday, November 3, 2008 and it was tight! I did not know that I would feel like I just got it done all over again. I was amazed at how much it had grown also. I will include pictures of it, once I figure out how to attach them to this particular post.

I must say that I can't stay out of the mirror. I just absolutely love it! Today, as I took a break from starting to work on my dissert, I went to the cafeteria in the hospital to get some dinner. A woman began talking to me about my hair and asking several questions, ranging from "what are they?", to "how long did it take?", to "it is your hair isn't it??" Anyway, I was very happy to answer her questions. She was trying to figure out what to do with her hair. I'd also like to add that she commented on my make-up and said how nice it was. It is such a wonderful feeling when people walk up to you and want to engage you. It keeps me encouraged. As always, compliments are nice, but I love to give them much more than I like to recieve them.

To anyone who is thinking of doing it, talk to people who have locked their hair, do your research, and just take a chance on yourself. You may just like what you see!!

Be Blessed!