Lock Update: Ponytail-Headband (April 2010)- 6 years 9 months locked

@Work

Product Review "Kinky Curly"

Ok ladies, me NO LIKEY Kinky Curly :( It was not good for my hair. I washed my hair last week and put in the Kinky Curly Curling Custard to see if it would give my locks an even nicer curl and I could not get that stuff to dry. After washing, applying it, braiding my hair, letting it air dry for over 18 hours, and then sitting under the hair dryer for over an hour my hair was still dripping wet with the product (I actually got a horrible cold because I went out to dinner with my DH thinking the stuff would be dry by then). So all that to say, this product may be good for natural hair but not locks, or at least not mines.

Tune in, more to come on the other products. Has anyone ever tried any of these products on their locks? Your thoughts....

Product Review by Abena

Ok ladies, I just purchased a couple of new products that I am going to use on my locks and I will give you my opinion on how the products worked. Also, I would like your input, if any of you have tried either product please share your experience. Thanks!

(Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz for roller-sets, Organic Root Stimulator Herbal Cleanse "Dry Shampoo" to refreshen locks between washes, Fantasia IC P.M. Night Time Oil Treatments to strengthen and shine hair while you sleep, Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise for deep conditioning, and Fantasia Pure Tea Silky Gel Mosturizer).

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If this product works well I may be willing to do more roller-sets now that I finally purchased a hair dryer BUT I will definitely be using bigger rollers because I love the roller-set look on my hair but with the regular size rollers it literally takes hours to roll my hair.I am so looking forward to this product :) Something to refreshen my locks between washes seems so ideal.This I tried only one night and my locks did feel noticebly lighter and softer in the morning, almost kind of fluffy. I will keep trying it and give you a more detailed assessment later :)

I have been looking for a deep conditioner so I hope the hair mayonnaise works well.

I have tried this product already and I do like it. It is nice for the locks because it is almost a clear color so it doens't leave any white film and it does soften the locks and it doesn't make the locks look greasy. It is light and smells good.

Product Review by Abena

Paul Mitchell Generic Line: Conditioner

I am truly amazed by this product. After I wash my hair with IC Fantasia 100% Green Tea Shampoo, and then put some of the Paul Mitchell Generic: Detangler I am ready for the conditioner. Now you have to understand I have always been ANTI- generic anything but I tried this product and my locks have never felt lighter and actually fluffy and they even bounce around a lot....I am loving it. I am going to also try one of Paul Mithcell Generic brand Shampoo and I will let you know how well it works in conjuction with the Conditioner.

I hope this was helpful :)

*Product purchased at Sally Beauty Supply

"Breaking News" Chosen Vessel almost cut her Sisterlocks off!! YIKES!!!

Photo taken: 2/14/2010 (6 Years and 7 months locked)

Ok ladies, the news that I was talking about with my Sisterlocks was I was going to get them cut off and start wearing my hair natural (TWA). Why, because I am a ZEALOT!!! and thank God for my husband who sat down and had a longggg talk with me (gave me the reasons why I should keep my locks). He said your hair is SO beautiful and I don't want you to cut it but if you decide to after this talk I will support you. Thank God for that MAN because I know I would have regreted it.

Why am I still sharing this with all of you? I could have made the decision and not shared it with any of you and you would not have ever known that I was considering cutting my locks but I am posting this because I hope that it helps someone who may be considering cutting their locks. Please, please, please do not make a decision until you have weighed the pros and cons, prayed about it, and intensly considered the alternatives.

Cons for my hair: (Hence the reasons why I was considering the BIG CHOP)

1. Friz, FRIZ, and MORE FRIZ...as you can see, I hate the friz but you know what I can learn to live with it. I have also been researching products that may help with this.

2. Length- it sometimes gets in the way, but once again, I can live with this. I actually ALWAYS wanted long hair, so I don't know WHAT my problem is...SMH....

3. Patches of new growth in between locks even after a retightening. NOW this gets on my NERVES!!!!! BUT...I am going to work with my Locktician to hopefuly resolve this issue, if not, oh well, my hair is not going to be perfect even though I am so anal that I want it to be :( JUST BEING REAL...LOL

Pros for my hair:
1. Easy maintenance.
2. Healthy.
3. Great growth.
4. Fits me and my personality.
5. I LOVE my BRAID-OUTS and ROLLER-SETS!
6. Inexpensive.
7. Easy to manage.
8. My husband LOVES it!!!
9. It is natural, no chemicals.
10.I can style it various ways (I just haven't tried many yet, but I will..stay tuned for a post entitled "Sisterlock Hair Show"
11. I love my Loctician.
and on and on and on...when I think about all of this I know I would have regretted cutting my locks....did I already say, I would have regretted it?

In summary:

My husband reminded me of all of the things I HATED about my permed hair, getting braids, natural hair, pony tails, etc. and I SNAPPED out of it quickly. My Sisterlock pilgrimage has been almost, PERFECT, now who could ask for anything more. I think I just got bored and wanted a big change but now I am learning to fall in love with my locks again AND I am going to take them to ANOTHER level by researching more product options, hair jewelry, hair accessories, and maybe even color so all is well with Chosen Vessel and her locks.

I hope this post was helpful and thank you ladies for all of your support over the years and thank you for following my blog and going on this journey with me, I truly appreciate it.

P.S. One more thing, I was in the beauty supply looking for products to prepare for cutting my locks and I struck up a conversation with an AA lady who still has a perm but trying to transition to natural hair and when I told her that I was going to cut my locks she said LOUDLY..ARE YOU CRAZY!!! Your hair is beautiful....then she said all of us Sista's trying to get that length and you are about to cut it...CRAZY...and then she just shook her head and walked to the counter and started telling everyone look at her hair and she is going to cut it...SMH...ok....OK!!!

Spotlight by Abena "Black Hairstyles Magazine"

Hey ladies, check out a new "Black Hairstyles Magazine" on the internet that highlights Black Hairstyles and includes Sisterlocks :)

Click here or copy & paste: http://www.black-hairstyles-magazine.com/sisterlocks.html

Lock update: 6 years, 7 months

Greetings ladies, well I am finally getting around to posting a current photo of my locks. I have reached 6 years and 7 months and I can hardly believe it. My hair is so long that I don't know what to do with it..."Boy I never thought those words would be coming out of my mouth (smile)." I have been contemplating some decisions regarding my locks but I will update you all soon. I hope all is well with you and your hair....Happy Locking!!!

~ Sisterlocks, braid-out, with head wrap~

2/2/2010

Natural Hair: "Why did you get Locks or Go Natural"

Ladies, I know I have been a way for a while but think I am back and in full effect :) Ok, now, the questions:

1. Why did you decide to get locks or go natural?

2. How long have you had locks or been natural?

3. What are some tips you have for women who are considering locks and/or going natural?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY NEW DECADE!!!

Sisterlock length- "6 years 1 month August 2009"

Sisterlock and head wrap- "6 years 5 months December 2009" It's been a while, a long while, and I just wanted to stop by and say hi. I am at my 6 1/2 year mark with my Sisterlocks and I really cannot believe I have had locks for 6 1/2 years, WOW!! I hope everyone and their locks are doing well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY NEW DECADE!!!

By Madison ParkCNN

(CNN) -- Divorce causes more than bitterness and broken hearts. The trauma of a split can leave long-lasting effects on mental and physical health that remarriage might not repair, according to research released this week.

Research shows health differences between people who are married and those who have gone through a divorce.

"People who lose a marriage take such damage to their health," said Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago in Illinois.
Waite and co-author Mary Elizabeth Hughes, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that divorced or widowed people have 20 percent more chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people. They also have 23 percent more mobility limitations, such as trouble climbing stairs or walking a block.
Their article, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, examined the marital history and health indicators for 8,652 middle-aged people in research funded by the National Institute on Aging. The authors found differences between the overall health of those who remain married and those who divorce.

Almost half of all U.S. marriages end in divorce, according to the National Institutes of Health.

"Losing a marriage or becoming widowed or divorced is extremely stressful," Waite said. "It's financially, sometimes, ruinous. It's socially extremely difficult. What's interesting is if people have done this and remarried, we still see, in their health, the scars or marks -- the damage that was done by this event.

Divorced people "have more chronic conditions, more mobility limitations, rate their health as poorer than people like them in age, race, gender, education who've been married once and are still married," Waite said.

Previous research has suggested that marriage has protective health benefits by providing financial, social and emotional stability.
Married women have more financial security, which means better access to health care and reduced stress, Waite said.

"Married men have better health habits," she said in comparison to single males. "They lead a cleaner, healthier life, and less times in bars and eat better. Women tend to manage men's interactions with the medical system, get him in for colonoscopy and make sure they get flu shot."
Mark Hayward, director of the Population Research Center and a professor of sociology Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, said spouses check up on each other's needs. They remind each other about when to go see a doctor, a dentist or when to get a medical issue checked out.

"You're making decisions together about your lifestyle and investing in a future together," said Hayward, who was not involved in the latest research. But in a similar study, he found that divorce has a lasting impact on cardiovascular diseases, even after remarriage. His 2006 study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, found that divorced middle-aged women were 60 percent more likely to have cardiovascular disease than middle-aged women who remain married.

"There's no erasure of the effects of divorce," Hayward said. "There is intense stress leading up to divorce, stresses during divorce proceedings. Think of divorce as one of the most intense stressors. It leads to what we call dysregulation [impairment] in key cardiovascular process that may be permanently altered. You're not going back to your original set point."
Both genders suffer irreversible, detrimental effects on their health after losing marriage through a divorce or death of a spouse, according to the findings.

Those who did not remarry after a divorce or a spouse's death showed deficits in mental and physical health. Waite called this the "double whammy" because they don't get the protective effects of marriage and have gone through a "damaging, health-destroying experience."
They had worse health indicators than people who never married and therefore "didn't get the goods and didn't get the bads," Waite said.
People who remarried had better health than those who did not.
"If you loved and lost, did you find love again?" Waite said. "The people who did are doing better." But this group overall showed health deficits compared to those who remained married.