Wednesday 26 January 2011

How to get rid of that stale smell in locs-Listerine

I noticed my locs had this stale/smoky smell. It would disappear when I washed it only to reappear a few days later. Lately I've been sweating so much that I abandoned my satin bonnet for a strong hairnet so my locs can breathe. I believe it's the excessive sweating coupled with colouring that created the smell. You've all heard about mouldy locs. Well I didn't want that so I knew I had to act fast. I added baking soda to my shampoo washed and rinsed with diluted acv, but the smell returned. So, I decided more drastic action needed . LISTERINE. I soaked my locs in Listerine mouthwash! For 1 hr. I diluted it 2 parts to 1part water. Then I rinsed it out and washed with diluted washing up liqiud. I did this in a bowl and you should have seen the colour of the water. BROWN! (Ladies, try washing your locs in a bowl or sink. squeeze the soapy water through them. You'll see how murky the water is) Then rinsed rinsed rinsed. My locs now smell of listerine original. But the smell is gone. I will wait a few days, assess and maybe repeat 1 or 2 x more. The side effect is, my locs were really soft. Listerine gets rid of dandruff, clarifies, conditions...it does contain alcohol, but also some essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus,and mint. Methyl salicylic and menthol. Well, there you have it. It kills germs, bacteria, fungus and is antiseptic. This is why it works. The washing up liquid does a pretty good job of drawing impurities and oils out of the locs. So far, it's a winning combination if you want to get rid of gunk on your scalp and in your locs. I think it's worth having this treatment every 12 weeks. If you have a problem with your locs, you might have to repeat this every week until the smell goes. You will also have to find a way to put moisture back into your locs.

Sunday 16 January 2011

Gerryloc piece intergrated into sisterlocks


Side view. The greyish locs are Gerry locs.

Fills in the top. More coverage, more fullness


Back view. Remember, the greyish locs are Gerry locs






Close-up

Euphoria, this is what the gerryloc piece intergrated with my locs look like. If you look closely, you see the difference in loc sizes and colour. The grey ones are all gerrylocs. It works quite well.

Saturday 15 January 2011

it was a blast!





















Let de photos do de talking LOL

The wedding blessing



















A few photos from the wedding yesterday 14th january 2011. It turned out well despite a few glitches in the morning. We were 30 min late but once the bridal party arrived things moved on.
Being a winter wedding, all the photos were taken inside. We milled around chatting and taking photos iside the church whilst the Hall (attached to church ) was being decorated. After about 45min-1hr they called the guests in and then the bridal party.

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Knowledge is power! Learn to DIY!

With the resources now available on the internet, no one need be in the dark about retightening their locs. I felt compelled to write this bc I heard the distress in the post of a lady, feeling trapped cos she may be running short of cash and doesn't know how to do her hair. I've run across this situation many many times before. It's a common scenario. You start your SLS journey. You've got it well thought out and you can manage X amount of $$ to maintain them. Then the unexpected happens. Consultant moves, stops providing the service, urgent matters swallow the $$/££. This is one of the major reasons I encourage DIY, or at least know HOW-TO. Some people have cut their locs cos they got short of money and could no longer go to a trained person. It's a crying shame for anyone to have to do that after making such an investment in your hair. Retightening locs with a tool is neither rocket science nor is it brain surgery. (I'm not knocking anyone who makes their living this way, I myself earn some occasional side money reTing other peoples locs) but.... There is no mystery surrounding it. To be honest, there are only so many types of rotations you can do, and any one of them will eventually aid your hair in locking. The main thing is, be prepared to do your research and spend some time practicing. And, don't be afraid. Most mistakes can be rectified. Even far gone locs can often be salvaged. If you aren't a perfectionist, if you don't have to have every strand of hair in place, then DIY is a cheap and reasonable option. The reason my blog is called DIY sisterlocks is, I took over retightening after 1 yr when my consultant became unavailable for months(she was travelling). She actually encouraged me to do it! I didn't take a class. I went online and searched for blogs and tutorials. I got my tools and practiced. I did and still do a few at a time. I use the nappylocs tool, yarn needle and flatloc tool. They all come in handy for different parts of my head. Back when I was looking for help to reTI, different blogs offered different bits of advice. Now I believe the best place to look is Kalia Dewdrop's blog. She has excellent vid and tutorials and/or links to good visuals and step-by-step instructions using different tools, all of which are easily available. She has instructions on how to repair locs, how to sew in stray hairs, how to groom, how to combine etc all in one place. If you learn how, you will never be held hostage by your hair. It's about freedom. Even if you don't intend to DIY, it's worth knowing what's going on in your hair and if push comes to shove, you can jolly well have a go!
I made mistakes in the beginning. Joining locs, leaving holes and such-like, but I learned to undo or repair and now mistakes are rare. All this isn't to say I'll never treat myself and have someone else do my hair, bc like I say ...never say never...

Saturday 1 January 2011

THIS HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011, and we have a lot to be thankful for. Some people didn't make it. Some have endured unimaginable hardship and terror. Some have lost entire families, like little boy Ruben who survived the plane crash. We have put our hand to the plough and we will not look back. This year will be one of growth, prosperity, breakthroughs and vibrant health. A year when walking with our Creator is the norm. When we have become accustomed to hearing the voice of the holy spirit. When we do the works that Jesus did, healing,soothing, bringing hope and love, giving people breaks and being kind and gentle to one another. Jesus gave us a mandate. He said go into all the world and preach the gospel...and these signs shall follow those who believe....in my name they will cast out devils and cure diseases....are we ready for the ride?
I for one have determined to walk with my saviour, to fulfill the call on my life, to walk in ever increasing amounts of the annointing that comes from the Holy Spirit. One day, when I cross over, I want to know that I did what I was meant to do. Friends, if you aren't doing what you're called to do, you're wasting time. Every moment is precious. Find out who you are, why you're here and where you're going because trust me, everyone is headed somewhere. This earth is where you get to choose where you'll spend eternity. God begs us to choose life. Choose Jesus, who gave himself for our sins. It's that easy. Just say YES to Jesus. No one has to pay for their sin, it's been PAID FOR!! Recieve LIFE. It's FREE. Why wait? Forget religion. I'm talking about a relationship with the one who made you. Don't let deception keep you from the truth any longer. I truly pray that if you don't know him yet, you will call on him. He will answer you. Jesus is just waiting for your call.