ofo's sisterlocks

Honestly...I tried so hard....

2012-01-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

....to get consistent curls (like I see on your blogs). It took me 2 hrs to curl these and I had to re-wet my locs 2x. I used a combination of perm rods and soft spikes. I kept them in for 2 days. I had to go to church(- ok - prayer meeting at the church) with this humongous hat with all those rods underneath. My friend just about split her sides laughing at the sight of me. I endured all the hell you go through trying to sleep on hard rocks& lumps, even a shopping trip that had folks staring at my huge head. I banished every thought of 'why me?' 'this is too much' and fixated on the prize of wonderful curls to come..and I still haven't cracked it. Some locs curled,some simply fell and some- well- just laughed at me. Still, I thought I'd show my meagre offering. So here you are. Brought to you with love.

4 YEARS on Lockdown!

2012-01-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Can you see some teeny tiny bling in my locs?

I must have combined about 40 locs.

4 years and it feels like I've had these locs forever. Are they still sisterlocks? What d'you reckon? I think I broke every'rule', used what tools I like, products I like, combined locs ,ignoring partings, experimented with extensions on a couple etc. I just had to do what works for me.

Re-growing hair! wierd products helping

2012-01-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

Improvement on the crown of my head. The space used to be several miles wide. I've noticed lots of stubby little hairs and the bare areas reducing in size. I wish I could point to some magic thing I've been doing. The one thing I've been consistent in is praying and speaking the WORD to my scalp and hair lol. I massage when I remember.(Lie with your feet up against a wall and massage my temple behind my ears and forehead in an upward motion to encourage blood flow-10 mins)
I rub the concoction below on my scalp 1-2x a week. I wash 1x10days-2wks using JASON tea tree treatment, scalp normalizing sulphate free-shampoo for 1st wash(concentrating on my scalp) and Head organics for the 2nd wash(concentrating on the locs). I follow this with an ACV rinse paying particular attn to my scalp. I then dilute a dollop of Moisture Maniac conditioner in a bowl and bath my locs in it. After that it's rinse rinse rinse.

This odd looking mix was given me by my pastor's wife. I don't know the exact ingredients,(she wasn't willing to divulge the secret) but I found out at least 6 people including herself and daughter had regrown their hair using this mixture.(BTW this woman had some form of scarring alopoecia as a result of Lupus, and lost all her hair. The daughter-only 10 yrs, had severe relaxer damage). She formulated this and after using it for some months her hair finally grew back. Thankfully her daughter's hair is back too andshe's natural. I had to educate her about relaxers....anyway, she was sceptical about me using it bc I had locs and advised me to cut them off so I could get to my scalp. You all know the answer was NO, I can reach my scalp alright!Initially I was going to give her some money to make it, but she decided to give it to me for free.

This is what it looked like after I gave it a good stir. I'm certain it's petroleum based so it was a bit of a dilema. Finally I came up with the soltion. I take a tsp and mix it with my own concoction which is oil based, thinning it out quite a bit. I Make sure to put it on my scalp ONLY.

I mix her mix with my mix, and this is what it looks like. You can see the herbs in it. Seiwa if you are reading this, I'll be sending you some. She says she wants feed-back after 3 months. I've been using this for just about 3 weeks so it's early days.

Flaky Scalp shampoo

2012-01-02T11:19:00.001-08:00

Hi, Hope everyone got a good start to the New Year. 2012 is going to be very very exciting! So many things in the pipeline. I thank God that while the world is in dire straits he's showing his children how to increase and not only that reach out to those crying out to him...anyhow, this post isn't about that. I wanted to post this shampoo recipe:

1/2 cup clear shampoo
1/2 cup water
3 egg yolks
1 tsp lemon extract
(refridgerate any left over)
Do a final rinse with 2tbs acv in 8oz water

Credit to SpicesQueen Elaniece. Check out her FB pg. Let me know how you get on.

Locs,Locs, and more beautiful locs

2011-11-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

The lovely J with her amazing locs. Go ahead and feast your eyes on a combination thick hair+Lush locs.

Anne's new set. Started by single twist and maintained by twisting/palmrolling. It look so full- I love it!

Seiwa's braidlocks. She's got a zillion of them. What's interesting about these locs is....they are palmrolled!! Yes, I said palmrolled. No tool is touching her head. I've always heard you shouldn't palmroll micro locs...

Well, she get's them done somewhere in brixton, in record time I might add. I confess that this discovery influenced me to kinda twist my own locs at the crown intead of using the tool.

Loc progress

2011-11-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

These are pics of A's and my locs. Hers will be 5yrs in Feb. Mine will be 4 in Jan. SHE DOES NOT HAVE SISTERLOCKS. SHE HAS tWIST-LOCS . See how they grow.

Below : M on her way to her friend's wedding.

The earrings...

2011-11-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

I was rushing out. 2 minutes to spare... I grabbed a pair of earrings, put them on and ran out the door. I dropped Daws at the tutors went shopping, came back to have a long discussion with the tutor. I went to various places driving here there and everywhere... Finally it was time to go home. Getting ready to go to bed, Mer wanted to tell me what God was teaching her. *Sigh* I was tired but I knew I had to listen. Suddenly she's staring hard at me. 'Mum' she says'why are you wearing different earrings?' 'Am I?' I said faintly, remembering all the funny looks I had had through the day. I thought I'd detected a slightly odd look even on the tutor's face. Oh well...it was time to go to bed.

Blame it on Nai! Heehee..

2011-10-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

My friends, thanks to Nai, fellow SL blogger, Queen PJ, willing guinea pig, Tester of various hair products I found HEAD Organics shampoo. Can you tell I'm happy? Yes I truly love it. I found the last bottle at TKMaxx at £9.99. It's a huge bottle and certainly cheaper than the SL shampoos. Hydrating/fortifying,it's also sulfate-free,paraben-free,glycol-free, gluten-free. The main cleansing ingredient is Sodium Olefin sulfonate. Some controversy surrounds SOs(yes I had to go there!) bc it's supposed to be a variant of sls/sles. However according to the Good Guide website SOs is not on their list of toxic chemicals that cause suspected or recognized health effects. It has not been detected in human tissue or urine (which suggests that it does not pass through membranes)Sodium cocoamphoacetate is green(non-toxic) mild, safe& is has the ability to both cleanse and condition.

Right. I wrote this some days ago& just posting it.

Oh I forgot. Look I found TIGI Bed Head moisture maniac. Silicone-Free.

Loc Hair-band

2011-10-30T12:39:00.001-07:00

You know all those braid hair-bands? Well I used locs cut off from my loc pieces to create this hair-band. Quite interesting bc folks try to figure what i have going on in my head. All you do is get an old hair band and wrap the locs round. I guess you could recreate something similar with your own locs own your head if you have plenty of locs.

So, what's new?

2011-10-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I stopped retightening the top of my head for now. I tried some manner of twisting method on a few locs. Not palmrolling, more of a gentle twist to incoporate hairs at the root into a loc and just let it be. I know this is not the norm for Sls but I've got to come up with my own combo of what works for my hair. I made a lochead band(I'm wearing it in the b&w pic on the right) by wrapping locs round an old head band(I'll put a clearer pic up asap)

If you look closely you'll see I put some (brown)yarn in my hair. I'm experimenting to with yarn. Yarn is extremely light and easy to work with. It serves as a protective covering for a weak loc while covering a sparse looking spot.

I'm allowing my locs at the hairline/top/crown to grow out with little to no manipulation. I thought about doing this before, but didn't bc thin locs really need to be reTi regularly. However,my dr suggested it would be a good idea to lay off retightening at least for a while. To just let the hair be. And I decided to give it a go. After all dr C experimented until she came up with her method right? No harm in trying something different to see how that works for me-yes? You can see what it looks like at the moment(right b&w pic). I use a soft bristle brush to just brush all the loose hair and it knda works. I'm due for another henna colour. The last one worked a treat. Finally, I have combined locs that look stringy. I have a several 2 headers. I might or might not cut them off eventually. And that my friends, is the latest news.

Product find!

2011-10-23T12:46:00.001-07:00

Naked Rescue sweet almond&sunflower intensive care shampoo-the line contains no sulphates,parabens or petrochemicals from Boots.

V05 Herbal escapes strengthening conditioner(anti-oxidant rich pomegranate&grapeseed extract). From the pound shop. No silicones to coat your locs. Lovely fragrance. Will be good for co-washing

Alberto Balsam(limited edition) Mandarin with papaya-pro vitamin B5. Silicone-free. Delicious fragrance. From Boots or the pound shop. The shampoo is equally lovely and I was so tempted, but it contains SLS and I always try to avoid that ingredient. I haven't used any of them yet. I came across them and they were so cheap I got them. It's just to let my UK readers know what's available. I will use them next wash.

I caved in!! I'm doing it Myself.

2011-10-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm long overdue for a reTi. Each week I'd say 'next week I'll contact George'. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've had to give having a consultant retighten my locs a miss, so I started reti-ing myself-I don't want my locs to fall out!! Most of my evenings are taking up with something, (which is the main time I'm able to go get it done). Not only that, cash for retite took a dive - pushed out by more pressing things. I might give myself another treat before christmas, meanwhile it's back to DIY. (You can see my empty cups of tea and coffee to sustain me).

So here are the pictures of my contortions trying to do the back.

Let's just say I'm taking my time. I do a little when I'm relaxing. My husband suggests I shd just retighten my locs all the time in teeny sections. Well, I'm not so sure about that. I mean those arms will need a rest sometime, dont you think? Also I'm thinking of a change with my locs(don't worry I'm not cutting). Just combing more of them. I want an easier life. I love micros but hey, it's not by force, or by hook or by crook to have them. All I want is locs small enough to not stress my scalp and give me fullness, but easy to maintain myself. We'll see. It's just hair right? NOT!!

Have you tried these on your locs?

2011-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I found these in a local asian shop. Really cheap too. I know they're natural cleansers and conditioners very good for your hair. They are supposed to strengthen your roots too. I boiled some water and mixed in 1 tsp amla and 1 tsp shikakai and let sit for at least 15 mins. I didn't use the Aritha powder(aka soapnut) since shikakai is a scalp cleanser too. Aritha is a natural shampoo that's good for cleansing oily hair. Amla is said to promote growth, control hairloss,cure scalp infection, controls greying hair and get's rid of grime & pimples. These can be used in place of shampoo or in addition to it. These are usually used by making it into a paste, but i used it in a very liquid form. Infact next time I'll also strain the liquid.

ONIONS: A suprising remedy for hairloss.

2011-09-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

After doing some research on this, I've realised there's some truth in the humble ONIONS' effectiveness as a home-made hair growth potion and a remedy for hair loss. The problem is, of course the smell. No one wants to go around smelling of onions. Nevertheless, after deliberating over this, I decided I'll never know until I try. There are several suggestions online how to juice an onion, what mixtures to make. Some add garlic, honey even egg yolk, rosemary etc. One recipe is to chop up an onion and add it to your shampoo. However, I just cut an onion in quarters and rubbed it into some areas on my scalp. Honest, I could barely smell the onion or maybe it just wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be.

Massage a generous amount of onion juice into your scalp weekly. Leave on for 2-4 hrs or overnight. You can grate, mash, juice the onion or add to your shampoo. It is the sulphur that encourages hair growth. The sulphur in onion& garlic is different from the sulphur that's mined and is much more effective. Onion's sulphur content is very high. It is known that brittle hair nails hairloss can be a sign of sulphur deficiency. Its anitfungal anti bacterial anti inflamatory circulatory properties makes it a highly valued food source for healing inside and out. You can substitute garlic as it has similar uses( IMO it'll be more smelly). This is my first try and I was very hesitant. Next time, I'll extract the juice and use it more abundantly lol. If you are concerned about an onion smell, make your last rinse diluted ACV.

OREGANO OIL: Again a scalp stimulator. It's strong and VERY POTENT! (The oregano smell leaves NO room for any onion smell.) It's also anti bacterial antifungal, anti viral. It's an antibiotic and will heal many scalp conditions like psoriasis (shrinking the lessions). I actually added a drop or 2 on my scalp to make sure I didn't smell of onions before I found out it was scalp friendly!!!. I instantly felt a hot sensation and rushed to break an aloe vera plant to rub onto my scalp. Then I sat down to research oregano oil and discovered it was quite a normal reaction. I didn't want to sleep with all this stuff in my hair, so after 2 hours I shampooed it out. My locs feel very clean and there's no odour at all. If you want to try this and/or the onion remedy for hair growth, you need to give it some weeks or months. Also make sure you're taking a good hair vitamin/mineral supplement, biotin, omega 3. Wash your hair regularly with a sulfate-free shampoo or soap. Do all you can to keep your scalp CLEAN.

2 second Messy hairdo

2011-09-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

I had to dash out today -shopping. This was my 2 sec hairdo. Very messy. But I looked kinda cool.

My locs are getting really long. You don't see the back of your own head, so it seems to have grown overnight.

Maybe time for a little trim to even things out?

Jamaican black Castor oil(Yards Finest)

2011-09-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Me&my friend Seiwa's son who is a budding musician. He played in Glastonbury this year with Rolf harris and has done gigs all over UK. I've known Shaz since he was a baby, so when he's famous....

After hearing so many good reports about JBCO I though it'd be an absolute crime NOT to acquire some. So I found Yards finest traditional jamaican castor oil. ( Yes-If you're getting castor oil why not get the best?) Hand processed-virgin-unrefined(for hair and scalp use). It has a strong burnt/smokey scent. I quite like it. Not unpleasant to have in your hair like I thought it'd be. It's not as thick as regualr castor oil,but to me that's an advantage. I don't have to dilute with another oil. You can use it as it is. I tried it as a pre-shampoo & post scalp treatment. I was amazed how it simply 'sank' into my scalp. Normally when I use oil I can see the shine of it on my scalp. Well this just-disappeared. This will now be part of my regime. I'll do another review soon after I've used it for some time listing all it's benefits.

Has anyone tried dr woods pure black soap? I loved it! DH ordered it from iherb(for skin) and I tried it on my hair. It's like dr bronners liquid soaps. It left a slight residue(which disappeared after diluted acv rinse) like the dr bronners, but the scent was a winner and had me scrambling for ways to use it on my locs simply bc apart from the great smell, it's conditining&moisturising. It's great on my skin especially my face.

*ingredients*aqua,saponified coconut hemp olive oils with glycerin,black soap,vitE,sea salt,panthenol,rosemary, natural caramel.

No parabens phthalate lauryl/laureth sulfates,petroleum derivatives.

Little tricks

2011-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

We had our 1 yr women of destiny anniversary celebration at church. What I'm wearing was our Cloth. All wore same type of cloth with slightly different designs. I put a blue flower on the side to emphasize the colour. I forgot my camera so just took these when I got home. Our speaker for the 3-day conference was Mrs fransisca Duncan-Williams. In Christ we have been crowned Queens, like Esther (in the bk of Esther) who rose from orphan to Queen, thus saving her entire nation. Although she was a Queen, she was humble and Godly. She listen to her uncle Mordecai and cried out to God for her brethren...

I'm waiting for my edges to grow. Meanwhile I 2st twisted the 4 at the front with some afro kinky bulk hair to give it some balance. I washed my locs and took them out today. It's just a temporary measure.

Is fake hair becoming too much for men??

2011-08-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

I lifted this off a hilarious thread on FB so the original (male)poster shall remain anon.

"I normally keep my mouth shut on subjects like this BUT I gotta say this:
Ladies, sorry but some of the hair extensions,weave-ons,add-ons,clip-ons,paste-ons,plaster-ons,whatever-ons, are plain mind-boggling ridiculous and out of this world!!"

Although he was referring primarily to fake hair that looks..er...fake -THAT GOT ME THINKING.....
We all know what women go through for the sake of their hair. Many of us have been through the mill and had every kind of perm/relaxer/extensions/weaves/clip-ons etc etc. Did we do it for our sakes or for the men around us? Was it really b'cos our texture was unmanageable, or b'cos were ignorant of proper grooming methods. Or was it brainwashing pure and simple?
Many of us went natural bc the whole hair drama had become slavery & bondage and we started to question WHY? We escaped and even though mainstream society frowned on us, we began the difficult task of swimming upstream...often alone. We discovered that natural can be beautiful and that there are several ways to style your natural hair quickly easily and beautifully.
So men-if any men read this blog, how do you feel about the whole fake hair saga? Do you even care? As long as the woman looks good? Or are you concerned? Ladies, ask the guys in your life, husbands, sons cousins and put their comments here. I'd like your thoughts and input. Personally, I'm completely biased - in favour of natural hair. But I'm not interested in bashing non naturals or users of weaves ext etc. I know we women like to change up the style every now and again...so this isn't a bashing excercise.

SL salon formula shampoo

2011-08-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about this shampoo and completely forgot. Anway, here goes: it's the sisterlocks Salon shampoo concentrate(aloe formula). This shampoo is recommended for those who have straighter wavy ,curls,looser coils. I was very suprised to fall into this category. In my mind I'm still in the tighter kinky coil group. But it made sense bc my hair took forever to loc, unravelled constantly and indeed if I had a mind to I could probably undo all my locs with some detangling condish.

First of all the fact that it contain a less harsh cleaning agent than sls was a plus from me. I loved the results on my locs. They were clean but not stripped. It has a clean smell.

But look at some of the ingredients: Organic aloe vera juice,water,sodium olefin sulfonate,lemon peel oil,soluble collagenbutcher's broom,soap bark,sweet almond oil,evening primrose,lavender oil,liquorice,carrot seed oil,gotu kola,parsley seed oil,borage/sunflower oil,horse chestnut,pro vit b5.

Initially I thought it was rather pricey at about £11.00, but it's concentrated and you actually end up with 3x as much. (In my case 4x as much) You get a measuring bottle.

So my question is, why aren't SLs products such as this used more by sisterlockers in the UK? Is it bc it's difficult to access. In which case, problem solved, we got George Graham Sisterlocks product distributor in the UK.

The new formulated starter shampoo again contains no harsh ingredients, just good stuff. I'm quite particular about shampoos and don't necessarily think SLs products are the only thing one can use. However, I was truly impressed with both ingredients and performance of the Salon shampoo.

Back to Natural/locks in Ghana grows....

2011-08-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Song of songs 7:5...Your head crowns you like mount carmel. Your hair is like royal tapestry; the King is held captive by it's tresses.
1 corinthians 11:15 - if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her, for her hair is given her for her covering...
Just thought I'd share these 2 happy hair scriptures. So it's up to him to ensure we have our covering.....

And the Happy News - my sis-in-law, a former devotee to the creamy LYE has been converted. Not just to natural hair, but LOCKS!! To really make my day, she went to a local hairdresser who I taught to loc hair using a combination of tiny twists/latch-hook/nappylocs tool methods 4 yrs ago. She maintained my daughter's locs for free for a couple of years. She in turn has taught 4 other girls how to lock and reTi using a tool. She's the same lady who did our reTis when we were in Ghana in march. I've sent some other ladies to her to get their twists or locs. She can start and/or maintain any type of tool assisted micro locs! I've begged my sis-in-law to send pics asap. Apparently she's had so many compliments already. her sis and my sis are both contemplating jumping on the loc bandwagon. Now get this- the hairdresser charged her 15Ghana cedis which is like $13.00! I couldn't believe it. I mean the hairdresser and assistant worked in her hair from 9.a.m-1.30p.m which is 41/2 hrs. I'm instructing her to leave a LARGE tip next time she goes.

Wow, it feels so good to know my little contribution in teaching an individual is growing into a whole community Little by little. When you impart knowledge to someone, you empower them and they in turn empower others. Ladies, this is a huge world with a lot of potential natural heads waiting in the wings. I'm so excited by the turn of events y'all!

after reTi, washed&styled

2011-08-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Let the photos speak for themselves.

reTi and loc styling

2011-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

My reTi was finished this week. We took a break last week as George had a full install to do. One thing, you can't hurry George. He's a perfectionist and he's got to do it right. There's was a little portion left to do so his wife Charlene finished it and then...washed my hair and gave me a temporary style

so when I take it out I should have another crinkly style.

This was a 2 min style I did before to get locs off my face...it was so hot.

Shows how long my locs are getting eh? I got 7 new locs starting. My hair is growing back bc of Jesus inside me lol lol. It's true. this manageress at the post office(I was enquiring about opening an A/C) wanted to know why I looked young. I told it was about Jesus. She sat me down and I spent the next 35 min telling her how much Jesus loved her and how she could receive him too. She said 'I believe'.

Henna Cream

2011-07-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'd been threatening to dye my hair with henna again. My husband found Surya Brasil henna cream on iherb and got me a box. Back in 2008 I had a run-in with henne hair colour which left my hair brittle. I cant say for sure if henne caused me the problem bc I had used a protein condish before...anyway, I was a bit wary. As you probably know pure henna is the best/ safest. If you are using a premixed henna you must scrutinize the ingredients list carefully. After researching the ingredients I came to the conclusion that although it contains other stuff, the dye would be safe enough in my hair. I checked the reviews and most gave it 4 1/2 stars. The only downside is that it does not last. However it's safe to reapply. So I gave it a go last night. Seeing I only had 1 box,I only did only my roots and hairline.

I was pleasantly suprised to find my greys covered. How long it will last is yet to be seen. It was super easy to apply. I left it on for 2hrs even though it says 40 min. Being a gentle henna based colour, it can be reapplied frequently without fear of damage. As I said before, pure henna pure body quality henna is safest to use. I have both henna and indigo powder but I've put off using them because it's so messy to use,long preparation time and so so hard to wash out ..and I'm not sure how great coverage will be. I may yet use it, but for now this is easy.

These are some of the claims: Hypoallergenic,dermatologically tested, vegan,colours while conditioning and revitilizing your hair,based in principles of ayurveda,formulated with a botanical comlex of 15 herbs&fruits. Won't harm your hair or health.

It contains Henna,arnica,guarana,acai,jua,aloe vera,brazil nut , essential oils, preservatives etc

I must add that it seemed loc-friendly ie easy to apply, easy to wash out, no bits and gung getting into the locs.

Well, so far so good.

Yes it's a man doing ma sisterlocks!!

2011-07-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, in a previous post I hinted that I was wanting someone to help sort out my locs(especially the front hairline). So I found George, the ONLY male consultant in the UK and distributor of all things SLs. He is located in Hemel hempstead which is 15 min away from me(how cool is that?). He installed his wife's locs and is meticulous about his work. (It must be great that your consultant is also your husband haha). I prob scared him with my DIY efforts, and overgrown locs but he took it like a man LOL.

So ladies, if you are in this part of the world, there's a consultant at your doorstep. He is listed on the SL website: George Graham

Tel:0788 6488 035

email:george.v.graham@gmail.com

George and his wife are very pleasant and really made me feel at home. His wife even fed and watered me with some lovely tropical smoothie concoction- freshly made. So there you have it.

Not to say I have abandoned DIY. But I will check in every few months to be pampered. To be honest, I shd have done this sooner bc it's been very hectic putting my sons through GCSEs and I barely had time to do my hair. I would DIY but was constantly distracted with one thing or another. Things have eased up now so I can safely carry on...once George is finished in my head hehee...like I always say never say never.

This was our 1st session(which included some repair work). IT WAS RAINING CATS AND DOGS OUTSIDE!!

100 followers

2011-07-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have 100 followers of my blog and I want to thank each and everyone of you who have followed me on my musings, God testimonies, foodie posts, hair struggles and triumphs. Without you I might have stopped blogging, but each time I hear someone tell me that my blogged helped them, I'm encouraged to carry on. So this post is to say THANK YOU. You might not be a follower, but you still check me out. I appreciate you all.
God Bless xxx
Ofo

Hairs hairs and more grey hairs

2011-07-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the state of my hair. Don't get me wrong, they are doing fine and the roots are stronger than ever. However, the greys won't let up. They refuse to stay in a lock. I should be thankful bc some are sprouting in between locs and the top of my head is looking ok with all the growth. I'm now thinking of enlisting the help of a loctitian/consultant to sort things out, at least in the front section on my head. I'll take care of the back. The grey is mostly in the front. But before I go to someone, I want to try henna again. I saw this lady with hennaed sls at the recent SLs/loc hair event and it was absolutely be-yu-ti-ful.

My other idea is this: I would really like to go semi-freeform ie go 12 weeks between reTis. Once I get all the runaway hairs safely into their locs, wait 3 months or near enough before the next reTi. Is that even workable? Will the hairs just slip out again??

Body butters liquid black soap and stuff...

2011-07-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Some of my hand-made butters, skin creams and liquid black soap. These are going to a craft stall at my friends fund-raising event for her daughter. She(daughter was selected after a very competitive process to attend Li po chun college in HongKong, which is a United world college headed by Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor of Jordan. She's fund-raising to supplement her part scholarship.

Sesame soup

2011-07-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

This is my 1st attempt at making Sesame soup. A dish from northern Ghana. It's similar to the Groundnut soup( I have the recipe on my blog). Traditionally the sesame seeds would be roasted and pounded into a paste, the soup is accompanied by millet balls - This dish is called Tuo Zaafe or T-Zed. I found this recipe on betumiblog.blogspot.com, she suggested substituting Tahini. The tahini I used says lightly roasted creamed sesame seeds and I used chicken. I ate my soup with 'Omo Tuo' rice balls. If you're interested in African cuisine especially Ghanaian, head over to her blog for some very interesting Food. I'm Ghanaian and yet I'm learning a lot from her.

sisterlock event continued...

2011-06-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

Njoi and I. Just before the relationship Life coach began his thang...interesting. She's even prettier in real life with a lovely gentle spirit.

showcasing sisterlocks(kittylocs got called up to show off her colour). All the ladies standing at the front had various styed sisterlocks.

Denny, kittylocs and I melting in the heat. It was 31 degrees outside.....

Den and her lovely locs and me...

lady at the sisterlock stand with short styled sisterlocks.

Nice lady who let me take a pic of the back of her locks

The sisterlock/loc/natural hair event London

2011-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Kittylocs! I saw her when I walked in. The back of her gorgeous locs.

Me and Kittylocs after I firmly attached myself to her heehehe! It was super hot that day. A mini heatwave sweeping the uk.

I forgot this lady's name, but as you can see her locs were beautiful.

Kittylocs looking effortlessly gorgeous...

Back of my locs before I headed out to the Lock event.

This is my 1st time going to this type of event and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't want to go by myself but in the end I thought if you want something just go for it so I did. It started a little slow with some milling around and chatting to other ladies about...locks. There were several stalls with shea buttery/homemade organic products9such as shampoo lotions and stuff) all GOOD. There was a sisterlock stand with ALL the sls products on sale. Also loc jewelry . One lady had amazing silver jewelry in ethnic designs. And a lock tool by locks royale I've never seen before. It looked a bit like the clip tool to me but it was all pure silver. I just feasted my eyes on all the different heads of locs, in an array of colours. I wish I had taken more pics.

The great thing is I got to see Kitty locs Den and Nai in the flesh. They're very very very good-looking and their locs Oh my! Den's are like a cascading waterfall.

Dear blog Fam....

2011-06-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm having some trouble with my computer. Can't check your beautiful blogs out. I'm hoping to get it fixed soon. I had a few posts in the making. Maybe I can get them on here photos and all . we'll see....
Ofo:)
Yipeee, that worked. OK, I can do posts, see/post comments....I just can't view your blogs at the mo.

Natural head Family

2011-05-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my 2 nieces yesterday. They both stayed with the same friend. My sis's daughter N came from the U.S. She's married to a lovelyAA man and has a little tot.

This is the tiny tot S with her natural coily curls in all it's glory. She's just too cute...

This is my U.S niece's hair. She's ALL natural and has been for years. And yes this is ALL her own hair...Flat ironed. I ran my fingers through it and it was silky and soft! It's actually a lot thicker than in the pic. I won't go near heat myself, but if straight is your look, doing it without chemicals is the way to go. I don't slate anyone using heat bc hey my 2nd daughter, (chemical- free...erm if you don't count dye), has curly/wavy hair- all natural and is best friends with her hair straightener. So let's not split hairs about natural, napptural etc I'm just glad we can all look at relaxers/perms with the side-eye Lol.

This is my France niece N who lives in...Nice hehehe. My brother's daughter. She's married to a french'broni' and has a 5yr old daughter M. N has locs. Her hair is simply amazing. The thickness, the texture....She's had a variety of styles from twists,locs,closecrop,afro,now locs again. It's clear she's heading for a lion's mane!

This is the sideview of N's locs. Nice eh.

Me and N. I can't believe these kids now have kids of their own. I mean it was just yesterday I was changing their nappies , combing and plaiting their hair.....

i guess we must have done something right somewhere,somehow, along the way cos both my daughters, and ALL my nieces shun relaxers/perms and are natural.

Apple cider vinegar or other vinegars?

2011-05-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

How to make a vinegar hair rinse using Apple Cider Vinegar and essential oils.
Put 2 cups ACV or other vinegar in a glass jar(with lid)
Add essential oils. I added peppermint, clary sage,lavender, orange,thyme,rosemary about 6 drops each.
Mix it well. Cover and allow it to sit for a day or 2 to blend well.
To use: mix 1/2 tbs with 1 cup water. use these proportions and use as a last rinse. Massage well into the scalp.

I used an old salsa jar.

Making sure it is well mixed. Leave it to sit somewhere for 1-2 days. The EOs enhance the conditioning properties of vinegar and stimulate the scalp as well as masking the smell (if you're one of those that hate the odour)

People often wonder if ACV(apple cider vinegar) is the only vinegar that can be used as a hair rinse. You can really use ANY kind of vinegar. You can use different types of vinegars such as white wine vinegar,even distilled white vinegar can be used. All vinegars share similar acidic properties and will clean your scalp and restore ph balance to normal. However ACV, especially organic RAW ACV with the'mother of vinegar' in it has peculiar properties of it's own. It has minerals and chemicals that make it particularly good for taking internally. It detoxifies, has potassium to help prevent brittle teeth and hair loss, pectin to lower cholesterol,malic acid-anti viral anti bacterial & anti fungal,Calcium to promote strong bones,Ash, which helps your body maintain proper Ph levels,Acetic acid which slows digestion and can help lower glucose levels, to name a few benefits. Many refined vinegars will have most (not all) of the nutrient value stripped, even refined ACV, but there is still great benefit in using (refined)vinegar as a hair rinse and conditioner. So if all you have is white wine vinegar or rice vinegar, go ahead and give it a go. (dilute it!) It will remove scaly build-up,give you a truly clean scalp, make the hair cuticle smoother, get rid of dandruff. Generally, it's great for keeping your locs and your scalp happy&healthy!

Home-made shampoo&Shea-coco-Aloe

2011-05-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'm mixing stuff again. I got a request to make my shea butter mix for someone. This is my sheaCocoAloe which contains raw shea butter, raw cocoa butter, organic extra virgin coconut oil, hempseed oil amongst other yummy ingredients. Very nourishing for dry skin.

Black soap shampoo: You know the drill.....put small chunks of black soap into a bottle and add filtered water. I also added organic aloe vera Juice,organic extra virgin coconut oil, clarysage,thyme,frankincense,orange,peppermint,cinammon,teatree essential ols. This time I added fragrance. Cinammon and nutmeg and almond milk fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are man-made chemicals so may not suit everyone. I suggest you limit it to a tiny amount if adding these to you home-made shampoo.

Achimota School dinner/dance

2011-05-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

Back view of crinkled hair. For some reason, my hair does better holding crinkles than it does curls. These crinkles will last until I next wash my hair.

(pls ignore the busy-ness in the background. I was in my husband's studio)

I went with my friends Anne and Lorraine to the Achimotans fund raising dinner/dance yesterday. Anne was exhibiting some Art work too, so I helped set up. I am wearing a KENTE cloth in a simple classic style. I crinkled my locs and put a matching flower in the side of it. Black shoes,black clutch-bag, black wrap(not in the pic)

Coconut oil

2011-05-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

This Extra virgin coconut oil is excellent. It smells & tastes delicious. It goes on my sclap in my spritz and in some of my cooking. I got this from iherb.

This is a cheaper coconut oil. It has no smell. You can find it in some of the asian shops here UK. Holland and Barrat and some health shops have coconut oil but it's waaaay overpriced..

Coconut oil or better still, Extra virgin coconut oil is one of my favourite oils. The oil can nourish each strand and penetrate into the hair shaft. It softens the hair, prevents breakage and dryness. It has anti-fungal & anti-bacterial properties and adds strength and vitality to hair. It's an excellent emmollient, a rich source of fatty acids. Coconut oil can help stimulate the growth of new hair in some people. It can be used to conditon the hair. Try not to overuse as it's a heavy oil and might be solid even at room temperature. Put a little on your fingertips and massage into the scalp and down your locs. Use sparingly on the scalp. You want to nourish, not clog your scalp.

Cous-cous Jollof

2011-05-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

This is an alternative to the usual Jollof made with rice. I used wholemeal couscous. As usual. I took some shortcuts..... I got 2 chicken breasts and chopped them. I spiced them with season-all, garlic and a little black pepper. I sliced 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 scotch bonnet(chilli). Heated a little veg oil and put the chopped chicken in. When it was nearly 'pink-free', I put in the rest of the ingredients and fried them all together until onions looked translucent.
I added a can of chopped tomatoes. Actually I blended it first cos my kids don't like lumps. I squeezed in some tomato paste and stirred it all up. I put in 2 knorr chicken stock cubes. I let it all simmer for a bit.(10 min?)

I emptied a can of sweetcorn into it. I put in some chopped sweet peppers. I adjusted seasonings adding more black pepper, salt etc. Let it simmer some more until it tasted right.

I put in about 400g couscous and stirred it all. I allowed it to remain on very low heat for about 5 min. DONE! Sprinkle some chopped corriander on top. I hardly ever really cook with precise measurements. Just go by gut instinct!

KELEWELE-spicy ripe plantain

2011-05-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

'Chopped and spiced uncooked ripe plantain'

This is spicy ripe plantain Called Kelewele. A popular snack in Ghana. It's sold after 6p.m in the evenings by the roadside, at junctions, near bars or wherever people congregate. Often accompanied by fried or roast peanuts. The kelewele woman will deep fry large amounts and you stand in a queue and get yours in a banana leaf or newspaper. My bro who's been addicted to this since he was a kid, bought us some nearly every evening in Ghana.(Actually he loves plantain in every form, mashed, boiled, fried, roasted, frittered, doughballed...) My kids are hooked. This is my version:

Get a nice soft ripe plantain.

Chop into small pieces.

Blend a little onion, garlic, scotch bonnet(or chilli) ginger.

Add some coconut oil(vegetable oil is ok) and mix.

Oil a foil covered tray.

Spread it out on the tray.

Bake in the oven.

It works just like you deep fried it. I cheated on this one and used powdered onion,garlic,chilli and ginger. The fresh stuff does give it that extra- more authentic taste

CREATING BEAUTIFUL LOCKS ON A DIME. Get the book!!!

2011-05-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is a must- have book. If you can only afford 1 loc book, then let it be this one. Written by Michele George as part of the KNOTTY TRUTH series,it aims to empower the woman who wants to grow locs, help her embrace the beauty of her crown thereby free-ing her from hair slavery. It focuses on and contains everything you ever wanted to know about locs. How to start, how to maintain, how to take them down. All your questions are answered in detail. This is a How- To manual covering every type of loc in existence today. The book begins by giving you the background and history of locs. The author's holistic approach is evident throughout the book, and it's packed with natural recipes and the like. For those of you with a scientific mind - you won't be disappointed because you get the get the chemistry, the biology and the physics.(I wasn't suprised when I found out that the author is the holder of multiple science degrees!) Detailed diagrams break it all down for you. The research was thorough. What's more, the reader is treated to lovely before and after photos.Ordinary women who started their locs with various methods. Many of them DIY-ing. It even includes interviews with some of them, an absolute delight! Michele has taken the mystery out of locking. There's even a section on how to take down - with photos, if you ever want to cross that bridge. Like a breastfeeding mum who digests the food before feeding her babe, she has done all the hard work by revealing, analysing, uncovering,setting forth and getting down to brass tacks everything you want to know about locking and made it available to you- need I say more?

It's available on Amazon, or from http://cheleski.blogspot.com/.

Cosmetologists,stylists, natural hair consultants will be using this comprehensive guide in their shops/classrooms. Get yours while it's available.

Personally I was amazed at how much information there was contained in this book. I've been locking my hair since 2005 (except for 4 months when I unlocked) yet I learned a great deal reading it. I've already began to implement some of what I discovered and my locs are well on their way to being healthier than ever before.

What! More hair pictures? It's a hair blog afterall

2011-05-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Just back from church where there was a (Ghanaian)baby dedication. We wore'white' cloth to support the family. White can be all white, black&white,blue&white,or other pale colour with lots of white background.
Anyway, I took some shots of my hair to show the latest failed attempt at curls. I know you wonderful ppl gave me sound advice to use some setting lotion. I was a bit scurred of putting it in my hair so I used aloe vera juice instead. whilst that was very healthy for my hair, it could not hold the curls.

I'm not one for styling much and will go months without. So curling in the space of 2 weeks is really something. The thing with locs is, it still manages to look'done' even when the curls fail. Basically you're the only one who knows the truth. Everyone else think your hair's great.

I wasn't posing, the wind blew my hair into my eye at the opportune moment.

Happy ever after?.....I sincerely hope so

2011-04-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

For the fairytale princess....my thoughts and prayers with the couple in their new ife together.

But,Spare a thought for what "they" (not the couple)did to the lovely Di

Stylish blogger award

2011-04-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks Bajan for giving me the stylish blogger award. I can't say my blog is actually stylish but er...heheee(bashful)

The reason for my award? DIY rules!! and my various herby concoctions experiments and hairpieces LOL.

The rules:
Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award
Share 7 things about yourself.
Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
Contact these bloggers and tell them about it.

7 things about myself?

I'm a homeschooling mum. I've homeschooled for 9 yrs. It all started when my oldest was in secondary school and I got fed up with the rubbish that went on. I pulled her out and took her to boarding school in Ghana. I tried to get my 2nd daughter into a different school. After a head to head confrontation with the powers that be..I chose the lonely homeschool road. And I haven't regretted it one bit.

I was born and raised in Ghana. I love my people even though I find certain Ghanaians(esp some in the motherland) super frustrating. Sometimes a word, some aroma takes me right back to the endless visits to each other's homes,snacking on roast plantain/peanuts, chewing coconut corn and nuts(special mix) The pounding of fufu in the evenings. the smell of nkate nkwan(palmnut soup) Chickens boldly walking around. The dog feeding the kitten(INSERT-we had a dog that lost all it's puppies and a kitten whose mum was run over so the dog adopted it and breast fed it)...Oh and the goat that was always tied to the tree waiting to get the chop for Christmas dinner.

I was a single parent(Loooong story of a marriage that lasted all of 8mths. This why I can sympathise with some single parents-bc you never know their story) when I met my husband(white man) in church in the UK. We married after 6weeks and are still together after riding several storms together. We had another 4 kids(making 5). Our eldest daughter recently got married.

I am an Artist. I have a degree in Graphic design but never worked as a graphic designer. Instead I used to have exhibitions of my batik wall hangings. I also do encaustic art(wax painting) when time permits.

Back when I was in Uni, there was a famine in the land(Ghana). We didn't know how we would get through our final year. My friend and I walked into KLM offices and offered to do some adverts for them. They were so shocked they accepted and we were given a huge project to cover several public transport vehicles with their slogan. We recruited others to help....but the money I made saw both my brother and I through our final year.

I'm convinced I hold the world record for the most times anyone has done the bc. I started trying to go natural when I was 18yrs old. Right from when I got my 1st perm. I had it in me but just couldn't sustain it. Sometimes I'd be natural for 3mths,6mths even up to a year. In 2004 I finally waved goodbye to the LYE only because I eventually made that all important mental transition.

I became a christian in the early 80s whilst I was still in uni in a very dramatic way. After a year I drifted away from God, but he never left me. One day in 1987, a broke single mum, God spoke to me very clearly. It was time to rise up. I re-dedicated my life to Jesus. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength. He speaks to me often. Sometimes through his word, dreams or visions. It's pretty startling when God shows me something about a person I'm praying for. Usually it's something the person has been asking God for. I don't always share things God shows/tells me. Sometimes it's just too weighty or too precious ....

So there you have it. Some my fav bloggers have already been tagged:

So I tag naturally beautiful cos her blog IS stylish and she always has really cool natural/loc styles on there plus unique jewelry and interesting bits of info.

Locs revisited cos she's very brave. She isn't afraid to trim her locs or go gray.

Loc rocker cos she features different locked heads and events on her blog. And her loc styles look so good!

Kittylocs cos I enjoy reading about her latest trip and how her lovely locs held up in the sun lol.

Ok there are actually a lot more I'd like to tag. So if you're reading this post, consider yourself tagged. That means you Euphoria, Mile high SLS,Queenlocks,Naturally unique,Kalia dewdrop,DaTruththatisKnotty, to name a few, for your valuable contributions to the locking world.

Loc intergration cont'd

2011-04-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

Comparison photos. (Above) with the piece(below) without the piece.

My locs are very full in the back,but it's the crown/ top I like to add more locs to give body. The idea behind the loc-link is this: sometimes I want my locs in a ponytail or updo. In that case the link or any loc piece will be a hindrance. But when I wear my hair down, it adds to the fullness. So being able to put in or take it out easily is a real bonus. The pic above shows what was left after the curl flop. Curling,crinkling,braiding,2st twisting locs gives dramatic volume.

Putting the loc link in. Just secure it by twisting with a real loc. I will experiment with making smaller links e.g 2-4 in a row to 'fill in' small areas where someone might need locs e.g temples, hairline etc. It's a work in progress. My biggest problem at the moment is getting the right kind of hair. I'm so busy right now with home-schooling and helping my boys get through GCSEs that I don't have time to scout around shops to get some. Buying Online is rubbish cos you can't feel or see the hair. But I can play around with what I have and when the opportunity comes I can go get some Heeerrrr.

Roasted Ripe Plantain

2011-04-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Rice, boiled egg, lamb stew,roasted plantain with carrots and broccoli. That was dinner.

I roasted the plantain under the grill. I roasted a bit of yam too(the white piece). Anyway you can have ripe plantain boiled, grilled, fried, spicy fried called kelewele, in fritters, loaves,plantain cakes with palm oil...the list is endless. This is a simple,quick delicious way to enjoy it.

A loc bridge intergrated into sisterlocks

2011-04-16T10:31:00.001-07:00

I've tried to enhance the pics so you can see the piece in my locs.

For some reason, the white bits are highlighted with the flash on camera. In real life it's in keeping with the rest of my locs and shows up as just a sprinkling of grey.

This is the actual loc link. As you can see it looks dark brown, not really grey.

So I added the loc bridge/link to my locs. (It's a length of thin yarn, maybe 10in, with locs hanging from it.)This is the result. You can see coloured and greyish locs intermingled with dark brown locs. They are part of the bridge. It has 25 -30 locs on it. It's very easy to put in. It goes from temple to temple in a semi circle across the crown and has 3 points where you can attach by twisting your own loc with a loc on the link. I'm testing it out. So far it seems to be staying put. I've tried to find a solution that will add fullness to locs that can easily be put in or taken out. I very happy with this bc it means I can use it whenever I want and just leave it out other days and I can do it myself without waiting for someone to thread my locs through. ( a bit like an instant weave thingy). In conclusion, for those who want or need more locs, this is one of many options for you. After the Chris Rock movie, human hair is erm a little repulsive, so I used synthetic hair and yarn. We gotta move with the times eh.

How many sisterlocks/locs do you have?

2011-04-16T04:48:00.000-07:00

This topic rolls around regularly. I'm writing about it only because I was reminded of the loc number saga on LIU when someone with traditional locs posed a question(unrelated to loc number) and some of the answers focused on loc number. This post isn't about that thread . I'm merely stating that it brought back memories of my own struggles with 'the loc number' when I first got SLS. It's been the bane of many a locers life. Loc number was never important until I got SLS-ed. (Yes I knew (approx) how many locs were on my head when I had TLS.) That was just for knowing sake and proved nothing. But with SLS it became a different ball game. It was one of the means by which you could tell if yours were real or fake, whether you consultant had cheated you out of 400+ locs or not, whether you belonged or didn't etc etc. It's a terrible rollercoaster once you get on it. Folks with perfectly healthy/beautiful locs have taken them down to restart them based on this. Granted some people did actually receive bad installs from someone who didn't know what they were doing. I was chatting with my friend Seiwa about this last year and the impression that something was somewhat lacking if one didn't have at least 400. It made me realise how we can stress about something that's not really important. At the end of the day, many factors are going to influence the number of locs you have. Size of loc, size of head, density of hair, texture of hair, amongst other variables such as thinning hair/hair loss and of course personal preference. I know a popular Sisterlock saying is'...no 2 heads are alike'. This is true. And yet folks are comparing heads all the time. It's as if our eyes lighted upon the number 400+ in SL literature and that was IT. I'm sure this is not what Dr C meant it to be. It was a general guideline rather than writing in stone. I feel for consultants who may be accused and harassed over this. How can you create up to 400+ locs on a peanut head? I've seen a few photos of 800+ locs on people. Usually it's down to the fact that their hair is very thick/dense, and some have a coconut, not peanut head. There's also the lengthy retite sessions to consider, the $$, the fact that maintenance will be a lot higher. I do think they are beautiful when styled. But hanging straight,a full head of thread-thin locs just doesn't grab me. I think I'm probably in the in-between camp. I like small locs, but not too small if you see what I mean. All this to say Your locs are individual to You. No one has the same as you. The number, the size, the texture, the density can never be replicated exactly on another head. The things to pay attention to is loc health, keeping it strong, moisturised and growing.

Kakum National Park -Capecoast.

2011-04-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

We visited kakum national park on our recent trip to Ghana. It's deep in the rainforest and habours all sorts of wild animals like elephants,hyenas ,birds,monkeys,gorillas,etc. There are 7 suspended bridges/canopies, each deeper than the one before, 12 storeys high. You get a birdseye view of the forest. It truly is a walk of faith. You must believe that the narrow swinging rope bridge will hold your weight. It's like stepping into thin air. Drinking Fresh coconut from the trees near the forest. This Forest is only about 20km from the coast. The nearest coastal city is called Capecoast. That's cocoa fruit straight from the forest, and raw honey. We bought some. The cocoa is juicy and sweet. The seeds are dried and cocoa butter/powder extracted from them.

On the steps that leads to the canopies. It's a very steep climb.

On the canopy with my 4 kids and my brother.

My daughter on the canopies with a school party behind her. There was 1 guide in front of our party and 1 behind. This pic gives you an idea of the length of the bridges. They are suspended between huge trees several storey high. They swing as you walk on them. You have rope on the sides to hang onto!! Below is nothing but rainforest with loads of birds/forest creatures/insects/ crickets all singing their tunes. Many of the creatures live in the trees and never touch the forest floor. There was a tropical storm after our walk. The heat was oppressive and the rain burst through and came down like sheets! The storm was confined to the park.

This park is 20 km away from my high school(which is a boarding school). Infact, the road leading to it passes right in front of my old school.

Yarn for loc repairs.

2011-04-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share this. I've been using yarn for repairs and strengthening weak locs. Why? Because it's incredibly light weight and when your locs are thin, the last thing you want is extra weight on them. It works quite well. I wrap it round a loc as if I'm threading the hair, just as you would using fake hair. I leave a little overhanging the end of a loc in case I want to pull it off later. I see it as a temporary fix rather than a permanent one.

The story of the collapsing curls

2011-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

The collapsed curls. The result of all my hard work the night before. I don't think my hair was wet enough. Perhaps it needs some mousse or setting lotion.

Looked nice when I first took out the soft spikes.

my locs rolled on soft spikes yesterday. It took over 1hr!!! How do others do it? I can't be spending so long rolling my hair, aint got the time.

The joy on my face when I finally finished. Little did I know the curls would collapse the very next day.

Afro hair grows.

2011-04-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

I was messing around after church and started taking some pics of my hair. I don't often take shots of the top of my head, but I made a simple style with my tomoka's twist, so here it is...

The back . Massive growth. Afro hair DOES grow. You just gotta leave it alone

Side view. Not bad eh? I mean for someone who hardly ever styles....

Longer hair does give more options- at least for me it does

I just had to show my Ghana dress LOL. A young lady made it for me in Ghana

Close up of the style. Very simple. Only takes a few minutes.

New find! STRICTLY ROOTS products.

2011-04-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Look what I found during my trip to Ghana. Strictly Roots. A Product line developed in Canada, produced in Ghana. They have shampoos conditioner etc, but I bought the scalp Stimulator and Moisturiser from Ama SL practitioner. Her locs are gorgeous and if this is what's making it look that way....I didn't hesitate.

Scalp Stimulator ingredients: Grade A shea butter, Allanblackia Foribunda,coconut oil,vegetable glycerine,kombo butter,vit E,Peppermint EO, Patchouli EO.

Moisturiser ingredients: Grade A shea butter,Allanblackia Floribunda,coconut oil, veg glycerine,kombo butter,vit E,orange, mandarine and/or tangerine EO.

I love the moisturiser. It's very light and smells wonderful. I dissolved a little and put it in my spritz. I also rub a little in my hand and apply to damp hair.

Did I tell you I found some VIRGIN coconut oil? I brought back as much as I could carry LOL. Some store bought, some from Kaneshie market. At the moment it not only goes in my spritz, It's my oil of choice for cooking cos it's one of if not the healthiest oil to cook with. I fried some yam in it and...yummy! It was coconut flavored yam and it disappeared in seconds.

Ghana pics-jewelry stall

2011-04-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

The pearly bead and multicoloured necklaces were made by my niece for Ara and Mer

The bead/jewelry stall below is on Osu high street or Oxford st as they call it.

Ghana pictures

2011-03-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ara and I at a popular restaurant in Ghana called PAPAYE

The open air Bar behind our house that tormented us all night long with loud music.

View overlooking the house opposite from the side verander on the 2nd floor of our house.

Front of our House. This house is at least 35 yrs old. It contains many happy memories.

The MOVING markets of Ghana...

2011-03-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

...is the name Ara gave to the roadside hawkers. They're on every major road where there's a build-up of traffic - in between cars on the dual carriageway. Sometimes over 30 people on one section of the road, weaving in and out of traffic, including children and disabled persons crawling on the road begging or selling. I saw a little girl selling water, step into the road inches away from a huge truck looking for a little coin she'd dropped. I shouted at her to step back, but my voice didn't come out( I was that stunned) until the 3rd try. Fortunately she went back on the pavement. There have always been hawkers in Ghana, carrying their ware on their heads. You don't go to them,they come to you. It provided income for people allowing them to run their little businesses with no overheads and little start up. It used to be mainly women and children. And they'd have a route in certain areas plying their trade in schools, markets, homes, offices roadsides etc. Now it's a hazard! The danger is to both pedestrians and drivers. You can hardly change lanes whilst driving without some seller in the way. What's worse, it could be a child. They sell everything from water/food to furnishings/electricals. The Govt has tried repeatedly to get them off the streets. But what will they do instead? Some of these kids have to fend for themselves. Some of the women are raising kids single handed. Others are trying to put themselves through school. Many are simply trying to put some food on the table, risking their lives for a few pence.

Locals tightening my sisterlocks

2011-03-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here, the local hairdressers are tightening my locs with a nappylocs tool and yarn needle. It took them a couple of hours and they charged me the equivalent of $9.00 or £6.00. These are the same ladies who I taught how-to to install and maintain my daughter's locs 4 years ago. They did her locs for free back then cos she was a student. She just dashed them something. Dash means a gift. My plan had been to get Ama to do my hair. But it was not to be due to circumstances beyond my control. One day Ara went off to get her locs retightened by her old friends. It was looking so sharp I decided to use them too as they're like 2 min from where we lived.

And the finished look. My sisterlocks above, Arashia's TLs below. Her locs had an incredible amount of repair work and growth as long as your arm! Ok I'm exaggerating, but the growth was mad. she hadn't tightened properly for 6 mths.

More loc pictures coming soon. Also posts on my Ghana trip. I miss the place and my family terribly.

Travelling tomorrow....

2011-02-28T12:51:00.001-08:00

Will try to make a post from Ghana. Till then, see you.

...and what is the world coming to?

2011-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

LONDON COOING OVER BREASTMILK ICECREAM - this was a headline on Yahoo news.
the icecream costs £14.00, from breastmilk donated by 15 women. Apparently it sold out within the week it was launched. Where are we headed I wonder? When you think about it, we do drink the milk of other creatures, but human milk for full grown adults? isn't that exclusively reserved for infants? Hope they don't start kebabing human flesh next Lol. Also some women might see it as a money making thing and start ignoring their infant in order to sell every last ounce of the golden liquid. What do you think? Is this taking things too far? Would you eat it this ice cream?

preparing to travel to Ghana

2011-02-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

We are going to Ghana in a few days for 3 weeks. Before I go any further, I want to give glory to God. He gave me me and my 5 kids the tickets. Last May/June we talked about going to see my ageing parents. Especially bc my mum has been ill and I really wanted her to see my kids again. I got in real earnest about this and we held hands and asked our father in heaven. Towards the end of this year, things looked pretty grim with DH getting ill and no income. He needed round the clock care. I couldn't even see how I could go even if the money was there. God re-assured me that we were on track for Ghana and not to look at my circumstances. We got through christmas by faith. I would gather the kids together every now and again to thank him for his goodness and for our trip(even though there was nothing to show that we were going!) infact DH tried to reason with me to give up this wild idea of taking them all with me cos it's 1000s of £££...but I had heard from God and that was good enough for me. NOTE: The financial situation was, even if I was going on my own - which I do every year - it was going to be a stretch. Taking 5 was def beyond natural ability for the present. We were into January and time was running out. I had to plan the trip around their GCSE exams and there was only a certain window in which we could go. We began to plan for the trip anyway, buying what was needed to go. SUDDENLY, our tickets came! It happened so very naturally that you can miss the fact that it was actually supernatural. They came via DH's uncle. He paid for the lot - just for me. We began to thank the Lord for spending money. A large sum of money was given me from a totally unexpected source and God says there's still some more to come before we leave.
I'm sharing all this to say:
Mark 11:22-24 '...when you pray believe that you recieve it and you shall have it..'
Let's stretch our faith to believe in a God who is full of loving kindness and tender mercies. This was not a life and death matter. He did it just so I can be happy. He knew how much it meant to me. If he took care of this, will he not also take care of all other situations that I have laid at his feet?

Half a century Young!

2011-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. I'm only 50 yrs old today. It's a milestone I intend to mark in some special way. For today I really didn't do much. I got a call from my dear sis-in-law from Ghana and various texts and card from friends. My daughter(no. 2) sneaked into my room with a card and present. Later we went shopping together. I'd been eyeing this handbag, so I got it. Found a dress from the market and bought that too heehee. Sulupops bought some clothes. We went and had a subway sandwich(with my daughter saying 'I can't believe you're having a subway for your birthday') Well how for do? I was hungry. So that's it. Nothing special. But me and God had a nice conversation this morning. And...the best is yet to come.

BLISS! Odour free locs....and braiding/banding again.

2011-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

braiding and banding before shampooing to keep my locs from slipping.

I did another intensive wash today. This time I put 1 tsp baking soda in my aubrey organics Green tea clarifying shampoo. I diluted with water and dunked my locs in it, squeezing the mixture through my locs in a bowl. The water was pretty murky. Then I did a second wash with BIG from LUSH. Which brings me to this shampoo BIG. It's a clarifying shampoo and these are some of the ingredients: coarse sea salt, sodium laureth sulphate,orgarnic lemon infusion,sea water,seaweed infusion, organic lime juice,extra virgin coconut oil,neroli oil,mandarin oil,vanilla absolute,orange flower absolute. You can see why I overlooked the sls in it cos the rest of the ingredients and the SMELL are simply divine. My solution to negate sls effects is to dilute dilute dilute! The thing with this shampoo is, you need very little. It lathers very well and leaves your locs SUPERCLEAN! I'm not kidding. The smell lingers for ages. If you need a clarifying, try BIG from lush. Oh, I poured some diluted listerine on my scalp and waited 5 min before 1st wash.

Believe it or not, I've gone back to braiding and banding. I don't know if my texture has changed yet again and my hair is slipping, or my hair is growing super fast. I've had so much growth and loose hairs to tighten so there you have it.

Beautiful Young African Naturals-with locs!

2011-02-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Check them out!! They're cousins. Daughter's of Amba and Ama consultant and trainee. I thought this pic says it all for natural hair and locs. Miss Koo (far right) has Sls too, put into a real girlie style with barretts. It just shows locs are ok for young uns. You can leave it be or you can style it. Little girl styles? No problem.

3yrs old and I completely forgot!

2011-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

My 3 yr locversary was on the 25th jan and I didn't even realise it until a few days ago. I need to do another clarifying wash. The smells 80% gone, but there's a slight lingering odour so I will press on . Here's to a glass of wine, some girlie stuff and relaxation to celebrate a belated loc b'day.

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

2011-01-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Gerryloc piece intergrated into sisterlocks

2011-01-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

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.

it was a blast!

2011-01-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

Let de photos do de talking LOL

The wedding blessing

2011-01-15T08:34:00.001-08:00

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.

Knowledge is power! Learn to DIY!

2011-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

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...

THIS HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-01-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

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.

Shea cocoa-nutty butter!

2010-12-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

I'm mixing away again, now that I have a moment. I have some very patient people waiting for me to make this body butter. Well, at long last I've made it. It was great fun too. It's got shea butter,cocoa butter,coconut oil almond oil amongst other good stuff.

And you can see the finished product at the top, smooth silky and moisturising.

Tomorrow I will be having a go decorating part of my daughter's wedding cake.

On a hairy note...

2010-12-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm calling a loc hair-filler or add-on. In other words it will fill in a thin area or add fullness to your locs. You may remember I blogged some time ago about getting a loc piece from endless creations. I used it just a handful of times, but stopped using it b'cos I felt it was waaay too big. The piece Gerry made was generic, seeing I wasn't there in person to have it more accurately fitted for me. I found it too big too bulky and it had 3 to 4 x more locs than I needed or wanted. (She did warn that I would have to remove some locs.) So I chopped it in half then halved it again like you slit a hotdog in half. I just about destroyed the piece after I had done this. So I've gradually rebuilt it to the actual size I want. I can tell you right now, that even a loc piece this small is a lot of work to make. I have still got some finishing touches to make on it before I attempt to wear it. The whole point of it is to seamlessly intergrate it with your own locs(by passing your existing locs through the holes in the net to secure it) so that no one is any the wiser. I also have another idea for making small loc braids/links that can cover bald temples. I don't need that myself, but hey it might help someone! Anyway, I'm working on it.

SNOW - and our road disappeared!

2010-12-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

It snowed all night and all day. For those who live in parts of the world where snow is simply a fact of life, I guess it's no biggie, but for those of us in the south east(England) it's quite an event. There were vague mentions of snow in the news, but by the time we got ready to go shopping it was pouring down. We decided to brave it. We hadn't gone far when we realised we were in a blizzard and had to turn back. We then thought... why don't we just walk to the local shop to get a few essentials? Again, we donned coats,hats,gloves and wellies and stepped out. This time we reached the end of our road shin deep in soft velvety snow, then turned back to get the car. Once more, we cleared the fresh snow off the windscreen and windows and set off sliping and sliding to the corner shop. We managed to get a few bits, so we won't starve. Mary's in London working. She'll stay the night with a friend. Joseph and Joshua are away at a crown Jewels weekend - to be picked up tomorrow at 1. The worlds all still, silent and white. People have become more considerate of each other .....er....well, except the neighbour with issues down the road who was engaged in a shouting match with her daughter as we clumped (is that a word??)past their house.

Crisis over!

2010-12-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Folks, the last few days have been a bit of a blur. Last Thursday I was out shopping with my daughter (Mary). I had a friend coming to collect a parcel and called Paul to make sure he'd be home. He was driving and I just heard him groaning and saying 'Help me help.!' I started to say 'where are you...I'm not home,' when the phone cut. A short while later Joseph(son ) called to say could I come back home as Christian (other son) had called for an ambulance. I rushed home to find him writhing in pain in the back of the ambulance. I followed them to Watford General. After hours of tests and examinations, one surgeon decided to operate. It turns out he had a perforated appendix. Thank God for that surgeon who came at the end. They were going to do a scan, but the dept was closed so they suggested waiting till the next day and schedule him for a scan to check for gall stones. Precious time would have been wasted but for that God -sent surgeon who made the decision based on gut instinct(forgive the pun). So he's had the Op and was sent home after 3 days on his insistence!
Now he's recovering. He can't eat anything except 1 tsp yoghurt at a time, and sips of water and feeling quite weak. He's done a deep appraisal of his life and re-arranged ALL his priorities. For that I praise God. Seeing the suffering masses in the A&E is a real eye-opener. We have a lot to be thankful for. I'm looking forward to Christmas more than ever before, because I'll be celebrating my Saviour JESUS to whom belongs escapes from death. A big Thank you to all my friends who prayed and supported me. You are wonderful. Please continue to pray with Thanksgiving that God will speed recovery and also provide for us. Paul is self-employed and when he's down no income comes in. But God is our provider and he has never let us down and never will.
My hair has been totally neglected as a result of this crisis. I haven't even washed it for 2 weeks and it's in dire need of a wash.
Till next time..Merry Christmas y'all. God is GOOD!!!

Look what I found!

2010-11-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

I was looking in bondlink when I saw the Africa's best herbal oil. I scanned the ingredients and decided to buy it as it wasn't expensive. Upon closer srutiny, the oil contains VERY good stuff. Look at the ingredients list: soybean oil,walnut seed oil,kiwi fruit extract,olive oil castor oil,sweet almond oil, vit e,safflower oil,calendula extract,yarrow extract,cucumber extract,carageen extract,ginseng extract,sage extract, comfrey extract,aloe extract and fragrance.
It says a blend of penetrating oils for bath body hair and scalp. I'm not a fan of SOY, but I'm making an exeption bc it's the carrier oil in this blend. My husband uses this on his skin, but I just rub it in my hair after washing it. I'm sure it'll make a good hot oil treatment.

And I went to the Ghanaian shop in Hatfield. I found this WEST INDIAN CASTOR oil. You know how I feel about castor oil. It's good for every occasion. Plus there are raves about Jamaican castor oil so it wasn't too expensive.... I bought it. It's going in my spritzes. Folks, I've been getting more and more requests for my home-made coconut spritz. People swear it's making their locs not only soft, supple and moisturised but getting super growth too. My daughter and I use it everyday and I can honestly say it accounts for me avoiding loc breakage and has helped dem locs grow like weeds. I will do a post on the product, prior to it going on sale to the natural hair community. Actually, anyone can use it...but more on that later.

My new son-in-law & boys

2010-11-14T14:07:00.001-08:00

My new son-in-law

2010-11-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

More hair pics

2010-11-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Photos above are 2 days after the wedding. Crinkles are a lot looser. Below, wedding photos.

Arashia's locs.

Civil Ceremony 12th Nov 2010

2010-11-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

I just had to show de back of de dress lol !!! But Ara's dress was a DREAM.

Paul and I

The boys

The happy couple

Let the photos do the speaking. Today was the day my daughter got married in a simple civil ceremony. It was decided that they should have a civil ceremony followed by a church wedding in Jan. It went well and we had a lovely meal at the K2 in Hemel with it's tropical garden. God's sorted out the venue (for the wedding) and given us access to a picturesque church and Hall. We discovered it costs half as much if you have a church renewal/confirmation of vows as opposed to having the official bit in the church. It also solves the problem of having to live in the parish or attend the particular church for at least 6 months. You don't need to live in the parish or even belong to the church to do it! So Ara and Suru made the right choice in going with a civil first. It saved them a whopping £300 or more. I doubt people are aware of this. Folks jump through hoops trying to get married in a particular church. Well if they just did a civil, they can pretty much have their blessing in any church. They just change the wording of the vows slightly to reflect the fact that you're already married, and you are reaffirming your vows to each other. Everything else remains the same and it's a great deal cheaper.

Arashia's 1st marriage ceremony

2010-11-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

...is looming and I had to do the decent thing and retighten my hair. Well thank God I was forced to do it. The back is in a right state! I've had to do so many repairs. It really isn't a good idea for me to go too long between reTis. (if you have SLs/microlocs, it's asking for trouble to leave reti for long periods). I thought about doing the front and getting a consultant to do the back. But the guy's travelled and won't be back till tues, and Ara is booked in to have hers done. Judging from the amount of growth she's got, it'll be several hours. I won't get a look-in. Her civil ceremony is on Friday. She gotta look good more than me, so I'll just do mine the best I can.
So guys, my baby girl is getting married y'all!!! She and fiancee are having a small civil ceremony at the registry on friday morning followed by a meal at the Posh K2 indian restaurant in Hemel (courtesy of Grandpa-Just family). The wedding is planned for January. I'm busy sorting out venues, bridesmaids dresses, food etc etc. A lady wedding planner has offered her services free of charge, but I haven't used her yet. I wanted to at least get the venues booked first. If anyone has ever planned a wedding, do give me tips. I'm negotiating this purely by His grace. All my wonderful friends have offered their help and I'm truly grateful. I feel really blessed, the way they ALL willingly, without ANY hesitation offered to help. I pray that God will bless them - Anne, Seiwa, Eni, Helen, Ayeley, Mama Alice, Brenda, Denisia...(too many to mention) and that I too will be able help them when they need it. I'll try and put a pic up of the locs at the back. And of course pics of the ceremony, which is just phase 1. I remember laughing bcos my niece got married 4x. She had the 'knocking' ceremony, civil ceremony, 'engagement' ceremony(which is actually traditional Ghanaian marriage) and a white wedding...phew! So Arashia is getting married 2x. Till then....hugs to all friends and well wishers. xxx

T444Z (all natural hair growth product)

2010-11-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

w T444Z is the hair product I was referring to, in an earlier post. This is an ALL natural growth aid. It contains: aloe, herbal extract,rose oil, chamomile, menthol, rosemary leaf extract, castor oil, peppermint, papaya extracts, vitamin A, carrot extracts,Shea butter and essential oils.

This is what it says on the jar: for massive hair growth, volume and thickness. Repairs hair line. Stops balding,dandruff,scalp dryness,itchiness and hair loss.

Directions: apply T44Z massaging into the scalp. Apply to the whole head once a week. For damaged areas, such as bald patches and hair-line, apply daily.

Now we all know of products that claim to work miracles on restoring/repairing hair so I always take such claims with a pinch of salt. But I was sold on this b'cos my friend Eni actually knows a lady whose bald patch grew hair using this. So we went all the way to Luton to buy T44Z off someone. When I saw the ingredients, I thought this can't be bad, it's got all the stuff I would normally use to try to stimulate my scalp. As usual I haven't been consistent in using it. And quite frankly, using it everyday is out of the question. I'm going to try for 3x weekly, instead of the once in while if-I-remember-method. I wish I could tell y'all that I got some dramatic results. But I can feel tiny hairs on my scalp where there was none. Who Knows if it's T444Z? It's def God though cos I'm praying. But Maybe this stuff's helping. I know some of you readers have had, or are having a serious battle with alopecia/hairloss. This post is for you, and anyone who finds themselves in this perplexing situation. You don't know why it's happened, what you did wrong,or whether your ancestors left you this nasty calling card. Whatever it is,There's hope. Even Genetics can be changed for the better by the power of God...and I think this is a product worth trying. I'm trying to source it and sell it too, so watch this space.

A few loc shots

2010-10-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Liz - side view

That's Anne in her new locs, spitting image of her mum in the picture behind.

Liz. Anne's sister. She has sisterlocks

I never knew my locs were this long until I saw this photo
I thought they were looking rough, but perhaps I'm being too hard on myself. Maybe a little colour will liven things up a bit.

These were all taken at my friend Anne's 50th. She chopped off her 5 yr old locs and started a new set and the growth is amazing.

A lot has been happenin'!

2010-09-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been home-edding, following this christian curriculum for the last 9 years. When Mary was going to college they had a problem recognising the qualification(which is the christian equivalent of GCSEs) but she got in with her portfolio, interviews, and she came out tops in her English and maths test. Fast forward to the present time. We were given to understand that these qualifications were accredited by some BODY and was recognised by colleges and Unis alike. I thought Mary's college was the odd one not understanding what we had. As it turns out, it's not actually validated by anyone(inspite of ongoing talks with the Govt). They have had several students go on to higher education, many coming out with 1st class honours etc, so the academic content is not in question. It's the fact that after all your hard work, you now have to convince folks that you have a valid qualification!! This problem does not arise in the states(where the curriculum comes from) bc 1) they are fully aware of the system 2)It's been around for years in the USA 3) Some Colleges in USA actually scout homeschoolers. Many have a very open mind and so long as you can demonstrate that you are fully capable, you can get in. Many students who went through the system went to Universities in the states.

Not so in Narrow minded Britain! (Sorry people, I don't mean you lovely folk!). Everything is rigid here. You name it. From food, clothes, supplements to our tiny houses that cost an arm and a leg. I've never understood Americans who want to come and live here. I guess I'm suffering from 'the grass is always greener on the other side'...but I digress. You need a valid paper otherwise, you could have a fight on your hands. So in the light of all this, I've made the momentous decision so go over to GCSEs. We have 1 year to do everything that others have been doing in school for 3 or so yrs. I might add that all this is costing 1000s. I had no idea how I was going to come up with that amount of money. My dear friends, who I'm helping pioneer a village christian school came up with the idea of their Trust funding the cost of the GCSEs in exchange for my boys doing some work on their several acre farm. So it's been arranged and we have a challenging but exciting year ahead of us, and once more God has proved faithful!

Do you believe in arranged marriage?? I do!!!

2010-09-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

You may wonder what manner of heading this is, but I shall explain. I started praying for my daughter's(Arashia) marriage when she was still in her teens. Somehow, God laid it on my heart and impressed upon me not to take it for granted, but soak it in prayer. Over the years, she's had her ups and downs and been embroiled in some sticky situations. But God extricated her from them all. In the last year the Holy spirit led me to keep thanking him for her husband although there was not hair or hide in sight. In may this year He gave me a word that he(husband) was on the horizon. I shared this with Ara and she was really encouraged considering all the non husband material that had crossed her path - we kept thanking God. Then 6 weeks ago, I got another word...that something would happen THIS year. I was kinda startled to hear it. But I knew God was speaking. 3weeks later Ara met someone. And this is how it all happened..........................
We went to deliver a garment Ara had made for a lady I shall call L, and met another young woman (a friend of the 1st lady) I shall call J. L and J both have babies. We got on really well and were having some laughs when she(J) started talking about her 'brother', looking for a wife to settle with. (Talks like that don't normally go down too well with Ara as it's usally some over- the- hill sod looking to start over with some fresh blood) So, We didn't really take much notice but promised to call her later as she had expressed interest in the bodymagic which I sell. A few days went by, we never called and L invited us to her baby dedication. We found ourselves sitting with J and her baby. She eventually raised the topic again about her'brother' saying she was having no rest over the matter. She phoned me the next day to invite Ara round her house cos 'brother' was there and since we were shopping in the area, I agreed to take her there to say a quick hello. That was it! Far from being over- the -hill, 'brother' is a young, tall, handsome Nigerian man with jet black sheeny coily hair and a gentle spirit. He's very well read too, having completed his masters here in the UK. The pair of them got on so well. Next thing I knew he has popped the question, and came round to ask hubby for her hand in marriage in good old fashioned style. He came carrying some Port(drink) which in my tradition is the proper way to approach potential in-laws.
So that's it in a nutshell. I will post some more later with pictures so stay tuned.

A whole day at the Sanctuary Spa.

2010-09-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

My daughter Mary treated me to a day at the Sanctuary Spa in covent garden. She's a beauty Therapist there and she got free entry and half price treatments for herself and guest . We got there at about 11.30 a.m to be greeted with drinks and smiling faces, and taken to change into swim suits and soft white towelling robes. I was determined to make the most of it so I insisted on having a go at everything, so basically we headed down to the exercise pool. After forcing ourselves to swim for 20 mins, we jumped into this round jacuzzi. After being suitably pummeled and massaged, we 'leapt' into the steam room. I endured this torture for a while and then made a beeline for the cold shower. Mary forced me back in the steam room(apparently it's good for you). Then we went into the sauna which was really lovely. We headed up to the koi carp lounge to have lunch, but not before immersing ourselves in the gardenpool/jacuzzi halfway up the stairs. Lunch was a vegetarian platter followed by water and orange juice, whilst we lounged in large cushioned seats over looking a pool while women in white robes floated by. After having a little rest, we gathered at the central point of the koi carp lounge to be taken to have the sleep'retreat'. You lie on this couch with a handset that you put on which gently vibrates whilst a voice leads you through paradise, encouraging you to leave all your cares behind. I then went on to have my 'dry float'- you are lowered on a watery bed and snugly wrapped up in a darkened room with soothing music in the background(heavenly). I went into the 2nd pool cos I had to have a go at that swing. In full view of all these other white -robed women(cos the lounge overlooks this pool) I struggled up that great big swing. Nobody was laughing cos I'm sure all the brave ones have tried it too. What's the point of that swing when folks (especially short ones like me) can barely reach it??? I then dashed back..erm- ok,ok...floated back to the small jacuzi which was bubbling like mad.....(hahaha what's she like eh?)I met up with Mary at the retail lounge(another beautiful lounge) to have scones and drinks. We both had a body skin consultation and were given free body creams. I headed off to have a facial while Mary went for her dry float. Every woman needs a facial. The girl massaged my arms too and gave me a mask that drew all toxins out. It was soooo good. I literally shimmered out with a huge smile on my face, to lounge and read at the koi carp again. Then, another skin analysis, this time facial. Ladies, I have less wrinkles than my age. She recommended some basic products which I bought and got another freebie thrown in. Everywhere you went there were jugs of water with freshly cut orange/lemon floating in it.(they're big on drinking loads!)We were given another cooling drink after this in the retail lounge. It was a lovely day. 9 hrs well spent. Things got slightly hairy at the end when Mary's phone went missing. But we asked God to find it for us and he did! Just as we were leaving, a girl came holding the phone which fell out of a bundle of dirty robes!!!

Locked? You can still braid your hair!

2010-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry about this strange pic, but it's my attempt to highlight my braided locs framing my face. My hair isn't actually this grey. I found this coconut oil in Superdrug. It's very cheap and suprisingly good. Smells lovely too.

I braided these up in 10mins. I was in a hurry and didn't have time to section them properly. You can do them smaller. But you can wear them out if they are small enough.

I used this hairband/half-scarf - to go out. Nobody gave me the side-eye.

Back view. I held it in a ponytail. The ends were dripping wet.

partly retightened locs

2010-08-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

These are my specs. Hopefully it's only temporary hehehe...

HAPPY HAIR!!!

2010-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

That's what my husband said while I was retightening my locs and chatting with him. He kept staring at me. Finally I looked up and saw him smiling 'I'm so glad you've now got HAPPY HAIR' he says. Suddenly DIY-ing does not seem such a chore after all, I've got HAPPY hair y'all!!!

This is the average

size of my locs (on your right). A few are thin like the above and most are this size. I also have some double the medium size. What you see on the right is the size I'm happiest with and I wish ALL my locs were that size. I find I have some too thin and some too thick. And I'm not a perfectionist.

Retightening again!

2010-08-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

I've just began to retighten my locs. I really wish someone would do it for me. I even went on the SL website and found someone (a guy) quite close to me and emailed him. But I've had to fork out £120 for varifocals, £60 for some supplements another £40 for an extra pair of specs £25 on some hair stuff erm ..as you can see I didn't fancy spending£50 or £60 on getting my hair done so I'm sitting here plodding on. It's times like this that I'm really thankful not to have a huge number of locs. I really understand those who combine their locs from 500 to 300 etc I mean sometimes I think 'you've got som much hair so many locs why are you doing this' then I realise of course they've got their reasons and I may just do the same in their place much as I am enamoured of 400+ locs. I have done 1/4 of my locs. Tomorrow, I'll do the next 1/4 and so on, so hopefully it should take another 3 days. Still I am so blessed and I know my heavenly father will provide abundantly for me. This is all temporary. there's plenty of money in the pipeline....

I've begun a Bible course which I find really exciting. I just completed the 1st module and did the test today. God spoke to me quite clearly that I was to do this course and was confirmed by 2 different people. There are other things he has spoken to me about, but i'll hold those thoughts for the time being. I hope to reveal some VERY soon LOL. My relationship with God has taken another turn, and I've become more intimate with my heavenly father. I am so overwhelmed that God takes me into his confidence. If you don't know Jesus as your Lrd and saviour, or if your relationship's gone stale, ask the Holy spirit to refresh you, and start reading the word with fresh eyes! It's the greatest LOVE story!!!

Till next time......

OIL treatment for alopecia and hairloss

2010-08-18T12:31:00.001-07:00

We were discussing cinnamon oil for hairloss on nappturality. I did a search and found this Oil blend which must be GENTLY rubbed in the scalp 1xday. Pay attention to bald areas, but rub throughout the scalp.
3 drops rosemary
4 drops geranium
4 drops lavender
1 drop frankincense
4 drops cypress
2 drops cinnamon
2 drops juniper
Take 1 drop ONLY,massage before bed. Dispense 1 drop on a fingertip and rub fingertips together to spread it and massage in everyday without skipping even 1 day! Pay special attn to bald areas, but rub throughout the scalp. This is the only eo blend used neat so be on the lookout for any skin irritation and cease immediately if this occurs.

I do not have all the EOs so I modifiy my blend, by substituting cypress with peppermint, juniper with thyme, geranium with orange. I also added 4 drops vit E oil as I was hesitant to use neat. My intention is to acquire the missing oils and follow this to the letter. But y'all know how expensive EOs are.
I know someone on NP is mixing cinnamon oil with Jamaican black castor oil and starting to see results, so it's worth a try.
Massage is good for the scalp. Also, you can grab handfuls of hair and gently tug after you massage to stimulate growth.

NIGHTMARE at watford general hospital!

2010-08-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

I would never have believed what I'm about to relate if it hadn't happened to me! I had a problem with my eye and went to the GP. He referred me (with a letter)to the eye clinic at watford as an emergency. I arrived at 11.30 am, only to be told they were not seeing anymore patients and I should come back at 1.30. I had been told to make sure someone brought me as the drops they put in your eyes make it impossible to drive, so my father-in-law took me. We had 2 hrs to kill and went to Tescos for a quick bite. I returned at 1 p.m.leaving grandpa to go wander around somewhere for an hour or 2...or so I thought. There was a small queue so I joined it, taking turns with an old lady standing/sitting so we could keep out place. The Poor old folks, they were suffering standing for so long. The queue lengthened rapidly and after 45 min the 'Hatch' opened and the receptionist started to book people in. At this point, an irate woman went and had a go at receptionist whereupon, said receptionist took her bag and rushed out never to be seen again - leaving us stranded!!! 30 mins later another lady came and started checking us in. She spent 10 min per person. I was number 5 and eventually my turn arrived. I was asked by a nurse to read some letters and sent to sit with the others in a corridor to wait for the eye dr. 40 mins passed. A girl, on the verge of tears, whose brother had obviously had some serious eye injury, began to question whenther there was a dr around. A consultant came out and told the family to go to some eye clinic somewhere. They left! A couple of other people had gone too, leaving just 6 of us sitting there. The nurse came up and announced that no eye dr had turned up and we(the emergency patients) should travel at our own expense to an eye clinic in London or go home. It was now about 4p.m. One woman who had brought her mother to be checked went 'mental'! She demanded to see a dr and the nurse refused. She threatened to go into one of the rooms and bring one out herself.(There were 3 drs seeing the regular appointments, but none for emergencies) She said "get 1 dr here now! and the other 2 can cover for him. whoever heard of an emergency being sent away? We're not leaving until we see a dr."
We all sat tight waiting to see what would happen. 10 mins later, nurse returned to say an eye dr would see us, even though minutes before she said she couldnt conjure up a dr! Folks, THIS apparently is the state of the NHS. I spent no less than 6 hr in the hospital standing& sitting around. It sure makes the third world look very good indeed. Its downright dangerous to be sick in the UK. Thank God for Jesus.

Update on Protein treatment

2010-07-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thandi, in answer to your question, the protein treatment IMO has really helped my hair. It feels stronger and it left it soft& sheeny. I did condition with a moisturising condish afterwards. Hair needs the right balance between protein and moisture. Too much protein will leave it hard and brittle, while over conditioning will leave it limp , lifeless mushy. Personally I think our hair type is rarely over-conditioned. Still, striking the right balance between protein and moisture can be tricky. As a rule, too many protein treatments will lead to hard hair, At the same time you need them to strengthen your hair. So I suggest 1xmth at the most ,and always follow with a moisturising conditioner to be on the safe side. This of course, is a generalization and may vary from person to person. Adding a *moisturising*conditioner+humectants like honey,oils like jojoba,coconut& olive oils will help prevent "overproteinizing" your hair and don't forget finishing off with an ACV rinse!

Having said all the above, eggs, vinegar and oil are all great at helping retain moisture, provide volume and hydration. Each ingredient can be used alone but obviously a combination (as found in mayonnaise) increases the condish properties. The protein in the egg fill in the gaps and nicks in the hair shaft when it's dry or damaged, giving a fuller sheenier appearance promoting strong strands and growth.

Protein treatment

2010-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

I did a protein treatment after i read about the benefits. I followed dewdrops instructions. I added a little jojoba oil, 1 tbs aubrey's honeysuckle condish, 1 tbs sisterlock reconstructor to the mayo and egg. Mixed it all and put it on my roots.

UPDATE:

I put on shower cap and left it on for 3hrs. Then washed it with cold water.(I'm not sure about this treatment in winter). I made sure to use a moisturising shampoo -organix coconut and aubrey organics honeysuckle shampoo, both for the lovely coconutty&honecuckle fragrance and moisture. Followed by aubrey organics honeysuckle condish, (my ends only), then rinse rinse rinse with cool water tempered with some cider vinegar to cut the hardness in our UK water. I am pleased with the results. This is worth doing on a monthly basis. Also it's good for my scalp!

How cool is this athlete?

2010-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Joseph Christian and Joshi at the endofera party.
I cant believe how my babies have grown and Christian looking so
Cool.

Here he is competing at the english schools athletics.

Its hard to accept this!

2010-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, my pastor friend from back -in- the- day sent me the devastating message that my friend Wendy had passed away. We used to be very close when Ara was a Tot, going to prayer meetings/church together, praying for each other and our families. She lived in Luton and we'd spoken on the phone and planned to meet-up sometime...only it never happened. Instead she's gone leaving behind a husband and 3 children the youngest,9yrs. Whilst I was reeling from the shock of this, the phone rang. It was my sis from Ghana.'Are you sitting down?' I said'what!?!' Then she gives me another blow! This, within 15 minutes of the 1st blow. My friend Jennifer also from back- in- the- day has died! We met up when I went to Ghana(she always comes to spend time with me) and was planning to visit her twin in the US. Jennifer was my flatmate when Ara was a toddler. It was she who introduced me to KTchurch. We all belonged to a group called AL and shared many happy memories together. I couldn't even cry. I was just numb, tears stinging my eyes.

To Wendy: I never knew you were so ill. I'm so sorry you went through so much. I spoke of calling weeks ago, to see if we could finally make it happen. The meeting that never took place. I'm grateful to God that I knew you. Always smiling and babying me. Re-arranging my wardrobe when it was a total mess! Now Heaven is your reality. I'm sad that you died so young, but happy that you're no longer dealing with pain. RIP my sister, till we meet again.

And Jennifer: What can I say? I could barely comprehend the fact that you'd gone. So soon? I remember us standing near El wak,(Ghana) encouraging each other in the Lord. You were telling me about your plans...Ei! How did this happen? Aakor, so pretty, so sweet. A gentle and quiet spirit. Dyou remember Ara's 1st words when she tried to say Aakor? It was Krkor? She's devasted.. But I know how much you Loved God. You were a saint if ever there was one. Enjoy your rest from your labours. I will miss you, my dear. Until that great day....girls I'll do my best by his grace to represent on this side of eternity.

In 1989, we went to portugal to attend a crusade and made it a holiday. We all stayed in a lovely hotel. Wendy&I shared a room with little Arashia. DD and Jennifer(Aakor) shared another room. Dd died in 2004. It was a hard one to get over Cos we used to spend so much time on the phone putting the world to rights. I was the one that told Jennifer and Wendy. Then last year Elizabeth died. She was in AL too. I broke the news to Jennifer. Now this........ God is my rock and my strength, an ever present help in the time of trouble. I will rest in you, the lifter up of my head. God is faithful, whether I understand this or not, He is FAITHFUL.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

washed and deep conditioned with.....

2010-07-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sisterlock reconstructor and aubrey organics honeysuckle & rose conditioner. I washed my hair with the clarifying shampoo followed by 2nd wash honeysuckle &rose shampoo. I left the condish on for 1hr. Apparently you can leave it in overnight but... nah. Maybe next time. Then it was rinse rinse rinse!

Seriously, my hair looks very full in the back. As if I have gazillion locs. It's the top I want looking fuller. That's why you don't see pics of the top of my head. I don't like locs looking flat on top, it's got to have some body. My kids say it doesnt look bad. I certainly pray so. My loc count is hovering around 370. Anyway, I'm really pleased with the way my locs have progressed and thankful to God too,

Locs are definitely the best hair choice I ever made.

re-Ti -ing 1000 locs....or so it seemed

2010-07-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ara and I went on friday to reTi my friend Seiwa's hair. Her locs were started with tiny twists in Ghana(which probably cost £5.00 ?). Some had unravelled entirely and needed to be re-installed. She is unofficially client number 3. Her hair is coily, wooly and dense in the back and it seemed she had 1000 locs! I attempted a loc count, but I'm guesstimating over 500 locs. Some may well have to be combined later. We had a fun girly time eating sweet cheries from her tree, but Arashia was so knackered she couldn't even muster a smile in that pic. She'd been up the day before re-Ting another client and up 3 days before that making a prom dress for someone.

crinkle to get BIG hair!

2010-06-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

look the long loc down my back....just like bajans. I tell you, they got special fertilizer!

loc detail

I'm speaking at a Christian conference this weekend and thought I should do something to my locs. So I washed and braided and here you have the results....

folks, if your locs doesn't have much body to it or if you have some thin spots, work it with a braid-out. It gives the illusion of thick, dense hair, plus it's a simple but eye-catching style.

wool needle-another loc tool

2010-06-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

this is a photo of the tool I've found. its a wool needle. It's a plastic thingy with a point and a flexible loop at the end. It costs £1.89 at the sewing shop. I tried hard to get a clear pic but hey, you get the idea.

aubrey organics sulphate-free shampoos

2010-06-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

GREEN TEA CLARIFYING SHAMPOO: This is def a keeper. I've searched high&l low for a clarifying shampoo without sulphates, and I've found it. 100% natural ingredients. No sulphates, parabens or petrochemicals.
IT CONTAINS: organic green tea,nettle extract,organic aloe, almond protein. I couldn't be happier with the resultsThorough cleaning without stripping. How cool is that? and a lovely smell to boot. This shampoo is pricey, but I got it at 20% discount so I'm not complaining.

HONEYSUCKLE ROSE moisturising SHAMPOO: Another keeper! Oh my! If you want a moisturising shampoo that's sulphate-free, try this. again, 100% natural. no sulphates,parabens petrochemicals.

IT CONTAINS:orgainc rosa mosqueta oil, organic aloe, honeysuckle oil, rose hip,fennel hops balm mint,mistletoe, yarrow, gingko,ginseng angelica,chrysanthemum,magnolia, horsetail,coltsfoot,forsythia,sweet almond oil,macademia nut oil, vitaminF, vitamin A,C,E,organic sage and rosemary oils.

I LOVE the smell and how soft&moisturised it leaves my hair. This was also 20% off so I got them both. Full price would be about£9.00 each. I think they are well worth it though. I have the honeysuckle conditioner from when my hair was loose. It smells heavenly and is silicone-free. I might try it diluted cos the smell is heavenly,

some pics of my dark brown locs with grey!

2010-06-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my grey hairline has disappeared.....for now. Not bad eh. And I discovered a new tool. Oops I forgot to take a pic. I shall do so asap.

HERTS Schools gold medallist!

2010-06-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Today is the day Christian(my son) won the gold in the Herts schools athetics in Hemel. He was the only home -educated competitor. Just before the race, he and I prayed together and thanked God for helping him do his best and giving him an edge. And that's exactly what happened. He was neck and neck with an older boy. Christian was slightly behind...until the final hurdle, when he pushed through to victory! He beat the boy by a fraction of a second! Glory to God.