Boy,12 undergoing sex change!

This is what confronted me whilst reading the Telegraph online: A school called an emergency assembly to inform them that the pupil was now a girl and ordered them to treat her/him as such and call him by his new name. Many were shocked and in tears. What is the world coming to? This child is now going to be pumped full of artificial female hormones and undergo a horrendous operation that involves chopping off bits and creating some sort of orifice... and that's not all - I just cant go into detail about this nasty operation. I s'ppose there's nothing new under the sun, but it's heartbreaking to see so much hopelessness and confusion even in children. People willing to do anything in the hopes that it will make their lives better (except call on their Creator, of course). I'll never forget a book I read years ago, about a man who underwent an op and became a' woman'. Years later, he became a christian, realised he was actually a man, and went back to wearing men's clothing.It never said if any attempt was made to reverse the OP, but I don't s'ppose there'd be much left y'know where to create anything.
On a happier note, I'm so glad my kids are not in the school system and God is still on the throne.

My bro had a wedding today

My bro and his wife had a wedding today in Ghana. I'd have loved to be there, but I had to content myself with chatting and congratulating them on the phone. I'll see the vid next jan/feb when I'm there. They have come through so much adversity it's unreal. My bro's life reads like a book with a very happy ending. His wife is one of the most loyal- woman of faith I know.Yes they were already married and have been traditionally married for over 20 yrs and have 3 children. This is more like a renewing of vows, done in church with the full works. (It's not uncommon in Ghana for folks to have a traditional ghanaian ceremony followed my a wedding sometimes years later. Both ceremonies cost plenty money. Infact, you have 2 traditional ceremonies. The 'knocking' which is really the engagement and the 'engagement' which is really the marriage. The marriage is refrred to as the 'engagement' b'cos of the white wedding to follow!) Anyhow they're wedded and I hope you're not too confused by my explanation. My niece married an African American and did the same except - they did the 'knocking' a year before, then did the 'engagement' on a thursday and wedding on sat - all in Ghana. After having a registry ceremony in America. Phew! I remember seeing myself aged 3 in my parents wedding photos wondering how it was possible. My youngest bro(the one who's just had a wedding) wasn't even born. Then I dscovered it was b'cos they were already married.

washing-up liquid and herbs/tea rinses

I read on a loc forum about using washing up liquid to get rid of dull looking locs. So I told Arashia to use it at her next wash as her locs looked a little dull. She did and was astounded at the colour of the water! Murky brown! She's used it 2x and her locs look quite refreshed. Well I washed my locs today. I rubbed in some Selsun shampoo and dr bronners tea tree soap on the nape that was itchy and let it sit. Then did a 1st wash with diluted washing up liquid concentrating mainly on the locs (not the scalp). Then, a 2nd wash with nutrient shampoo all over.I rinsed,rinsed rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. And then rinsed some more. B'cos I realise build-up is often due to not rinsing properly or long enough. (I've devised a method of rinsing if you dont have an adequate or strong enough shower head. Fill a bucket with warm water. Then dunk your head in(avoid your ears LOL), and swish your head from side to side and up and down. It's pretty good and worked well when I did my henna).
I'd made some black tea/green tea/nettle/horsetail/rosemary rinse by simmering the ingredients on the cooker. I let it cool and added a dash of vinegar. So that's what I used as a conditioning rinse.
NOTE: washing up liquid get's rid of severe build-up. You may have to use it a few times, but it works. It may be a good idea to follow with diluted conditioner. Some Veteran lockers suggest incoperating it in your hair regime eg use 1x2-3mths to prevent/remove product and imbedded/trapped dirt from your locs. It works because it's designed to cut through grease and the like.

Ghanaian worship song

Listen to the song (video Bar). MOKO BE(pronounced BER) by Nii Okai. Beautiful song, sang in the Ga language. ' I praise you Lord because there's no one like you, in all beauty, all knowledge,all love..There's no one like you. With all my heart I worship you, with my voice I will praise you, with my mind and with song -I will praise you day after day. Look out for different african gospel songs cos I'll change the song every few weeks.

Look at these teeny locs from african tribes

*These images aren't mine. They're from african tribes.org.* (see Afro Glitz online mag titled 'sisterlocks began in Africa').Visit them to see more and read about these obscure tribes that you don't often hear about.. I couldn't help but be struck with the similarities with sisterlocks! Wow! Is that where the idea came from? I must say I know next to nothing about these african tribes.(located somewhere between Ethiopia and Sudan)Although I'm a full African - West African,there are many tribes and cultures across the continent, and many are totally alien to me and I find the customs quite strange, but fascinating. I mean some paint their bodies and hair with a mixture of red ochre butter and herbs and I find it most intriguing.Where can I find that mixture I wonder...But just look at these intricate tiny locs. The woman with the baby looks like hers might be braids.

I dont wanna scare you, but it's a good try....

...at a style. Well it was rather hot. On top of that I had my own internal heat thing going on. You can see the sweat on my oily face. I grabbed my locs and put them up. I took a few open ended pins and stuck them in with a hair accessory near the top. I left the rest loose b'cos I didn't know what else to do. At least my locs were off my neck and that was my aim.

henna results

This is the result of my henna. I had some slipping and bunching so I'll wait a few months before I henna again. My hair texture is so soft that even after 20 mths I could unravel some. Henna conditions and softens your hair too. I tried to curl my with soft spikes, but the locs did not dry, hence the rather bedraggled looking style.

How to split locs

Folks, we were discussing Ara's hair and the discussion went to how thick some of her locs were in the back. Some are so thick especially towards the ends that it's pretty hard to retighten. I already split a few near the crown, so I asked her if she wants ALL the fat locs split and she said 'er- I don't mind- yes'. So we decided to embark on a loc splitting journey. I mean I will be splitting roughly 100 locs! With so many to split, Taking down and re-doing is just not an attractive option. So here's the method I intend to use:

Tighten the new growth in 1 direction only ie no cross stitching at all.

Create an upside down Y.

Cut away 1 of the branches leaving 1 long loc and 1 short new growth hair.

Make a new loc out of the shorter hair.

I might add that The only 2 methods I know of for splitting Locs are what I've just described above and unravelling the whole loc and starting new locs from the loose hair. IMO if your locs are only a few months old, you're better off undoing them and starting new ones. And If anyone knows a 3rd method for dividing, do tell.
(I remember when I had bradelocs I let new growth grow on fat locs and allow it to get quite get quite bushy and then just grab some and braided into a new loc.)
Loc splitting takes weeks and months, but
Like she says, she'll be glad to be my experiment. If this experiment succeeds, she'll end up with 415 locs or somewhere in that region.
...and if for some reason, she changes her mind we'll just re-combine them again or to be more precise, SHE can combine them herself!
So what d'you all think?

another henna session

I did a reTi a few days ago. I can't really remember how long it took as I had so many interruptions. If I condense it all , it probably took 4+ hrs. So I decided to do another henna. This time I crushed the henna in a mortar&pestle before I put in a glass bowl with boiling water, over a pan with boiling water. I mixed a little caca maroon (red)with caca brun(brown). I'm now sitting with plastic covering over my head, but it just occured to me that I ahould have applied the henna to my hairline 1st. Instead I started from the back when the mixture was quite hot. By the time I got to the front it had gone cold and henna colours better if it's warm/hot. Anyway, I'll update when I wash it out.

african black soap all-over-body shampoo

This is my home-made all over body shampoo. It's very easy to make.

Take a BIGISH chunk of authentic black soap( the crumbly brown kind from Ghana).

Put it in some water ,like 1/2 to 1pt,preferably bottled/filtered.

Let it sit for a while, stirring ocassionaly until thoroughly dissolved.

Add 1tsp coconut oil(optional)

Add 5 drops lavender eo

..and 10 drops tea tree eo.

Mix it well. Don't agigtate it too much else it'll get very foamy.

You can use different eos if you like. I like tea tree, it's anti-bacterial and takes care of scalp problems. The coconut oil makes it more moisturising.

And there you have it - African black soap shampoo.

sptrizes,lip balm with shea butter and aloe vera oil,I'm back mixing my stuff

fin
finished product

I discovered aloe vera oil and added it to my spritz. Currently I'm using aloe vera oil, jojoba oil, lavender eo, honeysuckle eo, orange blossom water, water in a spritz. I change the ingredients depending on what I have. I like the fact that with aloe vera oil I don't have to refridgerate like aloe vera juice. I also found clove oil. I'm not quite sure how to use it. And I decided to make a lip balm with: yellow shea butter, beeswax,jojoba oil,lavender oil. Next I made a body butter using yellow shea butter, aloe vera gel, murumuru butter, cupuacu butter,sapote oil,jojoba oil, shea oil and some lavender eo. I added strawberry&cream fragrance oil too. I also added 1tbs veg glycerin. I need some pretty tins to package my stuff LOL. I'll give them as pressies to my friends on their birthdays eh.

VERDICT: the glycerin has given it a really silky smooth texture that absorbs right into your skin, Lovely. Thanks Nubianlockedprincess for that tip

What is a gender test?and how does it determine if one is a man, woman or both?!?

I was filled with compassion for Caster Semanya, caught in the middle of this row. She's a mere child - only 18yrs for goodness sakes! How could they let this happen? Surely, any question about her gender should have been ironed out loooong before she arrived on the international scene? Good management and coaching would have seen to that, seeing that these allegations have followed her for quite some time. I'm all in support of her, but for those crying racism, forget it! She does look like a man, maybe more like a teenage boy. She appears to be completely flat chested, mascular torso and arms, deep voice, but without any bulge' y'now where'. No curve in sight. I came in the room while the heats were on and actually asked my son 'why is a man allowed to compete with women?' A few seconds later I realised she's supposed to be a girl. I wasn't too suprised that a gender issue came up. I must admit, that if I were a competitor, I'd want some answers too. It wouldn't be fair to expect females to race against a man. On the other hand, if a female simply has more male hormones and attributes, surely that cannot disqualify her? I mean, don't several athletes have genetic traits that give them athletic advantages over us mere mortals? Look at Usain Bolt for example. His performance in incredible, but one can see his height, build,strength, endurance and ability to move like lightning are a clear advantage. Besides, some female athletes look very masculine. Did they all get tested? This has raised some very interesting questions. I for one thought that to identify whether one is male or female, all one had to do was examine the plumbing. Apparently, it's not so simple, since sex and gender are completely different things. One's biological, the other is how one perceives and projects one's self. So we're still left with some rather confusing thoughts. XX,XY,XXYand variations...Lord have mercy! I sincerely hope, that the tests favour both sex and gender as female. After all, she was born and raised a girl. The fact that she's a natural head(yay!) , made no attempt at make-up or plucking her bushy eyebrows proves her innocence. We cannot pass judgement on this young woman. I hate to think if tests prove she's more male than female. God help us all. I will update when I know the conclusion to this drama.

Daa ke daa by Becca

A Ghanaian song against domestic violence. Basically, she's saying 'if you love me, then don't break my heart- why do you treat me this way? If you don't love me,let me go'

My baby's 18yrs today!

My little sulupops Caramel Cream is 18 this day. Happy birthday Angel. So beautiful, so responsible, with a heart that follows hard after God, a heart for the lost youth of today and a vision so BIG, God must have put it in you when you came from heaven. The vision is for an appointed time and it will surely come to pass. Keep doing what you're doing, keep praying, keep standing in faith, keep reaching out to those God brings across your path.

Updo.. er,well ,sort of.

Growth at the nape

I see growth

Folks, do you see how the locs at the nape of my neck has grown? This area had very little hair. Locs rock! and for me sisterlocks have transformed my hair into a thing of beauty and...I cant wait to henna it some more. Thank you lord for leading me to locs and making it possible form me to get sisterlocked! So..

I was inspired to try an updo for church today. Actually, my hair was too short to do it, but I modified it to suit me. I parted my hair from ear to ear, 3/4in the back half, in a ponytail. I parted the front down the middle and curled one side. The other side I 'brushed' across(I was meant to tuck it into the ponytail but I simply secured with pins. Then I added a few accessories. The bit you see sticking up (the hair pin) was actually put through the ponytail, so it wasn't just sticking up randomly, the way it looks in the photo. Unfortunately the style was a bit messed up by the time I got home and the curls had fallen. I pulled the pin out and was about undo it when i thought of taking some pictures. Still you get the idea of what it looked like when I 1st styled it. I must say although I don't style much, I'm getting keener on trying simple styles.

I confess, I quite like 'messy' updos. That nifty little hair thingy you see sticking up was a pressie from Mary from Spain... but I'll do a post on all my hair accessories later.

another way to save a loc-wrap it in hair!

afro kinky

*ignore the str8 weave on the package*

some strands

begin braiding

Loose hair(left)-loc(right)

I was about to wrap a combined loc with afro kinky human hair, when I realised I should really do a post on it. I combined 2 locs by interlocking the roots, leaving a 2 header. 1 loc was on it's last legs and both had thinned out dangerously. It still looked quite thin between the middle and the roots so I decided to 'fill' it in. So, this is another way to strengthen a loc that's weakened in the middle or somewhere along the shaft of your loc. As long as the roots of the loc is healthy, you can take a small piece of afro kinky (human hair) and wrap it(like you would thread wrap) either the whole length of the loc or focus on the weak spot. (Don't make it as thick as the peice of hair in the photo, I made it thicker, so it'd be clear in the photo.)Make sure you wrap a little below and above the weak area to secure it. Begin by 3 strand braiding the hair - with the loc in the middle. After 2 or 3 turns, begin the wrapping motion. You can end by 3 stand braiding/2st twisting or even make a small knot at the end.

Note: Do this only if the roots are healthy and if the thinning is happening somewhere other than/away from the roots. Just another option to save a loc for the DIY-ers.

If you ever saved some of your own hair from when it was loose, you can use that....I wished I'd kept some of mine.

finished loc

product reviews-shampoos both old and new

You know I'm always on the lookout for new good quality affordable shampoos. Also I prefer sulphate-free shampoos, with sodium laurel/laureth sulphate being the ingredient I'd most like to avoid. I found got2b unglued shampoo by schwarzkopf in the £ shop. I bought a couple, but I'm really sorry I didn't load up on this one 'cos it's an excellent shampoo at £1.00 per bottle. This one's Arashia's fav. And no wonder. It's leaves her locs 'clean' without drying out,has a wonderful pineapply smell and contains hydrolysed wheat protein, biotin, ascorbic acid,panthenol,tocopheryl, retinyl palmitate.....Goodguide gave it 9.2 for healthy shampoo. So if you come across this shampoo, it's well worth getting.

Waitrose baby shampoo: I bought this only because I was after a mild sulphate-free shampoo. I knew I was going to henna my hair and thought I should use a mild shampoo. Well it's OK, but nothing much to write home about. It smells of vanilla and contains aloe vera, vanilla, lavender and mandarin oils. It cost about £2.50, so it's quite cheap.

Hair Fitness Shampoo. I love this one cos it's packed full of nutrients. The downside is, it's pricey. £9.95. I bought this shampoo at some craft or hair show (I can't rightly remember) just b4 I locked my hair and put it away cos I couldn't use it on baby locs. I looked through my stuff and found it. It's a lovely shampoo. Smells tropical- mango/pineapple with herbs and contains hydrolysed wheat protein, amino acids,cystein, vit b5,silica,vit E, vit A&D,allantoin,biotin,oatstraw, saw palmetto, alfafa, horsetail,comfrey, coltsfoot,evening primrose oil,selenium zinc calcium, essential fatty acids...phew and that's not all. It doesn't have any sulphates,MEAs,TEAs,or DEAs. I'd say it's worth paying for, wouldn't you? It does leave your hair soft, so don't use it unless your locs are settled. But you wouldn't need the conditioner(which is equally jam-packed with nutrients).

MEA,TEA and DEA are chemicals in most shampoos bubble baths,lotions, creams etc known to be toxic, and hormone disrupting. They also form nitrosamines in conjunction with other chemicals and can be cancer causing....well a little chemistry lesson. So here is something else to avoid if you can. Otherwise just pray and trust God.

As always, my african black soap is on standby.

henna results (18mths SL-ed)

texture shot

Here are the results of henna-ing my sls. You can see it's a deep coffee colour, blends in the greys - with a reddish tinge. To be honest the greys are still there, only not so noticeable. The colour will improve with further henna application. Also I've been locked for 18 mths so these photos give an idea of how my hair is doing. This is a result of a 'braid-out'. I don't do much styling, but braid-outs are my fav style cos it's so easy.

Check out the freezee texture. My locs appear very frizzy indeed, and the majority of loc ends are still open. Frizz comes with the territory.(I don't mind cos it makes my hair look fuller). This will gradually change as each loc becomes more condensed and tight. I daresay the henna has given me MORE frizz.

Henna(caca brun) you need like 4 arms to do this.

I'm in the process of henna-ing my locs. I added a goodish dollop of instant cofee to make it darker. A couple of weeks ago, I tested henna, one with cofee, and one without on some ol loc ends that snapped off. The one with cofee seemed slightly darker hence..... but we shall see. So I mixed it in a casserole dish over a steaming pan on the stove, allowed it to cool slightly and applied to my hair. I put it in one of those colour applicator thingies - which would have saved me a lot of hassle except...except the mixture was either too thick or had lumps so it did not flow. Note: It really does save you dealing with mess if you put the mixture in dem applicator bottles and apply to your hair. I can't imagine what would.ve happened if I tried to scoop up that mess to put in my hair. Anyhow, I took the top off and used it that way and it still worked except for the odd blob that went it's merry way. Good job I decided to put some newspaper over the sink, bath and floor, 'cos those odd blobs dropped in unexpected places. Infact I was so paranoid about making a mess that I'm not sure I've applied thoroughly ie every strand aint covered, but hey I thought I'd quit while I was still ahead of the game. (y'know how everything's gone well and you think, let me just go over it once more then something you dont want happens? Yeah, so I thought, I've covered all the main bits(hair) no disaster, stop now.) I'm now waiting for x amount of hours to pass then I'll wash it out. I was going to do all this outside, but the way the wind was blowing, my mirror, newspapers and towels went flying so I retired to the bathroom. Erm, the instructions say 'cover your head if you want it redder or leave uncovered if you want it browner.' I cling- filmed my head for 1/2hr to stop bits going everywhere and removed it for the rest of the time as I want it brown-ish. I have no photos, my camera went to spain with my daughter Mary. I'm on the lookout for a new camera 'cos that one's old anyway.
Stay tuned for the results. So far, minimal mess, so good. We'll see when I come to wash it out.. aah, but I have a plan. Hopefully, I'll take a photo when Mary returns tomorrow.

It's 9.45. I've just finished washing the henna out. I wasn't sure whether I'm supposed to shampoo or just rinse. I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and then shampoo-ed with waitrose baby shampoo and again with hair fitness shampoo then did some prolonged rinsing. Then I rinsed with diluted ACV. Oh my back! My hair looks dark brown coffee all over. Some grays are still trying to peak through especially where I wasn't careful to slater it on properly.
Conclusion: Henna works. It conditions your hair, adds body to it. The colour isn't bad. You can repeat it deepening the colour with each application. However, washing it out is a job and a half! The smell is strong and lingers for hours. Fortunately I didn't mind the smell, but my daughter said it made her feel sick.

See the Action!

This photo shows the christian hurdling his way to silver at the English schools athletics. The boy in green was the gold medalist. However Christian intends to go for gold in the Nationals in 2 weeks time so he's training hard. Apparently the boy had a better start on the blocks so Christian is training on the blocks.