HAIR UP DATE

Hello people!

Well i did another 4 weekly retight Friday night/Saturday morning. It looks set to be my regular routine now....i have tried doing it during the weekday evenings...you know one half one evening and doing the other half the following evening. The only time i have done this is when am due for a retightening that weekend and i have other stuff planned. It works but i don't really like going out anywhere with half my hair retightened. I know I'm the only one that is aware of this, but hey I KNOW and that is what matters. lol.

Anyway here is a photo i took after my retight on Saturday before i headed off to the mall to get me some much needed Iman foundation stick (Earth 7). Like you really need details huh! If you click on the picture below you will see very fine detail of my handy work. Ignore the grey. I am planning to do a henna thing this weekend....I just couldn't be arsed.

Since my hair has grown a tad, i can actually wear the retight pattern (i.e the back half going back and front halves falling to either sides), and get away with not hennaing so close to a retight.

This way the only place to hide the grey is the center part which more or less ends at the middle of my crown. All i do is get a kohl pencil and blend away.

What do you all think?

A FEW LIKKLE RECRUITS

This Saturday just gone by, as I lay in bed while it was raining cats and dogs. I wondered how I would spend my day as i played with my hair....then the idea struck me.....I got busy with a little maintenance work on my locks!

I found a total of 4 new locks to start although only two are shown here, I did however add another, you can just make out the loose hair by my ear. The other one is behind my left ear right at the nape of my neck.

UMPTEENTH SELF RETIGHT

Hey guys, I thought sod it all am going blond again and I don't really care about the repercussions!!!!!

Naaaaw only joking, I stood under the lampshade with a energy saving light bulb and it made my hair look blond!!! Pretty cool don't you think???

See proof that I was merely kidding....BTW excuse the white blob on my cheek....wasn't planning on taking pic that would end up on my blog....

Here is the back and if you notice near my left ear the is a little 'sparse thing' going on. Well its been there for well over a year now and I have just gone back to my Chinese Herbal Doctor who has given me another bottle of a hair tonic to combat it. He did tell me off for not coming to him the moment I notice the hair was gone.

You see about two years ago the same thing happened on near the right hand side and I used the tonic and before I knew it the hair had grown back. In fact the only reason I was back seeing him is because I have some skin issues and I just happened to mention the bald patch. So anyway, I will keep you guys posted on the progress of my hair regrowth!!!!

MY FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

Well would you believe it....1 whole year has passed by since I had my locks installed! It was a year this last Saturday gone!! I still remember the morning vividly, how i could barely sleep and looking forward mostly to someone else sorting my hair out and generally enjoying the process.

Last week i was reading Kitty's blog and she mentioned that she just uses conditioner in her hair once a week and then on a monthly bases she shampoos. So i thought I'd give that a go...after all my locks are a year old and can with stand the softness without unraveling my locks. I had a little giggle to myself as i marveled at the perfect timing to the day to be precise!

Well it was a little strange when i applied the conditioner in the shower but i just imagined i had just shampooed and now i was about to condition. The result was excellent...for once my hair was very soft and it appeared to gain instant length..(though i believe it the weight of the water and the conditioner combined) not such a bad thing in the grand scheme of things.

In the weeks leading up to this anniversary, I tried to sum up my feelings and the things i have noticed about my locks thus far.

1 Obviously gained length
2 Gained body
3 Still lots of curly Q ends (I like)
4 On closer inspection, some locks on my temple have mature
5 Am not fussing so much, just letting them do what they are supposed to do to lock
6 I like that sometimes when I feel them, I am genuinely surprised at the length.
7 Discovered henna works for me so, I can safely say I am chemically free. (Yay me!!)
8 When I used the conditioner, I didn't have to oil my scalp.
9 When I shampoo, I have to oil my scalp once immediately afterwards
10 I love my locks and the freedom it brings
11 I love that I maintain my locks myself
12 I love that I get compliments about my hair from both sexes
13 My hair styles and options change as I gain length
15 I thank God I had the Big Chop with my traditional locks
16 I glad that I practically shaved all my hair off to start from the very beginning
17 I add a couple of drops of Glycerin to my spritz water, which maintains softness
18 I keep my routine very simple
19 I still braid and band about 7 locks at the back due to unravelling
20 I wear a shower cap everytime I shower to combat colour on front edges fading too quickly

BRILLIANT WEEKEND!!!!

First of all there was the ladies night out on Friday night, then there was the unofficial 'Burn Fire' night at a friends on Saturday night. (which was really an excuse to have a little 'get together' and burn off old damaged wooden furniture and have a general tidy up).
Then the fun began when we lit around 20 magic lanterns and

released them into the night sky......they looked so pretty.......BUT the best bit of the weekend was Sunday afternoon........

when I was taken for a spin in this little baby...The British made Lotus! You guys should have seen my locks fly.

When I got home my son thought I looked like a mad scientist....

11 MONTHS LOCKED TODAY PEEPS!

The first 2 pictures where taken this morning just before leaving for work. Today folks marks exactly 11 months since my hair was locked by Marie of Cammalocks.

The next 2 pics where taken a few days ago when I spent the long bank holiday weekend with a good friend in Exeter.

And finally the last shot was taken about 7 days ago.

I don't tend to style my hair in the way most people do....if am honest I just like plain ol' Free styling with the exception of Alice bands and hair bands. I dare say when my hair grows long enough, there will be the odd pony tail here and there.

I can hardly believe that just next month I'll be celebrating my First Year Anniversary!!

I HAVE A KNOT THAT WONT SHIFT!!!!

Somebody help me pleeeeeeaaaase. I stupidly put a loose knot at the end of this lock, (so i could identify the lock quickly on my return), got up attended to something else and sat back down and instead of patiently removing the knot i started pulling at it till the damn thing got tighter and wound up at the base of my lock!!

Any idea of how to remove it, i have tried wetting it to loosen the knot i have tried using a tiny crotchet needle, i have tried those fine tooth combs you get with the metal handle, i have tried enlisting the help of my daughter, nothing, nothing, nothing.

Desperately seeking assistance. I am due to re tighten this weekend.

MY HAIR TEXTURE @ 10MONTHS

Just thought I'd document the texture of my hair at this stage just before the first year anniversary.

I know loads of sistahs out there are fretting because their ends haven't completely sealed yet...the thing is, i must be the only one who likes it like that and hopes they never seal entirely. I like the Curly Q thing going on.

Am I the only one?????

10 MONTHS TO THE DAY!

MONTH 1 MONTH 10

MONTH 10 MONTH 1

THE ART OF A WEST AFRICAN HEAD TIE

In the picture above I simply removed the head tie to take a closer look.

This is the view from the back of the head tie.

This shot is the front view.
The follow pictures are of a different design. The above pictures are from the head tie I wore.



This is my daughter in the completed head tie.

First of all you take the stiff but pliable fabric and fold almost in half.

Starting at the front to the back.......

do a cross over and return to the front....

and then cross over at the front to ........

finally secure at the back ........

with a knot, then

work the fabric into a shape that takes your fancy...

for example work into a flower petal...

Then tuck in any loose ends.....

Here you have the finished article

daughter and mother.

NOTE
Typically head ties are worn to complete the look to an African attire, not the worn with western closes like the pictures depict above. lol

MY 1ST MEETING WITH OFO

The lovely Ofo
Ofo, Lady E & myself

Ofo and her daughters doing a traditional Ghanaian dance

Ofo's daughter leads the African attire fashion parade

My daughter getting her nails done with her little friend looking on

Ofo, myself her daughter and Lady E

And the rear view of our different locks types, (had to squat down a little so our heads are level...lol)

My son and daughter.

I met up with the lovely Ofo on Saturday for the first time, when she kindly invited me to a fundraising event organised by some of the congregation at her church. It was held on a beautiful 17 acres of conifer woodland called 'Spring Meadow Farm'

It was such a lovely day with lots of African food, dance, Auctions and lots of laughs naturally. There were also lots of ladies and young men sporting natural hair styles.

All in all a fun day out. Isn't that right Ofo?