ReTi, 2 years and 7 months

Original Post written Wednesday 29 December 2011.

Consultant Reti Day was yesterday, my head still sore, nobodies fault, just my issue.  Loving this stage, even though it took 3 hours to reti me, I knew there was a LOT of regrowth, especially as I do not reti  'tight' when I DIY.

A drastic mistake ...

.... had to wash my locs on Tuesday in time for reti first thing Wednesday, BUT I had a few friends around and we stayed up until 3am, hair washed ok, but I still had conditioner in it, and could not face washing it out! (slaps head) so I went to bed, with a view to washing it out in the morning.
WELL, my locks were DRY, I had to shampoo the conditioner out, no time to check the head,  I rushed off for my 10am appointment.

Reti style looked lovely, but underneath I had horrid evidence of left in conditioner, where I had not over rinsed, SIGH! I was not gonna wash my whole head again. so gathered the top clear portion in a bun, and mixed my concoction of shampoo and bicarbonate, THEN added vinegar. It frothed up and I applied it direct. I rinsed it out over the bath section by section, not a smple task but do-able. It worked!

 




















Today 4/1/12.

I washed my locs last night, using I Love Juicy. As Antiphilitron is no longer available from LUSH, I am in need of a clarifier that I notice deep cleans AND leaves the locs fluffy and full. As these products are drying I have decided to first wash with clarifiers and second n third wash with a

hydrating/moisturising shampoo. I am rubbish at rinsing, so have decided to avoid conditioners for a while, or at least take Ofo's advise and water them down before applying!
I will try to add Bicarb soda to I Love Juicy to see if it is as effective as the Anti Phil on removing build up. I have posted previously recommending ILJ as a great loc shampoo because it leaves them looking lovely! So lovely that I have not been able to keep my hands out of my head!
I want to alternate Deep Cleanse Clarifying to every other wash, but I do it more consistently if I choose to use a conditioner.
Also, I need another type of head wrap to sleep in, my locs are getting long, I have had to put them up in a bun for baths and shower, and even a couple of times to go to sleep.

30 Months, Sisterlocks, My Way ... (Build Up Removal and Conditioning)

Me again!

I don't really consider myself as a product junkie,  just a woman who loves water and has a passion for great skin and hair care. For too many years I struggled using soap based products as I consistently had bad reactions.  Today greater choice exists, so now I have a lot of options.  I go the extra mile and buy quality products as I found that they consistently did/do not create or accelerate any allergic reaction. The best generally means sulphate, paraben and other crap, free.

The last 30 months have been the best in my Hairstory. Never a bad hair day, and even so, I would remedy the problem by simply shampooing! No drama!

I have said it many times, I love these locks, and they are worth all I put into them, they are a part of me. I have thought about coloring them, especially in the beginning. But I feel that bleaching them would only weaken them, and I dont want to do that. My locks are not very thick, my hair naturally is fine. Having 4 children was a contributing factor also. So I am concerned about drying them out too much while my routine still requires effort  and fine tuning during the colder months here in the UK.

My quest has fundamentally been to find a great moisturising shampoo, not necessarily a conditioner now, as I found that most do build up in my loc type. I have found a recipe though that helps to REALLY cleanse and remove build up. However I found out today that the main ingredient that works so well for me is no longer available, Antiphilitron by LUSH.

Build up.

Recipe;

1 dessertspoon Antiphilitron

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 

1 bottle of Cider Vinegar (ACV) prepped in a 100ml bottle

(this mix may work with any clarifying shampoo, the next similar brand in make up is I Love Juicy by LUSH.)

Method.

1. Mix ingredients in a plastic cup/beaker. Apply to wet hair focusing on problem area's. apply liberally and rinse thoroughly.

2. Liberally squirt ACV (undiluted) over wet hair squeezing through the locks. Leave in for a few minutes.

3. I used a squirt of Hydrating Shampoo, rinsed and then applied a liberal amount of Moisture Maniac (TIGI). I left this in for 30 minutes or maybe less. Rinsed well.

This REALLY worked well, as I had used Hair One, and this left spots of white all over my locks! It is difficult to get a good shot of build up. trust me though, I was not happy, it did not look good.

After Clarifying.

This recipe is a major winner for me. An added advantage is the condition my locks are in once I have clarified, they are fuller, kind of puffy and healthy shiny.They feel amazing! Really happy with the results. Think I might do this one each month. But will need to  experiment with I Love Juicy and Bicarb, as once Antiphilitron is done, its done!

Shampoo: Product Shop 'til I Drop!!!!

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies!!! OH and any Brother lockers out there.

Have I got some products in store for you!!!

WHY you ask? ... AGAIN you say? Well ...

1. I LOVE washing my Locs, often, although they are getting longer and harder to handle,  (small hands) and are needing a longer time to dry.

2. On the product hunt again because I live in a HARD water area and a cold unfriendly climate with weather extremes. Going through a dry patch right now!

I have been really busy generally in life, and literally disciplined myself off to work in the last few days before term ended, by discipline I mean I denied myself a snooze alarm and late nights too far past 10pm, and literally catapulted out of bed every morning. But I made it!

I am back!  Some ME and Blogging time ...

Well I was too busy to blog but not too busy to buy!!! My locks have been dry and a bad product choice has replaced the build up I previously got rid of! Simply put, DO NOT USE HAIR ONE or any similar product on ones Sisterlocks. It is a JOKE to remove!!  Yes, it could be my poor rinsing technique, but I don't have 3 hours to rinse my head, full stop! I have prepared the next blog on build up removal to follow, to explain more about this. ...

So here we go, why the product choices?  I have found a very willing and able shopping buddy and bag carrier who has  reintroduced me to the world of shopping! My buddy also holds a major discount card and shares my addiction to silky smooth skin, lovely smells and georgeous scents. And believe me, HAVE I found some!

ORIGINS. (Attention OFO! ;)) £12.00 250ml.

I bought No Deposit, by the above and not liking that much, So the men indoors use it! ( And I am glad too, cos it keeps their hands OFF my current love, Head Organics Hydrating Shampoo).
However, I do love Ginger Up by ORIGINS, no really! Ginger up has the most delicious scent that I rinsed my hair just for the sake of it! OFO! SMELLS LOVELY like ginger candy, not overpowering
as I thought it would be! Approximately £12.

KIEHLS,  Amino Acid Shampoo. £17.50 250 ml

Expensive, but I like it! Coconut oil and Amino acids  are the main ingredient, another natural product but cost £17.50 a 250ml bottle.


HEAD ORGANICS,  Hydrating Shampoo. (TKMaxx. £9.99 33.8oz) 1000ml.

This product is additive free, I don't know what it is that gives it the edge, but it is a really great shampoo, my locks thrive on it ... If I can recall, Ofo likes it too, from what I can remember. Come to think of it, my sons also had a positive comment about it. Not that I gave them permission to use my stuff! So I took to hiding it because plainly speaking, I ain't sharing a shampoo that is this hard to find! CHA!


MILLER HARRIS, Citron Citron. £24.00.

Top of the range shampoo, mainly sourced to top hotels around the world, hence the price tag! I discovered it accidently on Salon Skincare website. No review yet ... just HAD to find out if it was truly worth it .... like me! ;)

GREAT PRODUCTS! ...  JUST NOT FOR LOCKS!
Tigi BedHead Let it Be,  leave in conditioner.  Cherry Almond, 

PERFECT FOR LOOSE NATURAL HEADS!!!

An AWESOME almond cherry scent, and a very efficient leave in moisturiser, exceptional on natural hair, I have had a lot of experience using it on my middle son, as he has decided to grow his hair long, and Miss S, a very close friend, who is on the road to her natural self.  She loves it! creates great curl definition.
However, builds up in locks! not nice, might be the Shea Butter aspect of it! great natural ingredients.


Hair One,  Conditioning Cleanser.

Again a great product for natural hair, but builds up very easily in locks. Lockers beware! Heavy on the Silicone too.
The winning product so far, with a 10/10, is definately Head Organics, for quality, efficency and great value for money, that is, if you can find a bottle ...
Build up Blog report coming up next ...

Nai, Deep Cleansing and ACV rinses.

Hair! November 2011

No Hair! April 2007

Hello everyone, 

I finally managed to trawl through the hundreds (yes hundreds!) of emails from the Lockitup Group on Yahoo, that I managed to amass over the last few months.

One topic of interest was a recipe for deep cleaning locks, involving ACV and Baking Soda. Ingredients below. 

Baking Soda Deep Clean ingredients:
(note: these ingredients have been tweaked to balance the ph levels when combining ACV and Baking Soda)
Large bowl of warm water
1/4 cup of baking soda
2tsp of lemon juice
1tsp of sea salt
3/4 cup of acv
Stir until all is well dissolved

The 'how to' video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/chescalocs#p/u/15/ns3VXi-VsmE 

I tried it last Friday, however it was a bad plan as I had a very busy weekend ahead ... I soaked my head a bit too briefly I think, I should have left it on longer, then shampoo'd out. From what I remember  the result was ok, I just was not that focused on the task. 

However, last night, I noticed a bit of build up on the locks at the very nape of my neck,  I got me some ACV (or Cider Vinegar here in the UK) and soaked the offenders neat in the ACV, no dilution. Later on I saw that some still remained, so made up my mind to try again the next morning. 

And so I did, this time spraying the ACV directly on the locks and letting soak for about 45 minutes.

Last night I also took out my Antiphilitron by LUSH, a lemon based clarifier that is said to remove Silicone, oils etc, when I think about it now, going straight for this bottle would have been a better, less fussy, option. It IS very very good!

The result of the ACV rinse is good, very good, shiny clean loc's, yes shiny, there is a fullness too. 

I washed my locks out with BIG, the best shampoo choice in this instance. Altogether, great results, completed with Moisture Maniac. There is still a small element of build up still left there, my guess is that as those locks were not long enough for me to see before, but I will definately simply soak (spray) them in Cider Vinegar and then wash it out with BIG, then double moisturise. 

The pics above came about because I was trailing through images and that 2007 pic got my attention, in  4.5 years What a change! When I say I l LOVE my locks, I do so with humility, I am humbly and quietly grateful for the technique that has been developed and has proven to be perfect for me. You can see for yourself how bad my straightened hair was. And now ... This ...

Reflection, Autumn Routines and Staple Products.

Musing


Having locks is an absolute JOY! All my people notice and love the thicker, healthier, fuller body. 
Most of all pampering myself by caring for them is a hobbie in itself.
Its not just locks/hair products that I PJ on, I have a skin care addiction too! 
I love variety, therefore I have a lot to choose from, I think hard about what my locks need at that moment on that day. 
I had a long chilled out hair cleansing this afternoon and chose to use Head Organics Hydrating Shampoo, Moisture Maniac and Let It Be cherry and Almond leave in conditioner. Mmm.  
As they are fully shoulder length and beyond, hair drying time now takes hours, I washed them at around 2-3pm they have just dried at 8.50 pm. I once used a hair drier but didnt like the results.
Last Saturday I went for a floatation treatment, A pod of epsom salt saturated water that allows a person to float, it was cool. I wondered what the effect would be on my hair, although I know that salt is used to help form locks. I had the choice of a hair drier or weather, and I chose weather. So I walked around Romford  with damp locks that dried leaving my locks feeling and smelling lovely.
Now thats what I call FREEDOM!


A List of my MUST have/use this Autumn ...


Head Organics does not seem to be available any longer, now thats a big shame because although I have a GIANT bottle, which could last me a looong time, I might like it! 


BIG is a GREAT Clarifier, I will love it forEVER! My locks feel so soft and CLEAN!


1. Moisture Maniac and Let it be cherry almond leave in conditioners.
2. Coconut oil. 
3. Rosewater and Glycerin.
4. Awapuhi Moisture Mist (Paul Mitchell) becoming rare, took me a week to get!


May need to include apple cider viniger rinses ...


Saturday Morning ReTi - Liz

Yes, this blog took 2 evenings to write. I woke up early and hit the road to have my ReTi, Liz's turn ... 
 ... this time was very interesting as the last ReTi I did, I managed to combine 6 locks  ... KMT!!  I forgot to tell you!  


In fact I combined more, but managed to undo a couple. The worst I have ever done. I was blessed to have Celeste who meticulously managed to undo each one of them for me, thank the LORD!  Liz was about to pull out the dreaded SCISSORS!


Sometimes I wonder if I should just go to Lizzies EVERY month cos this is getting silly! LOL!
On the matter of combining locks ... Cand had to join 2 very fine locks as they were no longer sustainable as they were ... 


: /

12 Oct 2010 





   
                                                           29 Oct 2011   






Half term is over, no more time on my hands, thank you to all of those who leave comments, your contributions and following is and are appreciated. Will try and keep up the blogging ... 
Nai... NJoi ... x

Sister 'dry' Locks 2, A Review of Efficient Products.

This blog is especially for Ofo! Your wish is my command! ;)

Hello all, if you have read my previous hairscapades, you will be aware of my dry lock spell,  well , I had to go on  PJ moisture/conditioner hunt ... it was BAD!!

These are my new finds. No they don't come cheap, but neither did my locks! 

Well I had mad hair days last Thursday and Friday. I did my co- wash, however, that Saturday pm, my hair still lacked that special something, I was impulsively drawn to the product shelves in TKMaxx, a MAJOR first for me. 

On display was a serious selection of salon styled products, on reduction, I picked up this shampoo because it is labelled hydrating and is free from EVERYTHING! £9.99! (half price I think). It does the job.

TIGI Bed Head Moisture Maniac

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Acetamide MEA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Cetrimonium Bromide, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Pentaerythrity.

This little gem above is my BABY! So aptly named. This little bottle of magic SORTED IT OUT! Yes I mean it deserves the name and lives up to its brand. One major problem? I think it is now discontinued. TKmaxx!! buy Buy BUY!!!! QUICK! again ... sulfate and silicone free. the best! Cost £5.99, 60% off retail price. More expensive on Amazon.

water, cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, amodimethicone, glycerine, aloe leaf juice, butylene glycol and anthemis nobilis flower extract, cofea arabica extract and vaccinium myrtillus fruit extract, roas roxburghii fruit extract, propylene glycol and rosemary leaf extract, olive fruit oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, menthol, panthenol, behentrimonium methosulfate, BHT, Polysorbate 60, PEG 60 almond dimethylamine, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, citric acid, disodium EDTA, 1, 2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol, phenoxyethanol, sorbic acid, fragrance

I came across this little lovely when I was trying to find out about WEN by Chas Dean. 

Hair One is a Conditioning Cleanser, a generic brand ...? A similar chemical make up, at a fraction of the price, with no subscription necessary.

I viewed many a YouTube review. Impulsed again, I 'amazoned' me a bottle ( I'm a prime customer with no postage costs) I first tested it on my Sister in the Lord, on her BEAUTIFUL natural head of hair, great results! No oils or extra moisturising necessary, even the next day after she loosened her china bumps, She said her hair was in good condition and not in need of her usual regime.

Same night I tried and tested for myself. It does not lather, at all. In fact most sulfate free's do not lather.

I pumped a lot in, its hard getting used to, applied it twice. Then only slightly rinsed out the second application as it is recommended to use as a leave in conditioner. I find 'leave ins' a little awkward because I can never quite get it 'in' and I don't like the whitish residue look after a wash.

RESULT? 

I like, very much, it takes a bit of getting used to, but, I have body and softness which I desire in a Shampoo/Conditioner . 

I located an online stockist, that have successfully delivered the items next day at the hefty price of £6.50 or thereabouts. Its a good thing I ordered more than one item, as that extortionate price was the only 'option' available! 

Beware though, I have read some poor reviews on this online store,  call first, I did, to ensure stock availability. JinnysMall £5.50 Amazon £8.49 

Oh about 'Leave Ins" - another TIGI brand Love Peace Planet, Let it Be Cherry Almond,

Ingredients

Shea Butter - excellent moisturizing and conditioning benefits, rich with natural fatty acids and other nutrients
Sweet Almond Oil - strong emollient with natural fatty acids which adds moisture for soft, supple hair and a conditioned scalp
Wheat & Rice Amino Acids - penetrate hair to help to increase moisture retention, strengthens and promotes a glossy finish
Hibiscus - anti-inflammatory, astringent and anti free radical properties work to restore hair's natural barrier
Chamomile - soothing aromatherapy fragrance, offers anti-irritant benefits for a healthy scalp

the scent doesn't last long but it goes IN and again crap free (LOL) you understand? :) It does THE Job. Will review in more detail soon, tired!! LOL!

OFO! I likes it, but I need to practice more on application :))))

Distilled water, seaweed complex, herbal complex, natural oils, herbal extract complex, preservatives, fragrance

Hmmm somewhat VAGUE! hmmm ... 

I picked this up a few months ago and disliked the scent initially and the consistency and how it felt when applied, however, when the seasons changed, so does my maintenace requirements and while in summer less means more, in Autumn / Winter less equals DRY so MORE is needed!!! 

Sister 'dry' Locks!

I have a problem. In fact, I am just not happy! A week ago I purchased Sisterlocks products for the first

time. Yay ... I thought!

Frown. 

Unfortunately, I have found that, personally, they do not live up to my expectations, especially in respect of the information we have regarding maintenance of SisterLocks.

In fact I am speechless at the results. 

I was excited at the prospect of using them, then I read the ingredients.  Eyebrows raised I forged ahead.

The result was just plain bad.

SisterLocks Shampoo.

1. I wash my hair whenever I want to. 

2. The weather has changed slightly and the temperature has dropped, yet our terrible cold misery weather has not yet set in. And I live in a hard water area. I admit that my moisturising/conditioning has levelled off to once or twice a week. At least during this summer.

I washed my hair for the first time last week Sunday, using the shampoo and the moisture treatment to follow, I noticed a strange difference, but ignored it.  I washed it again near the end of the week and the next day I had a head full of straw, in fact, straw is too generous a description. It didn't just feel dry it looked  awful. I was at work when I felt my head itch more than the norm, then I felt it. I actually can not describe how horrid it felt. 

I ran home, wracking my brain for what I could use to restore my previously lush locks. I decided to pull out the big guns (Nexus Humectress Moisturising Conditioner and American Cream Condish by Lush.) I showered, wet my head and pumped and saturated my head with them.

I rinsed, saturated again, then put on a shower cap and sat with it on for a minimum of 2 hours! KMT!!

During this weekend ...

For the last 48 hours I melted at least 4 ounces of Pure Coconut Oil and applied it from root to tip, especially the ends! I think/hope my locks are finally on route to restoration. .. but I dislike the smell  and I want to wash that out! KMT!

Desperately back on the moisture hunt again, I am a member of Lock It Up and have a backlog of unread emails, the most recent I have caught up on refer to WEN hair products by Chas Dean. I liked the sound of it but was not prepared to pay over the odds. So I checked out Amazon and discovered a 'generic' brand/ version called Hair One, for a fraction of the price. 

Conditioner.

On Saturday I came across TIGI Bedhead Moisture Maniac. I grabbed a bottle, but resisted the temptation to wash my locks again ... 

I waited ... until today, I also bought a bottle of shampoo by Head Organics (formerly unheared of) a sulfate free Hydrating Shampoo (giant bottle for 9.99). 

Head Organics is good, and great value for money.

Tigi Bed Head Moist Maniac? AMAZING!!!

Locks were still dying for moisture so went for it. OMG the IMMEDIATE SLIP, so I thought let me check what type of silicone it was full of ... only to find that it is actually SILICONE FREE!

Moisture Maniac!!!! THANK YOU!!

2yrs 5 months, Mature Sisterlocks?

This Locked Life.


Hey Lock Lovers everywhere,
Summer has officially ended here in the UK, and another year is almost over.

My locs are progressing nicely. I love locs mainly because they do their own thing and do not need me to be obssesive about weather conditions. 

Yesterday on my way home ... I got caught in a shower of rain, the bigfatgetwetfast type of rain! No exaggeration! I could feel the cold drops of water saturate my locks to the scalp ... and it didn't bother me! ... I got home, my locs dried quickly without my help ... no fuss no problem.  DREAM hair!

My styling choice of late has been regular braidouts.  The only thing is I have to braid every night, I use Paul Mitchell Awapuhi moisture mist to dampen the hair.

I am not sure when locs move from teenage to mature stage, I have noticed recently though, that some of my ends are loose, the buds have gone. So I have a few curly ends. Not a problem for me though, I liked them from the early days.

The weather change in the last week has left my locs a little dry, So, I contacted GEORGE!!
That was for Ofo's sake ( ; o ) ) YES Ofo ... Sisterlocks Products ... here I comeeee! 

George is the only UK SisterLocks Products Distributor that I KNOW of. He is friendly and very knowledgeable about Sisterlocks, and provides an excellent service, with one day delivery where possible. Give him a try! His number is 07886488035.

Images: SisterLocks DIY, Reti and Wash 28 months

Comparisons: Months 15 and 27

Back on the grind in less than 48 hours. ( 30 august 2011) 

Today was school uniform day ... prep for the new school year.

I have one more full last day of this holiday left. I have loved it, every last day I spent with my babies, the weddings and fun and laughter we shared together.  This break was good ... no this break was great! Thank you Lord!

SIGH ...

Today was my turn ( this weekend) to do my own ReTi ... But these are my last few days and  I want to spend them relaxing so I managed to get an appointment with Liz and the young ladies. ;)

A week Later ... post still in draft section of blogger ... LOL!

I had started but was unable to finish, life is busy and finding the time to post is not easy. I have actually spent this summer in the garden, which has been fantastic.

This stage (27 months) Teenage?  Mature? I am not really sure but they get better every day, thicker healthier and longer, a little more complicated to take care of. 

Longer Locs, larger responsibility.

My washing regime is inconsistent. I let my locs dictate the need. Yesterday I washed them because they had a 'scent' I was unfamiliar with. I condition ... whenever! One day I will use a little coconut oil while still damp, another day I will wait until the following day. I have no set system and my product use vary depending on my mood. 

Yesterday I got out a vintage bottle of Olive Glossing Shampoo from Body Shop ( discontinued) I have 2 big bottles. I love the scent and feel. Oh well  .... by the time I use it all up maybe they will bring it back as a retro product ... who knows!!

I do plan, however, to try out the original sisterlocks products asap. Now that they are in easy reach of my post (zip) code 

2 years and 3 months. Found comparison pics ( 1 year 3 months) coincidentally, a year to the day. 

30 August 2011

30 August 2010

August 2010

30 August 2010