LOC DIARY ....FREEFORM FREEDOM

This Blog Has Moved

2009-04-05T18:56:00.002+01:00

YES, we have moved to a new blog @

http://realirising.blogspot.com

Holistic health, natural hair care and more!

Brunsli's Hair Ties!

2006-08-29T12:09:00.000+01:00

Brunsli's Hair Ties!

4 YEARS, 6 MONTHS + PICTURES!

2006-02-19T17:48:00.000Z

Wow.... been a while since I've posted up on the locs.

Hmmmm, not much to say. The routine:

MY LOC ROUTINE

I don't use conditioners now - I like to wash my locs regualrly and when the time feels right... usually 1-2 times a week.

For the moment, I have stopped using oils too.

~~~~~~~~~~~
I wash with:

~ African Balck Soap alone

Or

~ A mix: African bback soap, water, sandlewood/lemongrass eo's, aloe vera, baking soda, honey - in a mini bottle.

I don't measure, I just add what I feel is needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

My usual spritz:

Aloe vera, rosemary eo, water, lemongrass eo

~~~~~~~~~~~

I brush my locs about 2 times a day (night and morning).

~~~~~~~~~~~

The only time I use olive oil is in the honey spritz:

1.5 cups of water
2 table spoons of olive oil
4 table spoons of honey

I use this to add some shine or when I want to hold a style. Keeps my ponytails up nicely.

~~~~~~~~~~~

To sleep: I feel like I should cover up but now I just use a silk/satin pillow case.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I let the roots do their own thing, but occasionally I will check to see if any are joining and seperate.

If I want to have a more mainicured look, I'll sleep in a satin scarf.

Not much for styling - usually a ponytail will do.

Covering my locs again now.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Daily supplements:
MSM tablet, 1-2 day
Flaxseed, not always
All in one vitamin/mineral tablet

@-->->>>-----

I haven't really being paying much attention to them, just letting them grow and do their thing. I'm happy to have made it this far and I'm glad I never cut them.

I've just been getting on with other stuff, trying to expand my work and stuff....

Still working on styling, been so lazy on that! I'm back under-wraps most days so I've been out shopping for materials, tams and hats as the old ones are so small now lol!

Mid-back length now and growing like crazy!

Pictures:

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1661/locs10ih.jpg

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/7646/locs23xr.jpg

I'll keep you updated!

peace, life 'n progress.

LOC PICS....

2005-09-07T19:00:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!
Thanks for the comments!

I have kinda decided that for now I'll be putting my loc pics on hold until a few months or even the year 5 mark....

I'll see how it goes. At this moment in time, its pretty much the same - I'm still being style-less with it - just a bit longer now, thats probably all the difference.

I'll be back soon.

4 YEARS AND 1 MONTH

2005-09-04T19:05:00.000+01:00

Wow, I forgot to mention that...I passed my 4 year mark and my locs are nearly half way down my back.

Summer was amazing, the heat really seemed to make my hair grow like crazy! I must have clocked up atleast 3 inches...but I'm not going to count. I just can't wait until this time next year.... that will be the pass of my first real goal - making it to year 5 and looking over the years.

Still doing the simple routine - black soap, aloe vera and a good rosemary eo spritz. Done.

MY LOOSE HAIR FAVOURITES....

2005-05-01T13:57:00.000+01:00

BACK TO BLACK....

2005-04-10T20:02:00.000+01:00

I love colour, but after my phases of browns and sunlight colourings, I've gone back to having jet black locs....

AND the colour, or lack of colour, looked dazzling and healthy!
I wasn't expecting it.
There is something about black locs that looks so healthy, alive and vibrant.

I'm really liking it this way.

HERBS FOR HAIR....

2005-02-24T11:54:00.000Z

LINK 1

LINK 2

PROLONGED RINSING.... LEMONGRASS EO.....

2005-02-15T15:03:00.000Z

15 minutes of rinsing.... under the shower, squeezing my locs every minute or so.

Following a thread I read on a forum, I knew that the time I usually spend rinsing is not even close to as long as it should be.

I've been doing more rinses now ....
My love for lemongrass essential oil grows all the time...
It just picks me up as soon as I use my rinsing recipe:

1 part honey
2 parts water
Mixed well
a teeny drop of olive oil
4-6 drops of lemongrass essential oil mixed in well.

Massaged into wet locs and left for 5 mins....then rinsed for 15 mins....
The smell is so citrusy and vibrant. The steam just picks the lemongrass and clouds the batrhroom with a strong lemon smell. Mmmmmmm.

My locs now smell so fresh!

Great to use for times when you need a lift, like morning rinses or when you are feeling a little down.
I replace the lemongrass with sandlewood essential oil for night rinses, a very relaxing and spiritual enhancing oil.

If you buy any aromatherapy book, you will see that there are notes next to all the oils - high note essential oils are uplifting, base notes are relaxing oils to use.

My favourite this month -Definately Lemongrass eo.

BLOOGED! Rastafari Poems

2005-02-03T10:05:00.000Z

Rastafari Poems

MY LATCHED PARTS...

2005-02-02T15:39:00.000Z

Just did another washing session, I missed the fuzz -- As my locs dry, the hairs around my scalp and locs tend to get really straight again. So I love just getting the locs wet and rinsing to bring back the coils.

It was the same with my loose naps --every time I brushed them when they were dry, they would be frizzy straight, like wiry straight. Its only when my hair is wet that they return to being really curly and lovely.

Anyways, back on topic --I was rinsing my locs today and looking through them. It seems that the latched parts of my locs look more shiny in appearrance from the rest of the freeform parts --probably due to the stretched affect it has on my hair texture, causing it to look really straight, bouncing off the light.

So I have a head full of shiny and matted parts lol!

I did like latching, but I think with thicker locs, the pattern shows more. If I had thinner locs, maybe it wouldn't have been so obvious and my locs will come together instead of branching into 2 entwined branches.

A CHANGING ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE LOCING PROCESS...

2005-01-30T15:37:00.000Z

After all the fuss and TLC from OYIN: and getting those cute curls, I went to bed last night and had a mad dream....

For some reason, my locs were really really long ... like butt length and I decided that it was time for a change. So I cut my locs from about 2-3 inches from the scalp and picked out the remaining of the locs... and had this amazing afro....

Which I let grow for about a year ...

Doing all the wash and go's mainly and having fun with a different style....

And then Christmas came, and I decided to get my hair braided up.... And I re-attached all my locs. Back to normal and and growing my locs again.

Its a funny thing that I had this dream as recently I have re-attaching and doing some minor loc surgery with a few that fell off at the back ... The black yarn really came in handy and it doesn't show at all.... I just kept wrapping the yarn through both locs and around until it looked like one again.

Who knows.... Maybe one day when my locs are much longer, I'll give that experiment a go for real and see how it all turns out.

I might have mentioned before that when I did have loose napps for all those years, I did not have the wealth of info that exists today -- My whole mindset on natural hair was terrible. If I knew then, what I now know -- I KNOW I would have had much more fun.

At the same time, my attitude towards locs has changed over the process too -- from only wanting and accepting manicured locs to falling into freeforming and rebelling from what neat locs are suppossed to look like.

And now I'm slowly seeing that my attitude is changing from loced for life to for whatever feels right. There is no need to feel that locs are permanent.

Hair grows, thats all it does -- and for the rest of my life it will do, in whatever style I want, I shouldn't tell my Self that having short hair is a bad thing or that cutting my locs would be a failed thing.... All those old mind conditioning is not healthy while I have my locs. Infact, its time to move away from all that and choose real freedom to enjoy what nappiness is all about.

Having locs should not be seen as a no going back process. If it feels right to just chop them off, do so and start again when you have had your fun with your loose naps. But I feel that whatever choice we make, make sure it is what we really want and willing to take the good/bad of it. Really thinking it through before doing it.

Saying that, I don't feel ready to cut mine off -- It might be a long wait or never, but I know that if I want to go back to having loose naps, then thats fine too.

After that dream and all the loc surgery I have been performing over the years, anything is possible.

At the 5 year mark, I'll observe my feeling towards my locs.
As for now, I love them way too much.

Just my feelings and thoughts.

PLOPPING....

2005-01-30T13:25:00.000Z

It sounds like some new exercise trend. 'Plopping' refers to a method of helping to create curl structure prior to diffusing or air drying that has become a favorite among NaturallyCurly.com members.

As described by a member, after one washes and conditions the hair, you apply product to wet hair and get ready to 'plop.' Put a t-shirt or aquis towel down on a chair - some use the toilet with seat down. Leaning over the towel/t-shirt with your head hanging down bent over from your waist, position the wet hair onto towel so the curls are all concentrated on top of the head. Then pull the towel taut against the top and sides of the head, grabbing the 2 sides and twisting them into long sausage rolls near each ear. Take these rolled up towel extensions and pull them to the nape of the neck and secure them by tying them together.

Says one reader, 'Then I put go about my morning routine — makeup, coffee, etc. The towel helps to absorb excess water while letting the curls 'set' into clumps. When you take the towel off, gently shake down the curls and diffuse 's' shaped, individual curly locks, with some volume at the roots.

If you want extra control, another member suggests spritzing on on some spray gel or scrunch in a bit more gel after you take the towel off.

Taken from this link

...This sounds like a good method for drying locs too.

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT T?....

2005-01-30T13:02:00.000Z

A WHOLE LIST OF ONLINE SHOPS WITH NAPPY TEES

Taken from Afronappy's website:
http://www.napturalglory.com/index.html

I GAVE MY PLANTS THE OYIN: FULL WORKS!

2005-01-29T13:27:00.000Z

Today, my pack came. So quickly!

Pleasantly surprised to find the postman knocking at my door when I was expecting the plumber to come and fix my busted radiator.

And perfect timing too - today I felt that my locs needed a little TLC so I had all my stuff ready to treat them after all my work for the day was over....

So I gave my babies the OYIN: works - she even included a little pack of the Poo bar and the stick to go along with my gift pack :-)

The Shampoo bar was very lovely scented, glided right on my locs...and unlike other natural soaps, I didn't feel afraid to just rub the soap into my locs/scalp as there are no little bits in it, just pure smoothness. A gentle clean and doesn't leave that stripped feeling, just softness.

The conditioner --- This stuff smelled SO YUMMY! I mean, as soon as I put a little on my plants, they just ate it all up lol! It felt thin to the touch, but bursting with moisture and fragrance. Very refreshing. I massaged the conditioner into my locs, left them on for a few minutes and hesitated to rinse ... it was too good to let go!

The wonderful thing about freeforming is that there is plenty of loose hairs around the scalp area that gives me the added pleasure of touching my loose fuzzy naps ... And it is usually the first thing I notice after I use any product. If my loose curls are feeling good and healthy, then I know my locs are loving them too.

My loose naps were flying with textured moistured curls after the wash! A sure sign that I have found a few products that are good for me!

Next, I lightly squeeze my locs with a towel and add a pea size amount of the shine and define on. A little of this stuff really goes a long way!

The stage I'm at right now ----
I'm sitting at this computer with damp locs and little curls at my scalp, they feel so cute! I'm guessing that all the moisture from the wash and the styling serum of shine and define has worked its magic into my curls.

When my locs are dry, I'll give them another zapp of the Greg juice. I tried this earleir, before washing my locs out of sheer curiousity and found it to be very soothing and the perfect remedy to my dry locs. I can't wait to use it again after my locs have dried a little.

That leaves 2 more products to try -- the lip balm and the whip pudding.

OYIN: is amazing! No other word for it,

I'd recommend it to any napps out there reading!

Its a sure thing!

SCALP MASSAGE...

2005-01-23T17:29:00.000Z

The Hair & Scalp Massage: Ayurvedic Secret for Gorgeous Hair
- Written by Shreelata Suresh - Submitted on 9/21/2004

WAITING ON MY OYIN: ....

2005-01-13T15:17:00.000Z

This is why I love the internet, a chance to 'meet' others and try out their products...

This lady is truly beautiful and talented....
I just bought the gift pack to try out her stuff and see how it works on my locs...

ENTER OYIN: AND BE PREPARED TO LOVE THE WEBSITE:
http://oyinhandmade.com/

NAPPY HAIR TIPS: http://oyinhandmade.com/oyin/index.php?p=20#more-20

AFRO

2005-01-05T01:00:00.000Z

THE WONDERS OF OLIVE OIL FOR LOCS...

2004-12-30T16:02:00.000Z

Thanks GG for posting a comment...
I did a few searches and to my knowledge, olive oil is a wonderful all around healthy choice to use on the body...aside from being wonderful to use on locs, it is a rich oil that heals the body:
http://www.garleo.com/page6.htm

Olive oil nourishes, conditions, and improves the strength and elasticity of your hair, while the couldn't-be-easier process is both stress-reducing and health-promoting. The best part is that it is easily absorbed and does not leave build-up that other products tend to do.

As always, it is important to clarify your locs no matter what routine you have to make sure that you give your locs a fresh start.

A little more info no how you can use olive oil:
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/bms/1000

Hope that helps!

A LOOK AT HEMP SEED OIL...

2004-12-15T16:53:00.000Z

Taken internally, it is thought by many to simulate growth of hair and nails, improve the health of the skin, and can even reduce inflammation from arthritis or related diseases.
While the hemp based shampoos and hair care products can offer the benefit of softer hair and skin, it can not be as supportive as taking the oil internally.

My experience is that it simulates growth of hair and nails, improves the health of the skin, and can reduce inflammation. I like the idea of having one good oil that supplies both omega-3s and GLA, without the need to take more capsules.

Some people experiment with adding hemp seed oil directly to their favorite shampoos and conditioners as a home grown custom recipe. Others will apply the oil directly to their hair as a form of conditioning. Not well suited as a hot oil treatment, the oil can still be applied to hair and left on overnight. It can also be used to oil braids, cornrows or other hair weaves.

If you wish to experiment by adding hemp oil to your hair start slowly with a little oil. If the formula works, you can slowly increase the amount you use.

The advantage that hemp seed offers is that it combines the benefits of omega 3 and omega 6 along with GLA. One product will supply what you need. If you take capsules this can be even more beneficial.

If you wish to take Hemp Seed Oil internally, there is good news. The oil has a distinct, earthy flavor and a light green color. Some people describe the taste of hemp seed oil is nutty. Many people enjoy the flavor.

TAKEN FROM THIS ARTICLE:
http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip091.htm

MY LONGER LOCS ARE MID-BACK....

2004-12-15T15:46:00.000Z

I remember not too long ago (or it seems that way anyways...) that I said I would be happy when the top locs on my head reach a proper shoulder length...and now they have.

I usually tie my locs up so its a strange feeling to have them hanging down and banging my back, my longest locs that have never been touched before are now touching mid-back!

In speaking to many of my loc friends, I'm so sure that its true to say that at one point of the journey to locdom, there is shrinkage, then a huge pause while everthing seems to stay a certain lentgth...and then HUGE growth coming from the roots directly as the shrinkage no longer occurs!

This is definately my HUGE growth time.... and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon. I was shocked when I was looking at the comparison pics again of April to now.... it really has been a few extra inches to the length.

I love it!

MORE ON OILS...

2004-12-10T01:15:00.000Z

MORE INFO ON A HUGE VARIETY OF OILS:
Hot Oil 411

MORE COMPARISON PICS FOR THIS YEAR...

2004-12-09T13:41:00.000Z

LAURYN'S LOCS

2004-12-08T11:48:00.000Z

...I LOVE THE DETAILS IN THESE PICS, just goes to show that you don't need to have really cultivated locs to look stunning!

AND HE WANTS TO TALK TO ME ABOUT SELF HARM!??! ...

2004-12-06T16:31:00.000Z

People's comments really don't bug me anymore...I just get on with things.
Its my head, I should be allowed to do what I want with it.
Same goes for their head...

But if someone I don't know goes out of their way to say to me that I am self harming myself for locing...don't expect me to be calm.
And this guy had a horrific relaxer in his hair... I really don't get why guys do it now?!?

So, I went off on one....he wants to talk to me about Self harm and damage, standing there and telling me that he is a student doing Chemistry at uni....I'm like, 'you don't have to be doing a chemistry degree to figure out a few things....duh!'

Would you dream of going into a chemistry lab and putting the same chemicals on your arm, if you didn't know it was the same relaxer ingredients? Doubt it. And he wants to talk about self harm....

Some people are just crazy. He was looking for a fight, he got one.
I walked off with a grin.