A Pony Tail

At long last I got my hair in a ponytail!!  My hair is pulled back so tightly, I am pretty sure this must be what a face lift feels like.

Locks on the go

I just finished a wonderful visit to Cape Town in South Africa.  This was a business trip, but I had to squeeze in some fun.  I have an adventurous palate and had a great time trying out some weird and wonderful dishes.  There are a gazilion types of  restaurants to choose from in Cape Town and I did try quite a few different types.

This is a dish with Kudu and Springbok (two types of Antelope) and Ostrich.  The white thing is called Pap. Some people call it polenta and in Jamaica we call it "Turn Corn Meal".  This was a truly delicious meal.









The next unusual thing that I tried was crocodile.  I was definitely not sure that I would like this, so I decided to try just a small amount, so I ordered a crocodile kebab.  It was really very, very tasty.

I was really surprised that being in Africa, I didn't see more natural hairstyles.  Most of the black women had relaxed hair, wigs and weaves.  Imagine my absolute delight one evening when I went out to dinner with a colleague and his wife. When I met the wife for the first time and I saw her head of gorgeous traditional locks, I almost fell out of my seat with excitement. I was dying to ask her about her hair, but I didn't want to be impolite.  At the appropriate time in the evening I complimented her hair, and it turns out that she was just as excited to see my hair.  She didn't know what it was - twists? Glued on hair?  When I told her it was sisterlocks, and it was my own hair, she was even more curious.  So I explained to her how it was done and I gave her a demo on one of my loose locks, using my fingers.  She asked me to send her pictures of my hair.  She is a dermatologist, and is quite distressed at the huge amount of hair damage and hair loss that she sees in her patients who relax their hair.

My locks did very, very well on the trip.  Here are a couple of pictures. Along my journey, I stopped off in London to visit with relatives, and again, my hair created quite a stir among my aunts and cousins. They all want to have my hairstyle.  They all hesitated though, when I told them that it is permanent. Nope, can't undo them!!

Here I am at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.

Here I am with my new friend in her stall at the Pan African Market.  If you are ever in Cape Town and you want some authentic African art, crafts, masks, etc. then this is the place to check out. I got some really nice batiks, tablecloths and necklaces from her.  And I haggled with her and got what I thought were some great bargains.

I couldn't resist posing beside this big fellow.

Just a sampling of the hundreds of masks from which to choose.

I am freezing here during an early morning walk with giraffes on a safari.

15 Months

Well, I just got my hair re-tightened.  It was a bit of a mess, because I hadn't had it done since before Christmas, eight weeks ago.  I have been trying to space out my re-tightenings to more than four or five weeks, but I think eight weeks might be pushing it too far.

There isn't much going on with my hair, except that it is continuing to grow quite fast. I can't wait until I can get it in a ponytail, but I think that is not going to happen until I grow a few more inches. My locks are settling nicely, but there are still some locks on the top of my head that are open, and steadfastly refusing to lock.  Here is a picture three days after re-tightening, a wash and a sponge roller set.

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you all a very merry Christmas.  Let us set aside our troubles for the moment and just remember that Christ came to earth to save us. Let us reach out to others when we have the opportunity to do so, in whatever way we are able. This is such a special time of the year.  It certainly is my favourite season.

My hair is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.  I think I now need to cover it at night, because it is falling in my face when I sleep and annoying me. Can you believe that?  I have been using very few products on my hair now, and I just wash with White Rain Shampoo, and  if my hair feels dry, then I spritz it with water and seal in the moisture with Jamaica Mango and Lime Oil.  This is a very light oil, and is not too greasy.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Today marks my one year lock anniversary.  I find it hard to believe that one year has passed so quickly. How does this past hair-year compare to the times when I had my hair relaxed?  Well, I have had very few bad hair days, I have had far less anxiety about hair dryness and breakage, and I have not spent that much money on hair products.  On the other hand, I have spent a small fortune getting the locks installed and maintained each month.  Do I think it is worth it?  Absolutely.  I think my monthly costs can be reduced if I do some retightening myself on a regular basis. I am seriously thinking about doing the retightening class when it is conducted in Jamaica next year.

11 Months

Well, during my last retightening session with my consultant, she told me to make sure that I band and braid before washing.  I have been quite good about doing this over the last few weeks.  This hairstyle came about when I let my hair dry with the braids still in, then setting the hair on sponge rollers.  So I have both crinkles from the braids and curls from the rollers.  I think I will do this again.  I quite like how it turned out.

10 Months

Well, 10 months have passed since my locks were installed at the end of  November last year.  I can honestly say that I have not had a moment of regret about locking my hair.  In the beginning I had moments of insecurity about how looked, but I have never regretted it.

Here is a picture taken a few days ago before re-tightening. It is very fuzzy and is looking a bit untidy.

Yesterday, I had it re-tightened.  Here is a picture after re-tightening, washing and setting.  Looking and feeling much better.

My consultant is pleasantly surprised at the rapid growth of my hair.  She is also urging me to braid and band when I wash.  I stopped doing this months ago, when I found it to be too much of a chore.  Since she asked me to do this yesterday when I was feeling tired and grumpy, after sitting for 5 hours getting my hair done, my immediate response (in my head) was "She has got to be kidding me".

Today, I am well rested and in a much better mood, so I am considering it.  I have already been cussed by N'Drea and JaStu for not braiding and banding, and for committing all sorts of other sins, so I know all the arguments for braiding and banding.  But, grrrrrrr, it really drives me nuts.

For the most part, my hair is very far along in the locking process, but there are a few areas which are steadfastly refusing to lock.  In fact, along my hair line in the front, the short length plus the texture of my hair in this area is such that the locks won't even stay in place.  Some of them completely unravel by the time the next re-tightening is due.

I still get lots of compliments on my hair, which is very encouraging, and the people who see me fairly infrequently are astounded by the rapid growth that they observe each time they do see me.

The gray hair at the front is beginning to drive me crazy.  I don't think I want to colour them though.  I am just afraid that I will have to colour forever and ever if I start.