Deux mois and labyrinths... minus Bowie

Friday will mark the second month in my locking exploit. I must say that the past month has particularly been difficult. Anxiety has been a close enemy of mine-- not just over the matter of my hair locking but over the school year that is ahead of me. This summer has brought a downpour of graces, involving me being awarded with two fellowships that will fully fund my grad program, and the offer of two jobs as a research assistant and teaching assistant. Of course, it would be logical to think that one is perfectly competent and fitting for possessing such status; but I can't help but be afraid that I might not meet my own standard, or the standard at which I am perceived by my faculty... or that I'll just plain fuck it all up. I'm trying to be positive, trying to tell myself that I am deserving of these rewards because of my five years of hard work at the undergraduate level, and trying to capture the negativity with self love. But it's so hard and too much to manage at times. There are moments when I feel so strong, motivated and eager to encounter the upcoming year. And there are other moments during which I feel so small, cowardly and meek. I can't let this anxiety stagnate me. That would be the worst thing for me to do. I have to keep going and take it slowly.

I walked the public labyrinth in downtown Toronto on Monday. It allowed me to transpose my anxiety into physicality, with kinetic energy, walking the winding path as if it were the depths of my twisted heart, walking through the mirages, past the trolls and through the murk of my feelings of inadequacy. I reached the center, which was so clearly defined in fixity, steadfastness and prominence. And as I stood in the flower of the labyrinth, I could see over all of the insidiously winding circuits that had led me to such a vantage point, knowing that it had been worth it all.

Interestingly, this all applies to my venture of locking my hair.

The labyrinth in Toronto Trinity Square Park

360-ish

do do do do....

Hiya!

(38 days)

Pretty Much a month

Ok so my 1 month will be on the 17th. But here are pictures anyway =P

Rosemary

I'm sure you've all heard somewhere in the natural hair community that Rosemary stimulates hair growth and blood circulation. So being the cheap bum that I am, I decided to boil some ground rosemary to extract its nutrients rather than just running to the health food store for its essential oil. I know the rosemary is organic because it was grown in my mother's garden.

What I did is I spooned the rosemary into a coffee filter and ran it through my coffee maker. This was all very experimental since I have never used a coffee maker to make tea (which is what the rosemary is now, essentially). And it turned out to not be fucked up! It smells heavenly and is a beautiful earthy red colour. I'm going to put some of this in my shampoo and daily spray for some added nutrients...... sooner or later I'm going to try drinking the stuff as tea.... =P

Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Hemp Pure Castile Soap as Shampoo

What works for me may not work for everyone else. But what I've found to be far superior to every shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer/facial cleanser/shower gel I've ever used is Dr. Bronner's castile soap. Diluted (4-5 caps full per 250ml of water), it makes the best shampoo for me. It lathers, clarifies and even seems to condition my hair after a good wash. The feeling of the peppermint on the scalp is also cool and refreshing. Now I can't help but sing Dr. Bronner's praises.

Shampooing is something I do every other day to every couple of days. That's only because I sweat a lot and I'm obsessed with smelling clean =). Using Dr. Bronner's full strength would surely strip my hair of moisture, with the frequency at which I wash it. But diluted, it's absolutely fine for me to do it every other day.

I use it for everything now, from showering to washing my face. I don't think I'll ever buy another special purpose soap, when this one seems to do everything well for me. I have a feeling that I'm going to save a shitload of money in the long run. Goodbye Product Junky-ism.


Ingredients: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut & Organic Olive Oils (w/ retained glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil, Mentha Arvensis, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

Simple and few ingredients. All organic. Fair Trade. Pretty economical. =)

18 Days

The next update will be on the 1 month mark: Feb 13

UPDATE:
Okay, I know that I promised to stay away from here until Feb 13th; but I couldn't help but come back to give an update. I washed my hair today but without the stocking cap I've been using for the past three weeks. I wanted to see what would happen if I was just a bit more aggressive with washing. It turned out fabulous, I must say! I lathered up and attacked my scalp with my beloved Druide peppermint, palmarosa and sage shampoo (which is actually a body wash/ shower gel; but who the hell cares if it works extremely well for hair too?). I ended up shampooing three times... I even stood under the shower for extended periods of time for rinsing. And all of my twists stayed intact. Well... all except for ONE. Haha! I was excited to shake them around when they were soaking wet. They're drying and shrinking now; and I'm so glad that I've found a shampoo that doesn't strip them of moisture and make them crunchy (yeah, ew). I experienced that with the Suave shampoo. It made my hair squeaky clean... literally. When I ran my hands over my hair it would squeak. Later it would dry out to a texture simillar to crunchy dry grass. This even happened when I diluted the Suave shampoo! Yeah, I don't know why the online Locing Community has such an obsession with Suave products. So it looks like I'm going to stick with all-natural vegan products for my hair. Later on, when my hair's dry, I'll put a little shea butter on my scalp to feed some vitamin and protein gooness to my hair.

I'm now down to two products included in my hair care regimen: Druide peppermint, palmarosa, and sage shampoo & raw shea butter. I immediately ceased to use the Soft and Beautiful 3 N1 botanical oil as soon as I found out that one of its components, mineral oil, is just a derrivative of petroleum (a no-no since it clogs the pores of the scalp and coats the hair with its greasiness. Maybe I'll use it very sparingly when I want a little bit of fragrance... because it does smell great. Unless I can find something that's organic and offers a long-lasting fragrance....

I'm not sure if I'll ever need the stocking cap again for shampooing since tonight's experiment. It'll stay in my bathroom drawer for now. I'm so amazed that after just 18 days, my twists (dare I call them locs now?) are allowing some more force to be applied to them when I'm in the shower. I guess I can even use a shower cap less often now. This makes me wonder if my hair simply has the nature to lock quickly... hmm...

Ok for realz this time... I'll be back on Feb 13th. Unless I have some groundbreaking news to share

On the Third Day...

Three-day old twists which will hopefully spawn into fierce locs of dreadful rage... fwahaha! I'm not the most skilled of nappy-headed women. I am slow of hand and wavering in parts. I assume that these will turn out to be rather thick and wild..... I like it.