A Major Setback

So, I had to take down my two-month old twists (which were just starting to lock) because my ever-present but normally benign eczema had been flaring up for the past month, leaving really disgusting and large flakes embedded in my twists. And in order for me to have the condition treated properly, it's best that I have loose hair (says the dermatologist). My twists were rather thick and so to apply my doses of cortisone cream I would need easier access to my trouble spots.

I'm not entirely saddened because who wants dreads with huge scalpy flakes embedded in them? No one? Thought so.

And in lieu of it all, my growth is astounding!
This is me after a good wash, deep condition, detangling, moisturizing, sealing, twisting, and twist out...

360-ish

do do do do....

Hiya!

(38 days)

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. =)

Hello World!

The purpose of this blog is to document my progress as I embark on the journey of locing my hair by the method of freeforming. I twisted my hair on Tuesday, January 13th, in no specific pattern; and my goal is to allow each twist to grow as it wills to grow into locs. As far as manipulations goes, I plan on only separating the locs. Perhaps when they're longer, I will palmroll them; but at the moment, I'm set on allowing them to take on their own individualistic appearance.

Why I choose to freeform?
1) First of all, I'm a lazy ass and can't be bothered to be retwisting every week. Low maintenance is key in my lifestyle.
2) I can't stand the scalpy, overly-manicured, almost-machine-templated looking locs.
3) Out of a desire for individualism, I want my locs to appear raw, organic, punky and thick.
4) I'm a poor canadian student in her last semester of an Hon. BA. and can't afford a "loctician" who will surely overcharge me for numbers 2 and 3, and give me unneccessary rules to follow, exploiting my lack of knowledge about natural hair for his or her profit.


Products
A lot of people in the online loc community seem to be using a slew of products that just aren't available in Canada (ie. the Jamaican Mango and Lime product line). So I'm making due with the things that are available to me and what I have found to be functional. I'm also not a fan of online shopping because I'm afraid of being manipulated by fraudulent merchants. This is my arsenal:
- shea butter (Shea "All Naturals" 100% Pure Shea Butter - found in the Shoppers Drug Mart "ethnic" hair care aisle.
- Botanical Oils (Soft & beautiful Botanicals 3-N-1 Botanical Oil)
- Shampoo (Infusium 23 Repairologie)
- A spray bottle of good ol' H20

No conditioner will be used until I know my hair is loced. I bought Infusium 23 Moisturologie conditioner and leave-in treatment but I'll be saving them for next month.


The regimen
As I already said, I'm pretty low maintenance; however, this is what I'd like my week to look like.
Monday - morning spritz with water
Tuesday - morning shampoo; evening oil treatment on scalp
Wednesday - water spritz
Thursday - Do-Nothing-to-Hair-Day
Friday - water spritz
Saturday - shea butter on scalp
Sunday - water spritz


For other Canadians out there who are thinking about locing, I should warn you to stay away from any of the African Gold products that you'll find in the ethnic hair care aisle at Shoppers Drug Mart. They're cheap, yes... but contain a lot of junk-fillers like petroleum, alcohols and perfumes and very little of the good stuff. The only products I've purchased from Shoppers Drug mart with which I'm very pleased are the shea butter and botanical oil. They cost a lot more but you get what you pay for, eh? So I'm trying to make them go a long way.

I figured I'd start locing in the winter since the frigid temperatures will force me to keep a hat on most of the time. Why not get most of the major work done in the locing phase now? For the first month, I plan on washing my hair once a week unless my hair starts to smell or feel dirty before that. If there's anything that I obsess about, it's that my hair has to smell clean all the time. After I had done the Big Chop on Sept 12, 2008, I washed my hair almost every other day and loved leaving my apartment with my loose hair smelling freshly shampooed.

My inspiration? This guy right here:











That's all for now folks! Stay tuned!