2 Week Update

It's been 2 weeks and 1 day since I had my Sisterlocks installed. I am so loving my hair. My only issue is trying to keep my hands out of it and don't use any products right now. The only thing I really do is spritz. I was using only water until I read alot of lockers using eo's. So I did a bit of research and decided on 3 for right now. I just bought yesterday from Earthfare Market the peppermint, tea tree and rosemary. I am a bit confused on how many drops to use in my small spray bottle but I will just eye ball it and try it til I get the right combination. Peppermint is good to energize and relieve itchiness, tea tree is good for cleansing, clearing up and preventing infections and also dry scalp and rosemary is good for scalp circulation and hair growth. I do want to get a couple more like the ylang-ylang and lavender.

Right now I am just wearing my hair freestyle. I still have alot of permed ends that touches my shoulder and only 2 inches of hair that is sisterlocked I can do pony tails and such which makes styling a breeze. I kinda feel like I am cheating for not cutting it off right away but theres no rush..thats why it is called transition. I usually curl it with my lock loops or rod curlers but this week will just be free, just spritz and go. I did braid it over the weekend on friday and today is monday and I am still rocking the crinkle look. Will add pics showing the way I wear it later today when I get home. Slow at work so taking this time to do a lil blogging.

Seems my tendonitis is acting up today also..it comes and goes..wish it just goes. I have it in my left side which is bad..but good that its not my writing side. The doctor gave me a shot for it 2 weeks ago and had been fine til today, but I do have some pills for pain but left them at home...sighs. If anyone knows any natural remedies or things that could help please let me know, I really hate taking pills..the fewer the better.

The Beginning

Hi all..this is my very first attempt at blogging. I have always wanted to do it but didn't know what to write about. Now that I have decided to make some changes in my life, I thought I would document those things in my blog. I am 35 yrs old and have 1 daughter who is 19. She is a wonderful daughter (most times) and she is also attending college for nursing (2nd yr). I am from Houston, Texas but have been living in SC for the past 4 years. I decided to move here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city life and start over and find myself. I actually love it here seeing all the different seasons, something we never had in Houston as well as the scenery like mountains and snow. I know this is where I want to be and I look forward to more exploration of this beautiful place.
(Pictured Below- (1)Downtown Greenville, (2)Maggie Valley NC, (3)Table Rock SC)

Ok now for my life changes. I have been diabetic for about hmm 11 yrs now. I try to watch what I eat because I know alot of things are bad for me like sugar and carbs. I can control the sugar intake because so many things nowadays have Splenda or Nutra Sweet in them..and I am use to the taste so its cool..but my big issue is carbs. I love me some bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. I find it so hard to have a meal without one of those things in it. So here lies the quest to find alternatives to eating those delicious carbs. The love of my life cooks for a living and is helping me choose better and find great recipes that will help me ease into healthier eating. So far so good. There have been many hits and a few misses. So far I am getting use to Soy. I actually like the Soy milk "Silk" vanilla flavored I use that in cereal and also in my oatmeal. I eat oatmeal almost everyday during the week, much better than the daily sausage biscuit I was use to lol. I also have tried veggie burgers made from soy..Morning Star is not my favorite but it was edible. I have found that Boca burgers is my preferred choice. The flavor is very good and most recipes we use them in I can't tell the difference. We have used it in tacos, pizza and spaghetti.

(Pictured Below-(1)Veggie Pizza w/ feta cheese, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and spinach on whole wheat crust and Zucchini Parmesan and (2)Shrimp Scampi over whole wheat pasta with (3) Salad)

I also do not drink enough water..ok hardly any..so I am trying to program myself into making these changes to give me a better quality of life. It is hard and it won't be over night but I am determined to stick to it. I know I will have some ups and downs but that is life and as long as I get up again..all will be well. As part of my healthy eating routine I have decided to have a vegetarian meal at least once per week..I am a meat eater and that most likely wont change but a night or 2 a week with no meat wont kill me..at least I don't think so lol. I will add pics and such of a few of my weekly meals to show you what I had. If you know any good recipes or ideas please feel free to leave them in the comment section.



And last but not least..I have decided to go natural meaning freeing myself from the Chemical Fire Cream or Creamy Crack (Perms). My last perm was in March 2009. I have been wearing my favorite wig until my hair grew out so I can decide what I want to do with it. After long consideration and alot of researching I decided I wanted to lock my hair. I thought that was the hard part then I found out it was many was to start the locking process, so more reading I had to do to figure out what would work best for me. I decided on a technique called Sisterlocks™. Sisterlocks are tiny uniformed locs that are the result of a precision parting grid, using a specialized tool that places hair into the locing formation. The small size makes it easy to style hair into almost any style you used when your hair was permed.

I started my SL journey on August 16, 2009. It took about 15 hours over 2 days to complete. I am so in love with my hair. Even though it will take anywhere from 6-12 months before my hair actually lock, I am enjoying the process to get there. Another good thing about SL is that you can start it even though you have permed ends. All you need is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of new growth and that part will be started then as your hair grows out you can trim the permed ends away until you have nothing but all natural hair. I so look forward to that day. I have started a Fotki showing my journey but I will also add pics here as I progress.

(Pictured Below- (1) My Certified SL Consultant Yolanda "Michelle" Adams..so love her..(2) Day 1 of Install (3) Day 2 of Install (4) week 1 braided & banded before first shampoo, (5)side view sl's using lock loops, (6)back view clipped)