Hello Sandy!

I appreciate you taking the time to create a web page detailing your journey.  It is very helpful to the sisters and brothers who want to take the journey to Sisterlocks and do not have an idea of what to expect.  I was helped by Pat Hunley's web page and the photos she shared. It really gave me an idea of what to expect. 

My locking session was on March 13, 2000.  My hair had about 2-1/2 to 3 inches of new growth and about 3 inches of permed ends.  It took 24 hours (I was my consultant's first customer).  I pretty much had a lot of scalp showing.  My hair is thin on the top and that's where the head looked the barest.  My consultant turned my ends with a curling iron, but the look was not for me.  The next day I wet my hair and curled it on small perm rods.  The effect was curly locs all over.  The curls lasted until I washed them out. 

As time went on I started to notice some of my locs were drawing in the perm ends and just leaving strings of hair hanging.  Also, my natural loc'd hair started to form curly q's then my permed ends would just hang from that.  By the time I went for my 1st retightening, I wanted to cut my perm ends off.  I only had the locs in for 2 months and a week.  I went for it, careful not to cut past the curly q's.  I did not cut all the perm out, left about 1/8 or less of perm.  As my locs grow out I will trim the perm out. 

I was so nervous about my locs unravelling.  I looked and examined every day, and when I washed it the first time after cutting my perm out I really examined it.  But there was no unravelling.  I was glad.  This does not mean by any way that this will work for everyone, but it did work for me. 

My locs are mostly all natural now and much better to handle.  All of the back and most of one
side are all natural but still on the top and some of one side must have perm in the loc or a different texture.  This locs there are not forming curly q's as fast or puffing up as much.  My consultant told me not to worry about it.  Eventually they will catch up with the rest of my locs.  In the meantime, I have to curl these locs with a perm rod to get them to blend in with the others.

One thing that I am learning, PATIENCE.  It takes a lot of patience to go through this journey.  Locing is a journey -- be it traditional locs or Sisterlocks.  It takes time for the development of the locs to happen.   Be encouraged and have patience.  The decision to go natural is the first and most enlightening step.  Congratulations!!!

Peace,

Doris 
6/23/00