Well, it's another new year and I ain't gone as the song says. So much has happened as the year turned 2007. First of all, I'm done with Perdue, my long running dead end job. I left one division in September, transfered to another city. Another state.. And for what? To be just as miserable as I was at the other branch. Sucks ass if you ask me.. But as of January 17, 2007 became a freelance employee.. I'd given them 5 1/2 years of my life to destroy. You know I lost my supposed to be fun part of youth to that place. I was about 24 when I started and now I'm 29!! As a matter of fact.. I was 23... Now that's sad.. But that's all behind me now.. I'm unemployed, but I'll make it.. Do something else with my time.. It's ABOUT time!!!

Infact, if memory serves correctly.. On the day I decided to call it quits, my locks turned 17 months old. I hadn't realized that, but that was kinda cool too. I'll have to look back, because I'm not sure if it's August 17, 2005 when I started, or August 27th when I started my locks, but it's close to the 17 month mark.. I know it was in August of 2005, I'll have to get back to yall on that. :) Anyway, they are doing very well. They are just at my collar now, not getting caught inside too much anymore so that means they are growing past it. And they have dropped for the most part. Lots of people say they hate it cause they liked the wild look of them before hand, I did too, but this is cool too.. Cause when I want a neater look, I don't have to struggle to make them behave. (Remember I'm a freeformer, so I don't twist. Neatness is hard to come by.)

Right now my routine for maintainance is pretty simple, though I've been kinda lazy with washing it lately. ( I know, clean hair is a must,but with work and just errands, my time was short and I don't like to blowdry my hair so going to bed with it wet wasn't an option and it takes 10-15 minutes minimum to wash it now.. That's just a basic WASH.. Not pampering.. Luckily it's been pretty cold here and I haven't been sweating much, so there was no odor until about week 3(I didn't go any longer than that.. Couldn't take it anymore.) When I washed my locks, the soap was light brown, I haven't gone that long anymore.. I'm pretty much back to my once a week routine. Since I'm not at Perdue anymore, I'll have more time to treat my locks like they should be treated. But for now my routine is a quick wash with Pantene Relaxed and Natural Shampoo (Extra Moisture formula.), A long rinse, And a quick oil down with Organics by Africas Best.. Smells so... SO good. Close to Naani's Lock'd Down butter. After all I was looking for something like that for my freeformed locks since like I said before I don't need a twisting agent. and I needed some thing cheaper than $8.50 and this costs like $4.. I can pay that. Though I'm penny pinching right now, I do plan to try more of Naani's products when i get some funds going. (and I'm saying NAANI, as in "nag" or as in Nanny.. She hates that.. :P Just picking, I know it's Not nanny.. :) Just incase ya drop by or something.. :)

Anyway.. No major weightloss resolutions for the new year.. I am gonna lose some, but it's not that major.. This is the first year since I was about 12 that I didn't make that resolve. It just ends in failure by March anyway. I do plan to try to eat healthier as soon as I clean out my fridge.. Get more exercise and just try to get healthy over all. But there's no real rush. I have a lifetime. I'm just 29... :)

Anyway, I guess that's all for now.. I've gotta start keeping this thing up more, but most of the time I have shit to say.. But I'll try. :)

Take it easy..

Jen

It's been finally a year!! I've been locking my hair for one whole year and I've enjoyed the journey. I look at my hair now and I amost get misty eyed at how far I've come and how much I've been through to get to this point. I've loved my locks from day one, but my DH hated them and we actually got into a physical fight about them. I had my doubts about how it would all turn out.. And I'm happy with the outcome. DH has setted in on the idea of my being locked up and all.. And we don't get into it anymore.. (Thought I know he's not THRILLED about having a dreadlocked wife.) Anyway. So many people are curious about my dreads. How I did them? How do I keep them up? How do I wash them? Ect.. I keep everything simple. I'm a freeformer so I don't twist. (Though I do play with them sometimes.) I wash them like you wash well.. Regular hair. I kinda wash them with each other. (Rubbing locks agains locks.) Make sure I rinse it well. Put some TTree growth cream on them and call it a day as they air dry.. Easy as pie..

In this year I was looking forward to some adversity about my locks. Mostly because of what I've heard from others and DH about how society looks at those with locks. I'm not sure if it is my attitude or the fact that I'm a woman, but I haven't had any problems yet about the decision to lock except from him. Maybe they're talking behind my back. :) I can never tell. But this has been a pretty smooth ride so far. I look forward to the coming years.

check out more images on fotki!!

http://public.fotki.com/BlackAngelPlayah

Well, it's almost 11 months now and things are still looking.. Well.. Pretty much the same. My dreads are softer now I don't know WHY.. Maybe it's the extra rinsing and the pantene I've been using. I haven't stated conditioning yet but the shampoo has (get this.) Petroleum in it.. GREASE. So it's like a conditioning wash I guess. I think I'll stick with this stuff. I was against petroleum usage in dreadlocks, but I think this is OK. It's in the shampoo (and probably the conditioner too.) but I still don't use grease on my hair (Petrolatum) cause it's too hard to wash out. The Parnevu isn't thick or greasy and can be used daily. (I use it every other day or so after wetting my locks a little. Works wonders.)

I need to clip my ends believe it or not. Apparently not all the perm got cut off and I have these little tails on the ends of some of my locks. They aren't really BOTHERING anybody, I just wanna cut them off.. but I'm not in a particular hurry to do it. Like I said they aren't bothering anybody. My bang is going to have to be slicked back after a bit cause those three locks are hanging right on my eyebrows in about I'd say 3 months or so they'll be in my EYES!!! Can't have that now, I'm already blind. :P

My eczema is acting up a little. It was getting better, but now I'm not so sure. Well, it IS better than it was cause I was PITYFUL.. Sores and all, but now I just have dry crusty skin between my fingers, a rash on my hand and wrist that goes and comes on a daily basis. And fingers that itch, dry out, crack and bleed occassionally. Sounds shitty I know and it is, but just something that some folks have to live with til they find their own personal cure. I find that alcohol kills the itch of the rash and some petroleum jelly kills some of the crusty hands. But it's a balance. Sometimes the moisturizers make the rash itch. Go figure. But I've seen worse days. :) I'm living with it.

I have no new pictures. I plan to take some next month sometimes cause that will be my year mark being a dread head. I'm still in love with them. They hold special meaning to me. Not really sacred, but still important. I want to take care of them and make sure they grow to their fullest potential. (This is what happens when you don't have kids and no time for a dog.)

Well, it's been 10 months already since I began these dreads and things are looking bright. I'm happily shaking my dreads in dis b*tch.. LoL.. I've noticed they are changing colours too. When I was little my hair was a sandy reddish brown and now it's turning that colour again. I've mixed the expensive shampoo with some pantene relaxed and natural. And it's working pretty well. I've also started rinsing better and that is keeping things "shiny" around here. I've been using this growth cream by Parvenu (Yes it's a perm company, but this stuff is great for locs.. nOt sure how well it works on perms though, but whatever.) It's light and washes out in a hot minute. Perfect for dreads cause as all us dread heads know, rinsing takes FOREVER as it is without all that greasy mess to wash and rinse away.

As far as learining lessons in life, I've learned only this. All is not as it appears to be. Except when it is, then it's usually for the worse. :)

Have a nice day..

Shit! I had a post all ready to publish and it got erased!! I'm such a stupid asshole!!

Alright.. Enough of the self bashing.. I'll just begin again with what I remember. I'm in my 9th month with my locs. I'm totally locked. My locs shake now. I'm enjoying being a dread head.

My routine is just wash, grease shake and go. Loving the simplicity. I'll start conditioning in about 3 months. My hair kinda needs it. But right now I'm battling build up from my product junkie days. DH was right about not needing all the product. But he just thought I wouldn't lock with out product.. Scarred on him cause I locked faster with no product. I've been using Naani's shampoo for about the last 3 weeks. It's OK, but it's just expensive shampoo to my idea. Smells wonderful. (I got the yummy moisturizing shampoo.) But I think I'll be looking for another source of shampoo. I can't drop $20 for Adequate shampoo or even very good shampoo. I can get shampoo from the salon.. THE SALON.. Pick one.. For about $10. No shipping.. Much cheaper.

Is the product good? I don't know that. For someone who twists with heavy products, it will strip all that crap out of your hair. But I'm a pure freeformer and I don't have extra oil and gunk to wash out really. So all it did was soak into my hair and make it dull and dry. Plain and simple. Maybe if I add oils to it, it will do better. I'm gonna try that.

Anyway.. Me 9 months.I'll add a picture as soon as I remember how the hell I did it last time.

Jen


These are the little dears now. They 9 months old and Just learning to behave themselves. :)

Well, I've been locked for nearly 6 months now and those little buds are locs now.Cute little locs. Sometimes I twist them up to make them alittle neater, but there are times when I just say, "Alright kids, GO WILD!!" and just let em hang free. They're not that long, but they are coming along nicely. I'll be 6 months along in my journey the 27th of this month. Maybe I'll have new pictures then. In the mean time, here's my last picture I took..

I know they look wild and crazy here.. But know what.. It's all good..

Jen

Well, it's the weekend and as usual I'm here with my plastic cap on my head conditioning away. I have lot's of little buds on my head. I guess that's what they are cause they aren't dreads just yet. Since I'm freeforming this thing is gonna be pretty random and unpredictable but I'm ready for the ride. I've had a few family problems with my decision to loc and such, but in the end I didn't have to do anything and my hair seemed to make the decision on what it wanted to do on it's own. It WANTS TO LOC UP!! I'm glad it wants to do what I want it to do so badly, but I'm sure it will do it the way it wants to do it. That's how this hair of mine always has worked. And it's been trying to loc since I was a little girl. Mom leaves plaits in too long, I had lint filled locs in weeks.. (She didn't neglect me or anything. I just had so much hair I'm sure it was loads of trouble to comb straighten and replait this stuff. I wish she'd locked me then. No.. I'm glad I was given the chance to make the choice and to learn the significance of locking and just being natural and as God intended.

Anyway, I can't wait until they get longer and fuller and WILDER!!

Jen
See my little buds there. Cute little babies aren't they.. This is getting interesting.

I guess I'll be posting here for a bit. Hopefully this will be a great place to chill out from time to time. Well, right now in this journey of the hairy nature, I'm not yet locked but I'm not just natural. I have a mixture of dreads, mattes and fro.. Kinda cool if you ask me. I've been up all night doing this and that, so I'm kinda beat. I'll add more later.. Look at all that HAIR.. Geez.. I called this pre wash, but this may be the one I did just now when I just washed it.. My mind isn't what it use to be..

TaTa...

Jen