Loc'd and Loaded! *pic heavy*

Well everyone I made it!  I went a whole year with one, thats right just ONE hairstyle (altered here and there of course)!  My locs are now 1 years old and it has been quite a journey.  Let's revisit that trip in images shall we?

2nd, 3rd...whatever number big chop

getting some growth...that I could only see when I stretched it like that

finally enough length to pin it up some kinda way

fro' action with major shrinkage...wonder where those glasses are now...

how the locs started

trying to make them fancy off the break

getting some length

needing maintenance so experiment with accessories...

realizing that I don't mind the way they look in between maintenance...money saved!

gave in and retwisted, and notice more length!

pinned up by me

shows how they looked in the early stages after I separated the two strand twists

finally not as much space in between!

found a loctician that I adore!

again spacey boooooo-earlier image

spaces closed up

attempting color-FAIL! It lasted all of a week if that but it wasn't permanent so wasn't too mad

I think I love it most when its wild

but getting it retwisted isnt too bad, and look color again...minus trying to wash out all of the dye and the dry hair that results...

1st rod set!

curls loosening, loved it here!

tried color again, this time black...I want it black again but I refuse to do it myself

I like the way black looks on my skin tone...

attempted pipe cleaner curls but got crinkly instead...guess they need to grow more, but I loved it this way

the beginning...

and now...but with a bit more length than this image shows

I love my hair.  I don't know what took me so long to take this journey into locs but I do not regret it at all.  I have learned to be patient and not worry about my hair so much.  For a while there I didnt see any progress and as soon as I gave up trying to inspect them all the time is when the growth spurt began. 

As you know from this blog alone I love to change my hair and whereas I thought locs didnt offer versatility, I now know that to be a complete misconception.  I do a little bit of everything to my hair and keep it right on moving. 

As far as maintenance, I go to my loctician maybe once every 3-4 months.  I reserve him for special occasions.  In between that I was just re-twisting the front, sometimes the back too if I wanted to pin the back up. Lately I havent even been retwisting that much.  In fact I joined Brittany and her Free Form Summer Challenge!  I signed up for Track 2 - 2 months without re-twisting.  I think  know I can do it.  Wish me luck!

As for the future of the locs - color and creativity.  I was able to reach the milestones of my 1st color, 1st updo, 1st rodset.  I now want to reach my 1st ponytail and 1st bun.  I do not think I will let them grow past my shoulders, they already get pretty heavy when wet.  Its crazy because veteran loc'ers compliment my length all the time and say they wish they were at this length again whereas I am waiting for them to get a little bit longer.  I am enjoying the wait though.

I don't really use anything fancy or exciting on my hair.  My loctician gives me product when I go mostly oil and a light gel for my edges that I dont use that often.  My hair LOVES olive oil.  For a while I was hooked on the Macadamia Oil Treatment but it can be pricey so I had to take a break from it.  I also love the  Organix Coconut Milk line, mainly for the smell.  And I use whatever shampoo happens to be in the shower at the time I choose to wash my hair, which isnt often either.  I am pretty care-free with my hair now and its paying off.  All the fussing I used to do took its toll causing breakage, but now the less I do, the better it acts.

So happy birthday to my locs and cheers to many more!  I will be sure to post pics of how the Free Form Summer Challenge is going.  :)