Sisterlocks: Two Weeks in & First Wash!

I’m two weeks into my sisterlock journey and I’m loving it! I did experience some frustrations in the beginning with how stiff my locs were in the beginning. I know that your locs will be stiff when they are first installed, but my loctician also sprayed some kind of setting spray in my hair that made it stay the way she styled it. I didn’t wash my hair the first week, and after experimenting with styling my hair and becoming increasingly frustrated because my hair only went one way, I washed my hair the beginning of the second week. Now my hair feels much better. The shrinkage is real, but that’s ok. My hair hangs much better and I’m no longer trying to style it. I was encouraged by many to “trust the process” and to let my locs be. So that’s what I’m doing.

The first wash

One of the things that made me go ahead and wash it was my dandruff. I’ve always had a dandruff problem and I was starting to see flakes and that’s never cute. I must tell you, my wash routine is so simple and quick now compared to when I was a loose natural! I plaited my hair and banded the ends. I used small amounts of the sisterlocks shampoo and massaged it into each plait section, gave my scalp a good scrub and then rinsed. I did all of this in the shower which worked well for me because I was able to make sure all of the shampoo rinsed out completely. I got out the shower and dried my hair with an old cotton t-shirt and then began to separate my locks to make sure none of them stuck together. Once I was done separating my locs, I let my hair air dry. I felt no stress, no dread, no tired arms like I did when I was a loose natural! I was able to go about my business around the house as my hair dried on it’s own.

The Sisterlocks shampoo

One concern I had was about the sisterlocks shampoo. I’ve heard from many that said the shampoo dried their scalp or made their dry scalp and dandruff issues worse. Many suggested diluting the shampoo with water because it is so concentrated, putting it in a spray bottle and spraying it on your scalp. I am currently out of spray bottles and need to buy a new one, so I just used small amounts of the shampoo for each section and made sure I rinsed thoroughly. After I washed my hair and it began to dry, I paid close attention to how my scalp felt afterward, and it felt fine. Days later it still feels fine. I think I’ll need a second wash to know for a certainty that the sisterlocks shampoo does not bother my scalp or dry it out too much.

Glorious freedom

This newfound hair freedom is glorious. That’s the best way I can describe it. Once my hair was completely dry, I plaited it up, tied it up and went to bed. The next morning I took my plaits down, fluffed my hair and went to work. You guys – the fact that I can get up in the morning and not worry about how I’m going to wear my hair or what steps I’m going to need to take to achieve a look is EVERYTHING! My only concern now is finding something to wear. It’s beautiful. My first follow-up and retie is this coming Monday. This is where my consultant will observe my locs, my grid and growth and deal with any slippage (locs coming undone during the washing process). She’ll also inform me of how often she thinks I should come in for reties.

Here are some pictures of me and my sisterlocks thus far:

Installation day in the red, and the first couple of days following it.

Week one – wearing it to the side because locs were stiff and wouldn’t cooperate!

Week 2, the day after the first wash. Shrinkage, but my locs are now hanging correctly. LOVE THEM!!

XoXo