Like most of you, my family and I have been trying to adjust and make sense of being under quarantine and getting used to our ‘new normal.’ It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog and I’ve missed you guys. Are y’all okay? How are y’all doin? I’ve been vlogging more on Youtube hence my absence here. I’m sorry. Vlogging really helped me work through some issues, and I’m going to share them.
No Access to salons or loc consultants?
COVID19 threw a monkey wrench in a lot of our hair care needs, especially if you have sisterlocks or traditional locs and don’t know how to do your own reties. I hadn’t had a retie since January. My newgrowth was out of control so by mid to late April I had to do something. I had to take action. With sisterlocks it is imperative that you stay on schedule with your reties because you are dealing with tiny locs that can weaken and break off if not maintained regularly. The more newgrowth you have, the more your chances increase for thinning and breakage to take place. I saw the thinning happening and I had to combine several locs to save them. Not having access to salons (if your consultant works out of a salon) or your consultant pushed me into action.
Combining my locs
For me, there could only be two outcomes: 1. losing locs or 2. combining all of my locs. Combining my locs is something I’ve been contemplating for a while. Before the coronavirus hit I was 96% sure that this was the route I was going to take. After coronavirus hit and I realized how long everything would be on lockdown, I was 110% sure that combining my locs was the best route for me. So I enlisted the help of my sister in law and she combined my locs using the two strand twist method. This resulted in a much needed retie because she was able to gather all the loose hair and newgrowth when she combined my locs. It was very neat, and she even made sure they were done in even box parts.
What about those new in their loc journey?
My heart goes out to those who are new in their loc journey and are lost and worried about how to care for their hair. You’d be amazed at how many posts I’ve seen on Instagram and on my Youtube page from those desperate for help and answers. What I found to be disturbing and concerning is the lack of direction these women were getting from their consultants. I think there should be a level of concern and followup from consultants to their newly locked or not so newly locked clients as to how they should care for their locs during the locdown. Unfortunately that has not been happening. There were a few consultants offering virtual classes to teach their clients how to self retie. Then Sisterlocks rolled out their classes offering virtual self retie classes, with the cost starting at $325. Insert side eye here at Sisterlocks.
First of all, during a global pandemic, your solution to helping women care for their sisterlocks is to charge an insane amount of money to teach them how to self retie? Nevermind the fact that many have lost their jobs and are trying to save their money, many have had to take pay cuts (including a lot of my friends who work in the corporate world). But you’re banking on how desperate women with sisterlocks will be to get their hair done and therefore shell out the money to take your extremely expensive virtual retie class. This is disgusting and it’s totally taking advantage of those who are in unfortunate situations.
My saving grace has been the fact that I’ve been on my loc journey for a year and a half now and I’ve done a ton of research and know my options. I tried to self retie, but I had so much new-growth that I found myself making more mistakes than I was helping my hair, so I stopped and combined them instead. On my Youtube channel I encourage women to take action by combining their weak, thin locs and don’t risk or continue to lose locs because of trying to wait things out. So many women complained of losing locs or having thinning locs that are hanging on by a thread and didn’t know that they could and should combine those locs with a stronger loc next to it by simply two strand twisting them together. These simple solutions should be coming from their consultantssalons and business have just started opening, but we still have to be very careful. No matter what the current president says or what your local government says, we must continue to quarantine and use our better judgment before venturing out.
Precautions to take at salons or private homes
Salons must adhere to CDC guidelines and federal/local government guidelines before reopening. Before making an appointment with your consultant, please be sure that their establishment is following those guidelines. Before booking an appointment ask your consultant questions as to the protective measures they have in place. Even if they provide masks free or for a small fee, bring your own mask and hand sanitizer. If your consultant isn’t wearing a mask (even though must will because it’s required), politely ask them to. If they refuse, walk out. Do not risk your life.
If your consultant works out of their home and informs you that they are taking appointments again, ask questions before you book your appointment. Ask them what protective measures they have in place, how many clients are they seeing in a week, does she enforce wearing masks, does she wipe down and disinfect everything other clients have touched? If you feel comfortable with their answers go for it. If not, don’t risk it.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I recently had a retie over the weekend. This was my first time being at anyone else’s house besides my own since the first week of March, and yes I had some hesitation and fear. My consultant had Clorox wipes, a huge bottle of hand sanitizer, and disposable masks. She was prepared, but one thing I didn’t like was that she said wearing masks was “optional.” Huh? Why?? Why would anyone be okay with people that isn’t immediate family come into their homes without wearing a mask?? I had on my masks (I wear two at a time) and I keep hand sanitizer in the car. Also, I didn’t bring a purse or anything extra to her house because I didn’t want to bring in any germs or take any back with me. I didn’t even bring any food, only my coffee that I had to finish drinking and then disposed of the cup. All of pertinent things I needed to carry with me like i.d., credit card and cash were in my phone case that also doubles as a wallet, and it’s small enough to still fit in my back pocket and that’s where I kept it.
There’s no such thing as being too safe during a pandemic
I do not subscribe to the thought of being too safe, especially during a pandemic. All of us must do our part to keep ourselves and our families safe. To be completely honest, I still feel some type of way about having my retie over the weekend. I think I should have waited it out a little longer, and honestly I could have waited a little longer. But because I wanted her to look at my locs and reassure me that they were still doing and looking well since my sister in law combined them, I went ahead with the appointment. Hindsight is always 20/20, and the last thing I want to do is be outside my house more than necessary.
I hope you and your families have been well and are staying safe. I wish everyone would take this virus more serious so it can slow down. Don’t be hoodwinked. No matter what federal or local governments say about being outside and opening things back up, the coronavirus is still out there, and it’s going strong. Please keep that in mind. Stay safe. Keep your families safe. Check on your elderly loved ones and friends. Be kind and continue to social distance.
Going Back to my Natural Roots 