Solo Travel & Sisterlocks
Christmas 2019
I got myself Sisterlocks as a Christmas gift to myself and it is definitely a gift that keeps giving! I traveled to Morocco a month later and they were perfect for me as a solo traveler!
The Consultation
During my consultation, Rika was raving about my hair. I had never heard anyone talk about my hair the way she did. She was so in love with it and so from there, I knew I could trust her with my mane. She answered all my questions and told me things I didn’t know about maintenance. I was well informed and left excited. I had done some research before so I wasn’t sticker shocked.
4c Fro
For those who are wondering I mostly have 4c strands of hair with some patches of more looser curls in various parts of my head. I asked if those patches would be problematic. They weren’t and aren’t. There are days that I miss my fro but I literally have more days where I am confident about the way I look and I love my hair more and more with each passing day. I wish I had learned about Sisterlocks sooner. The maintenance is much easier. To go from wash days to a wash HOUR! I have my whole weekend back. I don’t mind sitting in her chair to get retightened for a handful of hours every seven weeks.
Self-Corrected
Before my locks turned one I wasn’t properly braiding and banding. Rika did an assessment contacted her mentors to see what could be done about it and they all decided that I should start sectioning my hair off properly and see what that would do before she went in to repair each lock. A costly venture. Thankfully after a few months of properly braiding and banding when I wash my hair my locks self-corrected! I am thankful for two things: my curl pattern [hey 4c hey!] and that Rika wasn’t money hungry. She could’ve easily just told me she HAD to repair every one of my 550+ locks and that ladies and gentlemen would’ve cost me more than my installation! So I love her for her honesty and for having my best interest at heart!
Pandemic
I am eleven months into my journey when this shot was taken and I am written this 18 months into my journey. You’d never know that my hair had gone 3 months without a retightening during the pandemic. My next retightening was a week away when Hair Stylists were ordered by Michigan’s governor to shut down the shop to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
I had gotten used to not seeing the grid of locks but I was so happy to see how long my hair had gotten.
70 Days
I coordinated with Rika to get my locks retightened the very last possible day before I left for Aruba. I lived in Aruba for 70 days and made sure to properly braid and band my hair for each wash. I even created a few hairstyles that made sure my hair was braided up when I went swimming in the ocean. I spent so much time in the water I was able to learn how to tread water!
When I finally made it back to Detroit I saw her the VERY NEXT DAY. She was pleased with my maintenance, which was music to my ears. My hair has doubled in length, is down my back and I just can’t believe some days that all of this hair is mine! I can honestly say ‘I woke up like this’ a fluffy look is but a headshake away! – @liveloveliv
