Sisterlocks (Brotherlocks) - are a patented interlocking technique which are maintained exclusively by retightening the roots, or "new growth" with special made too provided by sisterlocks.com

Bundling - are locks that is either braid down or twisted, proceed by adding a rubber-band to the end, to preventing unraveling locks due to washing of the hair.

Bunching - are very common in looser hair pattern. They are usually un-even, lumpy/dumpy, and have gab in-between. The only way to fix bunching is to unravel it and retwist or reinterlock. Note: If you have bunching locks and are concern please inform your consultant she is train to fix these type of issue.

Two Heading Dragon (2HD) - are two locks, join purposely to create bigger locks or are join as a result of thinning hair, which is saved by merging the two thinning locks together. The result is one bigger lock with two locks attached.

Retighten (Retightening) - is a term used for the maintenance of sisterlocks. It is when an individual who has Sisterlocks or Brotherlocks goes in to tightening their new growth.

Consultant - is a person who is certify or is a trainee, that is certify to do sisterlocks and has been train to provide and render the sisterlocks services.

Unraveling - is what happen when locks are undone by its own (very common in the baby stages) at the end of your locks. This may be cause by washing the hair or by cutting the sisterlocks ends or buds. That is why your consultant always recommends to bundling your locks in the early stage to avoid these types of issues. Unraveling should not be confused with slippages, since unraveling locks are more common at the end of your locks.

Slippages - is when your locks are unraval or loose at the base of your scalp. Note: You can have slippages but no unraveling or unravaling but no slippages or both.

Essential Oils - are use by the sisterlocks wearer to provide some type of moisture as well as help reduce issue related to dandruff, hair thinning, or any type of scalp related issue. I talk in detail about essential oil and carrier base oil in a previous post. I can't stress enough to learn more about essential oil before applying it to your hair care routine.

I. PRE-LOCK PHASE - The hair is in thin, tightly coiled spirals. Its appearance is along the lines of either ringlets or Shirley Temple curls. This is the infancy stage (baby locks).
II. BUDDING PHASE - During this phase a small bud (like a pea in a pod) begins to emerge about three quarters down the lock. The matted, interlocking imprint begins at the bud and then expands like a bubble because it is beginning to loosely mat. It is an enlarged microcosm of a lock. At this stage the lock is no longer tight and thin. It is rebellious, has a mind of its own and is discovering its own way (Teen locks). It acts like a teenager in a sense.
III. SHOOTING PHASE -After the budding phase, the entire lock begins the process of interlocking and matting. The direction is downward from the bud to the end of the hair and back upwards toward the scalp (similar to how some plants develop). The hair closest to the scalp is not locked; this is where you have new growth. During this phase, the hair increases in density because it begins to replicate itself like DNA. Your hair remains in this phase for the longest period of time (Adult locks).
IV. CONTRACTING PHASE - This is the final stage in which the hair becomes mature adult locks: an airtight interlocked, spiraling, network system. The locks become consistent, tight and fairly solid at this point. It will probably be fairly long in length at this point, as the hair will grow extraordinarily once the spiral form has been established. (Elder locks).

Last picture is the creator Dr. JoAnne Cornwell. For more information please visit sisterlock.com

What are Essential Oils & Carrier Oils?

Essential oils are distilled from plants & roots, as you may know, most essential oils comes in a concentrated form, and have a very strong aroma. Carrier oils on the other hand, are pressed from the fatty material such as seeds, nuts, and kernels, they do not carry a strong aroma (and if they do, then they are NOT pure carrier oils). Carrier oils can go bad over time, while essential oils do not, but essential oils do lose its benefits as it age.

Because essential oils are so strong, you do need to dilute it, before adding them to your sisterlocks or hair in general. The most popular way of mixing essential oils is by mixing it with carrier base oils. I know most of the sisterlocks community dilute their essential oils with water, but I fear that it is not as potent as mixing it with a carrier base oils. Please note: If you going to use oils as a moisturizer you will still need to add water to distribute it evenly through the hair, but if you going to use it on your scalp for dandruff or thinning hair control, then I don't recommend adding water. Adding the carrier oil to your essential oil(s) will work much better on the scalp. Remember, moderation is the key, and only put these oils on your trouble spot, since your scalp does produce it own oils.

Benefits of Essential oils & Carrier oils


Now you wondering, why you need to know this information, the simple reason is this. I truly believe you need to know in detail, what works for you, and what doesn't, especially when dealing with hair care.

Below are issue that can be solved if you do your own research, on what essential oils and carrier oils are, and what situation they can be used for. Below I listed examples of what average women face every day.


1. Hair Loss or Thinning
2. Dandruff
3. Mildew Locks
4. Very Dry Locks

Essential Oil		Benefits
Tree Tea Oil		Control Dandruff & Dry Scalp
Rosemary Oil		Hair Growth - Reduce Hair Thinning & Hair Loss
Sage Oil		Prevent Dandruff - Strengthens the Hair Follicles
Peppermint Oil		Cooling effect to the head - Removes dandruff & Lice.
Cinnamon Oil		Thicken the Hair - Scalp Circulation

Carrier Base Oil		Benefits
Jojoba Oil		Light Moisturizer - Fungicide - Mildew Controller
Avocado Oil		Heal Scalp - Hair Nourishment - Hair Growth
Olive Oil		Control Dandruff & Dry Scalp
Coconut Oil		Softens Hair - Conditions Scalp
Castor Oil		Hair Growth - Reduce Hair Thinning

Above is the most common oils that are used, and each oils has its own benefits. The key is to find out what works best for you. The oils that work for me and my hair are Jojoba, Avocado, Rosemary, and Sage. If you have been following me, you will notice most of my product contain some form of these oils. My suggestion is to learn and research about each individual oils and find what works for you.

Final note: I understand sometime we want to try to do things on our own. I highly recommend if you experience any hair lost, hair thinning, and major dandruff to go see a Dermatologist.

P.S. Comments are welcome as always. If you have oils that you have used in the past or is currently using, please leave a comment and let us know about it. Stay blessed ladies and gentlemen.

Here is another style I can do with my hair being its current length. As hair length goes, I still can't do a decent ponytail or a bun style. I don't want to do a Mohawk, because I just don't want to cause unnecessary strain, on my growing locks.

Below are the steps by steps instructions on how to do a “Two Strand Twist” with Sisterlocks.

Material Needed
Small Black Rubber Bands(Optional)
Spray Bottle

Step 1) Think of how small or big you want them to be. I did mines medium. I also did my twist after putting on my Sisterlocks Moisture Treatment (14 retighten sessions). Note: You can spray a little water on them if you don't have the moisture treatment.

Step 2) Just like you would naturally part your hair, you would part your sisterlocks as well. Just act like your sisterlocks are one big fat hair strains. Once you part them, go ahead and twist them around is other.

Step 3) Once you reach the end of your locks, roll them around you finger to create a neat twisted end. Note: Most of my locks have open ends, but I notice the section of my hair that doesn't have open end, were harder to twist hence the hold wasn't the strongest. I think this hair style would work great with newly install sisterlocks vs. mature sisterlocks. If you locks are fully mature, then you may need to add a rubber at the tip of your hair.

You can rock this style alone or wait for the next day and unravel them to create a nice wavy curls.

For some reason, we as African-American, have the notion that that shiny hair equal to healthy hair. Well it is not. If your hair is really kinky (very tightly coil) your hair will not be as shiny as someone with looser curls or even straighter hair. The kinkier and denser the hair is, the less likely it will shine far away.

Ever wonder why Europeans wash they hair every 2-3 days. The simple reason is that they hate the fact that their hair is always shiny and oily, hence why they wash their hair every day. Now we on the other hand, want to make our hair shiny, minus the oily look (can anyone say Jerry Curls). Just because your locks are not shiny doesn't mean they’re not healthy.

This post is about accepting your hair and changing how you think of oils and the use of oils. By the time you’ve finished reading this post you should think of oils as a way to moisturize your locks, and not as a shine producer. Now before I start, did you know that your scalp produces its own oil? On the diagram you will notice the Sebaceous gland, that gland is what produces oils on your scalp.

Below is a brief description about the Sebaceous glands taken from Wikipedia.

Sebaceous glands secrete the oily, waxy substance called sebum (Latin, meaning fat or tallow) that is made of fat (lipids), wax, and the debris of dead fat-producing cells. In the glands, sebum is produced within specialized cells and is released as these cells burst; sebaceous glands are thus classified as holocrine glands.

As you can see, our scalp does produce its own oil, the only people that would really notice it is someone with straight or looser hair pattern. The reasoning behind that is quite simple. The oil that the Sebaceous glands produce can easily travel down the hair shaft of someone that has straight hair vs. someone with very tight coiled hair. The looser the curls, the more easily the oil will travel down the hair shaft. That is why we don't necessarily need to wash our hair every day, because our hair just doesn't grab the oil as easily as straight hair would.

Now you are probably wondering about all the pictures you have seen with shiny locks and saying to yourself, “I want that look!” Well you can get that look by faking it. When I mean faking it, I mean putting unnecessary oil on the hair to make it "look" shiny . Also note that hair type plays a role as well. The ways you can go about making hair that is not normally shiny "shiny" is by putting heavy oil on it, but keep in mind that it is a temporary fix, and you will have to use a large amount of oil to create that look. A product that is commonly used for shine is Shea Butter. Another common option is using pure essential oil (not diluted) on your locks. I don’t recommend the options I listed above because A) Over time, putting unnecessary oils & products on your locks will cause major build up over time and B) If you have very thick locks, you can also introduce mildew.

Now you are wondering why you need any kind of oil for your locks. The simple reason is as follow - you need oil as a moisturizer. Now if you hair is dry then I do recommend adding oil to your routine just for moisturizing’s sake. I would suggest using oils such as Jojoba & Avocado Oil. Oils like these two for example are very good because they don’t penetrate the hair shaft as much. Below I list some of the oils that are very good for the hair and scalp, even if some of the oil does penetrate the hair shaft, they do come with extra benefits.

List of Good Oils & Interesting Facts

1. Jojoba oil is a fungicide, and can be used for controlling mildew.
2. Avocado oil helps to heal the scalp and leaves the hair with a superior moisturizing effect.
3. Castor oil is a humectant as it draws moisture into the hair and skin.
4. Coconut oil is excellent as a skin moisturizer and softener
5. Olive Oil can use as a deep conditioner and a dandruff controller
6. Aloe Vera oil can be use as an astringent (reduces oily build up) and fix damage from heat appliances

Please note that the above are what I consider carrier base oils and not essential oils. There is a big difference between carrier base oils and essential oils. I will talk about essential oil in a future post. Also note that if you are going to experiment with oils, make sure you make a future plan to do a BS wash & ACV Rinse.

Winter is around the corner, and if I remember correctly, my natural hair was very dry during winter time. I'm hoping with all of the things I have learned, I’m now better prepare for what winter has in store for me. I hope this post helps anyone that is dealing with dry sisterlocks and is worrying about winter hair as well.

Question to ask yourself.
Does your hair feel dry or feel brittle?
Is there more than usual hair/loc shedding?

If you answer yes to both, then your hair may need some kind of moisturize, and maybe even conditioning ( only if your hair is fully locked can you condition!). If you not sure, take a close up picture of your locks, if your hair looks moisturize, then you are fine. A micro shot of your locks will always give you an in-depth look of your hair vs. a far away shot.


Remember, kinky hair is not normally shiny far away, but a close up look will show shine and health. Don’t be looking for shine as a sign of moisturize locks or healthy locks. For certain hair type for example, kinky and dense hair, will not show shine unless you put heavy oil on it. I will discuss further on the topic of shine and afro hair in a future post.

What I'm currently doing now.

The humidity is getting low in South Florida, and Saturday we are getting a cold snap (50 degree is a cold snap for us Floridians). When I need an extra boost I spirtz my hair with water every day to combat the dryness. I only use my moisturizing spray when I need it (1-2 weekly). It doesn't snow down here in Florida, so I don't need my moisture treatment for more than once a month. My hair recently went through an ACV Rinse & Baking Soda Wash, and I decided then to use my moisture treatment, instead of apply it after my 13th retighten session.

I would love to hear what you guys do for maintenance during winter time. So either shoot me a message or leave a comment below. Stay Blessed Ladies!

I'm so excited!!!! I purchase the ticket today from AirTran because they had the best deals. I also decided, after doing some research, to take the MARTA to and from the event.

I'm a little disappointed that I had to make it a one day event. I have never been to Atlanta, and would have loved to stay a little longer, but my budget is already extended because I plan on flying down the Saint Lucia on December 22, 2010.

Even detail is below.
The Atlanta Sisterlocks EXPLOSION!!!
9AM-Midnight Saturday, December 4, 2010
Atlanta Marriott Downtown

General Admission $15 ($20 on site)

Includes an exciting array of vendors and presenters PLUS all of the daytime stage and platform activities