So last weekend, I received a visit form a fellow blogger who awarded me with the "Stylish Blogger Award", and I wanted to send a warm thank you to her.


Kreyola: because she has experienced alopecia areata and survived (*grin*) and writes fairly informative articles on Sisterlocks and hairloss.

Now on to the Acceptance Speech *kidding*

Below are 7 facts about me

I love when my sisterlocks has just been retighten, but I don't like how flat my locks look when it happens. I never notice the flatness of my sisterlocks when my sisterlocks were shorter (after a retighten),  and I wonder as my locks continue to become longer, will the flatness be more apparent? I'm usual happy around the 1 week mark, my hair & scalp at that point is not completely fresh, and it has a nice body to it. I refer to that week as the "perfect sisterlocks period". So today I decided to wear my sisterlocks in a pony tail, and it came out looking cute! So I decided to share my pictures with you guys.

I need to plan my style more, this was a very quick pony tail, with an added accessory to enhance the look.

Isn't that a pretty pony tail =). When I pull my hair back, I swear I'm back in high school *girlish giggles*
Left & right picture is a close up of my hair accessory.

I schedule to have my hair colored in Jet Black at my next retighten. So the next post will be showing off my new color. I can't WAIT!!!

Note: You can click on any of the images to enlarge. All image are copyright by me. Please ask for permission if you want to use any of my pictures.

I wanted to do something totally different with my sisterlocks, so I flat ironed my sisterlocks three weeks ago.

I researched flat irons for months, and recently starting looking for YouTube videos on "how to" on flat ironing sisterlocks. I was surprised to run into a YouTube video, that was made by a sisterlocks consultant (Roni Rasheedah). It also happen that I saw her at the sisterlocks explosion. She made me feel comfortable enough to flat iron my sisterlocks.

You can take a look at her video here, or you can check out my how to here. Below are the result of my flat iron.

Before & After Result of flat ironing my sisterlocks

Note: You can click on any of the images to enlarge. All image are copyright by me. Please ask for permission if you want to use any of my pictures.

Let me say first of all that flat ironing and curling ironing, etc., will cause some kind of hair damage if not use properly. I would suggest doing this on SPECIAL occasion or every 3-4 months.

I also HIGHLY recommend to use a thermal protection spray as well. Also note that you should only flat iron your sisterlocks if your hair is settle, and is locked.

Material Needed
Thermal Protection Spray
Flat Iron (Preferably FHI, CHI, Solia, and Sedu flat irons)

The flat iron I have is Sedu Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron Hair Straightener 1.5 Inch, which is very expensive, but I love the fact that I could adjust the heat, and it's one of the safest flat iron option out there period. For my thermal protection spray, I use "Got 2b Guardian Angel 425° F Heat Protect", and that seem to work best with no residue. You don't have to pick my thermal spray, you can use whatever one you like, just test it on a section of your locks first.

STEP 1 - Wash and Condition Your Sisterlocks. Once your sisterlocks is dry proceed to Step 2.
STEP  2 - Apply the thermal protective spray. Reason why I wait until my sisterlocks is dry is because it easier for me to see, and feel that my hair has the protective spray on it. Once you have sprayed your sisterlocks, you will let that air dry as well. Remember, DO NOT apply high heat on soaking wet hair.
STEP 3 - Once your sisterlocks is dry, section your sisterlocks into four parts, and proceed to flat iron your locks. If you want a flip or layer wave style, flat iron your sisterlocks in a direction of your choice, instead of stright stroke, which will give you pin stright locks. Note: The setting for my flat iron was 320. I receive great result with that, and I didn't need to put it on high (410), which I think is an over kill anyway. Not all flat iron have heat range options, so please be careful.

Above I give you a list of flat iron to use, versus telling you to pick mine. The ones above are good, but expensive for a reason. As long as you pick a true Ceramic/Tourmaline flat iron you should be okay.

To see the end result of flat iron my sisterlocks click here.


Note: You can click on any of the images to enlarge. All image are copyright by me. Please ask for permission if you want to use any of my pictures.

This review came in a package of three posts. One was the "how to" on flat ironing sisterlocks. The second one was the result of flat ironing my sisterlocks. This post will review the products itself.

Roni Rasheedah was the sisterlocks consultant that I saw at the sisterlocks explosion, and her YouTube video give me the courage to finally flat iron my sisterlocks. Even though her YouTube video didn't recommend a heat protection spray, I decided to use one anyway. Below is the review of the flat iron I got and the Angel Heat Protect.

got2b Guardian Angel Heat Protect N' Flatten Flat Iron Balm and Gloss Finish

What it Claims
Be invincible with the Got 2b Guardian Angel 425° F Heat Protectformulated with proven 425 degree heat protection, plus a patented heat-activated polymer which forms a protective layer around the cuticle while delivering shine agents for a glossy finish. There's no more need to go any hotter.


Likes
- Protect From Heat
- Smell Nice (May Be Strong for Some)
- Not Very Thick. Very Easy to Spray on Locks

Dislikes
-Leave Residue (Notice it after a swim in chlorinated water)
-Does not add shine
-Leave locks dull and lifeless

Final Note: Even though it claims to add shine, it certain wasn't the case for my sisterlocks, which is fine by me. I had this product for about a year and I have use it without having build up issue but I did notice one day after swimming that it did leave a residue when reacted with chlorinated water. I do not recommend this to lock wearer because of that. You can read more about my issue with this product here.

Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron (1 1/2")

What it Claims
Rated the Best Hair Straightener on the market and preferred by top hair stylists around the world, Sedu Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron Hair Straightener 1.5 Inch straightens, smoothes and tames frizzy for long-lasting results. Sedu's patented ultra-smooth ceramic/tourmaline plates guarantee smooth straightening motion without pulling or breaking of hair.

Like
- Adjustable Heat Range
- LOVE the 1 1/2 Plate (Not recommended for very short locks)
- Heat Up FAST
- Didn't Permanently Straighten My Hair

Dislike
- Color (I wish they had a pink version lol)
- Top Plate Get Hot, So You Can't Grab It

Final Note: This was a great buy. My hair didn't have the burn smell (I use to flat iron my hair prior to sisterlocks). Another bonus was my sisterlocks DID NOT get struck between the plates. A SUPER PLUS!!

Last Updated 5/14/2012

I don't understand why sisterlocks.com doesn’t advertise the brotherlocks version of the sisterlocks as much. Most of the people that are researching sisterlocks are indeed woman but I feel the information out there for the men are very little. Hopefully this post will help out the brothers that are looking for nice neat locks, but don't want to go for the micro size of Sisterlocks.

What are Brotherlocks?

Think of Brotherlocks as the male version of sisterlocks. For some reason a lot of people think brotherlocks is just the male name version of sisterlocks. Brotherlocks are NOT the male name version of sisterlocks. Brotherlocks are in fact the largest version you can get out of sisterlocks. Just like sisterlocks has a range (from micro to large) so does brotherlocks (small to large). Now if you are a female, and you what your locks to be bigger than the Sisterlocks range, then you will have to be upgraded to the Brotherlocks version. Now I for one, have seen sister with the brotherlocks version of sisterlocks, but they called them sisterlocks, which is fine, since it be kind of weird to try to explain that they are indeed brotherlocks.

What are the maintenance for Brotherlocks?

The maintenance for brotherlocks are the same as sisterlocks. You are required to retighten your locks every 4 weeks in the beginning until your hair is completely locked. You will be given the Sisterlocks Starter Shampoo, and then once you are locked, you can proceed to use your own shampoo.

What is the cost?

I can't help you with the cost of brotherlocks. Just know you will be paying a whole lot less then the sisterlocks version, because your locks will be a whole lot bigger, which means less cost for your installation as well as the retighten session.

Who offer Brotherlocks?

Anyone that has been trained and certified by sisterlocks.com can install brotherlocks. Please do your own research before getting brotherlocks! I did a post in the past about doing research and I believe that post applies to brotherlocks as well. The post was about helpful tips and information about what you need to know before getting sisterlocks. I also found one blog that is current about brotherlocks I hope this post helps you in your journeys.

Picture source is copyright by sisterlocks.com

Now that my hair is growing back, and my scalp is looking healthy again, I decided not to use the huge amount of biotin I was taking these past months. I started noticing some extra side effect, if that's even possible? I notice that biotin was working a little too well, and I wonder if anyone else notices extra growth on their body, while taking biotin.

I was taking a huge amount of GMC Biotin (2500mcg), plus the One A Day Women's (500mcg), so that may be the case of what I was experiencing. I don't know if this is considering a side effect, since technically, biotin is suppose to promote hair growth etc., but I noticed that my hair was growing faster everywhere (arms, legs, etc.). I also notice white/silver hairs growing out of my cheeks, as well as dark hair growing out of my chin (horror). It was typically one or two strand at a time, but to me it was super strange!!! That is why I decided to phase out GMC Biotin capsules a month ago, and now I have stop taking it completely. I will still monitor my hair and hopefully my issue with hair thinning will not resume.

Having dandruff is not a pleasant thing. If you don't take extra care, you can find yourself with a clumpy and flaky scalp & locks. I have a friend that has really bad issue with dandruff and this was done for him. So this will be my second round of my "mixology" series.

When we clearing off dandruff, we tend to get a comb and try to scrape it off. You can do that, but try to be gentle so you can avoid irritating the scalp, as well as harming it (especially since you plan on applying some oil to the scalp). Before applying this mixture, clean the hair with some clarifying shampoo (or BSW & ACV Wash) & use a conditioner if you can. Once that is done, look at what is left, I tend to wait for the scalp to dry, before gently scraping the dandruff off that wasn't caught with the deep cleaning. Once the area is clean, I then apply the mixture below (only in the affected area).

Materials Needed
3-4oz Cobalt Blue or Amber Wide-Mouth Jar
1/4 (2oz) Measuring Cup

Recipe: Essential & Carrier Base Oils for Controlling Dandruff

8 Drops of 100% Pure Tea Tree Essential Oil
1 Drops of 100% Pure Patchouli Essential Oil(Warning: Very STRONG smell)
3 Drops of 100% Pure German Chamomile Essential Oil
2 oz (1/4 cup) of Jojoba Carrier Base Oil

I apply the oil mixture to the affected area, and that seem to work the best. You can apply this mixture to your conditioner if you want to, especially if you don't want to add additional oil to your scalp. Note: Do not add it to your shampoo since the whole purpose of the shampoo is to clean the locks and scalp from impurities. By adding oils to the shampoo, it defeats that purpose.