I'm so excite to do my first sisterlocks rocker interview. So please join me in welcoming Terez Howard. Below are my questions & her responds about her sisterlocks journey.

What made you decide to do sisterlocks vs. traditional locks?
When I decided to lock my hair, I knew that micro locs were for me.  I wanted to have the option of doing intricate styling on my hair.  I feel like the tiny parts allow for that.  Also, I just love the look!

How long have you been sisterlocks?
I have had my locs since October of 2010, so I'm at 15 months.

Any downside to being sisterlocked or locked in general?
I find myself obsessing over lint and product build-up.  I spend some time in the mirror just about every day, searching for any unwanted predators in my hair.  I never worried about these things as a loose natural. 

Knowing what you do know now. Would you do anything differently?
Absolutely!  I would not have gotten Sisterlocks (TM), or I would have gotten them installed and immediately started maintaining them on my own.  After I took the retightening class, I wanted to share what I learned on YouTube, especially since the process actually is readily available online.  It's just not called the trademarked name.  When my retightening video got shut down, I felt very jaded after spending a ridiculous amount of money on something that isn't as unique as its portrayed.  I love tiny locs.  But if I do it again, I don't feel the urge to do it "the Sisterlocks (TM) way."

What has been the weirdest questions asked about your sisterlocks.
"Did you get rid of those loc thingies?" A white friend recently asked me this when I styled my hair in an updo, and later she saw my locs down.  She thought that the updo was not locs.

Do you have a "dream" length of how long you want your sisterlocks to be?
Yes.  I long for the day when my locs are bra strap length.  My hair has never ever been that long.  I feel like that length opens up a world of hair styling options.

I hear you doing a 29 Styles, 29 Days, $29 sisterlocks style challenge. What made you come up with that idea?
In the beginning of my locking journey, I rarely ever styled my hair because I was afraid of messing it up.  I also thought my hair was too short to style.  I want to prove myself wrong with this challenge as well as satisfy my longing to style my hair.  One of the main reasons I chose to lock my hair was for the purpose of styling.  I want to show off my hair's versatility.  I also want to show other lockers with short hair that they too can do something different with their hair every day if they wanted.

Terez is going to start a 29 Styles, 29 Days hair challenge starting tomorrow, where she will be creating different & unique hair style everyday. Her expensive will be $29 dollars for the whole month of February. You can visit her site and the full detail of the challenge here. Below are pictures of her sisterlocks & her YouTube Video. Enjoy!!!

These loc jewelries are made for sisterlocks or micro size loc by Kawaii adornments. I always wanted to buy a loc jewelry, but was always fearful that the jewelry would be too big or too heavy for my very small size lock. Boy was I surprise when I open the black box, and saw these beautifully made loc jewelries inside. I was amazed at how small they were. They were also light and just PERFECT for my sisterlocks. Below are the pictures, and FYI, she makes for different size locks as well, so check her out by visiting her Etsy Store.

My retighten was done today and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Two weeks ago, I applied a jet black rinse which caused me to have some slippages. Those slippage made me aware that I need to apply a rinse only when my retighten appointment is around the corner. Slippage is a discomfort for me because I finger comb to separate my sisterlocks, and my fingers would get caught in those slippages...ouch. As always pictures are below.




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 got this style idea from curlynugrowth. I decided to try it out today and it came out great. My hair is not her length yet, nor do I have a black/brown flower to add to my scarf, but I was able to work it ^_^. It covered my main problem area and that was the back, which had some major slippages going on after my black rinse two week ago. My retighten is coming up this Saturday.

Ugh...last minute outing are never ideal for me, but at least I made it works with this style. This style is pretty much self-explanatory, so they won't be any "how to" on this post. I used hair pins to pin down the flat twists. I remember seeing this on the sisterlocks facebook group page and on YouTube by 1Sharkmom's, and I decided to give it a try. I plan on doing this style again with a braid out, which will give this sisterlocks style an even more dramatic flair. Flat twists seem to be short locks defense against styling block I think, and I'm seem to be taking full advantage (*sigh*). Note: I'm getting a little better with the makeup I think (love how the eye shadow is looking in those pictures).





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.

The Semi-Permanent Hair Color I choose was Adore Semi Permanent Hair Color 121 Jet Black. I did a review as well as a how to post on it as well. Below are the results (before & after). I made sure I took pictures in the sunlight so you can see the "before" color which was not black. My locks always get fuzzy after a wash. Note the first picture is wet and then the second picture is dryer.

I'm not doing a permanent hair color until my 3 year sisterlocks anniversary. With that in mind, my dye job is fading (especially at the tips), and I really want that rich and vibrant jet black color back. I'm now addicted to jet black hair coloring. So I have search around, looking into different type of color deposit hair coloring. I had to choose between Henna and semi-permanent hair coloring. I end up going with the semi-permanent color hair, since Henna doesn't play nice with permanent coloring (if you decide to do that later).

Below is why I choose a semi-permanent color with NO Peroxide.

Semi-Permanent without Peroxide & Ammonia just deposit the hair color vs lifting the hair cuticle to deposits both on the outer layer as well is the internal later of the hair shaft. The process is gentle as it adds shine and serve as a barrier against harsh water minerals and heat. I chose this to darken my exiting hair color so it looks more vibrant. Sad to say this color will only last between 6 to 12 shampoos washes, depending on what I used to shampoo my hair. Since I do clarify my sisterlocks once a month, I figure this color would last about 6 washes. So in other words, this will last me three months before I need to apply it again.

Adore Semi Permanent Hair Color 121 Jet Black

Claims
For a vibrant shining color that gives hair a beautiful, sensual feel and color that really lasts!

Likes
- Has no NO ALCOHOL. NO PEROXIDE. NO AMMONIA.
- Left my sisterlocks conditioned & soft.
- Give me a rich natural black color.
- Smell Good.

Dislike
-Not as rich or deep as the permanent hair coloring (semi are not meant to be though).
-Didn't get the jet black coloring I wanted. Got more of a natural black.
-It bleeds after EVERY wash. I'm concern about this because in the summer, I swim a lot, and pool and hair rinse to me is not cool already.

Below is how I apply my semi-permanent hair color on my sisterlocks. I didn't have a bonnet hair dryer so I apply this color during a sunny day in Florida, and I sat under the sunlight for about 15min. Before I continue further, please note that most semi-permanent hair coloring is DEPOSIT ONLY, especially if you get the semi-permanent hair color that has no PEROXIDE (Lightening agent), and no AMMONIA (open the hair shaft). Look at a semi-permanent as a way to enrich the color you currently have, and not as a color dye. So to make sure we are on the same page, don't expect this dye to change your black/dark brown hair to a rich red or blond. I highly recommend doing this color refresh a couple days before your schedule retighten, this is due to the possibility of unraveling locks.

Material Needed
Cheap Shower Cap
Semi-Permanent Hair Color  
Towels
Gloves
Old Shirt

Steps 1 - Make sure your locks are clean. You may need to do a clarify wash since this semi hair color requires clean hair to work effectively. Note: Please read the instructions of your semi-permanent product if yours is something other than Adore.
Step 2 - Separate your locks into four sections and proceed to tie them down with a rubber band of your choice.
Step 3 - Use a protective cream around the hair line. A protective cream can be petroleum jelly for example. Note: Petroleum jelly prevent hair coloring form showing up on your skin after you rinse out your color.
Step 4- Apply the color to each section, try to avoid the scalp as much as possible. Note: I focus mostly from the tips and on (new growth area was just extra). The new growths didn't really need as much coloring since my new growth is naturally black.  Cover with a plastic cap and sit under a heat generated source for up to 15 min.
Step 5 - Rinse, Shampoo, and Condition (if needed). Optional but highly recommend is to use another glove to rinse out your hair. The reason I noted this as a optional is if you plan on going out that day, the color rinse will appear on your nails, if you don't plan on going out, then you can disregard the second set of gloves. Note: I highly recommend using a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and not a clarify shampoo. You want to retain as much of the color deposit as you can, as well retain moisture.

You can find the final result of my coloring here. The hair coloring I used was Adore Jet Black 121 and you can check out my review here. Final Note: If you are unsure about anything at all, PLEASE seek a professional in applying any sort of hair coloring to your locks. Coloring is only for settle lock ONLY!

We Floridian hardly get major cold fronts, and since I came back from Ohio, I really can't complain about our little cold front that barely stay more than two days before it bright and warm again. With that in mind, I still moisturize my locks with my spray every time I wash my hair. If it's warm outside, and I need a little boost, I use a small spray bottle that is filled with distilled water for manageability sake.

When it cooler (I can't say cold ^_^), like today 54 degrees weather for example, I don't spray my locks with water but I do stream my locks. Steaming my sisterlocks in the morning help "wake up" them up for the day. Steaming for me is not using a shower cap while I'm in the shower (usually involving warm/hot water). For the shorter locks this should be very easy to do. Since my sisterlocks is slighter longer now, I just do twin pony tails and tuck them in to avoid my locks getting wet. This is the only different where my maintenance for winter time is concern. I still take Biotin & One Day Vitamins. I still shampoo and condition my sisterlocks. I did a semi-permanent rinse last weekend, and will be releasing a post this weekend. Anyhow, I curious to know if you guys have a totally different routine where winter is concern, especially if their snow and the temperature is below 20 (Brrr!).