Damn Near One Year Later

SO.. it's been quite a long time since my last post.. As a matter of fact, I'd forgotten all about this blog, until I decided to join MySpace today, and it occurred to me that I could add this blog to that page. I haven't even been on LJ in a long time.. wow.. it's amazing how time flies.. When I wrote the last blog, my gramma was none too appreciative of my lifestyle change. Everyone in the family kept asking me when I was going to cut my hair and let my beautiful straight natural hair grow back.. do I even need to breakdown that statement? I suppose I do, since you can't picture me right now.

Well for starters, my natural hair is quite curly and kinky.. guess what? I'm a black female. Therefore, my hair is not naturally straight.

My family loves long hair.. every single one of them.. BUt finally, miracle of all miracles, i'm not getting much flack over my hair anymore.. Now, they're just wondering how long it's going to take for the length of it to be down to my backside.. I don't think I'll let it grow that long. But that's besides the point. THey've stopped asking me to cut my hair.. They do still wonder if I'm going to take it out or not, but I've long since stopped answering such questions..

Now I can truly enjoy the excitement of my locks.. I suppose at this stage, they're like teen locks.. they're not mature, nor are they baby locks.. my hair is about 5-6 inches long, with auburn tips and dark brown roots, and it's looking lovely.. i visit a naturalist who takes care of my dreds once a month.. and I love it..

Over the last several months, i've learned to find REAL naturalists.. For example, I stay away from so-called "naturalists" who have a perm, or don't use natural products in my hair. I also avoid going to locticians after having some of the most negative experiences with 3 of them.. And I will not get my hair done by anyone who has not had locs before, or who does not currently have locs.. Think about it. HOw can someone who doesn't know what an itchy scalp from having locs feels like truly appreciate your complaint, or even know what to do about it? How can someone who never had locs understand how annoying and detrimental to your hair it can be when a few of your locs start to merge together at the root? How can someone who's never had locs understand why you don't want to start your locs off way too small, even though they might look cuter? How can someone who's never had to maintain their own locs appreciate the issues you may have when you have too fresh roots, or way too much new growth? or patchy hair?

DREADLOCKS ARE NOT EASY TO MAINTAIN!!!! They are not maintenance-free unless you are into free-formed locs. Many of us are not. Ignore my profile name, my locs are not free-formed. I don't have huge clumps of locs interspersed with a couple small ones, or any variation of that.. My locs are uniform and mostly-neat. Even though i love to go for that disheveled look.

Oh, and DREADLOCS ARE NOT PERMANENT!!! Many people still think they are, but they can be removed with a special blend of conditioners, and through a very long detangling process, where you may or may not lose a considerable portion of your hair. But that doesn't mean that you should decide to get locs because you believe that if you change your mind, you can just get your hair detangled.

Locs are unlike any other style out there. You can get a new hair cut or any other style put in your hair, and you realize that your hair at some point will revert to it's natural state. But when you put locs in your hair, it's in its natural state, but twisted into a style that one prefers for manageability (free-form locs aside).

If you decide to get locs, you should get them with a mindset of this is it for me. This is the way I'm choosing to wear my hair from now on. I've heard many people say that it's really not this serious. But it is. And it comes with a whole host of lifestyle changes, and changes in your own perception. You start to be more conscious of things, yourself first and foremost. And then you start to see a whole new side of the people you interract with on a daily base. Some positive, some very negative. It's interesting to see how people react to locs. Especially if they perceived you in quite a different fashion, initially.

I've actually gotta go now, but I really just wanted to give a quite update. And a bit of rant. Why not? It's my space. I can do it..