Sisterlocked ...

Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself. ~Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985

I have my sisterlocks, now what? This is a few weeks after my sisterlock installation. I have mix feelings about them. On the one hand I still feel that this is the right option for me. On the other hand I am not sure I like the way they where installed.

It took about 19 hours to install 284 locks. I expected to have more. But that is not what bothered me. I seem to have locks in four different sizes. I had several question about lock sizes and based on the answers received I decided to go with the standard installation of small, medium, and large. I asked the consultant to put test locks representing all three sizes into my hair. He did. The large did not look that much bigger than the small. At this point I felt comfortable about the sizes that would be installed. Fast forward to installation day; I was told that it would take three days to complete the installation. He was finished in two. Day one went ok, the largest lock appeared to be slightly bigger then the biggest test locks. All in all the parting was ok and the lock size was acceptable. Next Day: He is locking the thickest part of my head. The locks on the top of my head are about the size of a mouse cord. If they start off this big and they swell they are going to be bigger than I would like them to be. In the same row you could have three x-large ones then one or two medium ones followed by more x-large or large locks. I was thinking that maybe I should have this section taking down and the rows split in half (about 7 or 8 rows). I decided to wait a couple of months (no more than two) and get the advice of one more consultant before making any decisions.

I am a project manager, you would think I would no a little about managing expectations and providing strong requirements. I guess I did not do a good job expressing what I wanted. I always try to live the now but plan for the future. If I start off with locks that are bigger than I want, it will only be worst later on. I see a number of people blogging about wanting to have larger locks and few who wanted smaller. Me, I would be comfortable with at least 400 locks. I understand that it cost morer in maintenance but I have always found doing my own hair to be very therapeutic. It is a way for my mind to shut down and go on auto pilot. Stay tune for my decision … Keep them, Take down the front and top, start all over?

Last picture of my Afro

New 1 week old Sister locks

3 weeks: Soft Spike set

4 weeks: Braidout