Hairstories Needed!

Snagged this info from Muslimahlocs - A message from Michelle B. at the Sisterlocks Home Office:

Recently, there have been some talk shows featuring Black Hair but none of them have had any reference to Sisterlocks. It's time we flood the media with information on Sisterlocks and how much we love our hair, appreciate Dr. Cornwell for providing the ultimate option to natural hair and basically let them know that they cannot feature natural hair without recognizing Sisterlocks.

CNN is featuring part 2 of Black in America. Please click on the link and write your Hair Story.

The question is: What does your hair mean to you?

Please tell your story; post a picture of your gorgeous Sisterlocks and let the world know how you feel about your hair.

Click here: Black in America: Hair-story: News & Videos about Black in America: Hair-story - iReport.com

There's power in numbers so let's band together and get the word out about Sisterlocks.

Thanks so much for your support,Michelle B.

How I Fell Off

I was reading this blog post by my Real Life-Off Line friend 9th Hour Poet. (We have known each other since before either of us had blogs or locks.)

She was talking about her good intentions for her blog and how she fell off once life got hectic and the locks got less new.

Amen, sister!

I especially fell off on taking pictures. It started when I began self-tightening.

It was my routine to take pictures before my retightening sessions, but once I started DIY, that went out the window. Then I tried to update every 4 - 6 weeks, but that was kind of discouraging because I could really only see the changes (in growth and maturity/texture) when I compared shots that were at least 12 weeks apart.

So I started taking pictures 3 - 4 months apart. Then it was 6 months and, well, then I just stopped taking progess shots entirely.

I spent the first 18 months in disbelief that my locks weren't longer. I am now 27 months locked and my Sisterlocks have just reached the length that my straight hair was when I started locking 2 years ago. If I was doing this only for length, I would be sorely disappointed right about now.

And I did have my moments. My hair grows fast. I literally retighten 20 - 30 locks one or 2 rotations every day. I have 3/4 to 1 inch of new growth every month. But due to shrinkage and other factors my growth has not turned into length.

I have watched people who started locks with 3 or 4 inches of hair aand theirs appears to be only 1 - 2 inches shorter than mine and I started locks with 7 - 10 inches of hair.

I was like: what gives?

My general dissatisfaction plus my genuine busy-ness resulted in a steep fall off on the blog posts.

I must clarify that I was not dissatisfied with my decision to lock or my naturalness. I maintain that it has been one of the best decisions ever!

I was generally dissatisfied with life for a few months, but that is another story that will probably never be told here because I try to keep it positive and keep it moving.

Matter of Trust

Y'all know I am always picking up some news of the weird.

I just saw this on the 5:30 news. It's kinda neat and kinda gross at the same time.

Want to know what to do with your old hair? Send it to Matter of Trust. It's a charity that figured out how to create mats made of human hair (the founder affectionately calls them dreadlocks) to soak up oil spills.

After the mats soak up the oil, worms and fungus (mushrooms) can break them down into simpler harmless biodegradable compounds that can be effectively used as fertilizer.

I want to know what he was smoking when he came up with that idea. (Or maybe he was munching on some 'shrooms!)

Beat that Sham-Wow!

Rollasole

Sometimes you hear about a really good idea and you think: I wish I'd thought of that.

Now I know some of y'all go clubbing in 4 inch heels.

And by the end of the night, your feet really, really hurt.

And going barefoot is not an option.

What if you could buy comfy ballet shoes on the spot for about the cost of a cocktail?

Rollasoles are a really ingenius solution. They are rolled up slippers dispensed from a vending machine at the club. They come in a cute little bag that you can put your more uncomfortable stillettos in.

Matt the inventor had sympathy for his girlfriend's aching feet. He knew she wasn't the only woman out there suffering in the name of fashion. They have taken off in England and I hear they are on their way to the US later this summer.

In the meantime, I'm ordering a pair from rollasole.com to keep in my purse - not just for partying, either.

I'm 4'11 and I wear 4 inch heels daily to luncheons and business meetings. Depending on where I've been and what I've been doing and how long I've been wearing them - I have issues at the end of the day.

There have been times I wanted to do my grocery shopping or stop by the mall, but thought to myself: not in these shoes!

Sometimes I carry flip-flops or flat sandals in my car, but not always. And sometimes I'm riding with a friend. In either case, those shoes are bulky and inflexible. They do not fit neatly in a purse. Compact and discreet portability is a huge plus!

But again, as an entrepreneur - Kudos to Matt for creating a product that meets a need. It's priced right and he has a great idea for product placement.

In da club - Awesome! You go, boy!

Apparently he even has plans to make them available at weddings and events.

How many women leave for a wedding in horrid pointy shoes with full knowledge that the shoes will come off well before the reception is over? And even when you dance the night away uninhibited by heels - how much protest do you get from your feet when you go to stuff them back in the shoes for the walk to the car or bus or the train?

Even the walk from the car to the house can be agony if you have to put the shoes back on.

I'm very interested to see what becomes of this product and idea.