Philly Locks Conference

I started this entry way back in October but never got around to completing it until now.

The Philly Locks Conference was a pleasant change from my normal Saturday routine of chores and errands. There were lots of beautiful locks all kinds and lengthes. There was a wide variety of vendors selling everything from clothing to vitamins. Several of the local natural hair care salons were represented and many of them offered styling services and consultations while you were there. There were people offering chair massage and scalp massages. I got to see and feel the Lock Sock (not the LB Soc) and even bought one that I will probably use this winter. I also bought some Crinkles & Curls setting lotion that will maybe encourage me to use the Soft Spike curlers I bought this summer.

The best part was meeting a lovely group of ladies with locks from Boston to DC and having dinner with them. It was a real pleasure. I hope we're able to get together again in the future. I have also posted pictures from the dinner on my fotki site. http://public.fotki.com/quietspirit101/

How it all began...

Many years ago a lovely couple gave birth to a baby girl with a head full of hair. This is me around 1 year. I don't remember much about then but I found this picture of me that somewhat attests to the head full of hair. I also have a cousin who remembers when I was born and that she was amazed at the baby with a head full of hair. I'm not sure the texture comes through in this picture but it was not straight.

I don't have too many memories of getting my hair combed when I was small. The earliest hair memories are of straightening combs. I got to be pretty good at sitting still and not flinching when the hot comb got close. I remember more that my sister had curly hair that she hated getting it combed or washed. As I think back it was a good thing that she didn't have to deal with the straightening comb.

Fortunately, I was named after an aunt who was a beautician (she preferred that term over hair dresser because she saw herself as creating beauty) and she provided most of my hair care for the time we lived near her. There still were occasional pressing session in the kitchen but for the most part I went to the Beauty Shop every two weeks.

I really like the look in my baby picture -- all natural.

I really love my Brunsli Hair Tie

I've tried many different things to tie up my hair and so far this has been the best. I've worn it almost every day since I got it in August. Although I must admit that I rarely wear my hair out in the summer. It doesn't pull, it's not too tight and it holds the hair well with little stress. I'm going to have to try one of the longer ones as a head band.

Thanks Brunsli for passing along your great find in NYC. My hair tie has a design on it but between my skills and my camera it didn't show up.

Almost Cut My Locs, Oh Yeah I Did!

Back in January (I think it was January) I got my daughter to spend enough time with me to give me a trim. I have been trimming my locs ever since my consultant told me they were settled. But I never really cut them. It was just a few snips here and there of selected locks that were drastically longer than the others or really scraggily at the ends. I hadn't done this for awhile and some time in the late fall or winter I went to give myself a trim and my locks were too long for me to deal with. But in January what I really wanted was not just a few snips here and there but a shortening of the over all length. Now I know some of you might just ask why didn't she just go to a salon or have her consultant do it. My consultant only does sisterlocks, nothing else. No wash, no color, no style, no cuts, just installation of locks, repairs and retightening. She is excellent at what she does. After paying my consultant every month I just couldn't seem to come up with the money to go to a salon to have my hair washed and cut so I grabbed my daughter, gave her the scissors and said cut some off. Her question was how much. A couple of inches was my response. When we finished 4-6 inches was the result. My head felt lighter. It was good.

Do I miss my length? Yes and no. Yes, because having hair almost to my waist butt was a milestone for me. No, because my ponytail was getting heavy and that is my favorite way to wear my hair in the middle of the summer when it’s really hot and humid. I know to some it just doesn’t make sense to cut their locs but to me cutting hair, be it locked or loose, makes perfect sense. If it’s too long for your liking cut it. If you want it to grow longer don’t cut it. It’s all vanity anyway.

It's Just My Hair


There has been lots of talk lately about hair and jobs and it started me to thinking. I thought about all the different ways I have worn my hair since being on my own and I realize that I have never changed my hair for anyone but me. I have never changed my hair to get a job. I have never changed my hair to please my family. I changed my hair once as an experiment to see if I would attract more men. (I don't think it made a difference.) I've had my hair cut in a low fade to spite a man. But I have never changed my hair because of outside forces. I have washed my hair, had it shaped up or I've styled it for job interviews. But never once did I ever think of my hair as being unacceptable for a job interview. And if the thought ever crossed my mind it was only for a fleeting minute. Since being on my own I've worn a large fro, cornrows, a fade, a TWA, jerri curl, perm, natural, braids and now sisterlocks. When interviewing for jobs I have always gone for neatness: a nice suit; clean, neat hair; and a little makeup. I've always been more concerned about what will come out of my mouth. Will I come across as intelligent, competent and qualified? My skin is already brown so I know that has already set the stage. If an employer is able to get beyond that then my hair is not a concern. And if race is a question, I question whether or not I want to work there. I have always interviewed with natural hair and not once have I felt that my hair had a negative impact on the interview. Of course I may very well be walking around with blinders on but I have managed to get most of the jobs I wanted. And the ones I didn't get I don't think they were for me.

However, I did think a lot before I got locks. I wondered if my hair would be seen as a political statement which was not my intention. I also wondered if it would have an effect on my job. I worked in a conservative real estate research center within the university. We were 100% funded by donors and our donors were all along the lines of investment bankers. But I went to work one day with my hair in two-stranded twists that had been set, it looked very similar to baby sisterlocks and my boss said "nice do." So out the window went all my concerns about getting sisterlocks. I never got any negative feedback from anyone at work about my hair except for one comment from a sister that I supervised. I always made sure my hair was neat and/or styled for any events we held for our donors.

When I interviewed for my current position at the same university I wasn't even concerned about my hair. I knew that one sister in the department had locks. I did pull my hair back into a pony tail which is my conservative look. Since I've been working there one of the directors even told me she loves my hair and that it is amazing.

I think the most important thing is that you are comfortable with who you are. If you are uncomfortable with your hair then maybe you need to change it, after all its just hair.

Unusual Beginnings

I don't know the date my locks were started. I don't know when I had my last perm. I don't know when I did my last BC (big chop). I do know I've always had hair and lots of it. (I have a cute picture of me with as a baby with a cute little 'fro that I'll scan one day and post to my blog.) I do know I have been natural most of my adult life. I think we (me and my mom) gave up on perms during my senior year in high school and went back to the good old press and curl. The last time I let some one press my hair with a straightening comb I wondered how I ever let someone do that to my hair as a child. My sisterlocks were started with 6-8 inches of natural hair. I was getting tired of my standard TWA (teeny weeny afro) and was letting my hair grow. I had an appointment for a consultaton that I called to cancelled but the person suggested that I come in and let her put two stranded twists in and set them on perm rods. So I did that and several months later I had her put in my sisterlocks. I do know that it took 2-days to put in my locks. This picture is either me with set two stranded twists or sisterlocks. Most people had no idea I had locked my hair because the twist and the sisterlocks looked so much a like.

New to all this

I never intended to start a blog but I just couldn't leave comments too many places so I said okay just a little maybe. We'll see how it goes.