I know it has been a loonngg time since I've been keeping up with this blog, and it seems like it's been forever since I've done a hair update. As you can tell from the photos, my locs are definitely maturing. They aren't 100% mature, but they are getting there. It's hard to imagine, for some reason, that it has been a year and 2 months since I freeformed, and probably longer than that since I combined my locs. Time flies!
My thoughts on freeforming:
I LOVE freeforming. Is it for everyone? No, but if you feel that it is for you, GO FOR IT. The greatest thing I love about freeforming is that I have learned to let my hair go. I don't play with my locs, I don't have HILD (Hand-in-Loc-Disease), I don't have any thinning edges or thinning roots, and in general, I don't obsess about how my locs "look" as much as I used to. Freeforming allows you to embrace your loc's imperfections. Freeforming has helped me to recognize that although my locs aren't perfect, its imperfections are what make it so beautiful. I love the thickness of my locs and my roots, sometimes I feel like my roots are a little too thick, but I love it. As usual, my routine is so simple that I hardly have to think about it. I spritz my hair with my water and essential oil spritz, oil my scalp very occasionally, and rinse and wash it whenever I feel like it (at most, 2-3 times a week) with an ACV rinse (i do that only once a week). That's it.
My thoughts on combining:
You know, I once regretted combining because I felt like it was more of a hassle than I ever expected it to be. I did not want to start my locs over (never even thought about doing that), so I had to combine to have the thicker locs and stronger roots that I desired. Yes, it was rough at times. Combining your locs is almost as if your locs are babies again. Sometimes they unravel, and sometimes they just look straight up funky, but now the combined locs have FINALLY meshed into one. It's almost hard to believe that one loc used to be two separate ones. I love how combining my hair has made my locs much thicker and stronger. They aren't super thick, but they aren't tiny either. They are the right medium and thick size that I wanted. At times combining my locs was rough, but it sure was worth it. To anyone who ever has doubts about combining, if you feel that your particular loc and the root is weak, COMBINE IT with an adjoining loc. I don't think it's worth holding onto a weak loc for the sake of length and consistency; you could potentially lose it. Recently I combined yet again another loc at the back of my head, and it's already stronger and meshed with the other adjoining loc. In a way, I embrace the idea of combining locs because it's really neat to see how it grows and develops into one loc. It makes the journey even more fulfilling and rewarding.
The only other changes I've made in my regime is that I've been experimenting with more essential oils. I just love having my locs smell good. New essential oils i've experimented is patchouli, clove, chamomille, lime, lemon, and clary sage. I've also noticed that I'm not as strict about the type of shampoo I use. I still love my Dr. Bronner's, but I occasionally use Suave, Pantene, and Treseme. I just like to mix it up and have a balance between using the all natural stuff and the commercial stuff (because let's face it, the all natural stuff can be VERY expensive and is not always so convenient to get anywhere, anytime, anyplace).
Soon I'm going to start doing pipe cleaner curls. I tried them once for my graduation in May, and loved them. I just didn't take pictures during the time (shame on me!). I don't see myself being too adventurous with styling my locs (I'm just a simple girl, not big on hair styles), but once in awhile, I will try a couple.
Until next time... :)
