My journey began about 8 years ago when I decided I had had enough with the perms. I was never the one who enjoyed sitting around in anyone's salon for hours on end just to get my "do" done. In fact, I despised it with a passion, so I very rarely went. Instead, I rocked permed ponytails and homemade flat iron "do's". I was so very content. But it all changed.

I am not sure of when it happened or what motivated my change, but somewhere, somehow I just decided, NO MORE. No more chemicals, no more waiting....urgh...I was so done. But I didn't know what to do with my hair at the point. I was still not sure that I wanted traditional locks and I knew my head was just too big to cut it really low. So for almost two years, I kept braids and extensions in my hair. Just so that I would not be walking around with nappy roots and permed ends. I guess at that point I wasn't really truly accepting of my nappy roots.

On July 3, 2005, I took the plunged and started my journey with traditional locks. I cut off all of my permed hair, leaving me with about 3 or 4 inches of new growth! I was happy with them, especially as they grew. I didn't have to worry about getting up in the morning and pressing it, I could do simple styles that took just moments...and be out of the door. Awwwww I was content. But, as the locks grew, my issues with them grew as well. At some point, I decided that since I could not find a reliable person to do them and yet again I didn't want to sit in a salon, I would do them myself. That was fine for a few years but then I got tired. My arms hurt, I was being lazy, I just didn't want to be bothered. I also noticed that on the ends, I had considerable amounts of buildup. In the beginning, the lady who did my hair, used wax. Naive as I was, I didn't know that should not be used to do my hair. But I dealt with it by picking the built up out.

But shortly after that, another issue began and I was getting completely fed up with the whole process. In the front, around my edges, my hair was thinning. At first I thought it was from wearing a hat during the winter all day long (I work outside in the elements). Then someone told me that it could be from me pulling my hair back to too tight. Nonetheless, it was coming out. Once I noticed, I started treating it and keeping it moisturized. It started to grow back and yet another issues came about. Once the new growth starting coming in, I tried to work it back into the lock that it was closest to. No matter how hard I tried, it would not work and I still ended up losing at least one lock in the front and a few more that were looking to follow the leader.

Enough was enough and I started looking into other alternatives. My mother, cousin, and aunts all have Sister Locks. I had contemplated a while back at getting them but I didn't want to cut off my locks and start completely fresh. So even though I loved loved loved their hair, I pushed that idea out of my head, for now. But what was I going to do......After quite some time, I decided, to hell with it, I will just cut off the locks and start over fresh with the sister locks. But after doing some research and getting some information from a group, I found that I could pick out my locks and still have some hair left!!!! WHAT!!!!!

And that is what I did. After 16 hours and soaking and picking (of course not alone) I was free of my natural locks and soon to be headed on another locking journey.