All out of the SL starter shampoo. What to do?

Okay, so I had time to kill in a supermarket today. I was browsing the shampoo section in my local looking for residue free, non conditioning shampoos when I happened upon Alpecin Caffeine shampoo. This is usually marketed to men, which I guess explains the packaging and the fragrance. The product website however states that women can use the product for intended purposes. What caught my eye, and led me to part with £5.50 to buy said product, was not the promise of hair growth or stopping hair loss. Thankfully neither is an issue right now. What caught my eye was the product blurb at the back of the bottle that reads:

"This shampoo does not contain any conditioning agents so your hair will immediately have more grip."

More grip ey? I'm thinking this can only be a good thing for my sisterlocks. What do folks think? The product appears to contain sls but I'm not too fussed about that. I don't intend on daily washing as is recommended for the product usage but as and when I would ordinarily wash my sisterlocks.

I'm due for a wash this weekend. Go or no go???

Progress pictures

Just a few pictures of my progress from installation to date. I marvel at the difference in volume.

Most pictures are install day and week one, when I obsessed about volume, density and all that scalp showing. Not so much an issue now.

There are a few at 2- 3 weeks in, a couple at week 4 and then at 3 months. The last two at 5 & half months. I took some other pictures on my work mobile phone for the months in between only to find that it is so ancient, I can't find the cable to use to download these. Er well!.

Well here I am, 5 & a half months along.....

Long time no post. I'd given up hope of remembering my log in details. I finally cracked the code and here I am now, posting a quick pic to show you my progress at 5 & a half months along. It was quite a job capturing the back view all by myself. Loving my locks.

Remember my scalp worries??? I needed a picture to remember.

One month on

Just a quickie post. It's been just over a month since installation and am my locks are doing just fine. I have been washing weekly and experiencing little to no slippage. Can't overemphasis the  braiding and banding. My scalp is filling in slowly but surely. The hair has contracted and as that's happened, I started to notice a difference in volume to the two front sides. The right is less dense. To be sure, I did  a count of rows and noted 4 rows x approx. 15 locks a row short on the right and some locks bigger than what I would imagine is a medium sisterlock size. I got talking to my SL TC about this and she offered to re-do the front right quarter of my hair as part of the original package. No charge for this task. This re-do will take place mid October and that area will be six weeks behind the rest of the locks. Wonder how that will go down. I am loving the way the locks are developing. Check out my cute curly q's in the pic below.

I bunched, I braided, I banded…………

……..and carried out my first wash. I had no choice but to wash early because my scalp was a mess. A flaky itchy mess! Never mind that instructions were to wait at least two weeks. I was meant to get a wash at my first review, 2 weeks after installation. I took the plunge, reasoning that I ought to minimise the flakes in case they become unsightly build-up. Sweet relief!! Oh the blessed joys of water on my scalp.

I soaked my hair with equal parts water & apple cider vinegar and then shampooed twice with the SL starter shampoo. The reversal of the ACV rinse was my attempt at loosening and lifting as much flaking as possible. I am not entirely flake free but boy my scalp feels good.

I think I did a good job of washing my locks. I haven’t noticed anything untoward in terms of slippage or unravelling. Locks seem to have held up well. I separated locks bunch by bunch and airdried. I got some nice contraction and have a cute (if I may say so myself) TWA effect. I took several pictures of my freshly washed locks to enable inspection. My photos are thankfully not crime scene photos. Just evidence of good work, born of careful bunching and braiding and washing in one direction. However, I will await judgement at my review in 6 days. I will require another wash for this. Remind me again: Is there a warning about too much washing of babylocks??

I am mulling over issues concerning my lock count and lock size before I write about them. I feel unease about both of these.

Pictures to follow.

A very warm welcome to my little blog with big dreams to two new followers (YAY!!)  Kreyola and Lush Locks  . (Click name & link)

Wig, what wig? Gotta own the locks from the word go!

To think I thought of wearing a wig over my locks. The shame of it all.

Two days ago I attempted styling by using twist rods. The rods were a bit too big for my 5" lock length in that they gave me large curls that did nothing to minimise the so called "plucked chicken" look. At that time, two days ago, I was seriously contemplating getting to the hair store for a wig. Anyhow, come bed time, a wig cap over a satin bonnet gave me the compacted look you see in my profile picture and the scalpy look didn't seem so bad after all.

I did go to the hair shop yesterday and I am glad to say I bought no wig. I came out armed with rubber bands,  a silky hair scarf and pillowcase and small sized form rollers. I couldn't believe how little I spent. I was pleased and very smug about my decision to lock my natural hair. So smug in fact I found myself looking down at 'lye-ing' sisters in the shop. I was once a fully paid up member of that sorority - so I had to check myself. Natural hair epiphanies are personal. I am glad I had mine, just wish it came by sooner.

I've just finished curling my locks using small form rollers. Looking forward to see how that turns out. Check out my efforts in the picture above. I don't plan on too much styling as I rather like freestyle locks. I really just want to minimise the scalpy look until I fill in a bit more. My hair line is a whole other discussion. Will tackle that in another post.

Lock count: I doubt I have the estimated 480 locks on my head. Curled in bunches of 10 and I have not used 48 curlers - Again another post altogether.

And, and, I have my very first follower. Welcome motiv8ed4trubeauty . (click & Link)

My oh my, is that scalp I see?

Yes I am pretty excited by the locks on my head and the promise of things to come. Yet, I am contemplating  a wig (: - o *gasp! ) or a headscarf  for a few weeks. The scalpy look just ain't rocking my boat. I reckon I could do with a few more locks on my crown. Small locks as opposed to medium. Would small locks create more volume I wonder. I need volume on my crown. I haven't had my hair styled in any way yet, so will try something with setting rods and see how that goes.