7 Years

(my daughter styled the fishtail ponytail. she's my precious angel)! It's been 7 wild years since I began my sisterlocks! As many locbloggers have stated, it is surprising how quickly the time passes. It seems like just yesterday that I was braiding and banding! Although my blog name reflects my anxiety about the beginning of the process, I can't say that 'thin' hair is my main concern. Don't get me wrong - I really don't like being photographed in front of a bright window or with my back to the sun! Still, I am truly amazed by my ability to wear a ponytail without wrapping the hairband more than once! Otherwise, the honeymoon phase is over! I don't spend hours staring at my hair in the mirror, and I'm too lazy to try new styles regularly (not a good thing). I'm pretty much settled into loclife and now contemplating cutting my locs into a bob....

Brunsli Hairties Revisited

Remember when Brunsli's hairties were all the rage?? Really pleased by how good mine looks 5 years later! (My original post with the hairtie was a few years ago...)!

So, this is a quick post about uninvited bangs... I mentioned two years ago about how I colored my locks and about how I had to endure lice treatments after that summer's vacation. This photo gives you a good indication of how the color and lice treatment impacted my locks and resulted in the new bangs that I am now sporting (you can see from the photo the color difference and the breakage). I would never advise anyone against coloring her/his hair, but I can say that my happiness about not having to use moisturizer did not bode well for the impact that coloring did have on the locks... I have been hooked on the Loreal conditoner for color-treated hair, which I would use regardless of whether or not I put color on (it is such a great conditioner for locked hair). BUT, I am now accepting the damages and refusing to add more color...

Getting Twisted...

Ok, so here are a couple of pictures of my new curling strategy! All my friends were surprised by how much faith I had in the perm rods... now I am hooked on the twist out! It is such a better idea, and it lasts much longer than the perm rod set. I am not one who likes such tight curls, but the thicker the twist, the looser the wave pattern. Anyway, I'm having fun experimenting with a new, easier, less cumbersome method for getting my hair to look full instead of 'thin'! (I still use the rods in the front to avoid a too tight curl pattern where my locks are shorter. Why are the locks so short in the front, you ask... that's the next post...)

My Last Perm Rod Set

So here it is - the photos of my last perm rod set. As you know, perm rods were my favorite way to curl my hair. Yes, I even preferred them to those bendy sticks everyone loved awhile back. At this point, I have to make a change; here's why: 1. Perm rods are great if I'm at home and can sit under the dryer. BUT, they are horrible to travel with (they take up too much space in the suitcase), and depending on the climate of my destination, there is no guarantee that 5 hours will be long enough for my hair to curl!!! 2. Perm rods are almost impossible to sleep on. 3. Once the band that attaches the perm rod to its cap breaks, it is near impossible to put it together again. 4. Perm rods are cheap, but the bigger the rod size, the fewer that come in pack. 5. After twisting my hair and pinning it in bantu knots, I'll never go back to the perm rods again! So, my next post will show before and after photos of the new styling technique I've come to depend on. Until then, here is the after photo of my last perm rod set!

Six Years

Not my most favorite picture, but July marks my 6th year sisterlocked! We are on vacation abroad, so stay tuned: more flattering photos to come!

Norway Updates

...by the way...

You can see the article I wrote about my summer in Oslo here

Back to School

Ugh! That is a picture from the first day of school! I look tired, but that is how I felt: excited and tired about the beginning of the school year! Life on fellowship was amazing, but alas, all good things must come to an end. This photo was taken (by me) back in September right before my first 9am lecture as a tenure track professor! Pretty cool. My new office is coming along; so nice not to share my creative space anymore. Remember how I looked when I first got here? The class? Af-Am literature from migration to Black power... I think it's going pretty well...




The next photo (above) is from a conference in St. Louis, one of the coolest (maybe most underrated?) cities around. Always have a blast working and collaborating with my fellow scholars who join me (well, I really join them) for our annual meeting at Wash U. Had to cut my colleague out, but her locks are always fabulous!



Finally, a photo from a more recent conference in B'More. I am smiling way too hard, but I thought that this photo shows the progress of my horrible reddish tint, ugh! I related my hair coloring gone wrong stories about a year ago. Oh, well. I am really digging the green dress...but next time, I will try not to be the scholar having the most fun at the afterparty...! (check May 17, 2009).