High Maintenance - No Way!!!

Tammycat said... Hi Leighann, I was just wondering if you consider your locks to be high maintenance? Because i was reading a forum recntly and someone said that their locks are really high maintenance. Thanks a lot!

Hey Tammy! Hope school is going well. This is a tricky question. For me the answer is no, but it's all relative. What I mean is: my hair is soft and it grows fast, so I retighten it myself about every four weeks. I'm okay with that, but someone else might consider a four week schedule high maintenance.

I think people confuse low maintenance with no maintenance, and there's really no such thing. Even if you choose to go bald, you've gotta shave regularly to keep that smooth look. Locks can be low maintenance if you just do the basics: wash, separate, go. But if you want your locks to look a certain way, then you've added to your maintenance. For example:

-- If you want neat locking locks then you're retightening more frequently.

-- If you want curls then you're twisting, braiding, steaming and/or rolling.

-- If you want color then you know that colored locks require extra care: moisturizing and conditioning. You've also committed yourself to keeping up a regular coloring schedule if you want the color of your new growth to match the old.

-- If you want independence then you're retightening your locks yourself, which usually takes longer then if your consultant did it.

My consultant can do my locks in about five hours. It takes me two or three hours a night, over three or four days. That gives me a chance to watch movies and catch up on my favorite TV shows.

Granted some maintenence isn't by choice.

-- If you've got loose, soft, slippage prone hair or even fast growing hair you're going to be retightening a little more often then someone who doesn't.

-- If you've got scalp issues such as excessive dryness, dandruff or medical problems that manifest in the scalp or hair, this too will add to your maintenance. But you'd have to tend to this whether you had locks or not.

Scalp and medical problems aside, it may not be the locks that are high maintenance, but the person and their choices.

I like neat locks and I enjoy styling them. It's not high maintenance for me since I'm willing and able to spend the time. It's nice to know, however, that when I don't want to be bothered I don't have to be. My natural hair before Sisterlocks was much higher maintenance, without nearly as much pay off: great looking, healthy hair. I love my Sisterlocks!

Actually, in the grand scheme of things, my blog about my hair is higher maintenance than my hair!

My Consultant: The Fabulous Khumura!

onyxcherry said... How did you choose a consultant to install your sisterlocks in the beginning? Did you research them or look at their previous work? There are so many talented consultants in the NYC area I do not know how to decide which one will give me the perfect set of sisterlocks.

I think the most important step in finding a consultant is to meet him or her; that's why the consultation is very important. It not only gives the consultant a chance to evaluate your hair and give you test locks, but for you to ask questions and get to know them as well.

When you have a number of consultants to choose from I think it really comes down to who you click with. You'll be spending a lot of time with that person so it's important that you like their work and feel comfortable with them.

When I got my locks in 2001 there were only three consultants in the NYC area and one was completely booked for months! I left a message with the second consultant; she never called me back. The third, who came highly recommended by the Home Office, was and is amazing!

I liked Khumura from our first phone conversation. She was pleasant, professional and patient! At our first meeting she answered all of my questions and told me what she envisioned for my hair type in Sisterlocks. She was open, warm, down to earth and no nonsense. We clicked! She showed me pictures of her work and I even got to meet and talk with one of her clients.

(PHOTO: Khumura and I hanging out last November at the Improv during one of my shows. She's a cutter as in she doesn't hesitate to pick up a pair of scissors to cut her locks down to a length she's happy with.) ADDENDUM: My bad. I should have noted that I achieved the spiral curls in this picture with Soft Spike Curlers. Spritz with water, set, sleep, unroll, don't finger curl out.)

To quote an earlier post:
"My Sisterlocks were put in by the fabulous Khumura Khumnetertauset! I can't say enough about this woman. She is very thorough, professional and a joy to know. I am proud to call her my consultant and my friend. Khumura didn't just put in my locks and retighten them, she monitored my soft and fine hair very closely in that first year, doing grooming and maintenance as necessary to avoid any major problems before they started. She laid a strong foundation so that I could enjoy the healthy and beautiful locks I have now. Khumura taught me how to retighten my hair and took my panicked phone calls when I thought I had "messed it up." She also made time to see me when I inadvertently joined a couple of locks. Her care and attentiveness to detail is unmatched."
I still go to Khumura once or twice a year, and I don't mind the travel. (When we met she lived in Brooklyn, New York and she's now in New Jersey.) She checks my locks to make sure they're "ok" and she does an occassional grooming (trimming lose hairs along the lock). We don't do a lot of that because my locks look fuller when they're ungroomed.

Recently, while retightening, I got a knot in my lock. I was horrified! The Fabulous Khumura was able to undo the knot in under a minute while we were standing and chatting on sidewalk! She never ceases to impress me!

Khumura is now based in New Jersey but travels. While she is no longer with the Sisterlocks company, she now runs Innovative Hair Care Solutions and can be reached at 862-452-1924.

UPDATED INFORMATION: Khumura can now be reached @ 917-650-5544.

FYI: JML @ NWL

I was browsing around National Wholesale Liquidators a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised when I saw the much touted Jamaican Mango & Lime hair products!

I treated myself to the Jamaican Mango & Lime Hair N'Cense (for only $3.99). The website describes it as "a fragrant formula that removes odor and leaves hair feeling clean and fresh." I've used it a couple of times (comes in handy after the gym or a smoky show) and I like the scent.

Lock Stalker Strikes Again

Last week I saw a woman with the longest locks I've ever seen (in person). They hit her MID THIGH!!!! I just had to catch up to her and tell how beautiful they were and ask her how long she's had them: 20 years!!!! (She didn't look any older than late 30s!) I didn't get to touch them, but her hair texture seemed quite soft.Very inspirational.

It really made my day, my week and I daresay my quarter! My only regret was I didn't get a photo! GRRR! It feels a little weird asking complete strangers in New York City if I can take a picture of their hair.

Lint (Plus Addendum)

Dee said... i think your locks are beautiful and well maintained. I would like to know if you ever get the odd bit of lint trapped in your locks and how do you deal with getting it out.

(PHOTO: Taken this past Saturday at the Halifax Comedy Festival in Nova Scotia.)

Hi Dee,

I think I've been very fortunate on the lint front for a few reasons.
1. I try not to wear a lot of fabrics that attract lint. I gave away a beautiful hat and scarf set that I got as a gift last year because it was a shaggy/furry material that shed worse than a cat.

2. I use a lint roller on my clothes (when needed) and even have a travel size "lint licker" in my purse.

3. I don't use oily products (grease, butters, waxes, pomades, anything sticky) that create buildup and/or attract lint. Keep it simple.

4. I cover my locks at night with my L.B. Soc.

5. (And this is the most embarrasing to admit.) I suffer from a severe case of "Hands-in-the-hair-itis." I check my locks so much you'd think they were under surveillance. I do get the occassional piece of lint, but through my vanity and vigilance it doesn't get a chance to settle in. This may also be a side bonus to not having thick hair. Fewer locks, means fewer places for lint and debris to hide.

6. Just thought about this one: I have a three-panelled mirror* in my bathroom that when opened allows me to see the sides of my hair. For a back view, I have a hand mirror that I hold up to let me see all angles. If the style doesn't look good coming and going what's the point. (That goes back to the whole vanity thing. :-)

*ADDENDUM (5/3/06): To be more accurate, the mirror in my bathroom is called a Tri View Medicine Cabinet. The one pictured in the link is better than mine, because of the row of lights on top. An even nicer looking mirror can be found at Home Depot.