Wherever you are on your natural hair journey or wherever that journey has taken you, you’re now thinking about Sisterlocks.
I get it because I’ve been there twice – this is my second set of Sisterlocks.
I’m going to touch on 11 things that might help.
These are my views, and they’re based on my own experience.
1) You’ve done your research
The best way to prepare yourself is to find out as much as you can about Sisterlocks, as you would do with anything that you’re going to invest time and effort in.
You’ve read up about them, you’ve watched lots of videos about Sisterlocks, you’ve spoken to people who have Sisterlocks and you’ve spoken to at least one Sisterlocks consultant.
These are all valuable sources of information for you and each one will either give you additional information, tell you something you didn’t know, or present the information from a unique perspective.
2) You’ve fully weighed up the pros and cons
This point is linked to point 1.
As well as finding out all you can about Sisterlocks, you’ve taken the time to look at Sisterlocks objectively – the good, the bad and the ugly – and truly taken on board all of the positives as well as all of the negatives to give yourself a balanced view of Sisterlocks.
3) You know that comparison is the thief of joy
Maybe, as part of your research, you’ve seen lots of pictures or videos of amazing Sisterlocks and maybe you’ve indulged in a little drooling when you’ve seen a picture or a video that made you think – I want Sisterlocks just like those!
Comparing your Sisterlocks-to-be with someone else’s established locs can rob you of the joy of the journey.
And as long as you’re clear that your locs may not look like your loc crush’s locs, you’re good to go!
4) You’re patient
You like to take your time and you don’t rush to get everything you want.
You know the journey ahead and you’re ready for it because you know this isn’t an overnight hairstyle and depending on your philosophy, it might be a way of life or outlook on life, not just another short-term hairdo.
5) You love low-maintenance
Sisterlocks are a low-maintenance way of wearing the hair and you’re ready for that.
You’ve bid a fond farewell to combs and brushes and you’re happy to just have hair that doesn’t need to be styled, re-styled, detangled, or worn in a protective style.
You’re ready to get up, do other things (that don’t involve hair styling) – and go.
6) You’re open-minded about how you’ll look
There’s no getting away from the fact that when you go for your installation or establishment, you’re going to see more of your scalp than you’ve probably ever seen before and if your hair is shorter, you’re going to feel as though you’ve lost length and it will be like that for a long time before you ‘gain back’ the length you had.
I’ve heard the early stages of Sisterlocks called the ‘ugly phase’. I don’t believe it is ugly at all, and whatever you might prefer to call it, it will be the period of time when your locks will be settling in.
The truth is, you won’t know exactly what you’ll like at the beginning or during the later stages of the journey, until you get there.
7) You have thin hair and want to boost what you have
Maybe you have thin hair and you want to make the most of what you have.
Your Sisterlocks will compress over time and the individual locs will, eventually, look thicker than they did on day one of the establishment, because the hair will have compressed, giving you a fuller volume look.
8) You can make the financial commitment and/or you can self re-tighten
You’ll need to go to a Sisterlocks consultant for the instalment, and this will be a significant financial investment from day 1.
If you continue to go to your consultant for your retis on a regular schedule of say ever 7 weeks, this will, over time be a significant financial commitment.
But whereas you have to (I believe) go to a consultant for the installation), you can do your own retis or you can do a combination of consultant retis and self retis.
9) No more hairstyle mysteries
You’ve tried every conceivable hairstyle under the sun (or almost), and you’re ready.
You know that you won’t start thinking about other styles that you wish you had tried out and you won’t regret not having tried them out before getting Sisterlocks.
You know the ins and outs of all those hairdos and there are no mysteries or any yearning to unveil those mysteries.
10) You have a busy lifestyle
You’re very busy and you want the look without the daily or weekly hair regimen. And you want a hairstyle that doesn’t eat into your precious time.
You have too many other things to do. Maybe you have young children or an all-consuming career or you would just like to claw back some time to do the things you want to do.
11) The look is your look
Maybe you want to slow down the pace of life or you have changed values or you’re a busy professional or in a role where visuals matter. The neat, uniform look of Sisterlocks is a perfect fit for you, for your lifestyle and it’s the look for you.
Reti update!
I’ve just had my first professional reti since February! If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably know that I did a self-reti in June.
I had mixed results with that – but I’m so glad to have been to my consultant for my appointment, and she’s worked her magic on my Sisterlocks.
Take a look at my before and after – professional retightening – in the video.
