It’s now been 7 months since my last reti and looking at this picture – the same picture that made me sit up, take notice and take action – still makes me shudder.
When I saw this picture back in December 2025, taken by my husband, a short while after I my retightening appointment, I had to accept that my crown was thinning, and it was tough and bitter pill to swallow.
Pain is information
The thing is, I had been receiving information for years by that point – pain during retis lasting for up to 24 hours afterwards. But I chose to ignore this information and every 7 weeks I would tell myself (as I tried to lay my head on my pillow the night of the reti, in such a way as to try to alleviate the pain) ‘it will be fine!’ But in case I was in any doubt, my husband didn’t sugar coat his words when he took that photograph. I finally accepted that pain is information.
Talking about this has not been easy, and I was not sure whether anyone would be interested. I worried that I would upset the Sisterlocks community, but in the end, I decided to share my journey. It might help someone, and it might start a conversation somewhere other than in my own head. And it has.
Over the last few months I have had questions, comments, suggestions, helpful hints and tips – but absolutely no pushback. All of which tells me that this is a topic we do need to talk about and share. Thinning and hair loss won’t affect everyone, as we’re all different and as unique as each of the strands of hair on our heads. And while the causes can be due to tight frequent retightenings or other hair practices, I want to highlight that there can be other causes too such as hormonal changes, inflammation, genetics, health conditions, haircare products, the list goes on.
What I have observed
Since stopping my retightenings, I have experienced no more pain. Combining and only lightly encouraging the hair to grown together (without pulling) has resulted in thicker growth.
I feel as though my scalp is ‘protected’, now that it has this growth all over and I can already see that the grid is disappearing. Part of that disappearance means embracing a ‘messier’ look, but it’s a trade-off I’m more than happy to make. My new mantra is hair (and scalp) health over aesthetics.
And what’s my crown doing now that I’m 7 months into my combining journey? It is thickening up slowly and I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like as it grows. Interestingly, the grey hairs make it look less full than it is, but I am grateful that there is hair there and that it is growing. I can’t wait to see what the coming months will bring.
I’ve been documenting this journey on my YouTube channel. Come and follow along over there. Love Those Locs on YouTube 💜