Throughout my life I've been told that I had a "thick, nappy head of hair". Until a few years ago this wasn't thought of as a compliment. I remember my sister and brother holding me by the legs while my mom tried to wash my hair in the bathroom sink. It was awful. In junior high, my beautician informed me that I could not remain a customer unless I got a relaxer. She said she was losing too many customers who had to wait on her to blow dry all of my thick hair. I gave in.

I went through a slew of hairstyles. I thought about posting a bunch of them, but I thought again. :-)

I started my locs in 2001 about two weeks before my wedding. Before that I went back and forth between braids and the Halle/Nia/???? look with a weave or two thrown in (Miss Ross would have been proud).

I had my locs started at Escofhari's in Greensboro, North Carolina by Robin (the pic to the left is me at one month). Robin used the two-strand twist method.

The amazing thing about this is that my hair started locking after two weeks. I kid you not. I found out when I went back for a shampoo. Remember, locking this early isn't normal. I think it's because of my "thick, nappy head of hair":-).

Below you'll find pics of my locking stages and my hair care regimen:
Three months locked. Believe it or not the sun was baking my butt. Yep, even here in Switzerland. 5 months locked. I had issues with my hair standing up. Apparently this doesn't happen too often either. My hair did this completely unaided. 8 months locked. My hair calmed down but it was still sticking up a bit. I learned to live with it.
1 year locked! Check out the difference between the 1 month pic at the top!!!
1 year and 4 months. I'm beginning to look normal!
Here's a side view.

Shampoo: I shampoo my hair with my Plain Ol' Soap soap bar that I make.

Rinse: I make my "after-shampoo" rinse also. Here's the recipe:

500 ml water
15 drops of rosemary essential oil
12 drops of sandalwood essential oil
7 drops atlas cedar essential oil

Combine the oils then add to a 500 ml (about 17 fl oz) bottle of water. After shampooing hair shake bottle to mix and pour over scalp and hair. Squeeze dry with towel.

Twist: I also make my own "Twist Juice" consisting of a 50/50 combo of jojoba and aloe vera gel. I apply it to the roots and twist. Then I apply hair clips (the little silver kind) to my locs and let them air dry.
Moisturize: I apply a little jojoba oil to my scalp once a week with a dropper. Sometimes I mix essential oils such as atlas cedar and patchouli. Tossing in a little lavender or tea tree is also an option. Use 10-20 drops per 30 ml (1 oz).
Build-up Buster: If you choose to loc, nine times out of ten you're going to experience some type of build-up. Here's the recipe and method I use to battle it:

1) Prepare a mixture of 75% vinegar and 25% lemon juice.
2) Soak hair with mixture.
3) Wrap plastic wrap around head and let set for about an hour.
4) Rinse out with cool water.
5) Follow with a clarifying shampoo such as Neutrogena Clarifying Shampoo. Lather and then wrap plastic wrap around head and let set for about 10 minutes. Shampoo and rinse 2-3 times.
6) Apply "after-shampoo" rinse.
Itch Ditcher: Simple but it works for me.

50 ml jojoba oil (1.69 fl. oz...you may want to round up to 2 fl oz.)
2 ml lavender essential oil (.07 fl oz)

Put the lavender eo in the bottle first and then add the jojoba. Shake well. Apply to scalp with eyedropper and massage.
Shoot, you may want to save yourself the trouble and start use the metric system. I've found it to be a heck of a lot easier.

After going natural why not build a site documenting your own journey and join the Nappyblogz web ring?

Good luck!