My sisterlocks journey started almost 10 years ago and although I’ve enjoyed it, bad choices made much of it a challenging learning experience.
By 1998, after enduring hundreds of perms, my scalp, hair and I finally had enough! My bathroom floor was always covered with the evidence that my hair, destroyed by perms, was breaking off. Each time I got a perm, I suffered from a sore scalp that sometimes left scabs. It was time for me, one who hated the look of my straight hair, to be myself and go completely natural. Not knowing how to manage natural hair, I let the perm grow out and styled my hair by making a bang with the rest brushed back into a small French twist. Needless to say, I was on a mad hunt for “natural” hair options. I always admired traditional locks but could not see being restricted to only a few styles. I certainly would not “knowingly” have hair that I could only wear back. My face is somewhat long with a high forehead, so I always make a conscious effort to comb some hair forward. I never wore my hair all pulled back. Determined to avoid harmful chemicals, I simply bided my time to find the hair option for me.
The sisterlock experience has been similar for most. If you talk to anyone with sisterlocks, she will be able to tell you the first time she saw or heard of these beautiful locks. As if it was yesterday, I too remember the first time I heard of sisterlocks. I was driving in my car and listening to one of my favorite talk show radio host, Nick Talfaro. Joanne Cornwell, the sisterlocks originator, was his special guest for the day. After hearing her talk of the flexibility that very thin locks offer, I was s determined to start my journey. That was over ten years ago.
Choosing a Sisterlock Consultant
As opposed to the traditional method of twisting the hair to start the hair locking process, sisterlocks is a tedious process that requires skill and patience. Unfortunately, I was very anxious for sisterlocks and did not carefully consider the importance of finding a good consultant. Freedom from chemicals should not leave you hostage to a dependency on consultants who are poorly skilled, flaunt their skills like weapons, or disrespect you as a customer.
My experiences with consultants – good and bad …
Skill level
Unfortunately, my first consultant was someone who was trained five years prior to doing my hair but did not have five years of experience starting sisterlocks. Although she had taken the class five years prior, she had not started many locked heads in that span of time. I got her name by calling at Sisterlocks main office in California and was convinced when she showed me pictures of women with beautiful locks. (A minor detail – the pictures were not of locks started by her.) Although my hair was about three inches of all new growth, she started each lock more than an inch and a half from the bottom. When it was done, the bushy ends were quite apparent and annoying. I questioned her about these busy ends and she told me not to worry because she planned to “repair” it at my first tightening session. She started my hair in “repair mode”. My first tightening session was more that a day and even though she committed to including the cost of the first session in the initial starting fee, I was charged for the extended time. Meanwhile, my loose locks were constantly coming out. (Initially happy that my starter locks were fat, I soon realized the hazards of loose locks.) Finally, I decided not to go back to this consultant and went to another, more experienced consultant who truly repaired my hair. It cost me 3/4 the original costs!
Comfortable environment
The next consultant did my hair for the next two to three years. (When choosing a sisterlock consultant consider - once a month you will be sitting with this person for three hours or more. It should be a comfortable experience.) In the two or three years going to her, I missed one appointment and she cancelled one. Each time before leaving a tightening session, I would make the next appointment. The last time I talked to her, we disputed the date of my next appointment. I thought I had an appointment the day before my cruise and she said I had no appointment. Luckily, I was able to get someone else to do my hair and decided not to return. My decision, however, was not based on this unfortunate misunderstanding. A few times while I got my hair done, her friend sat and expressed very strong anti-Christian sentiments. I was raised in a Christian home and felt uncomfortable with some of his comments. This was his home and his right so, I made the decision not to return. As for her skills, this was one of the best sisterlock consultants in the city. Skill level is, for me, not the only criteria for selecting a consultant.
Customer Service
The next consultant also took care of my hair for the next two to three years. This consultant was also highly skilled and did an excellent job. She was a very organized, very clean and very punctual. She had established a very well organized, professional sisterlocks business. Only once was she late. This one time, I went to her house at the appointed time and no one was there. I called and got no answer. I only lived a few miles from her house so I just went home. Approximately thirty minutes later, she called me apologizing. She had been detained serving Jury duty. Things happen so, of course, I was okay with it. I quickly jumped in my car and went back to have my hair tightened. She had been my consultant long enough to trust this to be a one time incident that could not have been avoided. It only happened once so I felt no need for this incident to warrant a discount or any special consideration. “Things happen.” After that, things went smoothly. At the end of each session, I would schedule an appointment for the next tightening. This went on until about one year after the “late appointment” incident; I called her because I realized that I had missed my appointment. When she said the appointment date, I remembered - on that day I was at home doing nothing. I simply forgot. Immediately, I asked, “Why didn’t you call me? I’m right around the corner and could have been there in five minutes.” Her response was to say that she didn’t call customers in situations like that and because I missed the appointment, I owed her $10.00. Well, I never returned. Yes, I forfeited getting my hair done by one of the best consultants in the city to not feel like a hostage to her skill. I don’t want to be with a consultant who not only has very little consideration for me a customer but also stands ready to zap me for the slightest little problem. I will accept not receiving a “day before” courtesy call from a very busy consultant but to be a few blocks from a customer who has been on time for every appointment over a two year span of time and just refuse to call is, to me, a display of hostility. Customer service is an important consideration in the selection of a good sisterlock consultant.
Price
The next consultant who did my hair was the most expensive. This consultant had a salon equipped with washing bowls, hair dryers and comfortable chairs. (The previous consultants did hair out of their homes but also had comfortable chairs.) Going to a salon comes with perks that, of course, will cost. Unfortunately, I was laid off and could not afford the extras. If and when I can afford it again, I may consider going back to this salon. I’m not saying it was too expensive. I’m just saying that “I” could not afford it. The customer service was very good. I went to this consultant for about six months and 24 hours before each appointment, I would receive a reminder “courtesy” call. The atmosphere was always respectful and pleasant.
Commitment to the sisterlock model
The last but not least consideration selecting a consultant is the consultant’s commitment to the sisterlock model. My last consultant taught me this lesson the hard way. This consultant was the most reasonably priced and, saving me the cost of gas, came to me for service. Not as skilled as the others, she tightened each lock well but took five hours to do what most did in three hours. Being financially in a bind, I was welling to sit the extra two hours to get my hair done. On one of the sessions, I feel she became very tired when she said, “ …I will combine some of your top locks”. Knowing that I had “a few” locks that seemed to be the size of thin thread, I agreed. Well, it wasn’t until a few months later that I notice I could not do certain hairstyles. Mainly, I could not do styles with hair combed forward. My top locks were too, too thick. After having sisterlocks for over seven years, I never, in my wildest dreams, considered the possibility of them being destroyed. MOST of the locks of my crown had been combined and were so thick that the overall the appearance of my locks changed! Instead of the flexibility to style the front of my hair, I now create styles to hide the top middle portion of my hair. My reason for selecting sisterlocks over traditional locks was negated in one session. I never wanted locks that “had” to be worn all going back! I wanted the flexibility to style locks curled around my face. Sisterlocks gave me that flexibility! When I approached the consultant with this issue, she denied it and said that my locks just got thicker on their own. According to her, I have fewer locks at the top because my hair is thinning. So, I was to believe that many of my locks disappeared while the other half got twice as thick. I did not believe her explanation. Half of my locks will not and did not disappear into thin air while the others got twice as thick! I take responsibility for this disaster. It was my responsibility to know exactly what she was doing and exactly how many locks she planned to combine. I also think it was her responsibility to keep my locks a certain size. My top locks are larger than the back locks and, like sore thumbs, sit out atop a bed of more beautiful thin locks. As a sisterlock consultant, she should have been committed to maintaining locks according to the recommended size. She took many of my locks well beyond the recommended size with the only benefit being a shortened maintenance time. I should have asked more questions and she should have kept my locks within the recommended size! (The consultant who combined my locks has, herself, 600 locks!)
The Best Consultant
Well, my last consultant is not the most experienced but she is the best. The cost is $0.00 and I never have to worry about scheduling an appointment. My hair is only tightened when it suits me and the customer service is great! Who, you ask, is this wonderful consultant? – “ME”. I tighten my own hair. I’ve taken the consultant’s class and I finally practiced enough to complete my entire head. I’m using my last bad experience as a learning challenge to split the many thick locks of my crown. I actually replaced the first two rows of locks. (The thick locks left bigger spaces between locks and I could not wait for the splitting process.) I have new locks for the front two rows of my hair.
Conclusion
After all of my sisterlock experiences, positive and negative, I have no regrets. I think that I finally found the locks for me and will probably wear my hair this way for a very long time. I will never perm my hair again. Sisterlocks are beautiful but if you make the decision to lock using this method, be very careful when choosing your consultant. Take the consultation interview as an opportunity to ask questions and get a feel for the environment. If someone starts off with negative statements, noting a long list of penalties, consider how being under these threats will make you feel. Observe the environment and if possible, listen to the conversations. Remember you'll be sitting in this environment for three hours or more every four to six weeks. Ask to see pictures of the consultant’s customers. Make sure she is following the sisterlocks model and not her own version of locks. Last but not least, after your locks have settled and your consultant agrees, take the course to learn the tightening process yourself. There is no freedom like the freedom of being able to completely maintain your own hair!
This photo represents my feeble attempt to curl the thicker locks. As you see, the curls are fewer, less dense, they separate and they don't last. I attempted to curl them much tighter than they appear here. This photo was taken before I took out the first 2 rows of locks and adding a little color. In the next photo, my first two rows are new locks. (Locks were picked out and replaced - a long tedious process.)
This photo was taken after my crown locks were combined. I took out the top two rows of about 5 "combined" locks and replaced them with about 13 new thinner locks. At the top, I no longer have the fullness shown in photos below.
