23 days later....

It has been 23 days since my installation.

Lock Count
Needless to say that I am happy about getting sisterlocked but somehow I thought I'd have more than a mere 380 locks. I've always been told I have a thick head of hair and that my hair is dense... and even the loctician said I had a big circumference etc... so I thought I'd have about 500 locks or near to that. I don't know what the word is to describe what I think about the count because I guess I have a misture of happiness (that I'm locked), disappointed in the lock count, happy it's not more because eventually I'll be self-maintaining. So that's it in a nutshell.

It still looks great and I have gotten tons of compliments but I'm thinking about the future and how it will look when it gets mature. Didn't want them to be too big but right now I'm just trying to get over that obsession and I have been encouraged so I'm taking it heartily.

Itchiness
Surprisingly, I thought I'd be experiencing some great itchiness as I've seen others describe however, in that first week there was very little itching and I think it was more duet to the tightness of the locks themselves more than my scalp. I washed after about a week and it went well. I had no problems with the elastic bands that came with the starter kit. I diluted the shampoo and sprayed however it took about the fourth wash for it to start lathering. I diluted it less the second time around and got lathering by the third wash. Because my hair is long I did not have any problems getting to my scalp. I totally forgot to seperate the locks... I just waited for it to air dry abit and then pulled out all the braids. After about three hours I remembered and did the seperation thing.

After that first week I have hardly had any itching at all. Nothing unusual or unbearable at all. I am wondering if I should still brace for it later on or what but we'll see.

Preparation for Bed
Well, my consultant did advise that I braid/plait my hair and tie it before going to bed. I did do that for a few days but I have always known that when I tie up my hair it makes it dirty faster. I've alwasy perspired alot in my head more than anywhere else. Once I start doing any activity in the mornings before undoing the hair and tie then I'll start sweating and my hair itself will get damp and then you know that it will get dirty shortly after.

However, if I braid and not band or not braid at all I'm better off. My hair takes a longer time to get dirty. But I'm not sure if that is good for the locking process. For now I'll keep braiding and just go to sleep.