For months, I contemplated whether I wanted to commit to get locs. My husband has been encouraging me to get locs for years!!! I literally don’t think there’s been a year of our relationship where he has not mentioned it at least once or twice. I’ve always admired locs on other women, but never thought I was “the type” to actually follow through with the look. Whatever that means! *insert eye roll emoji*
I wanted the freedom to be able to wear my hair in different styles, and locs seemed like too much of a commitment for me. Well, back in November I watched a plethora of YouTube videos to decide whether or not I wanted to go the sister loc route or the traditional loc route. I eventually decided the traditional route fit my lifestyle better. The decision came down to time. The maintenance required for a retwist on traditional locs versus sister locs was drastically different, and I’ve got way too much going on to be sitting in a salon for an entire day. God bless those who can!
Anyway, fast-forward to December 1, 2021, the day of my appointment. I was super excited, but also really nervous. The hair stylist believed that comb coils were the best way to begin my journey. I trusted her judgement and went along with the process. Honestly, I was not in love with my hair like I wanted to be at the end of my appointment, but I decided to trust what I knew about the process and understood my feelings were just a part of my loc journey.
Around this time, Glen, Uriah, and I had been throwing around the idea of cutting Riah’s hair because he hated getting his hair done. I was against that decision, but Glen was adamant about it as he was the one who had to deal with Riah’s poor attitude every time he had to get his hair done. At one point in our conversation about his hair, Uriah said, “It’s just hair, mom. It will grow back.” His words were a huge encouragement to me as I felt a lack of confidence in my decision to loc my hair. Indeed, if worst came to worst, then I could just comb it out and continue with life as I knew it. After all, it’s just hair.
Well fast forward to January 24, 2022… 55 days into my loc journey when my actual protective stylist was finally able to give me a retwist, she told me we had to comb it out. Honestly, my heart fell to my stomach. I was majorly disappointed, but completely understood why. We worked together to comb it out, and thankfully combing it out was not as intense as I think we both anticipated it to be. After she finished, I felt sooooo much better about how I looked, and she actually suggested two strand twists as the way to start my locs. I am six months into my loc journey now, and I am so grateful I started over. I love my hair, and I am embracing this journey with my whole heart.
I share this story to say, DON’T BE AFRAID TO BEGIN AGAIN.
This week I made a decision that has made me feeling like I’m moving backwards rather than forward. I made a decision that requires me to “start over.” As I came to make this decision, the lesson I learned from combing out my locs and started over rings loud in my heart… Don’t be afraid to begin again! Sometimes new beginnings provide opportunities for new growth. Maybe these are words you need to hear too! Don’t be afraid to begin again, because on the other side of fear is freedom!
Xo!
