“YOUR WORST EXPERIENCE WILL BREAK OR MAKE YOU”. I had to choose…
“What I was looking for did not seem to exist”
I was about 10, living in Togo, West Africa. I was fascinated by the Senegalese traders’ messy and chunky Locks. They were definitely not my taste, but for some reason, I was attracted to them. I would visualise a smaller version on my head, looking more like small braids in extensions.
My vision did not seem to exist. And locks are frowned at in my family: “non! non! pas possible” I can hear my mum in my head.
Years later, a married woman with a 2-year-old child and permed hair, I still had the vision, but I was still worried about my mum’s opinion.
I finally gathered my courage and went for it anyway.
I just wanted Locks, lot of small Locks, falling on my shoulders, or just under my chin in a plunging look, or plump and blown out like mixed race type hair. I wanted my hair to look extraordinary.
I didn’t have a clue about anything whatsoever. I was just the client, sitting in the chair, blindly following instructions.
Well, that was a total failure; soooo… far from my vision.
Nine months in, I hated the style, the feel of my hair, the care. My mum would’ve given me the big lecture… African style.
I unravelled them all.
“PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE”
This marked the beginning of my thirst for knowledge on Locks.
The experience shook my system, but I wasn’t giving up.
“Could there possibly be anyone in this big London, that could make my vision come true?”
To my amazement, a year later, I discovered Sisterlocks, very much my vision. I was crazy in love, “I’m finally arriving!”.
I saw myself far in the future looking hot, with the fitness to match my Lockstyle. I was on a mission to reinvent myself. My hair was naturally very thick, and I was loving it.
Then, about 4 years into the style, I went from a very full head of bouncy locked hair to a very noticeable reduction in density: hair loss in the crown area. I was upset, distraught, helpless.
“Lord, the universe what was happening to me!
I asked for lots of locks not less locks, remember me complaining, not having enough in the first place!?”.
With the benefit of what I have learned since, I now know that this was probably the result of hormonal changes – I had just given birth to twins – and too much pulling on the follicles of my weakened hair. More about that in another post…
I gradually became obsessed with any knowledge about scalp, follicles, alopecia, growth remedies… anything to do with hair, to recover from my loss.
I decided to enrol in a Sisterlocks class in 2011 and got into a partnership, under Bespoke Hairstyles where I was called “H” because no one really could pronounce “Huguette” right, except the FRENCH.
“THE BEST WAY OF FULFILLING YOUR OWN INTEREST IS TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS”
Ironically and thankfully, my role in the partnership was to exclusively create and maintain the front and crown area of our clients’ hair; the area where I’ve lost most of my density.
For 7 years, I polished my craft by standing over the most visible and the most challenging part of the head, touching diverse textures, experiencing a wide range of situations and issues, and learning from them. I analysed, experimented, and quietly paid attention.
I devoted myself to making it right.
The principles and convictions I bring to my practice today are stronger than ever and come from an epiphany I had during these years. What that 10-year-old saw and questioned, and later, what that adult couldn’t clearly work out was finally making sense.
Every head is unique, and a standardised approach does not work in the long run. To create and maintain healthful locks, you need tailored parting technique + tailored sizing + density coverage + optimal tension + dedication + love + patience + healthy living (that’s the bit in the client’s control). Again, more on this in future posts…
I am passionate, and constantly educating myself about natural hair and hair loss. I am on a mission to make a difference, to share what I have learnt, to create a beautiful hairstyle, and to spare other women what I had gone through.
As for my Locks, they are a work in progress. I never lose hope. I’m proudly rocking it in my signature up do and visually, no one would ever guess that there is any issue.
I’m grateful for my journey so far, for the wonderful people I have met along the way, and for the wealth of knowledge and confidence I have gained.
I am at my happiest working with people who believe in my work, my vision for their hair.
