Becoming Phindi

I spent years admiring sisterlocks. I never took the leap. Mostly, because of the opinions of others. My husband was never sold on the idea, and some family members had this idea that dreads were in some way demonic. My aunt once told me a story of a marriage that failed, because the wife got dreads. There were many similar stories. Honestly, I did not postpone my sisterlocks, because of these absurd stories, but I really wanted approval from my husband. His opinion mattered to me the most. In any case, November 2021, I decided to take the leap and lock my hair. This was several months after filing my divorce. I think the decision was symbolic. I spent years listening to the opinions of others and not living my truth. Now is my time. This decision was liberating!

The first step in getting my sisterlocks was shopping around for a sisterlock consultant. The best way to do this is word of mouth. I had many friends who had sisterlocks, so they sent their consultants to me. I posted on social media groups in the city. I then spent a few days doing research on each consultant. I stalked their instagram pages, messaged their customers and more. I needed to make sure I was going to get the best.

I then scheduled and paid average $75 for consultation appointments. I did two. Ultimately, I picked my consultant because of her speed and the neatness of her client’s locs. During my consultation visit she measured my hair and gave me a quotation. She had a base price and then charged x amount of dollars for every additional inch. My quoted price was pretty much out of this world. It was about $2,000. I had the option of cutting my hair short to save money, but honestly I just could not part with my hair. I chose to keep my 14 inches and feel the pinch. After the consultation, we scheduled my installation. She predicted needing two days to complete this, given my length.

About 1-2 weeks before my installation, I started having the strangest dreams. One was of my hair being completely ruined. I clearly was nervous. Can you tell? My consultant assured me this was normal, as many of her clients had nightmares prior to installation. After all, this was a major investment and life decision. The day before my appointment, I washed my hair and blew it out. Some people go with their hair in its natural state, however for me I went with my hair blown out. I am extremely tender headed and she gave me this option. I was very grateful.

On the day of, she parted my hair in 4 sections. She spent so much time making sure the parts were perfect. This was why I picked her. Her attention to detail was greatly appreciated.

I sat for 16 hours divided into 2 days! After finishing, I was given instructions on how to care and wash my hair. I was given shampoo and told to avoid submerging my hair in water. I had a half marathon in the rain a week later, so I was a bit nervous about how this would work out. She instructed me to wear a shower cap and keep the hair braided. She also scheduled my first retightening appointment which was in 6 weeks.

What an amazing process! So many emotions, but most of them joy. This major change signified new birth for me. An end of an era.

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