I love dreadlocks!
I wanted to lock my hair since I went natural four years ago. So when I arrived in South Africa and saw all the people with dreadlocks I figured why not get locks in Durban. Therefore on Saturday November 14, 2015 I woke up at 6am to make my dream come true.
Dreadlocks are a permanent style so I was filled with anxiety as I rode the bus to XTLS salon. I knew that I wanted to lock my hair but I did not know if I could explain to the stylist the size I wanted my locks to be or if my hair’s uneven length would be a problem. Also, there’s the language barrier with me not knowing fluent Zulu yet everyone assuming I know Zulu because I’m Black. So, I was just preparing my mind and heart for this interesting experience.
I arrived at XTLS at 7:45am. I told them I wanted my hair twisted and styled. My name was taken down and I was shown to chair. While I sat in the chair for ten minutes all my feelings of hesitation surfaced. I thought, is this really what I want to do? Then as the stylist picked my hair out I thought, will I miss my afro? I won’t be able to straighten my hair for graduation? Is this the right decision for me? Well when I went to the back of the salon so she could wash my hair I knew there was no turning back because I was not leaving the salon with wet hair. Despite the fact that it was raining outside and my hair was going to be wet anyway, I was still not leaving the salon without my hair styled on principle. So I calmed my nerves and enjoyed the experience. And it was fantastic!
My stylist washed, deep conditioned and blow-dried my hair before 9:30am. Then came time to actually lock my hair. Now if you look at the picture above you will see that I have a lot of hair. So I told my stylist, “You are either going to really love me or hate me after this,” she laughed and explained that she locked someone else’s hair that was longer than mine last week so she was not intimidated. Then I tried to explain my concerns to her in regards to the size of my locks and my various hair lengths to which she responded, “Ok.” In Zulu “Ok” can be the response to “Thank you”, a sign of confusion or a reassurance that everything will be fine. I took it as the latter and watched her start locking my hair. When she finished the back I looked up to see that my locks were perfect. In my mind I was screaming with glee because I could not believe I was getting my hair locked in South Africa. I did it! By the time she finished locking and styling my hair, I knew that I made the right decision.
Locking my hair is the gift to myself from South Africa that will keep on giving. Now I can always say I locked my hair in Durban. I’m so excited for the many styles to come.