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for me to get my locks....
i have been going over this for 16 years now and each year i get a bit closer but this year i'll be 30 so it is not like i can just grow them and in two-three years clip them if im not happy. and I think I will miss the texture of my hair. and all te things i can do with my hair but it has nothing to do with perming or even presing it as it has been almost 3 years sense and only once have i been tempted and that was last week for 30 min but i thought about my beautiful hair that i worked so hard with and have abused so much that is finally getting much love and care so i didnt do it. but all that is to say am i crazy??
did any of you with locks miss you "free" hair do you still miss it or am I over thinking it and should just go sit in a chair and just do it. or should i stick with my braids and call it a day

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Recognize The ORIGIONAL,
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While I'm not one to tell anyone what to do, it's obvious to me that this is something you've been wanting to do, but you're afraid of doing (not "I can't sleep at night" kind of fear, but it's clear you have reservations about it). That's natural. I wore my hair naturally for 12 years before deciding to lock my hair 6 months ago. I had the usual reservations about them before doing it. I thought about the whole "free hair" thing, and texturized my hair so that I could hop between natural and straight anytime I wanted. Though I went that route for a minute, it was a pain. I decided that if I wanted straight hair, I had to straighten it and stop playing around. I wasn't ready to do that after 12 years of being natural. I knew I wanted to lock, but had reservations about social acceptance, professional movement, and the other usual stuff.

I wanted length in my hair, but didn't want to process it. I loved gel twists because of the way they looked and it was a good style for me. My next issue was how "permanent" of a move it was. Once the hair locks, you can't just comb it out (unless you're willing to lose a lot of hair in the process). I also didn't understand how locks were formed, but I knew that the process didn't have to be as bad as people made it out to be. I started asking folks about how they started their locs, how they maintained them, and how they felt about them. It helped me to see many women and men with beautifully maintained locks. Locks don't have to look unkept and nasty. Once I got some insight about how they came about, I told my stylist to twist my hair as if we were starting locs. I knew that if I wanted to pull the plug on the whole thing, I could do that anytime I wanted. I have not looked back since. I didn't know all that there was to know, but I knew that I wanted to start them. As a professional woman, my locks have not compromised my ability to move forward in my job. My attraction to the opposite sex hasn't been affected, and my locs are totally compatible with my life (working out, sex, adaptable to any style I may be sportin' on a particular day). The good thing is that if I can choose to cut them off any time I want. After all, it's my hair. The good thing is, I don't want to cut them. If I do, I know that it's only hair and that it will grow back. Relatives may have their issues, and they always will (see for yourself in the loc thread). I could say more about my thoughts before doing it, but I'll stop here for now.

If you're not sure how they'll look on you, start with gel twists, two-strand twists, or loc-extensions and go from there. I think you already know what you want to do.

I don't know what your concerns are. All, some, or none of this may apply to you at all. Maybe, I gave more info than you needed, but I said all of this to say that it's your decision. You're approaching 30, so you should know whether you want this for yourself or not. If you decide to do it, and it's right for you, your world will not fall apart. Feel free to p.m. me if you have questions or just want to talk about it. Otherwise, good luck.

actuallyyou have been very very helpful and anything else you wanna add feel free

__________________
Recognize The ORIGIONAL,
There Can Be Only ONE!