Stella's Locs-Where are they now?

It's been 5 years now that I've been loc'd. My hair is thriving and I'm loving every minute of it! When I look back at photos of my baby locs I remember those days fondly. The quizzical looks I received from some folks who wondered how long I was going to keep my hair like that. The excitement I felt knowing that one day I'd be able to pull my hair back or up into a pony tail and the satisfaction I took in walking right past all of the packaged hair at the beauty supply as I headed for the loc maintenance products (I was still a bit of a product junkie early on). There were days when I left the house wishing my budding locs looked differently but I was fully committed to the process. I had to "own" my new look so I did.

Now in year 5 of my loc journey, some of those people who didn't like what was going on with my hair have changed their opinion. I now have a head full of healthy lovely locs! I enjoy styling my hair and I enjoy letting it do it's own thing. My 3 favorite styles are loose curls, the loc bun and the braid-out as you can see from my picture. I have no hair drama to speak of. I work out 5 days a week, I don't stress if it rains and I've worked in the corporate and public sectors with no issues. Locs are so liberating!

I don't miss straightened hair one bit. I see the lengths that women go through to obtain and maintain straight hair. I wish that they would change their perception of natural hair and embrace it in all of its many forms. It's so sad that so many cannot recognize their natural beauty.

As for me, I'm natural for life and looking forward to the next 5 years.