I met for my first Sisterlocks consultation yesterday and it went really well. I found my consultant on the Sisterlocks website, she's a loctician and a Sisterlocks trainee. Trainees are kind of like apprentices--locticians who have successfully completed Sisterlocks training and have to install locs an established number of times before becoming officially certified.
My consultant quickly responded to my request to meet, she was available to meet me in person within a few days of our initial contact, and she is available to install my locs in June. After calling around to a few other consultants one told be she wasn't taking new clients, one told me I would have to wait until July for the installation, and one told me I would have to wait until August for my install. The option for a June install is a huge plus.
We met yesterday and started the consultation with me watching this really outdated Sisterlocks video. We laughed about how badly this video needs to be redone, but there's a bit where the group of ladies talk about how 'regular' locs are masculine, less neat, rough, etc--that came across as snobby and divisive. I'm a huge advocate for an inclusive natural hair community, so those comments (at 15:23) bothered me.
After that experience, we talked about my hair health. My hair is in great condition--no color, no heat damage, regularly trimmed ends, well conditioned. The consultant thought I was a great candidate and that my locs will begin locking quickly. #yay One concern is that I have different hair textures--I talked about that a bit in the last post and I asked about it. Basically, the looser texture in front will probably take longer to lock. I also have a ton of hair, 'very high density' as my stylist put it. It means I'll have large locks and when they mature, they'll be really full. That was the best news ya'll. It's exactly the look I want.
I got starter locks installed. A row of 4 in the back (2 medium, 2 large) and another row in the front because of the texture differences there. Because of my hair density, I'm not getting small locks, but I might need medium locs in the front and large locs everywhere else. The sample will help decide what to do--I'll keep it in for three weeks, washing at least once in that time. The starter locs get removed before the final Sisterlock install.
We wrapped up with a hair measurement, contract agreement, and next steps discussion. For measurement, my stylist took an average of the longest point at the top of my head (8") and the back of my hair (6"). I went to her with completely shrunken hair--I washed it the night before and let it air dry with no stretching. This worked in my favor because I have major shrinkage
Cost. My stylist starts at a base of $400 for up to 4 inches of hair, then $100 for each additional inch. My average length was 7". My contract is for $700. That includes the consultation, installation, and one retightening session. As a comparison, the other licensed Sisterlocks stylists in my area start at about $550 and charge $75-100 per extra inch.
One of the things that sold me on my stylist is that she charges a flat $80 retightening fee. Since I have dense hair and will probably have a ton locs, a flat fee works better than an hourly rate.
I left completely happy with my experience and comfortable with my stylist. I arrived a little early, so I ended up seeing her finish off a retightening for one of her clients. Her locs looked great and she gave the stylist kudos. That was reassuring. Also, she installed her daughter's Sisterlocks so I was able to again see a live example of her work. #adorable She was easy to talk to, I liked the environment, our schedules match, her prices are fair, and her work samples are good. I felt like I found a great match.
I was going to go for at least one other consultation because I've read a lot of reviews saying 'get more than one consultation', but I found a good fit and I don't want to waste my money. Also, I really just want to get my hair done! In three weeks, I'll be getting them installed. I'm so excited for the change.
Hugs and kisses peeps,
Bethany
My consultant quickly responded to my request to meet, she was available to meet me in person within a few days of our initial contact, and she is available to install my locs in June. After calling around to a few other consultants one told be she wasn't taking new clients, one told me I would have to wait until July for the installation, and one told me I would have to wait until August for my install. The option for a June install is a huge plus.
We met yesterday and started the consultation with me watching this really outdated Sisterlocks video. We laughed about how badly this video needs to be redone, but there's a bit where the group of ladies talk about how 'regular' locs are masculine, less neat, rough, etc--that came across as snobby and divisive. I'm a huge advocate for an inclusive natural hair community, so those comments (at 15:23) bothered me.
After that experience, we talked about my hair health. My hair is in great condition--no color, no heat damage, regularly trimmed ends, well conditioned. The consultant thought I was a great candidate and that my locs will begin locking quickly. #yay One concern is that I have different hair textures--I talked about that a bit in the last post and I asked about it. Basically, the looser texture in front will probably take longer to lock. I also have a ton of hair, 'very high density' as my stylist put it. It means I'll have large locks and when they mature, they'll be really full. That was the best news ya'll. It's exactly the look I want.
 |
| My Sample Locs |
We wrapped up with a hair measurement, contract agreement, and next steps discussion. For measurement, my stylist took an average of the longest point at the top of my head (8") and the back of my hair (6"). I went to her with completely shrunken hair--I washed it the night before and let it air dry with no stretching. This worked in my favor because I have major shrinkage
Cost. My stylist starts at a base of $400 for up to 4 inches of hair, then $100 for each additional inch. My average length was 7". My contract is for $700. That includes the consultation, installation, and one retightening session. As a comparison, the other licensed Sisterlocks stylists in my area start at about $550 and charge $75-100 per extra inch.
One of the things that sold me on my stylist is that she charges a flat $80 retightening fee. Since I have dense hair and will probably have a ton locs, a flat fee works better than an hourly rate.
I left completely happy with my experience and comfortable with my stylist. I arrived a little early, so I ended up seeing her finish off a retightening for one of her clients. Her locs looked great and she gave the stylist kudos. That was reassuring. Also, she installed her daughter's Sisterlocks so I was able to again see a live example of her work. #adorable She was easy to talk to, I liked the environment, our schedules match, her prices are fair, and her work samples are good. I felt like I found a great match.
I was going to go for at least one other consultation because I've read a lot of reviews saying 'get more than one consultation', but I found a good fit and I don't want to waste my money. Also, I really just want to get my hair done! In three weeks, I'll be getting them installed. I'm so excited for the change.
Hugs and kisses peeps,
Bethany
Comments
Post a Comment