Locs & Branches

University of Jah - Rastafri Campus: Locs in the NFL usually are...

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:43:10 -0400

University of Jah - Rastafri Campus:

Locs in the NFL usually are not worn by persons of Rastafarian faith. But make no mistake. Watch for the best NFL player introduction ever.

Tell ‘em where you from, son!

(Side note, pretty sure that editor either had a great sense of humor or no idea what that boy was saying. LOL)

It was once stated that “if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it”… No ordinary...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:57:39 -0400

It was once stated that “if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it”…

No ordinary bobble, a whole ring (with peace oraments) fits around the seriously light and fluffy locs of J, newly arrived to NYC from South Atlantic Florida.

When Is Time for Change?

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 06:55:00 -0400

Phi Beta Sigma pin on one lapel, Masonic pin on the other, and a crown of (pauses, checks watch) 14 years, 11 months, 26 days, and 22 and 1 half hours old locs of dedication at center.

You would think he might have been his fraternity’s timekeeper, but Timothy’s extreme mindfulness of the length of his loc’s existence is just one the ways he demonstrates his belief that locs are part of a lifestyle, not just a style.

Timothy keeps the particular event that inspired him to loc private. The desire to perform a gesture of thanks to African ancestors who legendarily chose not to groom their hair while engaging in the physical fight against colonialism factors into his dedication.

In that spirit, Timothy usually does not twist his hair outside of special occasions. (On this day he was attending a highly influential board meeting.) When asked, if he had any feelings of conflict over taking a departure from his beliefs for the sake of others, Tim acknowledges it is not ideal, but necessary because sometimes we have to meet people at the (mental) place that they are.

That is to say, in his loc’ed life, Tim finds that sometimes the end result in the board room is greater than the aesthetic means by which you get it.

In Tim’s case, twisting his hair in compromise is not a detrimental to his locs. Do you ever face situations (in your workplace or in the job market) where you feel pressured to change your locs to be respected?

The hidden benefit of locs: At 8 months old, this teething baby...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:30:28 -0400

The hidden benefit of locs: At 8 months old, this teething baby girl demonstrates that you don’t have to have locs, to benefit from locs. Baby’s teething is the reason mom says she doesn’t add any product to her hair.

O M G ! You all had no idea, but I had lost the book full of the interviews for Locs &...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:33:59 -0400

O M G !

You all had no idea,

but I had lost the book full of the interviews

for Locs & Branches that dated back to May 2011!

A l a s ,

It has been found &

I will be working on the writing up

stories to keep you informed of the lives

of people with locs into the Locs & Branches’ second year.

Thanks

for supporting even

when I don’t the time

(or interviews)

to post consistently!

-The Curator

http://locsandbranches.tumblr.com

Locs & Branches 1 year anniversary is today! Your...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:28:58 -0400

Locs & Branches 1 year anniversary is today!

Your comments and well wishes are always appreciated.

In one year, do you have a favorite article or post?

Conscious rap artist, skateboarder, and newcomer to loc...

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:26:19 -0400

Conscious rap artist, skateboarder, and newcomer to loc lifestyle, Lupe Fiasco is brought to tears by the somber reality of loss and the sobering reality of personal grace, in the form of exposure and affirmation, during a retrospective interview with longtime MTV interviewer, Sway. He looks at a video interview from home and recognizes the “ghosts” - people captured in the video have died, and children who he sorrowful knows “won’t make it out of there.” Lupe grew up in Chicago, IL which currently rates among the United States’ highest death rates per capita.

The Loctician with No Locs

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:50:00 -0400

We are all too familiar (and still mesmerized) by the phenomenon of the beautician whose hair is never done. Now meet the loctician who doesn’t have locs.

Loctician and resident stand-out personality at the De Luxe Gallery in Brooklyn, Mike has had 3 set of locs of his life. Ever comical - yet deep (or at least inquisitive), Mike hosts a real-people-talk style pop culture conversation show after hours from the shop each week.

Covering anything from the Sandusky trial to debating the reality of reality tv shows, plus comic PSAs by Ya Main Man Mike himself, one quickly identifies the charisma that has easily allowed Mike transition in and out of locs without the “hair attachment issues” he finds so many loc-wears to develop towards their length.

Without further adue, Locs & Branches presents the complex simplicity of Ya Main Man Mike as through his answers on the whens and whys of each set of locs and some the wild reactions he for not being “staying the course” in others eyes.

1st Set & Cut: To be honest, Mike admits, in 1995 when he first loc’ed his hair he was just joining in on the fad. Ironically, his first set turned out to be the set he kept for the longest- 5 and a half years.

Mike had been considering cutting his locs for over a year when he and his then-girlfriend thought she might be pregnant – an event the couple was not quite ready for. When Mike found out that she wasn’t pregnant (a Hallelujah moment for sure) he figured, what a better occasion to make that change.

2^nd Set & Cut - A show of solidarity: Two and a half years into his second set of locs, Mike and his wife found out they were expecting their second child. Mike’s wife, who also had locs, didn’t want to go through pregnancy with the responsibility of maintaining locs, so he cut his off with her as a show of support. (Awww!!!)

3^rd Set & Cut – The story of a working married man: The old no-hair-done beautician adage just caught up with him. Plain (tired) and simple, Mike just couldn’t find the time to take care of locs to his satisfaction while also taking care of children and bills.

While being quite a smooth and Artful Dodger about it all himself, some of the people in Mike’s life took Mike cutting his hair harder than Mike himself. His mother, having only boys, in an apparent sense of shock and mourning commented, “Oh my god! Now I know what it’s like when a daughter goes and cuts all her hair off,” while other friends were not only in shocked, but shunned and stopped talking to him altogether.

Without going into the details of what happens when others place strong judgments and expectations on another person outside of themselves, it rolls off Mike’s shoulders now, pointing out how everybody that really mattered stayed. (Yes, Mom was one them). In light of that positivity Mike shares that the hardest thing about cutting ones locs is the getting over whiplash-affect: “You know that thing where you go to toss your hair back [he gestures] and there’s… [nothing].” LOL.

Follow Mike at @yamainmanmike on Twitter and see episodes of the Corna Convo here on his youtube channel yamainmanmike1.

Art by loc’ed German artist Daniela Uhli. See her blog of...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:44:00 -0400

Art by loc’ed German artist Daniela Uhli. See her blog of seductive, wide-eyed drawings here. http://danielauhlig.blogspot.com/2011/03/red-sketch.html

Real Freedom: Are you using your locs to run away from your naps?!

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:30:00 -0400

This Independence Day weekend I want to drop a rare Curator editorial on you to give pause and props to the freeform and knotty/natty dred in our family.

I’ve been reflecting for some time on the sort of harsh division that exists between some wearers of the manicured American style locs as they seem to look down upon the style choices of the freeformers and less meticulous kept knotty dreds.

To tell the truth, starting the loc’ed life as an American-style dred, I too have shied and been ashamed to let my neat parts give way to anything other than crispness. In my personal life, puffy roots were a signal of financial brokeness and/or personal neglect— being too busy, too tired, or sometimes just too lazy to put my hands in the air for 3 hours and twist.

I knew why my puffy roots bothered me, but I remained troubled by the pure vehement some American dreds had toward those who chose to be more organic with their style — Especially since freeforming is the origin of locs as we know them.

The most common comments from dissenting American dreds about organic/freeformers are particularly disturbing to me because the words they use and disgusted sentiment they speak from so closely resembles the purposefully derogatory things underexposed person of non-African descent say and have said about natural Afro-texture hair.

“It looks dirty!” Sneers. “Wild” and “unkept.” Even “nappy” is among commonly voiced expressions of a organic resentment. If the commenter is P.C. we get the barely diplomatic, “That’s for some people. It wouldn’t look right on me” - knowing all the while that the actual translation is “I’m not going to put myself out there like that.” (What’s “that”? The naive position that allows someone to be foolish enough to allow their dedication to cultural pride interfere with professional or any other attainment while knowing everyone else will be judging you on a mainstream expectations.)

I know that got heavy right then, and I’m not writing this tell to anyone what to do (other than perhaps gently dissuade you from being a hater). But I must share this:

Whether you were natural before, or went directly into locs from a big chop, us African-Americans with locs are a part of the natural hair family. When we have loose natural hair we celebrate the Afro-coil’s strength and versatility. However, often when we come to locdom much of our attitude changes, reverting, if you will, into acting as the texture that enables us to do the things we do and its smallest particle, the nap, become the enemy. In turn regarding those who allow either to coexist with their locs with a profound negativity.

My acceptance of freeform and “knottiness” has been cultivated over time. Though I still don’t favor one massive loc growing out of anybody’s head, I can partially attribute my broadened perspective on exposure to a greater exposure that has shown me beauty in freeform, chunky, and knotty heads (Thanks, Brooklyn).

The rest is that, in my own life I got tired of feeling some kind of way that every hair was not perfectly preened when in fact the point of purposefully natural hair is appreciate it its natural state and abilities. Having entered another phase where my new growth just didn’t want to stay twisted I paused, reflecting on all the positives of just being (the chief reason being “No stress” - I didn’t get locs to stress them) I realized and asked myself, “Am I using my locs to run away from my naps?”

For 4 years, deep in my subconscious the answer had been “Yes,” and it shouldn’t be. So I changed. I’m letting it grow without stressing, twisting gently, casually. It’s a glorious feeling.

Just for you, Locs&Branches, I prolonged my shampoo just to share pics with you. Freeformers and natty locs, please share pics with me this week. American-style locs how do you feel about free form and using locs to avoid naps?

Photo

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:54:24 -0400

nessadiva’s Sunday’s Best. Those little hats like that are...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 09:55:09 -0400

nessadiva’s Sunday’s Best.

Those little hats like that are called fascinators. What’s most fascinating, however is that her hair seems to flow right along with the fascinator.

Some Monday morning motivation for you.

Mon, 07 May 2012 07:02:43 -0400

Some Monday morning motivation for you.

If these locs could talk...

Thu, 03 May 2012 07:03:38 -0400

What would your locs say (to or about you)?

"It shows she is comfortable with herself. If she isn’t comfortable with herself m how am I..."

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:52:20 -0400

“It shows she is comfortable with herself. If she isn’t comfortable with herself m how am I supposed to be comfortable with her?”

- A contestant answering “Why do you love women with natural hair?” at an off the cuff speech contest at an after hours mixer hosted at the De Lux Gallery loc shop of Brooklyn, NY. Down to earth people and good vibrations, the shop also hosts an open mic every last Friday of the month.

THE MAKING OF A DOUBLE-HEADED DRAGON. Taking two thin locs on...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:02:59 -0400

Two thin ones. Might break on their own.

Lace thru root other. Twist. Repeat.

Fin.

THE MAKING OF A DOUBLE-HEADED DRAGON.

Taking two thin locs on the edges and combining them into a single loc (by intertwining then twisting them together) to prevent breakage from the root.

Red, yellow, green like a traffic light.

Have you ever had to repair a loc?

Everything starts somewhere. reblogged from artismyhustle

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:00:05 -0400

Everything starts somewhere.

reblogged from artismyhustle

My goodness she is so cute! The first 15 seconds of her dancing...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0400

My goodness she is so cute! The first 15 seconds of her dancing to ” I Like it Raw” are unparalleled, lol.

Meet the glowing, goldy-loc’ed Chef Sepsenahki Aahkhu (Chef Ahki, for short) Oklahoma City-raised, island dwelling, artist and raw food lifestylist.

In this video Ahki answers a fan’s email, sharing info on the schools of thought surrounding the true efficiency of using wheatgrass to boost one’s energy.

Written with keystrokes of reclamation and empowerment, you can read Chef Ahki’s blog here at http://chefahki.com/category/blog, where you will find amazing recipes and anecdotal recommendations for natural health care.

Street artist BLU’s political statement on the oil...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:45:05 -0500

Street artist BLU’s political statement on the oil industry using the loc-likeness of the Medusa to make his point. Scholars say that tales describing the activities of the gods, goddesses and other characters of Greek and Roman mythology were known to be created on the spot by the people of the time.

It has been suggested by some loc wearers that the story of Medusa’s hair of snakes is an attempt at vilifying locs. However, based on the geography of the Roman Empire, there is no indication the average Roman or Greek of the era ever saw or knew of locs.

It is more likely that the Romans’ own cultural association of snakes with death (because snakes lived closest to the Underworld via dwelling in holes in the ground) to better qualify Medusa’s famed ability to kill with one wicked glance. Conversely, snakes were also associated with the goddess of wisdom and war, Minerva/Athena, whose shield was emblazened with snakes.

Picture from http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/medusa-with-gasoline-pump

Reasons Why We Loc: Sprouts of the Idle Mind

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:02:00 -0500

Norman’s 3 month old locs came into being when he realized he was on path to starting locs as he idly sat twisting the strands of his loose afro one winter day. When he realized what he had started, he just kept going. And why not?

“I should be proud of my hair.” Norman knowingly echoes the rhetoric that has motivated many individuals of African decent to embrace natural hair.
“Yes, our hair is difficult, but it is strong. I don’t see why I should fight it,” he says,” I should go with the flow.”

He tussles some of his sprouts, “It’s like a hurricane!”

Since abandoning the daily hair picking ritual, Norman reflects on how he actually had harder time with his former “frotastic” style. Though still a natural style, Norman shares that maintaining the proper aethestic of an afro could be difficult because one side would always manage to grow out unevenly.

The benefits of loc’ing are bountiful for Norman. Not only does he feel more culturally attuned and more at ease about maintenance, but he also feels that his looks make him look more youthful.

And as he looks to the future he is excited about new style possibilities with headwear. With locs, Norman excitedly shares, he can now wear hats that wouldn’t accommodate or would crush an afro. And he already has plans for the the days when it gets longer — “I’ll just get one of those Raggamuffin hats.”