Locked up!!!

Well not literally:) Gorgeous Silvia Njoki is a freelance fashion stylist, fashion and entertainment journalist with the Standard Newspaper in Kenya and creative director for her personal style blog over at www.silvianjoki.com. An interesting fact about Silvia is that she is also a DIY seamstress!!! Yes this girl makes clothes. She showcases her skills on her blog and that is how I first found out about her from a link that someone left on another blog. I envy anyone who can make their own clothes God knows if I could my closet would be a house entirely on its own! DIY seamstresses’ amaze me; they really do that is such an amazing talent to have. I put them up there right next to the self braiders and self sew in weave installers. Like do you people come from a different planet or what? They make the rest of us button sewers and hole menders feel so talentless Lol! Anyway Silvia was gracious enough to grant me an interview about her lovely locs on my blog. So here goes…enjoy!

How long have you had your locs?

Almost celebrating 5 years!!

Why did you decide to loc your hair?

I always loved how locs looked on others and silently hoped that I would have my own, but I was having so much fun trying out different styles at the time. It was while on a trip to South Africa that I got to see so many women with locked hair in different styles and how easy it was to maintain....I was sold. I came back to Kenya, chopped off my relaxed hair and locked it! Also, I am very keen on most of the Rastafari beliefs and principles that are all about women embracing their nappy hair.

Yes ladies you can rock your locs on the red carpet fabulously!

What was the reaction of family and friends when you did?

When I first locked my hair, I had wigs and weaves on for a while, only close friends and family saw the locs at the very early stages, so it was a very slow transition. They knew I was going to do it; I had talked to them about it. My family and friends are very liberal as well as supportive. To them it’s just another hairstyle, as long as I am happy, they are happy. I had done almost everything to my hair before locking it, this was really not a big deal. I think it was easier for my dad to see me in locs than a Mohawk in a red weave! Luckily, in my profession, nobody really criticizes my choice of hairstyle; I could even dye my hair red for a job interview! lol

What is your locs regimen?

I wash my hair at least once a week. I condition more than I treat. Treating (deep conditioning) locked hair slows down the locking process.  I sometimes like the rough undone look and sometimes I like the neat and tidy look. So depending on what I feel like, I will re-twist it. When I need a fancy up-do, I get it done at Black Butterfly Salon at Viking house Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. 

Up dos!

What products do you use to maintain your locs?

I use argan oil shampoo to wash it. Organic root stimulator – Loc and twist gel to re-twist. But for every other day, I will have a tiny spray bottle, in it I put about 50ml of water, a spoonful of almond oil, a spoonful of aloe vera juice and a few drops of either lavender or tea tree oil. I use this on my scalp when I feel it's getting dry.

Do you miss combing out your hair or any other styles like braids, cornrows, weaves etc?

NO. Especially weaves, I do not miss weaves at all! Not paying for them, not maintaining them. 

What is the best and worst thing if any about having locs?

The best thing is they are very very cheap to maintain. What I spend in a year on my hair, Is what I’d spend at one go to get a quality weave installed. The worst thing would be when I and my daughter go to play in the beach and have to rinse our hair every-time when we get sand in it. Beach sand doesn’t just fall off; it has to be rinsed off.  I can protect my hair from the sand. But she wants to play and she doesn’t like that we always have to rinse her hair after the beach.

Do you plan to loc forever or will you unravel or cut them off one day?

Currently I plan on keeping them forever; I may/will trim them because I don’t want a ridiculous length. But who knows… I may want to cut them someday! Never say never.

Mama and me! Silvia made both outfits!

I noticed your little girl has locs too any special reason as to why you locked her hair so young?

First of all I locked her hair just before she turned one, I made sure she was not at a risk of developing cradle cap, and all the products were safe and the locking method, gentle.  I love how locs look on little children. And for me, locking her hair means that I let it grow naturally. Maybe when people’s perception of locked hair changes they will see it’s not a big deal. Her hair is already locked and these days I barely use any products on her hair apart from a bit of shampoo and almond oil. And if she ever wants to cut it, I will do it myself in a heartbeat! It’s her hair anyway and I will be the first to support her in her hair journey. But I would want to make sure she did it for the right reasons, and not because society bullied her into it.  (Go here to see how Silvia locked her little girl’s hair.)

This baby is way too cute! So adorable!!!

Any advice for people contemplating getting locs?

You need to be a very, very patient person and enjoy every step of the process.

Where can we find you on the web?

www.silvianjoki.com

@silvianjoki on both twitter and Instagram

Facebook : Style By Silvia

Thank you so much Sylvia!

All photos are courtesy of Silvia’s blog and Facebook page.