Some of my earliest memories are of going to the barber shop and getting my classic mid-fade/high-fade haircut… sometimes walking away with a few clipper bites (iykyk), but feeling confident and handsome nonetheless. Mr. Bill, my childhood barber (God bless the dead) was notorious for using those old, blunt, unlubricated clippers and cutting the hell out of the back of your neck, sometimes to the point of bloodshed, especially when getting a tape or a line-up. Anyhow, my hair was always well groomed and I took pride in that.
It was not until I was a sophomore in college that I decided to try a new thing. I decided to grow my hair out into dreadlocks! Talk about a total 180 degree pivot! To go from getting regular haircuts every 2 weeks to not cutting my hair for 7 years was pretty much a lifestyle change. My roommate at the time (God bless her), the sweetest, coolest Jamaican chick, is the one who helped me start my loc journey. She embraces her gorgeous dreadlocks to this day! I started my loc journey in 2001, and that was the year Ezekiel was born.
Ezekiel (Zeke for short) is the name I gave to my hair. OMG guys, I was super devoted to my dreadlocks, almost to the point of vanity. They were always neat and cared for. They stayed oiled and nourished, and you could always see my scalp. One day, Peta talked me into letting her dye the tips of my dreadlocks blonde, and BAAAAAAAAABY you could not tell me a DAMN thing once she was done! I was all in. Zeke grew until he was past my shoulders. Zeke’s confidence, on the other hand, grew to be as big as the state of Utah!
One day, just out of the blue, I decided that I was done with long hair and that I wanted to go back to my distant, yet familiar high-fade haircut. I made an appointment with a local barber. As I sat down in the barber’s chair, I could hear Zeke screaming and crying as the barber prepared the scissors for cutting. 45 minutes later, with Zeke in my hand, I walked out of the barber shop into the cool breeze and it made my body shake with a forlorn satisfaction. The year was 2008 and I miss my dreadlocks to this very day, but that is a process that I will not likely experience again.
Fast-forward 12 years. The world enters a pandemic and life as we know it changes. There is no need to relive the memories, because we have persevered and endured. With the barber shops being closed through the pandemic and after 2 plus years of not getting a haircut, Zeke somehow found a way to emerge back into society, this time, in the form of braids! I would have never thought I would grow long hair again, but here I am today with shoulder length hair. Zeke was reborn, and he is flourishing guys! I do not plan on cutting my hair in the near future, so Zeke is here to stay.
Caring for Zeke consists of once a week hair washings, and a dedicated hair regimen. My shampoo and conditioner of choice is:
I also use a fermented rice water treatment ONCE A Week for hair growth and nourishment. Here is how I prepare my treatment.
I am going to be straight forward, no chaser. It STINKS!!!! OMG it stinks guys, but the BENEFITS far outweigh the funk, for me.
My environmental damage protectant and moisturizer of choice is Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner, which I use after every washing.
This is the regimen that allows Zeke to continue to be my crown and glory, and I am going to continue to be conscientious about it. Zeke is here to stay baby, and I am blessed to be spared (so far) from male pattern baldness. Then and only then, will I have to succumb to the hair clippers. Hopefully that happens far later in life than sooner, because Zeke and I… we are living our best life outside!
James
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