daez: Hi Corey...why did you start locing your hair? Corey: Hi mom...well, because I always wanted long hair I could change and style to suit my moods. Being artistic, I enjoy expressing myself in my clothing and style and everything else I do, so why not my hair? I want to wear braids, ponytails, whatever. I always thought dreadlocks look cool on men...they look good on Black people in general... daez: What was the hardest thing to deal with when you first started locing, what was it , 6 years ago? Corey: 7 years...lol..getting it to loc, to grow in the same direction, having patience....I wanted it to be long from the day I started. The first time I twisted it I wanted my locs to be 3 feet long! daez: Corey, now that you've had your locs so long, what would you do differently to start them? In other words, if you started your locs over, what would you do THIS time that you didn't do the first time? Corey: I would have still used beeswax because I still believe, regardless of what everyone says, it helped my hair to loc. I would not have dry twisted. I pretty much would have done exactly what I did to start them.... daez: Corey, you know you have "hand in loc disease", right? How did that start and why do you continue to do it? Corey: It started because I didn't know any better.....no one ever told me NOT to twist my locs dry. As far as now, since my mother, mentor, daezhavoo has showed me the errors of my ways I don't do it anymore...lol.. daez: Your locs are shoulder length, and they look good overall...do you play with your hair a lot and why? Corey: YES!! I still play with my hair, but it's not as much as I used to .... daez: Corey, you now have the long locs you've always wanted. Are you satisfied with the length, form, the shape they are in overall? Corey: Yes, FINALLY! When I began my locs, I started them out with very thin sections and each loc was very skinny. Now that they are around 12-14 inches long, I find them breaking off occasionally. Right now, I'm in the process of "marrying" a few of them together to make bigger locs and stronger roots. One of the advantages of having them is this thin is I can easily put them into a ponytail. I love my pony tail!! Also, since you've taught my wife, K'Tanya to latch-hook them, she gets in there when we are wacthing the kids play football games and tightens them now.... daez: The last time you were here I noticed a LOT of breakage on the top and sides of your locs. What are you doing to correct this problem? Corey: Well, for starters, I'm dealing with my dreaded "hand in loc disease"..lol..Talk about your hairy palms! I've found a product called "the Ultimate Hair Food", made with shea butter, jojoba oil, grapefruit seed and some other natural stuff...I just rub it in and twist. No more dry twisting my locs....but I STILL like to twist them...lol.. daez: Corey, what are your favorite products to use on your locs besides "the Ultimate Hair Food". How do you keep them healthy? Corey: Normally(and incorrectly, I recently found out), I only used minimal oils and conditioners in my hair. That's probably the reason they've been so dry lately. I've been told to wash them regularly and use a good natural conditioner, which I do... daez: So Corey, "hand in loc disease" is terrible!...I know..I have it..lol...What is it that makes you want to play with YOUR locs? That is my absolute worst habit, but I've gotten much better. What about you? Corey: Habit?? Boredom?? Fiending for crack??...lol....Who knows why I mess with my hair?? I've been playing in my hair since I first started locs(although back then my head looked more like a rocky African landscape than someone trying to grow locs...lol). Point is, sometimes, my hands would wander aimlessly in and around my hair. It's a hard habit to break, as the song says. I figure by the end of the year I should be completely "hand in loc disease" free...lol daez: When you twist your locs, do you always twist them in the same direction? Corey: OH YEAH!! I am such an obsessive/compulsive person that, if I twisted even just a few in a different direction, it would be on my mind and screw with me all damn day! OR, until I twisted them BACK in the right direction...lol...Go figure! I've heard that you should always twist them counter-clockwise, but I forgot what the reasoning behind it was. Generally, I twist counter-clockwise. daez: What do you think about people who say locs are dirty and nasty? Do you believe this is truth or myth? Corey: Well, I suppose I don't think too much about it. Being in the south, I see lots of people with all kinds of loc styles and natural hair styles. Locs are no dirtier or nastier than an 'fro, as long as they are well maintained!!! daez: Corey, have you had any conflicts regarding your locs when you have looked for employment? ANY negative comments? Corey: I work in the Architectural/Enginerring industry, so I have to maintain a little bit of professionalism. I think my hair has GOTTEN me jobs on more than one occasion! It kind of throws a mixed signal at people in my industry...On the one hand, they see a talented, well spoken designer. On the other, they see someone who MIGHT blow off a business meeting to go smoke a fat one at lunch...lol...There are not a lot of people with locs(let alone people of color) that do what I do. I let my skills speak for themselves. daez: Do you have anything else you would like to add? Corey: Only that I still look in the mirror sometimes and go "Dayum! Is all that hair mine?" It's taken me a long time to get where I am with my mane, and though I have thought of cutting it off several times, I"m glad I still have them! I really think I would feel naked without them. Every inch, every centimeter of every loc represents strength. The strength to keep going. Whether I skate thru life or struggle, my mane represents the one thing I kept keeping on, if you know what I mean... daez: Well, thank you, Corey...I miss you terribly and can't wait til we see each other again boo... Corey: Thanks mom...I mean daez....lol...I miss you too!! I'll call in a few days...love you....bye-bye!! |
| A Loc Chat With Corey and daez.... |
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| daez and Corey...2002 |