Sisterlocks Sparks Hair Revolution in Boston

Chris Rock’s hair documentary “Good Hair” sparked the necessary conversation about black women and how they view their hair. However, more than a decade ago, San Diego professor and author of “That Hair Thing,” JoAnne Cornwell had the Black woman’s hair conundrum in mind when she invented Sisterlocks, a substitute for traditional, thicker dread locks. According to Boston.com, Black women in the Boston area are fired up about the microlocks that offer a new healthy look at Black hair and the same flexibility of relaxed hair.

In 1993 Cornwell invented a special crochet hook that tightly intertwines between 300 and 500 strands of hair. The result: thin locks that represent a celebration of curls and kinks that are easy to style, using curling irons, rollers and styling products, without changing the natural texture of the hair with chemicals.

According to the Boston.com article. Sisterlocks has brought a lot of Black women freedom from their hair, helping them to change their feelings what constitutes good hair. Furthermore, women with Sisterlocks expressed feeling more flexible where their hair is concerned, not rushing to the salon every week and not worried about sweating out their relaxers.

On the Sisterlocks Web site, Cromwell says, “Sisterlocks is much more than a hair care system. It’s more like a movement, and it is really powerful!”