Kicking off this summer-sized tome of information, we’ve gotta tell you that on April 20th, the Knotty Boy Lock Shop & Salon celebrated our THIRD Birthday! (Can you even believe it’s already been three years?? Jinkies, how the Knotty time flies around here.) Much birthday fun was had by all, as the ladies of Knotty baked some terrific cupcakes, gave away stickers, product samples, beads and t-shirts just for walking through the door, cracked open a scary clown piñata full of mini Knotty Boy All-Purpose Shampoo Bar samples in honor of the day, and later continued the party at KnottyEmma’s with a birthday BBQ. Thanks to all who came and joined in the fun!

Check out a little video here of our scary clown piñata-smashing in celebration of our big day!!

We’ve had some other excitement at the salon lately, as well. The Lock Shop is so excited to announce we now have gorgeously coloured, high-quality Plastik Haar synthetic hair for loose extensions, fillers and synth dreads, imported all the way from Switzerland for your pure hair pleasure. The Lock Shop is also now using AND selling the AWESOME extreme hair colour brand Manic Panic, in a rainbow of vegetable-based, non-animal-tested and – bonus - wonderfully long-lasting dyes.

Check out stylist Becca’s new ‘do featuring Manic Panic peek-a-boo colour and a few synth extensions here and there for length using the new Plastik Haar. Gorgeous, no? Hey, all you Knotty kids gotta do is start dreaming up the most awesome fantasy-hair you can think of and we’d LOVE to do it for you. And you don’t have to be afraid of colour! Remember, with synthetic extensions you can achieve the most vibrant of no-fade colour, and remove it with the snip of a string with no damage, no bleaches and no dye. woohoo! To book your own free consultation, check out the Salon page for all the details.

Oh! And May is Mullet Madness Month at the Lock Shop – all the crazy mullet you could ever want, only $25!! These guys already stopped by, what are YOU waiting for?

*whew* Where were we?? Ahh yes! In addition to all this colourful and mullet-y Knottiness, the lovely and talented Karen Wallington from Knot Just Dreads in Toronto came again in March to hang out with us and do some upgrading and training with us. (Hint: If you can’t make it all the way to the West Coast to come see us, go see Karen out East– she’s wonderful, too!) So after a little brushing-up with Karen, we now have a total of three amazingly-talented and fully trained stylists working in our little Lock Shop. This also means less wait time for appointments this summer - last summer was a zoo! Thanks for your patience to all those who had to wait for your turn in the chair.

One last stop on the Knotty Boy Lock Shop train we have to tell you about – last month we were ON TV! Oh yes, Knotty friends, CBC’s ‘Living Vancouver’ show recently featured owner Adrianna and the Lock Shop stylists Becca, Vanessa and Kris creating some dreadful hair masterpieces. We were so happy to see that it allows viewers a really great peek inside the happenings of the House of Knotty. The show aired on March 22nd, but if you missed it, you can view this fine piece of televisionary wonder right on the Knotty Boy Lock Shop webpage. Three cheers for the CBC!
 

*** May 27, 2007 ***

We also want to tell you about this important event taking place in May for those in the Toronto area wishing to support the natural-hair community. When contacted by Toronto Naturals for sponsorship of this year's event (we’ve contributed product giveaways in past years, as well), we agreed that the most impactful way we could contribute would be by donating 100 of our reusable, natural-cotton Knotty Boy Kit Bags to use for the event's gift bags, rather than using the standard throw-away plastic. Find out more about Toronto Naturals Hair and Beauty Show at their website, and if you're in the Toronto area, please go check it out! It’s wonderful that there is a show dedicated specifically to the promotion of chemical-free styles and products for heavily-textured and Afro hair types here in Canada.
 

VJ Quanta and Knotty by Nature Roller Girl

Not to be confused with our Sponsored Children, we’re also delighted to announce this round of Knotty Boy Sponsorship winners! Check out all the goods on Chris Sebastian, aka VJ Quanta who started his locks in memory of a special friend and is now touring across the US (he may be coming to your town, so check the tour dates!), and the lovely Fallon Kepplinger, aka Knotty By Nature, key member of the super-hot DC Roller Girls roller skating league! Congrats Fallon & Chris!

Stop the press! This just in! Slipping in juuust under the wire last-minute is Jah-son Nwagbaraocha, bass player and singer from the legendary New York ska band The Toasters!! These guys have been skankin’ it up for 25 years - dudes, that’s longer than the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Chances are if you haven’t heard them, you’ve seen their very recognizable logo around just about everywhere, and you can catch them on most US dates of this years’ 2007 Warped Tour. Pick it up, pick it up! Welcome, Jah-son!

So after seeing all these cool cats winning easy stuff all over the place from Knotty Boy, you may be thinking, ‘Heeey… I’d say my skills make me worthy of being a sponsored Knotty Kid, too…’. Well shoo’, we want to hear from you! Submissions are being taken now for the next round of Sponsorship, which will be decided upon and announced September 1st, 2007. But don’t wait, get them in to us ASAP! Check out all the details here.
 

‘OK, so what else is new at Knotty Boy?’, we hear you cry! Well, as you may have noticed, our nifty Winter Dreadlock Pilot Hats have now been retired to a quiet corner of the warehouse until the Fall season, but we’d never leave you without something to make your nappy head happy. So without further ado, allow us to tell you about our…

... drumroll ...

KNOTTY BOY CROCHETED DREADBAND 2 FOR 1 BLOW OUT
Oh yes, you heard us right. Until the end of summer, we’re offering the amazing deal of two Knotty Dreadbands for the price of one! Two for $22. cha-ching! These babies are 100% handmade, breathable, machine-washable and you can mix and match your choice of blue, black and green. Clicky here to check it all out. Makes a good inexpensive gift for other nappy noggins in your life, too.

New Bone Rings and Wooden Beads
Also new in the Gorgeous Dreadlock Doohickey Department are new Bone Rings (w/ huge ½” hole) for $1.25ea / 3 for $3 and Painted Wooden Barrel beads for $.50ea / 3 for $1.25, all with a 5/16” hole. (Yes, 5/16” exactly. We measured.) Very tribal, aren’t they? We love ‘em!

Other exciting Knotty Products are in the pipeline as well, including a free ‘Knotty Boy How To Dread’ instructional video, Dye Nappy Dreadlock Dye Kits, Knotty Boy Natural Essentials for Everybody Ultimate Detangler and exciting new dreadlock tam colours coming soon, too. Stay tuned – as a Knotty eZiner, you’ll be the first to know!
 

If shopping on the interweb isn’t your thang, our list of retail stores who carry the Knotty Boy treats across the globe is growing daily. Finding a store near you to purchase your Knotty needs eliminates shipping costs and wait times (although it *IS* always so delightful getting parcels in the post. teehee.). Recently added stores include:

Horsefeathers
129 North Genesee
Waukegan, IL, USA
Ph: 847-244-3100

Needful Things
26 Main St. E., Unit C
Milton, Ontario, Canada
Ph: 905-876-0801

After Midnight
1301 S. Glenstone Ave
Springfield, MO, USA
Ph: 417-889-8477

Greenlife Grocery
70 Merrimon Ave
Asheville, NC, USA
Ph: 828-254-5440

Dreads on Heads
91 Mountain View Rd
Mt Coolum Q.L.D, Australia
Ph. (07) 54716075

Use the handy-dandy Knotty Store Locator to find other locations near you and don’t forget, if you can persuade a store to carry the Knotty Boy products, we’ll give you a FREE $50 Knotty Boy shopping spree!
 

Other improvements to the KnottyBoy.com website include our fan-frickity-tastic, totally searchable NEW FAQ PAGES! Now whenever you have a dready question, you’ll be sure to find the answer in there - it’s crammed with even MORE information that before, and with even more categories to chose from. Thanks to the handy search function it’s also now super easy to use! Please check it out and tell us what you think.
 

And speakin’ of speakin’ your mind, we’ve also not only recently our Knotty Boy Five-Second Survey, but a new Knotty Boy New Product Survey has been added. Got an idea for a new Knotty product, or want to give us some constructive feedback? Please fill in the appropriate survey, or both!, and let us know what YOU think. We base many of the new things we do around here on what you’d like to see, so there’s a very good chance you’ll see your suggestion fulfilled at KnottyBoy.com. Thanks for helping us out, dreadie dudes!
 

So kiddos! Summer is comin’ and it’s a-comin’, so we thought we’d add to this smorgasbord of information some eZiner-exclusive tips and tricks for summertime lock care... enjoy!

1. When you’re slathering yourself with sunscreen, don’t forget to check yer head. If you have new dreads or can see white scalp between your locks, it’s REALLY important to dab sunscreen on those unprotected areas. Otherwise you’ll have flakey red nastiness and that’s no good at all. You can also protect your head from the sun with a lightweight Knotty Boy recycled-t’shirt dreadband, or other breathable hat, wrap or tam. Tip! The hugely popular Knotty Boy All-In-One Dreadlock Wraps are SO great and double as saucy summer tops and skirts for Knotty ladies in the house, too. See over fifteen great wrap ideas to get you started here.

2. Hit the beach! A dip in the salty sea (but do make sure its clean, first) will tighten those dreadies up like nobody’s business. Remember to rinse, rinse, rinse well afterwards to prevent overdrying, breakage and brittleness. Using salt water is a good once-in-a-while tightener, and not recommended to do more than a few times a month at most. A much safer regular lock-tightener remedy is the no-salt Knotty Boy Locksteady Tropical Tightening Gel. Tip! Try mixing Tightening Gel with water in a spray bottle and misting onto locks every day for an easy and lighter application.

3. If you’re going to be swimming at all, remember it’s VITAL you let your locks dry all the way through EVERY time they get wet. Same goes for regular washing. If you don’t do this, you will most likely end up with very musty, moldy dreads. No kidding. Your locks are like little sponges, and if they are never allowed to dry completely, it’s the perfect warm, moist environment for mildew to grow. Sick, right? Seriously, take the time to bask in the sun for a while or invest in a blow-dryer.

4. To refresh and rescue itchy, sweaty scalp, or to cool a sunburned scalp (remember sunscreen next time!), you will find sweet relief with a spritz of the minty-riffic Knotty Boy Peppermint Cooling Spray. Tip! It can be used all over to cool and moisturize sunburned skin anywhere.

5. The sun and heat can be very drying, so watch out for dread breakage! If you notice more fuzzy, dry loose hair than normal, thinner locks breaking off or dreads that are simply dull and dry, the Knotty Boy Dreadlock Conditioning Spray will be a great little lifesaver. Not only is it silky and moisturizing, it comes in three long-lasting fragrances that act as a no-wash dreadlock refresher, as well. Check out the delicious Coco-Knotty fragrance to keep that warm Hawaiian Tropic smell wafting around your sun-kissed locks long after you’ve left the surf and sand. Tip! You can even use it as a luscious-smelling moisturizing body spray. Our most recently launched fragrance is Purple Haze Lavender. Mmm...

That’s all the time we have this Knotty eZine! Have a totally rockin’ summer, Knotty ones, and we’ll see you again next time in August with all kinds of new and exciting stuff to tell you about!!

We love you!


The Knotty Crew