I made the decision to begin maintaining my own locks and have done so twice now. I retighten using the Nappylock tool... since I hadn't reached a point where I was eligible to take the Sisterlocks retightening course I just mimicked a pattern that seems similar to what I felt my consultant doing when she retightened. So far so good. I still love my hair and think that locking my hair is the best decision I could have made.
I am still grateful for Sisterlocks, I don't think that I would have locked any time soon if that venue had not been available. And I have recommended the process to several family members who expressed an interest in locking but who don't want to do the BC.