~~ Dready Mamas 2012?~~ - Page 5

[Chicky2]

One day in my dread journey, I woke up and realized I actually had real dreads.  I suspect you (Koru) will wake up one day to the same realization.  ;o)  I think it was around 5 months?

I use t-shirt sleeves and love them too.  I use one for when I'm putting my dreads back in a ponytail.  Holds better than anything else I've found, except tying the dreads themselves, of course.

I realized the other day that my dreads look like they are finally starting to get longer!  Yay!  My husband noticed, too.  That is what I'm sometimes impatient about w/my dreads.  I feel weird with short-looking hair because I've had long hair for years and years.  Plus they were recently in this stage where they'd get stuck on the collar of my fav. hoodies and curl funny.  It was rather annoying, but now they aren't doing it as much.

BTW, Koru, nice to know you think I'm cool, lol.  Somehow my 2 oldest dds have hit that stage where they think anything but, lol.  My oldest has Aspergers and has gone thru a holistic healing protocol for her co morbids.  The healing that has happened has made her go thru her teen years (she's 23) to some degree, complete with eye rolling.  At least their friends think I'm cool, lol!  What do my kids know at this point anyway?

Looking forward to seeing how much more my dreads will protect my head from my bees this Spring.  I discovered last year that if I pile them just so, there's no way a stinger can reach my scalp.  Last year I also discovered that a new bee suit was in order, rather than just a veil.  Having boobs made my veil harder to close properly and I found out what happens when bees get stuck in your dreads! 

[koru]

I'm so ready to be at that real dread stage! (And today is only the 5 week mark. HA!) I had a huge moment of inspiration today, though, when I saw a woman with the most beautiful dreads today. They were so long & tight & it was reassuring to see the roots completely unknotted. She had them pulled back & I loved it. Someday, someday. 

Did I already ask what you all use to wash your hair? I've been using BS & ACV but it makes my scalp so flakey!? I've been alternating BS/ACV with a special dread shampoo I bought online but I'd love to find something in between. Are there any non-residue shampoos sold in stores that don't have SLS?

[ShyingViolet]

I'm in the process of growing out a pixie cut, but man this thread is inspiring. I've wanted dreads for a long time, and I think it will be my time soon. What do you all do for a living, if you don't mind me asking? I'm about a year out from being a college professor. I've seen some pretty "unique" teachers at the universities I've attended. Do you think it would be a deterrent if I were to have dreads? Should I wait until after  I'm hired somewhere?

Thanks for the advice! You ladies have absolutely awesome hair.

[koru]

I have no words of wisdom for that one, Shying Violet. I'm an unemployed RN, SAHM, working very part time as a birth doula & my hair isn't really an employment issue. I may be naive but I don't think you should let it stop you. There are beautifully lovely ways to wear dreads that aren't too hippy & wild looking. I say, be who you are & let them see your light shine! If I were trying to get a nursing job, I wouldn't change my hair. 

[mamayogibear]

Originally Posted by koru 

I have no words of wisdom for that one, Shying Violet. I'm an unemployed RN, SAHM, working very part time as a birth doula & my hair isn't really an employment issue. I may be naive but I don't think you should let it stop you. There are beautifully lovely ways to wear dreads that aren't too hippy & wild looking. I say, be who you are & let them see your light shine! If I were trying to get a nursing job, I wouldn't change my hair. 

Hey congrats on becoming an RN! I hope to start a BSN program this fall:) I am aprehensive about dreading my hair again until I get a solid acceptance letter and an offer for a job as a CNA near the campus. Are you unemployed by choice or because the nursing shortage is a straight up hoax? I'm considering taking an online doula course over the summer to up my chances of finding work as I eventually want to go on to become a CNM. One of my concerns is if after I dread my hair again (I've had four sets I think) that it would soak up smells while I am on the floor. Okay sorry for the totally non dread relaited post, but on the knotty side my 4 yo dd has stopped letting anyone brush her hair and now has three mini dreads forming in the back. I'm going to have her wear a hankerchief or scarf when she goes to preschool tomorrow:) If she goes through with it I'll have to copy her!

[koru]

I'm unemployed by choice.....DD1 wouldn't take a bottle so I kept pushing back my return date & after 6 months, we realized we could live on my husband's teacher salary so I quit. I now homeschool/unschool our 3 kids & I love life! I say, if you really want dreads again, start 'em while you're in school so when it's time to job hunt, they'll be established & not so frizzy like mine. Ha! Then again, there are so many pretty head wraps. I just cringe to think of someone being discriminated against because of their hair. I suppose it happens but if one goes into an interview confident & qualified....and dressed appropriately, right?.....I can't see why it should be an issue. Maybe I live in an idealists world, though!

[delicate_sunshine]

I'm also a SAHM so it's not really an issue for me.  I may go back to school in the fall to take some night courses since they just opened a midwifery school in our state (headed up by my midwife!)  But I don't think that having dreads would affect that at all.  Good luck to you :)

[ShadowMoon]

I work as a zookeeper and my dreads haven't been in an issue. I just came to work with them one day and no one said anything :)

I keep my hair pulled back, wrapped up or under a hat most of the time. My hair picks up some smells, depending on where and which animals I'm working with that day but it doesn't stick to them for long. I wash my dreads twice a week and keep a spritzer with essential oils handy in case I notice any stray work odors. So far, so good!

[mamayogibear]

I'm bored and little man just fell asleep nursing. My oldest left a metal comb on her stuffed doggie. It was right next to me so... yeah um now I have about a dozen backcombed masses on my head! Yay, I hope little man takes a looong nap so I can finish up today. lol

[koru]

Haha! Nice job, mamayogibear! It has to start somewhere, right? Keep us posted on your progress, k?

ShadowMoon, love that you're a zookeeper! And interesting about your dreads holding scents. I keep reading about this but I'm not around anything too crazy odorous so I haven't noticed anything yet. And my middle child, DD2, has been attached to my hair since birth. Yes, she would play with it while nursing, smell it while sucking her thumb & snuggle up in it to sleep. When I first had my hair knotted up & waxed a bit, she was horrified! Even though I washed out the wax on day two because I freaked out about using it, apparently the scent remained for a couple weeks. She's now back to her thumb sucking & hair sniffing ways. Ha!

And I'm amazed at how quickly my hair & scalp adapted to so little stimulation. I wash with baking soda about 3 times a week (no ACV to keep my hair dry) and I rarely, if ever, have any itching or flaking. I did for the first couple weeks but I honestly thought it would last much longer. *phew* 

One more thing.....I love my hair.  The more unkempt & irregular it gets, the more I love it. The roots are unknotted & usually frizzy, the dreads are uneven sizes & shapes, the tips are still thin & stringy and I have loops galore....but it's amazing. Most days I just separate everything at the roots & after washing my hair I do a bit of palm rolling to encourage the stray hairs to incorporate. My dread wives are appalled that it looks so crazy after all their hard work but I've been trying to ease their minds that this is just how it works.....I hope!

[Rainey Daye]

I think I'm about ready to take the plunge now. I WAS gonna hold off a bit cause it looks like we are gonna pursue adoption (and I didn't want to be judged for my dreads)...however we probably won't be starting the process right away and so just now I decided that it'd be better to start them SOONER rather than later...so that either I find out they aren't for me and I take them out...or they have had a chance to mature and get smoother/prettier/better formed before we get to the point of doing our home study for adoption!!

[mamayogibear]

I now have around 55 poofy baby dreads! I am thinking of getting a crochet hook to tidy them up. I've never used one on my own locks before only when I've done locks on others. This is soo exciting I'm happy I'm taking the plunge! I figure at the absolute worst I will just keep them until I finish school then have to cut them off to look professional.

[mamayogibear]

Originally Posted by Rainey Daye 

I think I'm about ready to take the plunge now. I WAS gonna hold off a bit cause it looks like we are gonna pursue adoption (and I didn't want to be judged for my dreads)...however we probably won't be starting the process right away and so just now I decided that it'd be better to start them SOONER rather than later...so that either I find out they aren't for me and I take them out...or they have had a chance to mature and get smoother/prettier/better formed before we get to the point of doing our home study for adoption!!

I totally understand what your thinking here. Go for it, having dreads in the spring/summer is really awesome especially if you're near an ocean. Nothing tightens them up more than a dunk in saltwater! Have you decided what method you are going to use?

[koru]

Originally Posted by mamayogibear 

I now have around 55 poofy baby dreads! I am thinking of getting a crochet hook to tidy them up. I've never used one on my own locks before only when I've done locks on others. This is soo exciting I'm happy I'm taking the plunge! I figure at the absolute worst I will just keep them until I finish school then have to cut them off to look professional.

Somehow I missed this. Woo too! Post a pic when you have the time.

I'm so conflicted about letting my dreads form naturally (after backcombing once). I'm at an a homeschooling conference this weekend & met a guy with the MOST amazing dreads! His wife is the "up keeper" and was telling me about the need to keep backcombing & waxing & maintaining. She backcombed his locs for 6 months! He's had them for 5 years & they are seriously perfect. Every 3 months she tightens the roots with knitting needles (not sure what that's all about) and then wax a bit. I was seriously jealous. My hair is loopy & the roots are unknotting more & more as the days go by. I'm not convinced that "white hair" can dread naturally.....well. I was with one of my "dread wives" when we met this perfectly dreaded dude & she's jonesing to get the comb in my hair, once again. I may let her. After only 2 months, I'm tired of my hair looking half ass. I wash & roll & twist but at the end of the day, it looks like sh*t. :( I don't want to wear a bandana my whole life!

[mamayogibear]

I'm LOVING my dreadlocks this time around! I have to admit I croched them for about an hour and a half before going to look at apartments and deal with potential landlords. Wax does not equal perfect dreads! I am never touching wax again I used it on my first set when I was fifteen or sixteen. I just ordered some liquid shampoo from dreadlockshampoo.com it's all vegan and profits go to a charity. I wish I had a camera to share some pics on here but my stupid phone won't even take pictures anymore.

[Chicky2]

Yeah, well, from what I understand she had to keep messing w/his dreads because they used wax.  Wax just prolongs the actual dreading, doesn't it?  Good clean hair will dread better.  I personally don't think the words *perfect* and *dreads* should not be used together, lol.  5 year old dreads are simply going to look way different than baby dreads.  Your dreads can be as much of a pain as you make them or want them to be.  ;o)

Mamayogibear, good for you!

Rainey, have you decided who's doing yours?

Edited by Chicky2 - 3/23/12 at 3:43pm

[delicate_sunshine]

Your hair will dread on its own in time.  But if you want to mess with it, and wax it and comb it and whatnot - go for it.  It's your hair.  And there are several different ways to achieve dreadlocks, or at least a dread lock look.  From what I understand, waxing will make them look like dreads much sooner, but they won't actually be dreads.  Be patient, or don't.  It's up to you and nobody here is going to judge you if you want to fiddle with them.  You may be feeling social pressure to have a neater appearance and that's okay.  By the way I feel your pain.  I think my dreads are only a couple of weeks older than yours - they're incredibly frizzy and have loops all over the place.  I pull mine back into a half ponytail clippy sometimes, and they look okay I think.  I've also got tons of congos I'm not sure what to do about now.  I'd like to just leave them - it hurts to pull them apart but I only had 29 dreads to begin with.  We had the flu all last week and so I kept my hair pulled back into a bun....  and lots of them just melded together.  Oh well!  All part of the process I guess.

[Rainey Daye]

Originally Posted by Chicky2 

Rainey, have you decided who's doing yours?

You?  

Umm, seriously I haven't really thought about it. I should probably start though.

[Chicky2]

I will start them for you, Rainey, no problem.

Pulling apart dreads in much easier if you do it in the shower.  It hurts WAY less, or at least for me.  So much less, actually, that I won't do it any other way now.

[mamayogibear]

so i know we are not supposed to talk about other sites on here but i got some locking up liquid off of http://shop.dreadlockshampoo.com/ after reading about it on dreadlock forums and i love it. i have been using acv & bs on my hair for years now and i feel so pampered to use an actual 'product' of some sort on myself! i got the nag champa and it smells awesome. okay sorry if this post is spamy buy omg i love it:)