Anybody have KIDS with dreads?

[girlndocs]

(Mods, I posted this here because it has more to do with how kids deal with having dreads than it does about the dreads themselves ... does that make sense? )

Ds is 6 and has been growing his hair out for about 6 mos. It's down to his shoulders. He really, really wants long hair, but the combing is usually painful and when it falls down in his face it gets all greasy/sticky from the food he's eating. It seems we can brush it out in the morning and by noon it's looking stringy and unkempt again.

I showed him some pics of people with dreadlocks and he now says he wants to have his hair dreaded. I'm thinking it would eliminate the brushing struggles, but other than that how practical is it for little kids? We're white and he has straight medium-coarse hair. I was thinking of using the backcombing technique to form the dreads.

One of my concerns is moisture. We live in the PNW, which is damp. And I read that it's a good idea not to get dreads wet more than once a week so they dry out fully inside. But I mean, he's 6, YK? Summer's coming up and he's gonna want to be swimming and in the sprinkler constantly.

I would really, really love to hear about your experiences and also any idea to help us make his long hair work. Thanks!

[Mirzam]

My younger two used to have dreads, they don't now because we got headlice so we had to give them both buzz cuts. The dreads were actually natural because they both have fine curly hair. They looked so cute and it was practical for us as brushing was next to impossible! Brushing now is very traumatic for my DD and we have to braid her hair to keep it under control. DS is currently sporting a buzz cut so no brushing worries for him. Up until a couple of days ago he had a mohawk, but he asked to have it cut off.

Anyway, both my two were pretty young when they had dreads the oldest was five and my youngest was 2 almost three. I would love for them to have dreads again, but DD doesn't want them. Maybe I can pursuade DS to grow his hair though. Hmmm

[TiredX2]

Have you considered pig tails?

DD wants to keep her hair longer (shoulder length, she's growing it out) and has FITS over combing it. I find, though, if we keep it in pig tails I can take them out every day or two and it is very easy to comb.

[zealsmom]

We have never brushed my 4 year old's hair. His hair is naturally in tight locks that look like little springs. It used to dread all over because of the fineness of his baby hair, but he asked us to cut it about a year ago and it came back more "springy". The back dreads because of his sleeping on it. He bathes every day. We've never had an issue with water and the dread locks. Dh had long dreads until he was nine and spent most of his time in the water. I wonder if what you read concerns real big thick dreads. I'll have to ask my sister in law who had only three big dreads until a year or so ago when she made them into little ones all over her head. But she spent a lot of time in the water too. I don't know anything about straight hair and dreads though.

[girlndocs]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

Have you considered pig tails?

DD wants to keep her hair longer (shoulder length, she's growing it out) and has FITS over combing it. I find, though, if we keep it in pig tails I can take them out every day or two and it is very easy to comb.

[nitpick] D'you mean two braids, or two ponytails? [/nitpick

I don't think his hair is long enough for either, actually We tried a ponytail today and the longest layers stayed in it but he had a *lot* of hair falling down from the sides right back into his face.