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Dreads on 7yo?  

post #1 of 19
10/16/05 at 7:18pm
Thread Starter 
My dd doesn't like brushing her hair, Partly my fault cause I don't brush mine. She has such thick, wavy, beautiful hair and I want her to keep it long and brushed. She really wants dreads. I don't know if she would like having them. I had dreads up untill she was 5yo and I cut them off, now my hair is dreading again and I know she wants them cause I have them. Should I let her have them? Am I being a mean mommy by not letting her have dreads?
post #2 of 19
10/16/05 at 8:47pm
gosh,I don't know if it's mean or not to not let her have them. From what I understand it's a long process? I have a 7 yr. old dd and she is quite mature for her age in her thinking. Could you let her try it? Is it really difficult to change your mind once you've started dreads?
As you can see,I don't have them but I think dreads are awesome
Blessings,
KIM
post #3 of 19
10/16/05 at 9:06pm
I'd let my 7yo do it naturally as long as she understood the process and how to take them out. My cousin did hers at a salon when she was 16. It cost $400, she left them in for a month or so and then cut them off because she didn't like them.
post #4 of 19
10/16/05 at 11:54pm
my 4.5 yo wants dreadlocks. I talked her out of it by explaining how long she'd have to sit still and have her hair backcombed. But she still wants them, and I know she will get them someday. I don't think it's a big deal, hair grows out no matter what you do to it, and if she wants purple hair, that's her decision (I have purple hair, btw).
post #5 of 19
10/17/05 at 7:53pm
why not let her try it out? like stafl said, it's just hair
post #6 of 19
10/18/05 at 10:29pm
What sort of 'process' is involved when getting dreads?
My DD's (strawberry blonde!) hair is so textured, it makes dreads all by itself if we go more than a week or two without a thorough brushing.
She likes the idea of dreads, too, but I am sure she would hate them if we let it happen. She's deep in a princess phase, and would decide they weren't pretty soon enough.

I've struggled with that- I like to let her make her own decisions when possible/safe, but it would break my heart to see her hate her hair and have to cut it off to be free of the dreads. She has very little patience for brushing, also.
post #7 of 19
10/19/05 at 12:21am
http://www.dreadlocks.com/

the process is pretty much why DD doesn't have dreads... yet...
backcombing means sitting still for hours while getting her hair combed, which is right now her very least favorite thing in the world!
post #8 of 19
10/19/05 at 12:30am
I wasn't aware there was a "process" for locks but anyway . . . I would suggest letting her have double stranded twists first. These are as close to locks as you can get without the permanency. If she can take care of the double strand twists and doesn't get bored and is still pushing for the locks, I say let her have it. Any hairdress who starts locks can do a double strand twist. As a matter of fact, double strand twists left alone eventually lock.

After all, to most it's just hair. Just a question . . .do you lock for spiritual reasons? Me and my family lock for spiritual reasons so my son will have locks. If when he's seven he tells me he doesn't want them, it would be very hard to let him cut them but if he's serious about it and understands the implications, I'd let him. I think hair is a place where a lot of us make statements. I think seven year olds are old enough/mature enough to make a statement. Just make sure if your daughter does lock that she understands all the social implications.
post #9 of 19
10/19/05 at 5:41am
I'd let my daughter so long as she understood what it's like to get and then maintain dreads. I would also have them professionally done.
post #10 of 19
10/19/05 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsMoe
I'd let my daughter so long as she understood what it's like to get and then maintain dreads. I would also have them professionally done.
do a bit of research first. twisting and rolling won't lock certain textures of hair, though that's what most hairdressers will do. Try that website I linked above. That's not the one I liked best when I was looking into it for my DD... let me see if I can find that other one...

anyway, a quick google search will turn up lots of really cool websites.
this website has links to other sites, too:
http://www.howtodread.com/
post #11 of 19
10/19/05 at 10:51am
Does everyone have to make dreads deliberately?
Or does having the right texture for it mean they can just happen everywhere with minimal work?

I'm not sure why I'm asking- it's half cautionary and half how-to!

rootzdawta-
can you point me in a good direction to find out more about the spiritual reasons for having dreads?
I've wondered about that.
And DH's reservations about DD having dreads are mostly about us being fishbelly white- he thinks it's a mis-appropriation and would 'look wrong' at best.
Though if her hair does it naturally, and she likes it, why fight it?
(that can be rhetorical, but if someone has thoughts on that, do share! )
post #12 of 19
10/19/05 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
I guess i'm more concerned about her friends reactions to her and their parents reactions to her. They are all mainstream families and Im pretty sure she'll hear some nasty comments. That would just crash her spirit and it would make me so sad and angry. I'm not ready for her to be subjected to that type of negative talk.
I dread my hair naturally. Years ago it was to make a non conforming statement, now its just that I let my hair go unbrushed and it started dreading. Its so easy! No brush, No conditioner, No anything, except some soap to clean.
Her hair dreads really fast, within weeks of not brushing.
If I do decide to let her it would be natural.
post #13 of 19
10/19/05 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ramlah
Does everyone have to make dreads deliberately?
Or does having the right texture for it mean they can just happen everywhere with minimal work?

I'm not sure why I'm asking- it's half cautionary and half how-to!
No, everyone doesn't have to "make" dreads--the hair of people of African descent will naturally coil and lock on its own if left alone (no combing). The process of dreading actually gets sped up by washing, contrary to some myths. The website someone posted earlier does a good job of dispelling a lot of myths. It's just that in this day and age, people are very concerned with having locks as a hairstyle only so they "make" or "start" the locks to make sure they are neat and uniform in size.

Quote:
rootzdawta-
can you point me in a good direction to find out more about the spiritual reasons for having dreads?
I've wondered about that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari_movement. Dreadlocks are highly spiritual and for Rasta, it really does indicate a connection to Jah (the creator). That link is very good and provides a balanced look at RastafarI and the wearing of locks. For more info, just google "RastafarI" and you should find some good sites--I don't know how true or balanced but you will get at least a basic idea of the spirtuality behind it. But true, some RastafarI take offense at the commercialization of locks, i.e. that fact that it has become so fashionable. It would take a lot to make a Ras cut or alter his locks in anyway. It goes back to the Bible and the Nazarite vow (the same one Samson and Yeshua took) that prohibits cutting the hair or the body in any way and also has prescriptions for diet and lifestyle (most Ras are vegetarian).

Quote:
Though if her hair does it naturally, and she likes it, why fight it?
(that can be rhetorical, but if someone has thoughts on that, do share! )
That is a good point . . . but we have been socialized to try to keep our "naturalness" at bay . . . hence the billion dollar cosmetic industry. If your daughter has the strength at 7 to wear locks and wear them proudly, I think you're doing a great job Mama! People will definitely have negative comments. You might find that teachers treat your daughter differently. Some people have the idea that locks are dirty. You can allay some of these concerns by having her hair professionally taken care of (washed and twisted at regular intervals). However, for me, locks are a spiritual thing so I don't do anything to them except wash and occasionally separate (they tend to mat together).

Blessings,
rootzdawta
post #14 of 19
10/20/05 at 4:29pm
Wow. That Wiki entry was very informative. Thanks.

To think of schools trying to ban dreads?? Ugh.

I'd always wondered who "crazy baldheads" was referring to!
post #15 of 19
10/22/05 at 3:42am
Quote:
And DH's reservations about DD having dreads are mostly about us being fishbelly white- he thinks it's a mis-appropriation and would 'look wrong' at best.
There was a lady at the market yesterday who had dreads. She was caucasian with medium brown hair. IMO her dreads looked wrong, but not because of her skin color. You could tell that the hair was taken in neat squares and then dreaded manually.

Quote:
I guess i'm more concerned about her friends reactions to her and their parents reactions to her. They are all mainstream families and Im pretty sure she'll hear some nasty comments.
The parents may raise their eyebrows, but having a 7yo myself her friends may think it's cool. At my dd's school anything that is different or that someone else isn't doing is cool.
post #16 of 19
10/22/05 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarrieMF
There was a lady at the market yesterday who had dreads. She was caucasian with medium brown hair. IMO her dreads looked wrong, but not because of her skin color. You could tell that the hair was taken in neat squares and then dreaded manually.
they were new. After new hair starts to grow in, you can't see the sections anymore, and the dreads start to look less perfect.
post #17 of 19
10/22/05 at 1:18pm
my dd's hair is locked. she has "in-between" hair and my gf twisted it, showed me how to maintain and her hair is now locked. I like it because it's african hair without chemicals, pro-black and beautiful. My dd loves them and she has beads in her hair. We are not Rastafari, however I think there's also pro-black vibe with locks along with the fashion statement thing. She doesn't get teased at all, and mornings are a heck of a lot easier...

peace
post #18 of 19
10/22/05 at 1:29pm
I didn't realize there was even a controversy about dreads. In my community, the hippies have sort of co-opted it. It's not extremely common to see them, but it's a fairly normal thing to see.
post #19 of 19
10/22/05 at 1:34pm
As a lock wearer, I think it depends on the kid and the community. A lot of kids go out of their way to say how cool my hair is and I do happen to live in a largely black community.

I've seen kids as young as 5 who love their locks and enjoy having them. I look at my babe and know that we'll have this convo one day when she's older. Problem is, she's got really fine hair...
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