dreadlocks - Page 2

[Kajira]

Originally Posted by phishmama

I'm glad you came back on and posted, Kajira. Your posts are always insightful and thought provoking. I just find this topic fascinating b/c for some it is a hairstyle while for others a lifestyle, and discussions like this bring up that divide. I can't help what my hair does, and honestly, I'd be sad if I offended someone simply b/c of what it naturally does. I have to cut and pull knots everyday to keep it from going up. So, since I've had my hair both ways-let them in and fought them out, I've often wondered which way is best in keeping w/my natural self, and balancing others' perceptions. It is easy to let them in, a test in fortitude and patience to take the time to let them lock up. I also am handy w/scissors and a brush. kwim? So, what is true to me and my self and not insulting to others? I could go crazy trying to find that balance.

Thanks

Thing is there will always be issues with locs, no matter what colour you are, I've seen people say dreads are dirty things no one should have them.
I've seen dreadloc-ed ppl tear each other down from all sides, and then I've found myself in the unique position that I'm often the only black in the circles we are in and my hair not only attracts attention, but stories and I'm left having to advise parents on keeping their kid's hair healthy or educate them on some dread "fact" that they bring up, that's false.

I answer for my hair alone, I loc-ed at 21 after asking my mother's permission for 7 years, my mother went as far as to make sure my husband to be was on board
I love my dreads, I love the sistern who started them, they show my path to enlightenment and acceptance of me and I've made sure to treat them with love, I do my best to show that dreads are not dirty, smelly or any of the other sterotypes, and that's all I wish that others with dreads will do.


mamao'two
you are right, the inital period waiting for them to loc is not that easy, infact in my view dreads on a whole aren't an easy hair style, if you go beyond wash, wear and let them do as they like
My friends with bongos (large dreads) have wayyy less up keep than I do, I have smaller locs and I'm very anal about being able to style them etc

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by nicole lisa

Not anymore. Knotty boy has a dreadlock removal kit that aids in not having to shave them out. They have testimonials and pictures and it seems it works well for most people and you get to keep a good portion of your hair. You'd just have a shorter do.

Tis true. I once upon a time had long dreds and when it was time for me to take them out I ended up with some hair still left. It took alot of time, I don't know what the tips are on that website, my dredlocks were long before the times of the internet, I had to figure out how to do it sitting by myself in the bathroom lol but I love dreds. If you can do them I say do them. I wuld never be allowed to still have them in my line of work, or at least the job I have now, and like they all said, you can always take them out or shave or whatever. Mine took a while to start, and I am not sure I did anything special but play with them when I would notice another "knot". My hair just tangled itself into dredlocks eventually. I have wavy, not curly hair. I still don't brush it lol but I run my fingers through it enough to keep the dreds at bay. But I miss them, they were like a crown. I felt beautiful. And I hear people all the time say stuff like "yuck, I heard they don't wash their hair..." but I washed my hair same as always As a matter of fact when I cut them out I could see tons of soap residue running through the center of them. That was the only yucky thing I remember.

[Kajira]

Originally Posted by mara

As a matter of fact when I cut them out I could see tons of soap residue running through the center of them. That was the only yucky thing I remember.

Clarifying Shampoo is great for removing build up

[CrunchyKat]

Originally Posted by Kajira

Thanks

Thing is there will always be issues with locs, no matter what colour you are, I've seen people say dreads are dirty things no one should have them.
I've seen dreadloc-ed ppl tear each other down from all sides, and then I've found myself in the unique position that I'm often the only black in the circles we are in and my hair not only attracts attention, but stories and I'm left having to advise parents on keeping their kid's hair healthy or educate them on some dread "fact" that they bring up, that's false.

I answer for my hair alone, I loc-ed at 21 after asking my mother's permission for 7 years, my mother went as far as to make sure my husband to be was on board
I love my dreads, I love the sistern who started them, they show my path to enlightenment and acceptance of me and I've made sure to treat them with love, I do my best to show that dreads are not dirty, smelly or any of the other sterotypes, and that's all I wish that others with dreads will do.


mamao'two
you are right, the inital period waiting for them to loc is not that easy, infact in my view dreads on a whole aren't an easy hair style, if you go beyond wash, wear and let them do as they like
My friends with bongos (large dreads) have wayyy less up keep than I do, I have smaller locs and I'm very anal about being able to style them etc

Do you have a picture of your dreads? How you describe yours, is how I think I want mine. If I do this, I think I want lots of smaller thinner dreads. My hair is very long, and what's most important to me is that I keep my length and able to style it. And by style I mean lay my hair the way I want it to lay.

I told my dh today about the possibility of me doing this to my hair and so far he is not on board. Not saying that will stop me, but, ya know. He thinks they look "dirty" or "stink". I assured him not, showed him shampoos and explained how to wash them like a sponge.

I think for me, I've been holding on to my past for so many years now. I'm talking 25 black garbage sacks, 10 boxes, and 4 plastic tubs of clothing that I've kept from highschool. Boxes and boxes of shoes, purses, etc. I just packed it all up and had a huge garage sale last weekend and the rest is going to consignment stores and Goodwill. It's been holding me back for so long, and lately I've really started to find myself and become more and more accepting of myself and happy with who I am. I feel like I don't have to give an ounce of thought to what people "think" of me anymore. I can let loose, and do as I please. I no longer care if I see people from college or highschool, past lovers, coworkers, and have them think I'm "weird". It doesn't matter. I have myself and my family and my life. I've been feeling that I need a major change with my hair. I've not known what to do with it. Dreads may be the answer. I'm very drawn to them. So if I do this, for me, it will be more of a lifechoice or lifestyle. Rather than a "hairstyle".

A concern I still have is the upkeep. Right now I have a very high maintenance child and I'm looking for something that I can throw back and not have to fuss over. I know the initial period of locking my hair will be hard. But can anyone tell me how long that stage lasts? How much time a day do you spend on it? As I stated above, I want lots of thinner dreads. Not thick, flat ones.

Thanks for all the advise, tips, and wonderful pictures!

[frontierpsych]

i've been thinking about dreading my hair when it gets really long (it's short right now, but I'm letting it grow out)

[FoxintheSnow]

Originally Posted by mahdokht

A persepective you might want to read and ponder before locking.

here

That was interesting to read, but I was thinking my hair is really thick and will dread on it's own if I dont brush it regularly. (especially the under part) So that's really something natural occuring in my hair.

[Marco Esquandolas]

Originally Posted by CrunchyKat

I can let loose, and do as I please. I no longer care if I see people from college or highschool, past lovers, coworkers, and have them think I'm "weird". It doesn't matter.

I think that is awesome!! Good for you, seriously.

Now about how long? I imagine it is different for everyone, depending on how fast your hair grows, what you do to get it started and all that jazz. My guess would be about a year for them to be really tight. Maybe less. The main maintenance for me was avoiding the bongos, lol-trying to keep more hair from joining in the fun, heheh, and keeping the dreads themselves from growing together into one. You can use cool beads and (peyote stitch) wraps to help keep them separated, or just use your own hands and manually separate. Otherwise, I find do rags and ponytails to be easy peasy.

[CrunchyKat]

I'm thinking of doing it this way:
Backcombing

Advantages: Hair looks like dreads the same day and reaches maturity faster than other methods. You can control the size and shape of the dreads, anywhere from thick and smooth to thin and sexy. It is an all natural method. Backcombing will work on all hair lengths 3" and longer.

Disadvantages: The initial dreading takes a few hours and is pretty labor intensive, nothing a good friend or two can't handle. The best way to back comb is to take your time and make the dreads as smooth and tight as possible.

Instructions:

First section the hair into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads. The sections can be secured temporarily with rubberbands. After the hair is sectioned use a dread comb to comb the hair backwards. Start close to the scalp, not more than an inch away. Comb repeatedly towards the scalp. Eventually hair will start to pack up at the roots. It is not necessary to twist the hair. It is helpful however to roll the hair you are holding between your fingers a little while you are backcombing. Continue backcombing, slowly working towards the ends of the hair, making the dread as tight as possible as you go. When you reach the ends you can secure the dread with a rubberband. Another rubberband on the roots will help the dread stay tight at its base. The rubberbands can be removed after the dread has a chance to mature. After the rubberbands are applied to each dread the dreads should be waxed with a dread wax that does not contain petroleum. A good dread wax will tame loose hairs and help the hair dread much faster.

Dreads formed by backcombing look very much like dreads right after you do them, however they will tighten and smooth out a great deal as they mature. Using a good soap and wax is key to the development of the dreads. Well maintained dreads can reach maturity in as little as 3 to 4 months! The hair continues to dread as it grows in some cases by itself but in most cases it will need a little help. You can wear a rubberband on the root of stubborn dreads to help them lock up. Rubbing the root of the dread clockwise against the scalp also helps.

Tips: Starting with clean, residue free hair makes the process go much faster. Any residue in the hair tends to help the hair slip out of knots as you backcomb. Also be sure that the hair is completely dry when you back comb it.

If you do not have any friends that feel comfortable doing this for you most salons have at least one adventurous stylist who will be willing to help you for about $20-$30 per hour, which isn't that bad considering you won't ever have to pay for another hair cut! It is a very good idea to bring with you the products you want to use and the instructions for backcombing. Many unfortunate white children have had dreads started with the twist method and were more than a little disappointed. We have several all natural dread products that we recommend for starting dreads listed in our Products and Accessories section.

And I love the idea of some beads or peyote stiches. And the tams!

[CrunchyKat]

Originally Posted by phishmama

I think that is awesome!! Good for you, seriously.

Now about how long? I imagine it is different for everyone, depending on how fast your hair grows, what you do to get it started and all that jazz. My guess would be about a year for them to be really tight. Maybe less. The main maintenance for me was avoiding the bongos, lol-trying to keep more hair from joining in the fun, heheh, and keeping the dreads themselves from growing together into one. You can use cool beads and (peyote stitch) wraps to help keep them separated, or just use your own hands and manually separate. Otherwise, I find do rags and ponytails to be easy peasy.

Thanks!

My hair is probably 3-4 inches above my buttcrack, lol. And my hair grows very fast. What are bongoes? Where would I buy the beads or peyote stiches?

[CrunchyKat]

bump

[KindRedSpirit]

K,I'm reviving the thread with a question I have.I've let my hair dred for 4 mo. now,just left it,but I put it up a lot,and it's getting a bit beaver tail-ly in th back.Plus,I have a big "meadow" matted cap with no dreds in the middle-think monk bald spot area.What can I do about these?I'm also interested in natural home simple stuff to maintain with.I was a baking soda and lavendar girl when I didn't have dreds,and I still do a BS or lavendar spritz on occasion...

thanks

[mrzmeg]

Just a PSA: This is an old thread, but there's another rather long (spinoff?) thread, about how many POC view whites with dreads as offensive. Some of the concepts are alluded to above, but the other thread was much more detailed and in-depth. Could easily be found via a search for "dreadlocks", methinks.

[Live~Laugh~Love]

Originally Posted by velochic

What about getting a head full of braids, instead? You can take those out.

I di that, and (not that it matters) but I am white, really white, I got some odd looks I got called icky names, but I LOVED IT. I really did, It was so awesome. Everybody hated it, but me. I think you would like it, if you change your mind, take them out... Little braids ROCK

[KindRedSpirit]

I've read the search results,and none of them answer my questions...

[Sharlla]

NM wrong thread

[Village Mama]

I had dreads for a couple of years ... I loved having them. This may sound weird but I used soymilk to keep mine separated. It didnt smell bad and wasnt sticky... I had used wax before and they seemed sort of sticky. This allowed them to dread up on thier own. I would just wash my hair with regular shampoo gently and then maintain them this way in between. When it was time to let them go I didnt maintain for a couple of months and then cut my hair a few inches from the scalp. I used lots and lots of conditioner and combed them out.... it took all day!
If you are used to having long hair you may have fun with a short cut.... You are a beautiful woman.... your face could really handle it!

[Village Mama]

oops! this is a really old thread!