Dreadlocks

135

Replies

  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    yabba griffiths, 'the hardest working man in reggae', came through our town a couple of times and bestie and i got to hang with him and the band. bestie said he's got the softest dreads she ever touched! (idk how many dreads she's felt up in her life, but i do know bestie has a thing for chocolate) incidentally i don't get 'homeless' from a stageful of working musicians who are rockin the joint. dreads to me = different cultural aesthestics = interesting = win. in the libary recently i saw a nice young family with a couple of young kids, mom with blond dreads, and 9ish-year-old blond girl with what looked like some dreads and some braids.
  • sheepysaccount
    sheepysaccount Posts: 608 Member
    I have considered dreads, too. But then I remembered that a) my hair is really thin and b) parents can be judgmental (I'm a teacher). But if I could have it my way, I'd get something like this white-girl-with-dreads.jpg
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    I know you're asking someone else, but I also combed mine out and it came out in great condition. I trimmed an inch or two off each lock before I started because I figured it would just take less time that way. I used a regular conditioner (Suave, I think) and diluted it with a bit of water in a spray bottle. Spritzed a lock, started combing at the bottom (like you would untangle any knotted hair) with a regular rat-tail comb I had at home in a drawer. Easy peasy--just takes a lot of time. My hair was so soft when I was done; not sure if that's from being locked or from the conditioner.
    I went to a stylist the next day to get a specific haircut/style and she commented that my hair was in "really good shape!"

    REALLY???
    -reconsiders dreads-
    My hair's long enough anyway. If I can take 10+ hours combing my sister's "ponytail" out of her head, I can definitely do this...
  • tapirfrog
    tapirfrog Posts: 616 Member
    I don't know what the difference is between the dreads I see -- some look like lint, all flat and matted, and some look gorgeous and full and shiny. When I see the flat, matted ones I think "yuck filthy." When I see the full shiny ones I think "I would like to have sex with you."

    Well, you asked :)
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
    I don't like them at all. I think a lot of times they look like dirty tangled.

    That being said, you have teo be happy with the way you look. Your openion is the one that matters.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    I personally am not a fan of them and I agree they make a person look unkept, like you forgot to brush your hair for the last 20 years. My opinion and the OP did ask for our opinions so there should be no judging here. And if you are then shame on you. But in all fairness to each his own. If you like it do it, if you don't then don't.
  • BigBrunette
    BigBrunette Posts: 1,543 Member
    I think dreadlocks look awesome and sexy. If you want them, you should go for it.
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
    I'm not a fan of dreadlocks. I think they make a person look homeless and dirty.

    I'm not homeless or dirty. I am a well-respected physician and mother runner.
    And my locks are awesome.

    Go straight to hell.

    Wow, you don't think that last line is a bit harsh?
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member

    I know you're asking someone else, but I also combed mine out and it came out in great condition. I trimmed an inch or two off each lock before I started because I figured it would just take less time that way. I used a regular conditioner (Suave, I think) and diluted it with a bit of water in a spray bottle. Spritzed a lock, started combing at the bottom (like you would untangle any knotted hair) with a regular rat-tail comb I had at home in a drawer. Easy peasy--just takes a lot of time. My hair was so soft when I was done; not sure if that's from being locked or from the conditioner.
    I went to a stylist the next day to get a specific haircut/style and she commented that my hair was in "really good shape!"

    REALLY???
    -reconsiders dreads-
    My hair's long enough anyway. If I can take 10+ hours combing my sister's "ponytail" out of her head, I can definitely do this...

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length
    I personally am not a fan of them and I agree they make a person look unkept, like you forgot to brush your hair for the last 20 years. My opinion and the OP did ask for our opinions so there should be no judging here. And if you are then shame on you. But in all fairness to each his own. If you like it do it, if you don't then don't.

    Considering the amount of work they take, it's hilarious to me that dreadlocks look like someone forgot to do something with their hair for a long time. :laugh: I wish it had been that easy.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    I'm not a fan of dreadlocks. I think they make a person look homeless and dirty.

    I'm not homeless or dirty. I am a well-respected physician and mother runner.
    And my locks are awesome.

    Go straight to hell.

    WOW the OP did ask for our opinions and for you to come back with this is unacceptable. Seriously, people got to stop getting so upset over something when opinions are asked. And just so you know first opinions are based on looks then attitude and you would have failed on both accounts.
  • 1888663_10152194740639659_506571262_n_zps525ed172.jpg

    I like his dreads, sorry you can't see 'em better.
  • ThatSoundsHard
    ThatSoundsHard Posts: 475 Member
    I've had dreadlocks several times. All I can say is in retrospect, now that I'm an adult, white kid dreads are by and large not a great look.

    Yeah, they can look fun but they take a long time to put in and can be a major pain to keep up and looking nice (especially if you have fine/straight hair). I found it very time consuming especially because its, you know, hair.
    Washing them I just used the tried and true baking soda/apple cider vinegar method or straight up sunlight dish soap.

    I also managed to comb most of 'em out each time I've had them but only to the point that I didn't have to cut my hair right off, just much, much shorter. It took weeks of work each time and was kind of a mess.

    In short, for me, it's way too much work to look like a hipster.

    lol well I'm not a kid, I'm 35, and I'm of partial Arab descent if that makes it more acceptable haha. Nor do I care about looking like a hipster, I just really like the aesthetic of dreadlocks, especially when they're done well and are tidy.

    Hahaha I wasn't inferring that this would be the case for you. Just sharing my deadlock experience(s).

    It's a really fun hairstyle but for me it's just far too much work to keep 'em looking clean and tidy.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length

    LOL! Dang. My mother didn't have the patience for my sister's hair, she just said "cut it off and get her a wig"....
    I wasn't about to let that happen... Nope! Saved my sister's hair, one strand at a time.

    How long would you say it would take one person to take them out all by themselves?
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    Just a tad stereotypical...

    Anyway, to the OP if you like dreads go for it but research before jumping right in. Ignore those who are judgemental and ignorant, after all it is only you who can decide.
    Wow, look at who decided to come in and judge people when they're giving their opinion, a faceless wonder that woke up hangry and alone today.
    Go back to where you came from and quit being hangry on a holiday where love is meant to be spread.

    Very strange you're having a go at this poster but not the one that says dreads make you look homeless and dirty?!
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    Just a tad stereotypical...

    Anyway, to the OP if you like dreads go for it but research before jumping right in. Ignore those who are judgemental and ignorant, after all it is only you who can decide.
    Wow, look at who decided to come in and judge people when they're giving their opinion, a faceless wonder that woke up hangry and alone today.
    Go back to where you came from and quit being hangry on a holiday where love is meant to be spread.

    Very strange you're having a go at this poster but not the one that says dreads make you look homeless and dirty?!
    That's just like that one anti-tattoo guy we had here not long ago, telling people they look trashy because of them.
    Mfp never ceases to amaze me.
  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length

    LOL! Dang. My mother didn't have the patience for my sister's hair, she just said "cut it off and get her a wig"....
    I wasn't about to let that happen... Nope! Saved my sister's hair, one strand at a time.

    How long would you say it would take one person to take them out all by themselves?

    Combing them out by yourself could take a considerable amount of time. The boyfriend I had at the time and myself worked on mine for about 6-8 hours. It was an all day event during which we watched several Alien movies back to back, plus at least one Predator movie. The shorter you are willing to cut them before you start untangling, the less time it will take. Mine were about 6 inches long when we started combing them out. Be advised that you will "lose" a lot of hair during the combing process, since some of it is bound not to be attached to your head anymore once they get to a certain length.
  • ThePinkPanda
    ThePinkPanda Posts: 208 Member
    I personally love dreads when they're well maintained. they're pretty sexy <3

    anyway, i've never had dreads but dated people with them previously and of all the products they used, this line was my favorite:

    http://www.knottyboy.com/

    they smell great, have a good amount of information about dread care on their site and seem to keep dreads more "neat" without being goopy like some other products i've seen. They also have a dread removal kit that's supposed to prevent the need to cut off your dreads but i've never had any experience with that.

    Like others have said, i might check with your employer first but i don't really see it being an issue.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Important subjects like this demand citations to reputable sources


    http://www.cracked.com/funny-4135-white-guys-with-dreads/
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
    I'm not a fan of dreadlocks. I think they make a person look homeless and dirty.

    I'm not homeless or dirty. I am a well-respected physician and mother runner.
    And my locks are awesome.

    Go straight to hell.

    Guess they make a person profane too.
  • RachyLovesRattys
    RachyLovesRattys Posts: 143 Member
    I am a HUGEEE Fan of dreadlocks! Sadly, there were a number of reasons throughout my life why i didn't get them.

    1. My hair is too damn straight! Apparently you need something called a "dread perm" when your hair is straight and healthy. I actually had mine severely damaged from dye and thought I could still do something with it--sadly, by that point, most of it is falling out too and makes a mess trying to dread up...ugh.

    2. I am a shower freak. Not that you can't shower with dreads, but suddenly it becomes a whole process. There is a LOT of oil and waxes involved in dreading and keeping things dreaded, and you can't be constantly getting it wet. That being said, you CAN wash dreads with a special method of soaping and wringing--but if they remain wet in the middle (which is VERY easy to do!) then you get...dum dum dum...DREAD MOLD!!

    3. In addition to dread mold, there is also the dreaded (no pun intended) dread MITES! They're sort of the same concept of every other mite, except they live in the inside of the dread and eat the dead skin and hair you shed each day. You probably won't even know you have them...and they're HELL to get rid of.

    This was all from a website about dreading that I searched through when I was seriously considering taking that step. They're totally do-able, and most people who take very good care of them won't have the problems above. But, if you have even half of a lazy bone in your body...they are def not for you. They are more work than you'll ever spend on your hair!!

    That being said, I LOVEEEE the fake ones that people make for things like Electric Daisy Carnival and stuff. You can just sew em in your hair like a weave, have fun for a few days, and then take em out. Some of them even just tie in, so you can remove them for bed. They're sooo great and I think the best option for most people. Because why shouldn't we still be able to have fun with dreads even if we can't have them long-term! :P
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length

    LOL! Dang. My mother didn't have the patience for my sister's hair, she just said "cut it off and get her a wig"....
    I wasn't about to let that happen... Nope! Saved my sister's hair, one strand at a time.

    How long would you say it would take one person to take them out all by themselves?

    Combing them out by yourself could take a considerable amount of time. The boyfriend I had at the time and myself worked on mine for about 6-8 hours. It was an all day event during which we watched several Alien movies back to back, plus at least one Predator movie. The shorter you are willing to cut them before you start untangling, the less time it will take. Mine were about 6 inches long when we started combing them out. Be advised that you will "lose" a lot of hair during the combing process, since some of it is bound not to be attached to your head anymore once they get to a certain length.
    Oh goodness, so basically sounds like it would be a 24+ hour task if I were to undo them myself.
    I definitely do not want to cut my hair, much rather keep my length.. No hair was lost when I saved my sister's hair one bit, since I was willing to sit there with her even if my butt fell asleep a few times from sitting on a tiny stool for so long.

    But oh my gosh, some of the dreads I've seen some people with are EXQUISITE!!!
    I'm just imagining doing the ones that have strands of color in them, I'd probably do a two-tone of red and blue.
  • ThatSoundsHard
    ThatSoundsHard Posts: 475 Member

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length

    LOL! Dang. My mother didn't have the patience for my sister's hair, she just said "cut it off and get her a wig"....
    I wasn't about to let that happen... Nope! Saved my sister's hair, one strand at a time.

    How long would you say it would take one person to take them out all by themselves?

    Combing them out by yourself could take a considerable amount of time. The boyfriend I had at the time and myself worked on mine for about 6-8 hours. It was an all day event during which we watched several Alien movies back to back, plus at least one Predator movie. The shorter you are willing to cut them before you start untangling, the less time it will take. Mine were about 6 inches long when we started combing them out. Be advised that you will "lose" a lot of hair during the combing process, since some of it is bound not to be attached to your head anymore once they get to a certain length.
    Oh goodness, so basically sounds like it would be a 24+ hour task if I were to undo them myself.
    I definitely do not want to cut my hair, much rather keep my length.. No hair was lost when I saved my sister's hair one bit, since I was willing to sit there with her even if my butt fell asleep a few times from sitting on a tiny stool for so long.

    But oh my gosh, some of the dreads I've seen some people with are EXQUISITE!!!
    I'm just imagining doing the ones that have strands of color in them, I'd probably do a two-tone of red and blue.

    The only times I was ever able to comb all of my own dreads out in one go was when I chopped them right off (like 2 inches long) and the time I deadlocked my Mohawk and they were falling out anyhow (the people who say dreads make you look like homeless person who forgot to brush their hair are probably thinking of me right near the end of that hairstyle). Both times it was a day long process.

    Combing out my full head of shoulder length dreadlocks required a couple of hours an evening over the span of about a month. I looked like a crazy person during that process. I wore a lot of hats and headscarves during that period.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member

    I know you're asking someone else, but I also combed mine out and it came out in great condition. I trimmed an inch or two off each lock before I started because I figured it would just take less time that way. I used a regular conditioner (Suave, I think) and diluted it with a bit of water in a spray bottle. Spritzed a lock, started combing at the bottom (like you would untangle any knotted hair) with a regular rat-tail comb I had at home in a drawer. Easy peasy--just takes a lot of time. My hair was so soft when I was done; not sure if that's from being locked or from the conditioner.
    I went to a stylist the next day to get a specific haircut/style and she commented that my hair was in "really good shape!"

    REALLY???
    -reconsiders dreads-
    My hair's long enough anyway. If I can take 10+ hours combing my sister's "ponytail" out of her head, I can definitely do this...

    I'm glad you posted that time reference... because it took two people (mother and sister) about that long to back-comb mine in. Lol! But my hair was pretty long... probably about shoulder-blade length
    I personally am not a fan of them and I agree they make a person look unkept, like you forgot to brush your hair for the last 20 years. My opinion and the OP did ask for our opinions so there should be no judging here. And if you are then shame on you. But in all fairness to each his own. If you like it do it, if you don't then don't.

    Considering the amount of work they take, it's hilarious to me that dreadlocks look like someone forgot to do something with their hair for a long time. :laugh: I wish it had been that easy.

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
    And how I would look affects you, how, exactly? How does anyone else's look affect your personal life?
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    had then for like 7 or 8 years......loved them......miss them from time to time.
    WHERE HAVE YOU BEENN?!?!
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
    And how I would look affects you, how, exactly? How does anyone else's look affect your personal life?

    Exposure to dreads forced me into years of counseling.

    Don't be so insensitive.

    Looks kill.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
    And how I would look affects you, how, exactly? How does anyone else's look affect your personal life?

    Exposure to dreads forced me into years of counseling.

    Don't be so insensitive.

    Looks kill.
    Damn, I had no clue.
    I must go hide nao, yes? -nodnod- ;)
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
    And how I would look affects you, how, exactly? How does anyone else's look affect your personal life?

    Exposure to dreads forced me into years of counseling.

    Don't be so insensitive.

    Looks kill.
    Damn, I had no clue.
    I must go hide nao, yes? -nodnod- ;)

    Your cruelty knows no bounds

    *sobs*
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member

    The amount of time spent in getting them does NOT take away from the fact that they still make you look unkept, not funny just my truth, it's what how I see them, again not trying to disrespect anyone just giving my opinion on something that was asked.
    And how I would look affects you, how, exactly? How does anyone else's look affect your personal life?

    Exposure to dreads forced me into years of counseling.

    Don't be so insensitive.

    Looks kill.
    Damn, I had no clue.
    I must go hide nao, yes? -nodnod- ;)

    Your cruelty knows no bounds

    *sobs*
    Well, tell me how you want me to fix it! I can't read minds, you know :(
  • I like them if they're looked after well ... not like those an ex had which smelt absolutely rank!!!