My Dreadlocks (with pictures!)

Alright, so you've read my "About Me" page and you've seen a few of my posts, and maybe you've stalked my Pinterest, but you still haven't quite figured me out yet.

Let me put myself out there and tell you about my lil dreadies. My dreadlocks have fascinated people since they've been in existence. They're unique and uncommon, and mine aren't pristine; they are definitely more rugged and natural. They are of uneven sizes, and I even have a few "congo dreads" that used to be many singular dreadies that morphed into one giant one. I also have decorative beads scattered through my locks!

Here is a list of very common questions I get about my hair and my answers:

• How long have you had your dreadlocks? I put them in November 2009, so about 2.5 years now.
• How did you get them? First let me tell you that there are two ways to make dreadlocks: Natural and backcombed. Natural dreads take about a year to form into something that actually looks like dreads, and then it takes many years after that to become mature. Basically, you continue to keep your hair clean and you don't brush. I used the backcomb method: You section your hair into the dread size that you want, then comb each section backwards (like teasing) and roll them between your palms to compress the knots. Some people put wax into the dreads to make them hold.. I did for a while but then found out it's not good for your hair, so I stopped. 
• Will you have to cut them off (or shave your head) when you're done? No, don't be so negative! Dreadlocks are just tangled, matted hair and there are ways to brush them out if I were to get to a point that I couldn't have them anymore or if I didn't want them. It would involve weeks of conditioning and combing, but I wouldn't have to shave my head, thank you very much!
• Do you wash them? How? Yes, I wash my hair just like you do, but I can't wash it every day. I do shower on the daily, however, I only need to wash my hair 2-3 times per week, which is healthier anyways. You know how when you don't wash your hair it gets oily and nasty? Slick, oily hair will not knot very easily, so one's hair must be clean in order to lock up and make dreads. The process of washing my hair is similar to squeezing soap into (and out of) a sponge. Lather up, squish squish squish, rinse out, squish squish squish. Fun fact: It takes about 12 hours for my hair to fully dry, so I only wash my hair in the morning.
• How do you get the beads in them? It's like threading a needle. Put the bead at the bottom and push up along the dreadlock. Pick a dreadie that is a little bigger than the diameter of the inside of the bead so that the friction makes it stay in place.

And now the biggest question of all: Why?

I decided to "get" them during my junior year of college. I had been thinking about it for a while, and figured that I didn't really have anything to lose by doing it. I still had at least another year of school (which ended up being 2 more years,) and I was planning to go into a career field where employers are not pretentious about physical appearances in the workplace. So, I knew it would be a long-term commitment, but I also knew that dreads don't have to be permanent and there are ways to remove them if it came down to it.

I had a college professor my freshman year who had these long, beautiful, brunette dreadlocks (I'm not sure I'd ever seen dreads on a white lady before) and I was impressed that she had made it that far in life to get her Ph.D and become a professor at a state university. She was always in my mind when I considered doing my hair-- if she could be so unconventional and still be successful, then I can too!

I'll admit that, at first, I was doing it as more of a style-thing: I want to be unique, let me put dreads in my hair. Also, after learning about how the general public views dreadlocks in such a negative way with incorrect information (i.e.: Only dirty people have dreadlocks because they don't wash their hair or shower,) I thought I might be a positive influence on people's views because I'm a pretty girl, I can do my makeup, and I smell nice because I shower regularly!

So I went for it. Hubbs stayed up all night with me (for 15 hours) and backcombed every last dreadlock. Here's a picture of the babies, rubber bands and all:

In the first 6 months, I kept them up like a champ. I was washing, waxing, palm-rolling, and even sleeping in a leg of a stocking to keep them perfect. Then it hit me: I was spending more time keeping up my dreadlocks than it took to wash and style my hair when it was straight! Part of the reason I wanted dreads was so I wouldn't have all that upkeep. Here's me and Hubbs 7 months after the start, no more rubber bands and very little frizzyness:

I decided that I wasn't going to keep waxing and rolling. It's just hair and if it wants to lock on its own, it will. If it ends up growing out, then that's just my hair. I'm not going to make it do something it's not meant to do. Bring on the frizz! This was the beginning of my transition from "fake" dreadlocks to natural dreadlocks. The dreadies did not "grow out," you see.

A year later, my roots were going crazy, growing out and knotting together. Some locks grew together and others fell apart to become new dreads. I had some crazy hair then.. I was like a big ball of knotted fluff:

I dealt with fluffiness and craziness for a while, and it was like I was starting from the beginning. That was a test for me.. Here I was, I had had dreads for a year and a half I didn't feel like they looked good at all, but somehow people still complemented them, so I kept going.

Me and Hubbs at his graduation from the Corps of Cadets

At the two year mark, my dreads finally started getting into their own groove. I had stray hairs, but at least I wasn't so frizzy! They were really starting to look natural.

And finally, on my wedding day, about 2.5 years after I started my dreads...

I think my dreadies have finally become "natural." They are still relatively young, so they still need some time to mature, but I really like what they've turned into!

It's been a wild ride for sure. I've had some hard days that I didn't feel beautiful and I seriously considered getting rid of them. I've had to overcome others' judgments and discrimination. Like, how about sitting at a table in biology lab and not having anyone sit with you until all the other chairs were full. Or people who will stare at you but not want to look you in the eye because you look different. I also get to deal with people's misconceptions of me based on my hair. Just yesterday, the guy at the grocery store was ringing up some pork chops for me and said, "Wow, I misread you. I figured you'd be a vegetarian.. Guess there's more than what meets the eye."

I have overcome, though, and I honestly get more positive remarks than negative ones when it comes to my dreadlocks. The people who I've met in the past few years who didn't know me before dreads say that the style fits my personality really well and they couldn't imagine me otherwise. Even the people who have known me before dreads say that it's hard to think back to when I had straight hair because the dreads have just become an integral part of who I am.

So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed my story!
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