Deaths to Dreads... Bon Voyage!

So the time has come to deal with the mess on my head. My dreads are now over 2 months old and if I don't take them out I'll have to keep them until I shave my head.

THE GOOD: Truth is, I've rather fallen in love with my dreads. The texture, the crazy way they stick straight up when you aren't paying attention, the way you can wrap them up so cute in pig tails or buns, the way you never feel like you have to wear makeup.. 'cause you are a dirty hippy anyway. Dreads are a kind of freedom that I never expected. They open doors to people I never would have thought to talk to, they surprise you with the number of people who adore them (including your own mother & husband), they give you the freedom to do absolutely nothing to your hair when you get up. Dreads surprise you and make you approach life different because your eyes are suddenly open to other peoples prejudice or lack of, their views or energy. Dreads make you stand out.

The not so Good:
But Dreads aren't just like any other hairstyle I know. With dreads comes responsibility to keep them nice.. an exhausting feet if your hair is like mine. After 6 hours of backcombing to put them in, you think that's it. WRONG! Every day you have to palm roll them. You can't let them be wet for too long or you risk mold or fungus. Everything sticks to them.. leaves, dog hair, fuzz, ect. You have to be so careful not to mess them up when you sleep or when you take a shower. You have to wax them once a week. You have to worry about other dreadheads giving you lice or fungus and then fear shaving your head if you get it.

The truly annoying: Dreads are also a very controversial hairstyle. With Dreads you have people questioning if you should even have them in the first place. People either love or hate them. Even people who have them may think YOU shouldn't have them. Some think that need to be black, some think you need to be Rasta, and some just think you can’t be blond. Oh, and being a blond dreadhead means one thing to 90% of people.. that you’re a "dirty hippie"!

There is controversy over who had the first dreads - some say Celtics (white people - can't be true then), some say prophets had dreads, some say Rastas started dreads, and some people say it's a black hairstyle only.

Then there is the controversy over how to take care of your dreads & even how to create them. Some say you should not wash or brush your hair and let it do it on its own, some say go to the salon and have them perm it, some say to backcomb, and some to braid. Some say wax should NEVER be put in your hair and others swear that it’s VERY important.

Let's just say that everything you've ever heard as "fact" about dreads will and often is argued to the extreme.

Do I care about any of this? NO! Can people understand that I don't care? No way! And I think people who do are idiots. I know that's harsh.. another reason why I'm not a good peace loving hippy.

Bottom Line: I think that Dreads are NOT "just another hairstyle" they really are their own culture. I think you have to love them so much that they become part of your life. You almost have to be a dread expert & a dread spokesman to survive the dread journey. You have to be willing to face people’s views that you don't share. Most people will think you don't shower, that you smoke weed, that you must have some "political reason" or "spiritual reason" for doing such a thing to your hair. You also have to expect that people will suddenly tell you all kinds of things you never wanted to hear. Other dreadheads will feel a kinship to you and want to hangout. Weird yoga people will say "Namaste" to you when you part. Dirty men will think you are the hottest thing ever. Teenagers will think you are “so cool”. The list goes on and on and on..

The verdict: I read someone's blog on dreads that said "It’s a counter-cultural hairstyle. I had gotten sick of people looking in my grill, making assumptions about who I am, what I was smoking. The time had come for me to have secrets." That really hit me. I like my secrets too. I like to be under the radar. I don't like a lot of attention and dreads = attention. And I don't like people to assume they know me just because we have the same hair. With Dreads you find yourself playing a part because you are almost undercover due to people’s impressions of who someone with dreads should be. And although I love messing with peoples impressions of the world, this was a task I couldn’t commit my hair’s life to. I don't want to be "undercover" for the rest of my life, I want to be me at least most of the time.

Death to Dreads: So now after 8 hours of hardwork by my wonderful cousin Jess they are all gone. I'm now Dread Free. Bon Voyage to my crazy dreads! Oh how I will miss you my friends. It was fun, it was inspirational, and it was a true adventure. I will always love you. Maybe someday we will meet again. ;)

Here is a little slide w/ pics from my Dread Days & some from when we were taking them out.