I decided to do my hair in dreadlocks last month for a couple reasons. One is that I just have always loved the natural look of them and the second is kind of a private spiritual one for me. I also want to be as natural as possible and many shampoos, hair products and so on contain many kinds of chemicals. In a way, dreadlocks (or “dreads” how I prefer to refer to them as) are a frugal hair style. I no longer need to buy shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, hair ties, hair treatments, or even get hair cuts. I have had many questions asked of me on my short journey and I wanted to take some tike to answer them.
Dreadlock Q & A
Do you wash your hair? Yes, I actually wash it about once every 3 days. Truthfully, this is about as often as I washed my hair pre-dread because my hair is somewhat dry. And, hair will actually not dread up or mature as well if it is not clean.
What do you use to wash your dreads? I use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap and water. I don’t condition it and I don’t use regular shampoos because they contain sulfates and chemicals and I don’t want a film left behind on my dreads.
How did you get them to start dreading? There are several techniques. I used the backcomb method. I sectioned my hair off into parts about an inch thick. I used a dog’s comb with metal teeth on it to carefully and tightly backcomb each section. I used the metal toothed comb because it can be hard on a plastic comb to do it as tight as you need it.
This is a great video that tells you the different ways you can start:
Don’t they smell bad? Actually, no. As I stated, I wash them. They actually currently smell like almonds because I used the Dr Bronner’s Almond scented soap.
Why do they look frizzy still? They are what dreadheads like to refer to as “baby dreads”. The fully mature dread most people think of is a process. This can take anywhere from 6 Months to a year (or longer) to start to mature. Having dreads is quite a commitment!
How long was your hair? How long does it need to be? I had hair halfway down my back in layers. Most people will recommend that you have at least 3-4 inches of hair to work with.
Aren’t dreads a hairstyle for African Americans? Dreadlocks are a style for anyone! Anyone’s hair will dread up because that is what all hair naturally does if untouched by a comb. Some textures are ideal for creating dreads, but it is not true that others have to work to create them or that they shouldn’t have them because of race or ancestry.
Did you use wax? No. I had heard that it could be a giant mess so I never wanted the wax in my hair.
What did your dreads look like over the past month or so since you put them in?
Here are some pictures of how they changed over the past month:
Right after I backcombed:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4 (1 month) Front and back:
Will you have to shave your head if you decide you don’t want them anymore? No. Actually, I can just use a lot of conditioner and take some time and slowly comb them out.
Do you have any more questions for me about starting dreads or dreads in general? I would love to hear them in the comments!
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