Dreadlock Start-up...
Are you ready for dreadlocks?
Dreads are awesome but, like a hat (that you wear on your head), you really have to commit cause, like a pet, they need lots of love and time for maintenance when they are new.
There are some things you should know and be aware of before you jump into your dreadlocks journey.
First you gotta relax and realize that dreadlocks are more of a process or journey than a one day, do it all at once kind of thing. It's like being in a band, you've gotta do a little work everyday to keep up with it. Dreads have ups and downs as they mature. Some days everything is looking sweet and some days they look....well....crappy. The bonus here is that mature dreads ALWAYS look good, so no more bad hair days :)
Even though maturity comes over time a lot of the work you'll need to do happens closer to the beginning. Maintenance is pretty intense at first and then tapers off from there. As you look around the site you'll find A LOT of info and many people tend to get a little overwhelmed. They're like "when do I do this" and "how long until I start doing that?" and "OMG there is so much to learn". You can relax, here's why: You just need to familiarize yourself with the concepts. When it comes time you can re-read and get the details.
But how do you know when "it's time"? Keeping up with the timing used to be a problem but now it's pretty easy. Our Dread Follow-up Charts timed to your dreads development which will let you know:
The next thing you should know is that people will probably see your dreadlocks before they see you. Yep, just like judging a movie by the dvd case. (this approach works far better with movies than w/ people) The point is that some people are going to have a preconceived notion of what a person with dreads is like and if that notion is negative it's up to you to change it.
Next, in a lot of places dreadlocks are somewhat novel, you might be one of the few people they've ever seen with dreads. Naturally, they will have lots of really awkward questions, like "Do you wash your hair?". I mean under most circumstances that would be down right rude! So you need to be prepared for this. They will ask how you started them, what you put in them, if it's all your hair, if you take them out at night...etc. You will get better at answering these questions over time. But sometimes it can be really hard not to completely lose it at what people come up with.
Another thing you should know is why you are getting dreadlocks. There is no right or wrong reason for dreadlocks, so don't let anyone convince you that their reason is "better" than yours. And there is also no right or wrong way to make dreadlocks, so don't let anyone convince you that one method is better than another.
There are only easy and hard ways to make dreadlocks, but it's your choice on how you want to make them and how much time it takes for them to lock up. What really mattes is what you want and what works for you. Some people get dreads for a spiritual reason, some for fashion, and some because they're a hardcore juggalo. Whatever your reason, stand by it, and be prepared to back it up.
Now is a great time to mention that the methods that we teach on this site are not the "only" way to do dreads. After A LOT of experimenting, trial and error and feedback from the DreadHead community, we believe that this approach is the very best way to start and maintain dreadlocks. We'll explain why in the pages that follow. These methods work so well in fact, and so consistently, that when you start out with our dread kit and follow our instructions we can guarantee that you'll be happy with your dreads. Instead of providing some information on every method, and bloating our site in an attempt to provide support for multiple methods, we've chosen to focus entirely on crocheting and on the maintenance techniques proper to crocheting. Crocheting is a natural dreading method where by one uses a crochet hook to instantly interlock hair into dreadlocks. No chemicals of any type are used to force the hair to dread. This is an instant process and by understanding the dreading process and providing a little tender loving dread care, you can create healthy, mature dreadlocks in months rather than years. This same understanding gives you the ability to control the look of the dreads. From messy, random-ish to perfectly groomed -- from super thin micro-dreads to massive nug-like congos.. Dreads are now an art form.
Dreads are awesome but, like a hat (that you wear on your head), you really have to commit cause, like a pet, they need lots of love and time for maintenance when they are new.
There are some things you should know and be aware of before you jump into your dreadlocks journey.
First you gotta relax and realize that dreadlocks are more of a process or journey than a one day, do it all at once kind of thing. It's like being in a band, you've gotta do a little work everyday to keep up with it. Dreads have ups and downs as they mature. Some days everything is looking sweet and some days they look....well....crappy. The bonus here is that mature dreads ALWAYS look good, so no more bad hair days :)
Even though maturity comes over time a lot of the work you'll need to do happens closer to the beginning. Maintenance is pretty intense at first and then tapers off from there. As you look around the site you'll find A LOT of info and many people tend to get a little overwhelmed. They're like "when do I do this" and "how long until I start doing that?" and "OMG there is so much to learn". You can relax, here's why: You just need to familiarize yourself with the concepts. When it comes time you can re-read and get the details.
But how do you know when "it's time"? Keeping up with the timing used to be a problem but now it's pretty easy. Our Dread Follow-up Charts timed to your dreads development which will let you know:
- If your dreads are on track
- what to expect at this point in their development
- what changes are needed in your maintenance at their current stage
- even some extra tips for the techniques you'll be using at that time
The next thing you should know is that people will probably see your dreadlocks before they see you. Yep, just like judging a movie by the dvd case. (this approach works far better with movies than w/ people) The point is that some people are going to have a preconceived notion of what a person with dreads is like and if that notion is negative it's up to you to change it.
Next, in a lot of places dreadlocks are somewhat novel, you might be one of the few people they've ever seen with dreads. Naturally, they will have lots of really awkward questions, like "Do you wash your hair?". I mean under most circumstances that would be down right rude! So you need to be prepared for this. They will ask how you started them, what you put in them, if it's all your hair, if you take them out at night...etc. You will get better at answering these questions over time. But sometimes it can be really hard not to completely lose it at what people come up with.
Another thing you should know is why you are getting dreadlocks. There is no right or wrong reason for dreadlocks, so don't let anyone convince you that their reason is "better" than yours. And there is also no right or wrong way to make dreadlocks, so don't let anyone convince you that one method is better than another.
There are only easy and hard ways to make dreadlocks, but it's your choice on how you want to make them and how much time it takes for them to lock up. What really mattes is what you want and what works for you. Some people get dreads for a spiritual reason, some for fashion, and some because they're a hardcore juggalo. Whatever your reason, stand by it, and be prepared to back it up.
Now is a great time to mention that the methods that we teach on this site are not the "only" way to do dreads. After A LOT of experimenting, trial and error and feedback from the DreadHead community, we believe that this approach is the very best way to start and maintain dreadlocks. We'll explain why in the pages that follow. These methods work so well in fact, and so consistently, that when you start out with our dread kit and follow our instructions we can guarantee that you'll be happy with your dreads. Instead of providing some information on every method, and bloating our site in an attempt to provide support for multiple methods, we've chosen to focus entirely on crocheting and on the maintenance techniques proper to crocheting. Crocheting is a natural dreading method where by one uses a crochet hook to instantly interlock hair into dreadlocks. No chemicals of any type are used to force the hair to dread. This is an instant process and by understanding the dreading process and providing a little tender loving dread care, you can create healthy, mature dreadlocks in months rather than years. This same understanding gives you the ability to control the look of the dreads. From messy, random-ish to perfectly groomed -- from super thin micro-dreads to massive nug-like congos.. Dreads are now an art form.