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Dreadlocks

justsomeguy said:
dreadlocks have been around cross-culturally since people have had hair.

can a style so ubiquitious really be characterized as "trendy"?
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Yes. It certainly seems to be so in Jamaica.

A discussion on the popular "dreadlooks" hairstyle cannot begin without highlighting that probably 90% of the 'dread locked individuals' you may meet in Jamaica who may call themselves a Rastafarian, are not true Rastafarians. The mysticism, ability to use ganja under the religious justification defense and all the monetary benefits one may get from this has caused this to become a 'fad' and many Jamaican men wore dreadlocks and called themselves Rastafarians when they are not. The "rent a dread" stereotype is true in many cases. Many men see Rastafari as a way out of poverty or a means to migrate to a country with better opportunities. Stereotyping has caused everyone with dreadlocks to be viewed as a Rastafarian. A true Rastafarian is peace loving, kind, very Afro centric and shuns all "schemes" used for monetary gains.
 
poetess.jpg


looks fine to me :)
 
^^^ nice!


I've had dreadlocks for a little over a month now and I love them! I've never been so comfortable with my hair.
I have naturally curly hair, which is good for dreads, but I can't deny that it's still a lot of work. I prefer the 'neater' look, so I spend a lot of time waxing them, rolling and twisting.
I did my dreads at a salon.. backcombed and twisted with wax, it took more than 12 hours (I have really thick hair). They're pretty thin, pencil-thin I would say, but I wouldn't want them any other way.
Removing them... I dunno. If they're new, then you should be able to remover them withing the first few weeks, maybe the first month even, just use a lot of really good conditioner to de-tangle, and prepare yourself for a few hours of combing. If they have been in for a longer time, then you should be able to de-dread the first couple of inches of hair, so you don't have to go completely bald.
I'd say get them, they'd suit you.


oh yeah, and about the wax, I've found it to be very helpful . However, if you use a wax that contains petroleum it's definitely going to do more damage than harm since the hair won't lock properly, so if you're going to use wax, use proper dread wax.
 
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chrissie said:
^
you are correct

french braid in us / braid in oz =
basic4.jpg
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yes thats it! thats what i have always called a braid...nice one..now i know the cross cultural difference hehe

chrissie could you put braids on this pic for me if you don't mind? i don't have photoshop at all...blonde and pink ones or red and black ones would be good =D hehehe
 
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doofqueen... find a relatively good quality pic of the braids on someone else and ill whip that up for yah :) the hard part is finding the pictures :\
 
ok cool..will do =D hehehe i remember years ago looking at these pics from a hairdresser where you can put all different types of hair on your face and always wanted to try it...*goes and finds a pic*
 
I'm not really into any sort of non-natural method to dreadlocks... mine have done themselves completely... no rubberbands, no perms, no extensions... a whole bunch of nothing. the anti-hairstyle. I do maintain my locks... I wash them once a week with clairifying shampoo (removes residue), I wax them every couple of weeks with a minimal amount of wax, when they get too dry and feel like they're getting weak. I clean them in between *occassionally* with this herbal cleanser, made for the purpose, contains alcohol and some essential oils, and is almost like a "dry cleaner" for the locks. It took my head 6 months to get it together, and the inbetween time DID suck--but I dont have manufactured dreads now, I have my very own, that which my head produced.


a month and a half after i started
missingmikey.jpg


now
159b.jpg


another from now
8de5.jpg


they're a little crazy--but they're mine... totally natural. it takes a lot more commitment and patience, but if youre not doing it for fashion's/trend's sake then WTF you're worth it.
 
I put my dreads in close to 2 weeks ago. They're doing pretty well. My hair's curly and quite thin, so I've had to put a lot of wax on them and keep fixing up the ends. I've tied them all off at my head with string and put 2 or 3 plastic beads down each one to make sure that they stay seperate. Really, the only difficulty I've had is getting the ends to stay together, but my bf has the technique down packed, so I've got him to help me out with them. Once I backcombed them, there was really no turning back. Once they've "set" I'm going to get extensions put in give them some colour and length on top (my hair's layered). After about 3 weeks it'll be safe to wash my hair again with dread shampoo...I can't wait...this heat is making my head itch..eww. Also, I'm going to invest in some headbands, I have a job interview at Grace Bros (Myer!?!) so I'd better find a nice respectable one ;)

Good luck with them!
 
Dreds are nasty, funky things on a female..

Females with Dreds almost always have underarm hair :P Sick..

just a little IMHO.. -.-;
 
^^^ I don't have underarm hair (not that there's anything wrong with underarm hair... IMHO) . And my dreads aren't nasty.

I love my little babies (dreads) =D
 
How long would you guys say your hair needs to be, in order to have enough to work with?

edit:
also, how much does a dread perm run? (US$) (<-- hope this doesnt violate price rules)
 
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^^^
it's best if you have 4-5 inches of hair to start your dreads with, as once they lock they will shrink a lot. but, you can do them shorter--as short as 2 inches I believe.

All this talk about dread perms is pissing me off... I'm so sick of trendy dreadies and paid-for-"natural" fashion. BLECH.

When I came home from 6 weeks on Phish tour, I sure as hell had a bit of armpit hair... and I wasnt against it at all... showers, razors, and all other things hygenic are rare when you're travelling non-stop for 6 weeks, 1000miles a night, and sleeping in your car. My boyfriend loved me anyway. I dont wear antipersperant either, but I never SMELL... I use all natural aloe-vera deoderant.
 
^ I don't really like the "trendy" part of it either, but to each unto their own. I think it is best to let them do it, say nothing, and just laugh to yourself on the inside.

Either way, something tells me you smelled a little bit during the tour :p
 
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