Dreadlock Momma: From Hair to There

Thursday, March 25, 2010

From Hair to There

Jan. 31, 2008 I chopped off all my hair to start my journey to lockdom. I started off with less than an inch of hair on the top of my head. Went crazy with color here and there but then I brought myself back to my senses. (SMH, what was I thinking?? Oh the memories.)

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How to grow a Crown Of Dreadlocks

“Plenty people have the wrong idea about this locks thing. Like I read in a magazine: ‘Marley came onstage with his waxed locks.’ Now that is very much a lie because I could never sit down and put wax on my hair, my wool, to keep it together. It would be clammy and stink man. Them blind man! This come natural.”Bob Marley

After speaking with hair stylists, Rastafarians, and others, I discovered a few things everyone should know about dreadlocks. First, they are not an instant hairstyle. The process in which hair develops to dreadlocks could take weeks, months, or even a year.

The secret to growing dreadlocks is that there is no secret. There are many different ways to create dreadlocks and it all depends on you, your goals, and believe it or not, the texture of your hair. I wanted to grow dreadlocks as fast as I possibly could. But the reality is that no matter what method you decide to use, dreadlocks are not an instant hairstyle that you can get in one hour or a day.

As I stated before dreadlocks are the result of allowing the hair get -nappy- uncombed and unkempt. The object of the game is to force sections of the hair to come together, intertwine (like a vine), and continue to grow into locks or ropes. As I look closely my own dreadlocks, I can see about thousands of hair strands intricately intertwined together. It closely resembles a rope (the kind used by cowboys), which is nothing more than stands of fiber twisted tightly.

To have long lasting dreadlocks, it could take weeks, months, or even a year. You may or may not need a loctician (a person professionally trained to create dreadlocks) or the use of chemicals. If you ask others with dreadlocks how they got them, you are bound to get many different answers. Why? Because each person's hair texture is different and has it own "personality".

What works for others, or how long it took to create their dreadlocks may or may not work for you. The bottom line is "know thy hair." Is it naturally coarse, straight, spongy, or curly? Your type of hair will determine how easy or complicated it may be to grow dreadlocks. The bottom line: "know thy hair." There are several ways to develop dreadlocks. Let's explore the five most popular ways.

1. Letting Dirt Take Control (BAD IDEA) – One way to develop dreadlocks is to let the hair matte together with dirt by not shampooing for long lengths of time. This is a bad idea because not only does dirty hair look horrible, it smells awful.This is the worst way to develop dreadlocks. Those who have chosen this process either have not taken the time to find other alternatives or are simply ignorant about the process.

2. Twisting the Dreadlocks Your Way — Long naturally straight, spongy, or curly hair, can develop dreadlocks through twisting. This process involves having a hair stylist or friend part your hair into sections, similar to braiding. Instead of braiding the hair, it is "back combed" or twisted with beeswax or any substance used to make the stands of hair "stick" together.With this process hair is forced to develop dreadlocks in a certain fashion. Until the hair actually starts intertwining or locking naturally, several weekly or monthly sessions are required for re-twisting. Read the chapter "The Beeswax Approach" which discusses how the actual process works.

3. From Braids to Dreadlocks — Braiding hair is another way to develop dreadlocks. Creating many short or long braids is the best way to make this process work. If the hair is not long enough add extensions. The key to this process is leaving hair braided long enough for it to start developing dreadlocks at the bottom of each braid. Once the dreadlocks reach the desired length, the braided ends are cut.

4. Yarn Dreadlocks — This process involves braids and acrylic yarn. The yarn is braided into the hair and then wrapped around the braid. Once completed, it gives the illusion of real natural dreadlocks. If the hair is left in this state, it will eventually grow or transform into real dreadlocks.

5. The Natural Route — This means absolutely nothing is done to your hair but wash and go. This process takes the longest and requires a high degree of patience. The hair will first grow into an Afro and later into dreadlocks. I cannot quite explain how this happens, but one day your hair develops a wild-looking nappy Afro, which later turns into wonderful dreadlocks.

In my case twisting and braiding were ruled out because I did not want to spend the time or money required and I didn't have any hair to begin with. I decided to go all natural and let the dreads "lock" where they may. Clippers, hairbrushes, Doo rags, and DAX hair grease became enemies of my hair. Not another man-made product was going to touch my hair, except all-natural shampoo.

Taken from http://www.howtogrowdreadlocks.com/grewdreadlockscrown.htm