Did you run into any surprises when you first dreaded?

I have been researching a lot about the dreading process and the after care as I've been planning to dread my hair for years now. Now that I've hit 26, ever closer to 27, I figure its about time to do it. I was wondering if you guys have run into any situations that you didn't expect or read about. The main thing thats holding me back is the "unknown" as it is quite the commitment. I plan on having them backcombed in as I like them being uniform in size and kind of "cleaner" looking for lack of better terms.

Guess I'm just looking for personal experiences with the beginnings. Right now my hair is all one length (black), straight and just hits my shoulders. Will it shrink up a lot when I get it dreaded? I know chlorine is fine for dreads but will I have to stop swimming at the pool for a while (like when you get a tattoo)? How long did yours take to lock up tight? How to wear them when they first get put in and you cant tie them back with other locks cause they are so short? Just general things that are hard to find info about online...

Thanks for your help and motivation, I love the culture, the style and can't wait to get them in.

 

birds often mistake my dreads form worms... so all to often I have birds landing on my head trying to steal a worm for their chicks.

didn't expect that to happen I'll tell you that much

 

Lice, didn't think about the risk of them despite my young brothers getting them kinda often, and unfortunatley got them. Managed to treat them though.

Some shrink up a lot, some don't seem to shrink much at all. It will vary from person to person, I don't know what influences some to shrink more than other though?

How often are you in the pool?

Mine aren't really long enough to tie back properly, I can get the back up but the front ones don't reach, so best way is just get a head band or something.

 

mine hair was about twelve inches and over 18 months later i am just now starting to gain in length, this is due to shrinkage. i guess it depends on your hair type and method you use.

pool shouldn't be a problem, just make sure to rinse and blowdry afterwards.

also, they start to get tighter after about 5-6 months.

if they're too short i'd say wear a headband to hold them back.

 

Lice, that'd be unfortunate. Yeah, thats what ive been reading that how they shrink is very person dependent.

I swim at the pool 5 days a week so I'm there a lot...but from what I hear, Chlorine is actually good for locks and will help them lock up faster?

 

maybe so. i know when i have put bleach in my hair it has locked up more. so chlorine is a diluted version.

 

The only problem I can see with pool 5 days a week and dreads is that it might be hard to get them dry in-between the swims - and constant moisture might lead to mold.

 

Yeah, the amount of people who just sing Bob Marley at you because you have dreads. of course he was the first human to have them and yeah because i have them i must want to be Bob Marley.
What im trying to say is that depending on where you live you will get a lot of people who have no experience of dreadheads and so u may have to wade through some stereotypical ribbing. "dont u have to not wash them?" etc

edit: that makes it sound all doom and gloom. i have had waaaaaaaaaaay more positive reactions than negative.

 

Urhm. Dread sex. I never expected my dreads to want to shag every other dread in sight so quickly. I rip one week then by the next week it's a dread orgy. But thats cool.

 

Also dread-sex. its exactly the same as normal sex but this came as a surprise to me. i thought it would be different somhow.

 

Eh...?

 

im easily surprised...

 

I can tell...!

 

This guy is my exact identical

that dog has a fluffy tail


ehehhheh

 

surprises?

well.... i haven't been fired from my job yet. I was kinda surprised. lol

 

Only A Couple Of Tongue In Cheek Negative Responses Which Has Really

Surprised Me, As I Had Braced Myself Thinking I Would Really Cop Them

From People Of All Ages.

But What Has Really Suprised Me Is The Acceptance I Have Received.

People I Don't Know Strike Up A Conversation, People Invite Me To Go

Ahead Of Them In A Queue, And If They Were Put Off By My Appearance

In Any Way, They Would Just Ignore Me.

Lots Of Young People Give Me A Knowing Nod And Smile As We Pass In

The Street.....*and i'm three times their age*.

To Sum Up, The Whole Dready Experience Has Turned Out To Be The

TOTAL OPPOSITE To What I Expected.

This Makes GLEN Very Happy....



Cheers Glen.

 

While your dreads are new, it will be easier to dry them so it may not be a problem at the early stages. Once they mature up though, it may be quite hard to keep on top of drying them out properly.

 

Theres this bastard of a parrot in kings heath that likes to attack my dreads, that is quite surprising the first few times.

 

pypes, Have You Ever Tried "Parrot Pie"..ie:...They Tell Me It's Quite Tasty....



Cheers Glen.

 

eh mostly the shrinkage freaked me out a bit as i lost like half my length. but i hear this happens to only a few of us

and to the swimming thing, once they get more mature and take longer to dry you may have to invest in some sort of shower/swim cap. an extra extra big one to fit all your hair in

and to pull them back, head band or hair tie. same as undreaded hair really.