Another one

Ok I'm 27 and I'm from Slovenia, Europe. So my interest in dreads or should I say locks started a couple years ago. I was wearing short hair for most of my lifetime, but I had periods when I let my hair grow longer. For many years I couldn't exactly figure out which hairstyle I want to have and I was experimenting a lot. I also followed fashion trends some years ago which I novadays find kinda silly. I could almost say that I was a bit ashamed even to sport longer hair when I was younger, because I always had curly hair and I though it looks funny (seems we were also taught in our culture that straight hair is the best hair).

For quite some time I had very short hairstyles and I was wearing hats and caps a lot. But then a couple years ago I had a dream in which I had beautiful long curly hair, which is my natural hair anyway. I woke up, touched my head found very little hair on it and I was kinda sad about it. From then on I decided that I want to have a long and natural hair like Jesus had. The Jesus comparison might seem out of place to some, but Jesus was always my role model not only in his actions but also as far as looks are considered. Of course I also had some other "long haired" inspirations in various people, but putting this aside, I think my main inspiration is coming from within, I probably just instinctively love my hair, it seems that it naturally gives me some self confidence.

So why dreads? Hmm this is a hard one, I don't even know if dreads are a correct term of what I'm looking for. I don't neccesarily aim at long "beefy" dreads like those of some stereotipycal "rastaman" from Jamaica. I just found out that my hair looks absolutely best when I don't mess with it and let it grow as it is. It sections on it's own, but I'd still love to have some "real dreads" happen to me in a couple of years. I'm all for a natural way like encouraged on this forum, anything else is completely out of the option for me. For quite some time I admired hairstyles of certain musicians, like Future for example. I thought his "thinner dreads" look absulutely great. But then as I did some research I figured out that such look is "artificial", it cannot happen naturally and I really don't wanna destroy my hair by forcing it into something that would only make it weaker, thinner and worse looking as a result. I rather don't have dreads than have "artificial dreads", I'm all for beautiful natural hair whther it be dreads or curls.

Even before I started reading dread related informations I was doing same stuff that I'm still doing now. I stopped combing my hair at least a year ago because I thought it looks way better this way, I hate a combed look I think it looks horrible (lol). I'm also not using a blow dryer for a couple years probably because it seemed that it makes my hair slighty weaker and feels less natural. However I do towel rub my hair after washing quite agressively in order to dry it at least to a degree, perhaps this is bad for dread formation and I should only air dry. I don't know, I'll get into those details later and in other topics.

Another thing: Last year after a one week vacation near the sea I was swimming every day, I let my hair air dry after and I didn't wash it with tap water for one week. As a result I almost got "real dreads" in a single week and I was afraid to wash it afterwards cause I loved it. But at the end of course I still washed it and those dreads dissappeared. I do have some dreading going on nearly all the time, but "real dreads" have not happened to me yet in cca. 2 years, perhaps I'm doing something wrong. As I said, I'll try to go into more details later on in other topics, hope this post wasn't too long and poorly written. As I write long paragraphs my writing style tends to get worse with length and time spent.

updated by @alienemotion: 07/20/16 03:28:12PM

well the shampoos you wash with and the towel drying can be the reason why

but its always dreading and something your doings undreading it

btw if u separate to prevent thick you can have natural organic (as aposed to natural freeform) then later let em congo if you want thicker

i don't mean pre-section or make artificial.. just keep any from being too big

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Yeah thanks very much. I suppose I can ask some questions in this very topic, I only have a couple.

- What about hats, do you recommend wearing them a lot or not at all? I found some contradictory claims on that question. I just started wearing a partially wool hat for a couple days when I'm at home because of some recommendations.

- What method of drying hair? (air dry, towel rub and headbang or a blow dryer?) Or perhaps wrap them into a towel (this method seems a bit feminine but I still wouldn't really mind :D)

- Most importantly: What about keeping hair together? Since I started aiming for dreads on purpose I'm a bit afraid to tie my hair with a hairband, even tho I'm used to having my hair tied up most of the time due to my job and some obvious reasons. When I work I cannot really afford to have my hair all over the place obstructing my working proccess. I just try to tie my hair without my fingers going through or as little as possible. I can't think of a way to avoid that, when at work I have to be at least somewhat "presentable". Any recommendations?

updated by @alienemotion: 07/20/16 04:00:10PM

Hello and welcome from England! love your introduction there, i wouldn't work about your writing style i Know a lot of people here who's writing is a lot worse!best of look with the locking!

well, air dryings best as for bands and hats as lil as possible as loose as possible ideally tying back with a dread instead

wool hats can be helpful if rather loose allowing movement

but being free is best

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thanks both yall and sorry for late reply. I was on vacation near the sea, which helped my dread process quite a bit. I also posted some progress in another topic.

My hair is getting more and more dready I'm super satisfied (cca. 2 weeks of using a better shampoo and swimming in the sea)

updated by @alienemotion: 08/01/16 05:37:33AM

Looking good! And I hear you on the Jesus-hair thing, I like that look too haha. Yours is much closer to it than mine, but we all have our unique personality. Keep up the good work!

Wow, your hair looks great! I have a similar approach, not sure if "real dreads" (thick and clumpy) is even my goal. It's just about peace and freedom. Whatever is natural is the way your hair wants to express your unique perspective. Keep it up! Thanks for posting.

Thanks both! Yeah indeed I also don't have my "hair goals" exactly defined anymore. At first I thought I wanted to look like this or that person, but I've already left those images behind me in a couple of weeks. I love how my hair looks like at this very moment, I'm just letting it go don't mess with it nothing. I'll just do a bit of separating in case I start getting thicker knots anywhere in the future. And also starting to let my hair be like that it also seems that I now started to fully understand the wrongdoings of hair industry, salons, etc. Also stuff that I was doing in the past which was only weakening my hair and made it look unnatural. I also almost look weird at people with very thin, dyed, destroyed hair that I'm seeing on a daily basis (women especially since they usually have more hair potential than men). Not to really look down on then or anything, but I kinda feel sorry for their hair and their natural potential, which they waste and destroy. I am now starting to believe that letting your hair to grow naturally does indeed help your natural growth as a human being too. If that makes sense, thanks all for your compliments and I wish you all the best with your journey too!
updated by @alienemotion: 08/02/16 05:08:37AM