to dread or not to dread, that is the question, things to concider before taking the plunge

the desire to dread may be strong, but so is the desire to fit in.more and more young folk are asking themselves if they really should take that plunge and let their hair dread.things to think about 1st.1 are you wanting to dread just for a change of pace? do you change your har evertime your mood changes? if so, don't jump right in, take months to think it over, if the desire is stronger then the desire to keep changing then maybe dreads are right for you.2 do you easily become obsessive over your looks? constantly need to be perfect? this isn't a dread or no dread determining factor but must be concidered. dreads are never perfect, and the more time u spend trying to make them perfect the more frustrated you become. letting go of that need to be perfect can be very therapudic however ( have personaly witnessed dreading cure eatting disorders which originate from that same obsession with perfection)3 are you ready for a permanant hairstyle/lifestyle that wont require alot of work and wont be changing daily? dreads are dreads till you chop em or take extreme effort to remove em, its a commitment and shouldnt be entered into if your plans are only temporary. you cant dread for a party or concert to look cool then go back to normal the next day, when you dread you should plan on having them at least 5 years if not for life..if you cant imagine having your hair dreaded at least 5 years dont bother dreading at all.4 reactions to dreads can vary widely. from extreme admiration to downright disgust.. if you arenot ready to have family and friends constantly tell you you should cut them or if you cant stand critisism or judgement then you might want to reconcider. however, if you are super sensitive to how others view you then dreading can be a therapy for that too, learning to let go and realize that your only concern is with what makes you feel good instead of living to please others can help you build a stronger sense of self5 attraction reactions ..your average makeup bleech blond barbie type , and your braindead jock type "popular kids" probly wont be into you..the shallow get weeded out from the deeper open minded folks when you dread..you will lose the ability to attract superficial people who base attraction solely on clean cut looks and earning potentials, but at the same time greatly increasing your attractability to more open minded folks6 income potential factors. income potential isnt usualy affected as much as many folks try to convince you it will be. you can still work in any field and earn just as much as anyone, but you may have to sell yourself bettrr to convince them to hire you7 dreading changes you. especialy if you go natural it teaches you patience, you can become more spiritual, and feel a deeper connection to the earthit is more then a hairstyleif you are strickly in it for the looks, thats ok your reasons are your own but if looks are all you are in it for id take the above into extra concideration, because without a deeper connection to your dreads they probably wont last.feel free to add to this

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
updated by @soaring-eagle: 02/05/18 02:28:50AM

WOW this was really insightful...although i have already taken the plunge lol...but yea everything stated in the above is completely true..especially how it weeds out the "popular kids" or close minded people from your life...i like to say that dreadlocks are a complete asshole filter but yea for anyone who reads this def. take all of the above into consideration before starting your locks...and good luck! jah bless

I took all this into mind and I have thought about doing it "naturally" for about 3 years I even did those fake braid in ones to see if I liked the look... etc. The only thing bothering me is the way my mother is constantly asking if there is anything I can do to make them less frizzy, not stick up, you name it... I'll be looking in the mirror to put on a head band or a bead or something and she stands there watching me and keeps trying to touch them and make one lay down or wants to know if there is something that I can do to make the roots tighter...I constantly have to say "No, and leave them alone they will do their own thing and I think they are just perfect the way the are. Quit trying to change them" It gets really irritating! I knew going into dreads that if I wanted to do it I was gonna do it no matter what anyone thought. I am that way about a lot of things so this was a given.Happy dreading!

mothers...they gotta constantly nag and find faultits annoring but u learn to tune it out or learn to laugh at it


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

yeah, isn't that the truth, my mom never really had anything positive to say about my hair, just about finding jobs in the future,, kinda surprised since once i started getting piercings awhile back she said I was going to get aids from that shit

Oh yeah I had gotten my nose. my lip and my eyebrow. The eyebrow was the first to close up had to take it out for a play I was in and it closed up. My mother is a hygenist so she hated my lip piercing but it's gone now too.. The only one I want back is my nose and that one my mom acutally likes... * if i don't put a hoop in it and just to a diamond stud. When I got my tattoo I was living in Tucson and she was in Phoenix so I told her over the phone. When I told her what it was and where ( a yellow birdy carrying a purple flower on my chest) she was like "That is going to look like a hawk carrying a log by the time you are 40!" Needless to say she loved it as soon as she saw it but she has to freak out first. Now when I talk about my sleeve tattoo that will roll into my birdy she cringes but I want to have a career in technical theatre so I don;t forsee tattoos ever being a problem!

I am so glad I found this forum! I have never considered myself or wanted to consider myself as "popular" or "mainstream". That is why I have decided to go through with dreading my hair. I am excited for the entire process. It's about time my exterior reflects my interior! I had been planning on using backcombing or crocheting but decided now that natural is really the only way I want to go. It def is a spiritual journey and am looking forward to the ups and downs and twists and turns!

haha loland what happen when you are the kid and try to fit in, and your mother is the one with dreadsguess its the same, might even worse because when you are young they all think you will change, and at my age, and with no interest no longer for the outside oooooooooooooo haha all the wayhad some funny reaction, but also many reaction that they dit not remember how i looked before ))to me dreads are a lifestyle, and you always get reaction on your outlook, you cannot hide them, its not like clothes what you change, when its suiting you on the situation. soaringeagle said:

mothers...they gotta constantly nag and find fault
its annoring but u learn to tune it out or learn to laugh at it

"2 do you easily become obsessive over your looks? constantly need to be perfect? this isn't a dread or no dread determining factor but must be concidered. dreads are never perfect, and the more time u spend trying to make them perfect the more frustrated you become. letting go of that need to be perfect can be very therapudic however ( have personaly witnessed dreading cure eatting disorders which originate from that same obsession with perfection)"I decided to get dreads because i fit into that category of tall blond girls who always have to look perfect. I had a life changing experience this summer that taught me that i dont need make-up or perfect hair to feel good about myself. but when school started i fell back into my old ways of waking up at 5 am to make sure my hair and outfits were perfect. I considered dreadlocks for a few months so that i could try to change the way i look at myself and get out my superficial rut. i finally made the commitment and went through with getting them a week ago. I love my dreads and the new confidence i have found in myself."5 attraction reactions ..your average makeup bleech blond barbie type , and your braindead jock type "popular kids" probly wont be into you..the shallow get weeded out from the deeper open minded folks when you dread..you will lose the ability to attract superficial people who base attraction solely on clean cut looks and earning potentials, but at the same time greatly increasing your attractability to more open minded folks"I feel a little self conscious when meeting people because i dont want them to judge me and i want everyone to like me. (i really HATE when people say dreadlocks are dirty. before they say something offensive and judge people they should do some research so that they dont sound so ignorant and hateful). even though this discrimination is frustrating i know that having dreads will be a life changing expirence and im happy i made the decision to make them

i feel like we all should pile on ya in a great big group hugwe love and accept you.. we always have dreadey or notbut we are so happy your changing your life for the betterwe are gonna be good friends dreaded_&_locked said:

"2 do you easily become obsessive over your looks? constantly need to be perfect? this isn't a dread or no dread determining factor but must be concidered. dreads are never perfect, and the more time u spend trying to make them perfect the more frustrated you become. letting go of that need to be perfect can be very therapudic however ( have personaly witnessed dreading cure eatting disorders which originate from that same obsession with perfection)"

I decided to get dreads because i fit into that category of tall blond girls who always have to look perfect. I had a life changing experience this summer that taught me that i dont need make-up or perfect hair to feel good about myself. but when school started i fell back into my old ways of waking up at 5 am to make sure my hair and outfits were perfect. I considered dreadlocks for a few months so that i could try to change the way i look at myself and get out my superficial rut. i finally made the commitment and went through with getting them a week ago. I love my dreads and the new confidence i have found in myself.



"5 attraction reactions ..your average makeup bleech blond barbie type , and your braindead jock type "popular kids" probly wont be into you..the shallow get weeded out from the deeper open minded folks when you dread..you will lose the ability to attract superficial people who base attraction solely on clean cut looks and earning potentials, but at the same time greatly increasing your attractability to more open minded folks"

I feel a little self conscious when meeting people because i dont want them to judge me and i want everyone to like me. (i really HATE when people say dreadlocks are dirty. before they say something offensive and judge people they should do some research so that they dont sound so ignorant and hateful). even though this discrimination is frustrating i know that having dreads will be a life changing expirence and im happy i made the decision to make them

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1