combing out year and a half old natural locks

i've thought about it for the past few months, and i believe it's time to say goodbye to my dreads, for now.

this is how i'm thinking about doing it: leave conditioner on my head for an hour or so a few nights in a row, slowly start to work on the looser ones, then dedicate a full day or two to having someone else work on combing them out.

what's the best sort of comb to use?

any tips on a good kind of conditioner?

i'm so sad to say goodbye, but i think it's time. i know that i can always lock up again later, when the time is right. i'm so grateful for the time i've had with my dreads, and for all the loving support i've received from the members of this site.

love and light!

updated by @baby-britt: 02/14/15 04:59:28AM

I'm so sorry to read this!

to answer your questions, you would treat the hair as you would any tangles: Use either jojoba or olive oil and then with a wide tooth comb start working from the bottoms upward. Also, it has been known to take people a few days to complete the comb-out so start with an area that will be easier to hide if you need to work or go to an event.

Someday the time will be right for you... who knows, you may feel the loss mid-comb-out. Good luck.

awww. well, we all will have a time in our life when we need a change. i don't think i'll ever be able to brush out my locs though due to all the zig zags. i've heard cheap 99 cents store conditioner works well at helping the process along. not sure what comb to use though. i've heard people say it can take weeks to comb it all out so just take your time. no need to rush it and causeunnecessarydamage. good luck, sweetie! post pictures if you can of before, during and after. {{hugs}}

whyare yoiu saying goodbye if yiir sad to say goodbye

dread loss depressiion is a very real thing you may even feel a sense of loss of self..like yiur hollow and you no longer know who you are

but oj]=k to assume yor really going to do this

a soft bristle brush is healthiest but nit fastest a giood ide comb be gentle go slow if u have someone else work on it for u they will g[hurt u way more and damage the hair more

conditioner any ol leave in is great like mane and tail but just a bottle ofolive oil will do the trick to

but talk ti us why are u wanting to do theuis

this better not be over a guy!

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Lol! I hope it's not over some guy! Boys are stupid and a lot of them have a perturbed sense of beauty ;P

))hugs(( i love you guys.

it's definitely not over a guy! my boyfriend loves my hair and will probably be sad to hear that i want to change it. i talk about missing my hair all the time, and i feel like it's holding me back.

i'm in a really tough spot right now... i quit my last job in march, like an idiot, they were totally fine with my crazy hair. but i'm facing being homeless if i can't find a job really, really soon, and it's so tough when all people see is my hair instead of ME. no matter how good i look on paper, i'm plagued by judgmental people's opinions of me based on my appearance.

i do love my dreads, so very much. and you're right, SE, i probably will feel a huge sense of loss if i do decide to go through with it.

a few months ago i had a really intense trip on LSD and almost combed them out then, but i decided not to. ever since then it's been in the back of my head, and i think it's time to go for it.

gosh i'm almost in tears.

i know i can always do it again if i feel the time is right, but i just don't think dreads are right for me at this point in my life.

Good luck finding a job. If it's any consolation at all, I got hired 1 month into my dread journey by a beauty supply store.

If you want to wait it out a little longer, you can always put your hair in a snood and clip a flower to the side. Snoods are more breathable than tams and they look very pretty on women.

I usually wear mine farther up on the head than some other women but it is definitely my fall back when I don't wanna wash my hair before work and feeling especially frumpy.

oh that's neat, i've never even heard of a snood! it'd be cool to see some pictures of it in action :D

my boyfriend just called me from work and he was actually pretty upset to hear that i'm seriously considering getting rid of my dreads. he's afraid i'm gonna change who i am and start wearing make up again and shaving my armpits every day. NOT gonna happen, haha. i told him i can still be exactly who i am without my hair in dreadlocks. he also thinks i'm gonna really regret doing it, which i probably will, but i do have such beautiful hair... ugh i'm so conflicted right now

wish something I could say would help the matter, don't do it? I face the same problem and mentality... I hope you decision works for you and not against you. Saying so, why not tell the potential employer that you would change the hair if that's what it means?

A potential employer told me to take out my lip piercings, like an idiot I did and didn't keep the job more then 6 months.(health issues with the job itself)