When even your family doesn't support you.

Recently we had a family get together with some of our closest friends as well. This was only about 4-5 days after I backcombed, so they were very fresh.

The whole weekend all I heard from them was nagging, and when I withdrew from them, they wouldn't leave me alone. It's gotten to a point where it's depressing me. Especially when it comes to my mom. Not only does she complain at me for them, all the time, and how dirty and nasty they are- she also thinks of my religion, as I am a believer in the Rastafari Movement as a joke. I am VERY passionate about my dreads and and my religion and it's difficult when the people I am closest to, don't care for my feelings and how what they're saying truly affects me. :\

updated by @casey-smith: 01/13/15 09:08:02PM

i am having the same problem...my family don't understand why I am doing this to my hair!

i'm so sorry your surrounded by such negativity and resistance. your just going to have to ignore them and they're either going to get use to it or not. don't change your hair because they don't like it. its not on their head so why should they care. if your mom thinks they smell then show her they don't, tell her to smell your hair. you probably wash it just as often as most people.

correct me if i'm wrong and i'm not trying to be rude but aren't rastafarians supposed to not touch they're hair and thats why it dreads? meaning no starter methods? they just stop brushing/combing it. something about a verse in the bible i think. just curious why you decided to backcomb.

when my mom sees me she says "your hair is looking.....interesting." lol! i don't care. i'm 41 frickin years old. i don't need my moms approval:)

people were liike that alot at the begiing...................now everyone addmires my hair nd i get nothing but ccompliments, even my moms ok with it now, and yes heather u r right rastafarians dnt touch theyr hair, they do care for it but no actual effort goes into the coompletion of the dreads

I used to get that too. Then after a particularly rough day I sorta snapped and said "do you guys love me any less?". That brought them back off their little cloud. since then, its been fine with them. They learned to accept it for what it is. And what is it is me.

I think at this point I've just learned that you can expect total strangers to be more supportive than every member of your family, least thats how it feels to me. lol

Rasta's are supposed to leave them untouched. I became one after I already did my hair though. I tried doing natural, and after 8 months I still had no progress. My hair is the kind that is always super dry and before it was dreaded I could go 2 weeks without brushing and I wouldn't have any tangles.It's uplifting to hear from all of you though. I appreciate everyone's feedback. It means a lot.