dreadlocks changing more than your hair

ive gotten more PATIENCE!haha but that happends when your hair does its own thing.also ive wanted to be healthier.something about not putting crap in your hair(hair spray, gel ect.)makes me not want to put crap in my body in general:)

Allowing my hair to lock up has provided me with insight as to just WHY I have always fought my curls so much. Answer: those blasted magazines, TV, and other media which try to tell us what beautiful is.

My husband hates my new look and although it's only three months along I am locking up fast and I am also letting my 50% gray grow out. I am 31 years old and nearly gray. I quit dying my hair, quit using all the nasty alcohol based shampoos which damaged my hair so much, and have learned to love the quirky pattern my hair goes through on days 1-4 between shampoos. I can look at my hair in the mirror and tell what day I'm on and when I'll need to wash it again just so it'll tame down a bit.

And so, instead of fighting my Scottish/Irish/Jewish 'fro of curls I have embraced them and let them be as naughty/knotty as they want. I love them.

I've also started admiring dreadies when we cross paths in stores. There's this one guy who works in our local Target ... yum. Anyway!!! lol. This is a great discussion. I think we can all agree that letting our hair do it's own wicked thing has freed us from a certain amount of vanity.

I love that you mentioned how they have made you talk to more people. It really is that way. People that normally would never talk to you come up ask have all sorts of questions. Once you get started one the topic of you locks, it's easier to transition into a different topic.

Don't feel odd at all about bringing up not shaving or plucking. My girlfriend only shaves her legs once in a while, and more so in the summer because she'll sweat. She might not have locks anymore, but she's still a beautiful dirty hippie anyway.

And as for having a crown, get a picture of yourself with the sun behind you at around 6 in the afternoon. Thats the perfect time to take pictures anyway (called the golden hour. it changes with the seasons). As the light passes through your hair it'll look like a halo or aura surrounding your head

Amelia Nantume Marie Mayer said:

Hey, what a great question to ask!

I have become waaaaay more self-confident. This might be too out there, but I'm gonna say it anyway:

I have always felt that shaving my legs and arm pits was sexist and totally unnecessary. Sooo, after having my dreads for a couple years, and gaining all that self-confidence, I have become much more comfortable with my whole entire body, as well as my thoughts. I have gained the confidence to walk around campus in shorts/skirts and raise my hand in class in a tank top , and now when people stare, it cracks me up! They have NO idea what's going on! It's great!

But aside from that, my dreads really have helped me mature a lot. I live in a pretty conservative town, and people have confronted me about my dreads quite often (thankfully more are simply trying to figure out what my hair is up to rather than insulting me!), so it has forced me to talk to lots of people I wouldn't normally be in contact with.

I also feel much more beautiful. I used to dye my hair all sorts of wacky colors, and it was sleek and very straight. It did not flatter my face at all. Now I have a sweet little fro of frizzies crowning my flowing locks, and i feel like a goddess some days!

Along with gaining self-confidence, I have been able to wear anything I like, even if it looks like trash to someone else. I don't wear makeup anymore, and haven't plucked my eyebrows inyears. I just feel so much more wholesome. It's for sure the best decision i have ever made. I feel like it has also taught me how to be humble, and how to not get hurt from things rude people might do or say.

So what about you? Would love to hear!

-Amelia

Hey,

So I know I am only about 1 week and 3 days into my journey but I have noticed a big change in myself. I am a lot more confident and have noticed a really big change in wanting to take care of myself a lot better. I have beenthinking becoming a vegetarian.I feel that will make me closer to where I want to be. Its crazy. I grew up with a family that was very far away from that. Now when I go out to eat I get my normal stuff and feel sick, because I think about what if this animal was my cat. =[

I know this is rambling but now that I feel more confident with myself because I love the way my dreads look I want my body to feel the same.

I hope this makes sence. Let me know if it doesn't. Haha

-Summer

Oh man this post got a lot more replies than i thought it would xD but these are all great and a relate with a majority of what you guys are saying I guess no matter who we are our minds are gonna kinda go in the same direction kinda but yeah I'm about to be on my 7 months and i just started really thinking about it doesnt feel like Ive been dreading for that long it feels like just yesterday i stopped brushing but then I'll start to look through some of the pictures I've taken over the months and its weird to watch the change as amall as they may be its still a change and is still going today and while they change I'm doing the same. As my dreads change and grow so does my mind, body, and spirit I'm almost a completely different person than who I was and I feel like I'm finding myself and becoming who I am meant to be in this world

and sorry it took so long to reply on this havent been on much lately schools been very busy lately but lets see if we can get some more? :]

I hear you with school being busy. I used to be on a few times a day. I'd check every new post and reply as I pleased. The past few weeks have been murder with test after test and lab reports and all sorts of other work to do.

But I know the feeling of looking back at old picks. My locks were really short when they matured. It's fun to look at how they grew over time. When I first started growing them, they were only a few inches long. Now each one is about a foot or longer. It's really great. I can't wait till they are waist length

What's really insane is when you transform from a "must have the appropriate amount of bounce to my curl!" kinda girl to a frizzy halo beads-in-hair chick. Nuts. I mean, that kind of stress will wear you out. Granted, the first few months have been kinda nerve wrecking with worrying about ingredients and such but now that I've got my routine down pat it's like I can sit back and enjoy The Frizz Show. And yeah, looking through those old pics from a few months ago is insane. I can't believe my hair was that short and curly and now it's down to my shoulders.

I love not worrying about how my hair will look if/ when I lay down if I lay down a certain way without protecting my hair. I couldn't do that before. I am much more easy going. You learn to let go of all that anal retentive mirror watching behavior.

@ Baba yeah its getting really hectic abd drives me insane most of the time but it's so worth it lol

@ Angel Yeah i used to be pretty crazy about my hair i used to be in that "scene" kinda style i guess you could call it so my hair was always straight and brushed and nice looking but now I'm just like meh my hair will do what it wants i think it likes the freedom and i think it looks soooo much better than it used to and I'm surprised its dreading as well as it is I mean its going sorta slow but with how my hair is real thin and straight/wavy so i figured it was gonna be awhile till my hair started to knot but I got my first dread in like 3 weeks and they just added on since then I have about i think at least 15 and i still have alot of loose hair but even thats starting to become scarce I cant wait to see what else they're gonna do when i hit my year mark :] but until then I'm just gonna enjoy the show

updated by @nicholas-janousek: 07/23/15 08:19:10AM

I feel my dreads have made me more peaceful. I dont know how or why. perhaps its because thru my dreads i found this site, all these wonderful people, new friends, a new lifestyle, all new things that seem to cater to how i really feel on the inside. while i believe i may have become slightly obsessed with my dreads(im sure the effect will wear off) i dont believe ive let them come to define me. it's more like they've opened a doorway. but what do i know. that's just how i feel

What a great question! I feel that there are a few positive changes I associate with my dreads not because they were instigated by them but rather because they collided (did I create my dreads or did they create me? I digress). However, the biggest change I noticed almost right away was how right it felt. I had wanted dreadlocks for a long time and finally following through had a pretty intense 'you are home' feel. Like I already had them on the inside; a union of the body and soul in a way. My dreads represent all the parts about myself that I love. And while I would still love those parts of myself regardless of my hair they are a great reminder of it every day.

I was going to end it on that thought ^ but there's one other thing that I feel is worth mentioning, as I read a couple of posts that referred to this phenomenon: perfectionism. I have it. It creeps up into everything I do and think if I let it. I was a girl who refused to wear my hair down unless it was ironed, and when it was in a ponytail (which was most of the time) it had to be brushed perfectly. I feel like I finally have hair I don't have to obsess over. No matter what my hair looks like when I wake up it's exactly as it should be. The imperfection of it all is one the things I love most about the journey. I thought I would really struggle with this issue but found myself cured of it instead. And it didn't just stop at my hair, this wonder-cure has started to infect other parts of my life. The ripple effect is in full swing over here and I find myself excited to challenge perfectionism in other areas of my life. On that note I leave you with one of my favorite quotes: "May you never suffer the tragedy of perfection my friend"

Thanks for posting this question, I've really enjoyed reading everyone's individual experiences