One year natural!
Member Journals and Timelines
Thanks so much for the compliments! Much appreciated. 
Forum Activity for @daniel-pazo
Member Journals and Timelines
One year natural!
Member Journals and Timelines
Hi everyone!
Not too long ago, on the 29th of July, marked exactly one year since beginning my journey of letting my hair form into dreadlocks naturally. On the 29th of July, 2013, I was sitting in bed and decided that I was going to stop messing with my hair and just let it do what naturally happens. I gathered all my brushes and combs and threw most of them away, while donating the rest to be used on my dogs. I then went into my bathroom and gathered all of my conventional shampoos and conditioners and disposed of them. Finally, I took a shower and washed my hair with Dr. Bronners, and that was the beginning of my journey. It was all very symbolic, and I was so liberated at that moment!
I couldn't find a picture with just my loose, tangle-free and wavy hair. I think this one is from the day that i started, right after I washed it for the first time without conditioner. Although, it might be after the second wash.
My hair started to dread very, very quickly. It didn't look like dreads, of course, but it was extremely knotty, and shrunk so much. Before dreading, it reached basically to the middle of my back, and within weeks it lost nearly half the length.
This photo was taken around I think the 6th week. Very wild and very knotty!
Fast forward about a year, and here are the results. Throughout the entire time I've been on this journey, not once has a crochet hook or comb or anything else come anywhere near my head. I've used Dr. Bronner's to wash for the majority of the time, but I ran out at one point and couldn't find anywhere to sell it in my new city (I moved for university), so I switched to using some natural bar soaps. This didn't do much harm, but it made my scalp feel a little gross, so I bought a clarifying shampoo from the grocery store. It was good in the sense that it made my hair feel clean, but it had sulphates in it which I'm not a fan of. Plus my hair felt really dry after using it, so when I went home on vacation I bought more Dr. Bronners.
So there you go . I can't believe it's been a full year. It's crazy how fast the time has gone. I'd like to thank everyone on this site- it was always a comfort knowing that other people were going through the same journey, and it especially made me feel better when my hair was just a pile of fuzzy knots that I wasn't the only one! also thanks to Soaring Eagle among others on this site, constantly pointing out the do's and don'ts of natural dreads. I haven't really spoken to anyone personally on here, but the site is rich with information that I otherwise wouldn't have known about!
It does slightly bother me that I still have some locks that are like half dread and half regular hair, but I guess that will go away with time.
It's been a great journey, a great first year, and I look forward to many more years of this process!
Peace and love,
-Daniel.
updated by @daniel-pazo: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM
Help! 2 yrs +, impatience
Help! Save My Dreads
Mate, I had the same issues as you in a way. I am also a gay man with dreadlocks, and although much of the gay community in my part of the world really take their appearance seriously, so many people honestly don't care about your hair, it's the personality that counts- people just need to get to know you. We gay people are some of the most accepting on earth, because we want acceptance from the wider community right? so, people probably aren't just going to cold-shoulder you just for having locks. Generally speaking, anyway . Also, your hair is gorgeous, please don't give up
Peace.
Animal Lover
Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures
Again, because they needed it to survive. And also, even in the most arid parts of Australia, there are ways to get vegetation to eat, but in saying that, if the people who live there in the traditional setting (ie, the Aboriginal people) and have no choice, then so be it, but if you live in a place where all vegetation is available, then there's no excuse, so. Also, humans are opportunistic omnivores, meaning that if we must, we can eat almost anything, it all depends on the environment, however, our extremely long herbivore-like intestines, blunt teeth (before you say 'canines', please, go ahead and rip raw meat from bone and see where that gets you), and the ability to grind our jaws from side to side as opposed to just up and down, shows that our bodies are better suited to eating and digesting vegetation. So therefore, it's not needed, like I said before. It's all excuses really.
Animal Lover
Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures
'But animals kill each other for food all the time' is the most stupid excuse. Yes, they do, but it's because they NEED to do it to SURVIVE. Human beings DO NOT NEED MEAT, they only enjoy the taste and that's the pure reason they eat it, and unless you're in the middle of the desert with no food aside from animals, you have no excuse to eat meat, other than the fact that 'it tastes good'. If we needed it, all of us vegetarians/vegans would certainly die.
Animal Lover
Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures
I know many people like this friend of yours. Personally, I believe one who eats meat cannot claim to love all animals- to me this is simply dishonesty. Perhaps they can claim to love certain animals, but shouldn't claim to love all if they have no problem with them going through a life of suffering, and then killed for the consumption by humans. There is the point of not associating meat with the actual animal, but surely one must think more deeply about these things. Ahimsa is a very noble principle, and perhaps your friend will notice that she does in fact have more compassion if she discontinues her consumption of the animals, as well as notice the benefits this new diet will have for her body and mind, and soul.
I'm sorry if I seemed harsh with my words, that is just my opinion.
Namaste.
My natural freeform timeline. :)
Dreading Methods
Yeah I think you're right, and when I swim I say in the water for hours on end too, so it must be doing something good. I just worry about mold from swimming too often, that's all :O. Thank you! Peace
CoriElaine said:
The sea salt is probably helping your hair to loc so fast, WOW
My natural freeform timeline. :)
Dreading Methods
Thank you Christina!
christina bird said:
OMG I never thought some one's hair could dread that fast !!!!!!!!!! Amazing!!! <3
My natural freeform timeline. :)
Dreading Methods
Wow, thanks so much!
Brandi Wilson said:
I can't believe how fast your hair progressed!! Your locks look great!
My natural freeform timeline. :)
Dreading Methods
Thank you sir. Peace
soaring eagle said:
wow thats fast progress
great timeline too