My dread journey I believe started a couple years ago when I decided I wanted to loc up my hair someday. I couldn't get enough. I researched and researched (started out on the Knotty Boy website), bought some things here and there, tried a few dreads using wax and backcombing but my mother made me take them out (both times I did them, each time doing one or two locs only), and started coming up with ideas for dreadlocks accessories and trinkets. I looked at 9and continue to look at) hundreds of pictures of people and their lovely locs. I knew I couldn't have a full head of locs until I moved out of my parent's house. A year ago I started letting my hair grow out from the short boy-pixie-mohawk I had going on and said I wanted to grow my hair real long (mid-back at least) have it long for awhile, then cut it to shoulder-length and dreadlock my hair. In the meantime between then and now I've put probably 3 or 4 dreads in that I had to take out (all done with Twist and Rip. I don't back-comb anymore).

Well, I moved out on my own January 5, 2011. I kept getting the urge to loc up my hair. Acouple weeks before I moved out I did one lone dread up on top but it kept getting reallyloose at theroots and I took it out and re-did it about two weeks ago (unfortuantely making it really tiny when the one before was the perfect size ) but I've left it alone.A week ago I added a dread at the bottom layer of my hair near my right ear, then a few days later I added another a little up from it and to the back. On Friday January 4th I decided to go all the way instead of waiting possibly another year. I had a friend help my section off a couple bottom rows and locked them myself (I had to redo some of the ones she attempted :P). Last night, Sunday February 6th I had another friend section off the next row up so I could knott those. I still have the top layer of my hair loose and am contemplating whether or not I should have my friend (the one who was originally supposed to help me do my whole head and who's had lovely back-combed dreads for two years now) help me do the rest except my bangs, or just leave the top layer loose. I think I may knott it up too because it's a hassle trying to comb it and not snag my locs underneath.

So when do I start the 'official day' of when I 'started locking', my dread birthday so to speak? When I finish my head? Or when I started to really lock my hair, on the 4th?