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I am on week three of my natural dread journey. Yesterday a beauty popped up right on top of my head, I am stoked! I have all these little baby dreads in the back of my head, so the one on top really surprised me. It's been so freeing to just let my hair do its thing and not worry with things looking out of place.

August 21st marked my 3rd week of locking up! It has been an interesting process. As I sat back yesterday evening to reflect my newest transition in life, I am in awe with what dreadlock has come to symbolize for me at this point.Lessons I have learned so far:Patience:In the world we live in these days, one gets too used to having things done right away. Technology brings us communication within a blink of an eye, dinner can be ready in as little as 3 minutes, and traveling long distances can be done in a matter of hours (if not less). So here I am, trying to develop dreadlocks that will last my a long time and even though they are starting to bud, the journey is still a while to come. I have learned to treasure each day more and pay attention to little changes here and there. Beautiful things come about with time. My baby dreads has taught me to slow down a little, make note of how things transition themselves and absorb each day with a renewed love for life.Expectations:A valuable lesson I encountered a week ago is the concept of expectations. Expecting things to be a certain way only to be disappointed. Just when I thought all my dreads where locking up equally, several of them came apart and caused me to suffer a bit. This is very true in almost every aspect of our lives. We tend to set expectations of how things will and should be. But when the time comes, as we see it, what we see or experience often times has us feeling gipped. Especially when we put forth a lot of effort and mental work to develop a moment, such as planning a party or even something as trivial as making a desert, it doesn't come out as to how we envision it to be. Perhaps with the media the way it is, we get sucked into the illusion of how things "ought to be". Now, I am just letting my dreads lock up how they will. They may not be picture perfect, but they are mine and each dreads are to be cherished.Attachment:Like anything that has a personal ripple of effect in our lives, we tend to be attached to things emotionally on any level. We get attached to a pet, a car, a lover or even a particular sports team. I found myself becoming overly careful with my hair dreading that I hesitate to touch it too much with fear that I will cause it to unravel. Ridiculous isn't it? I mean, it's only hair, who cares. There are countless beings in the world suffering and I am focused on my hair?!?!? At least I came to that awakening so early on. I am practicing more about "letting go" in the sense that all things come and go and I have no control over it. Hell, I may become bald within the next 10 years, so I have to accept that. With that said, I also have to realize that life just flows. Simply put. It's a profound awakening I think and I look forward to practicing that concept.Growth and stages:Another thing I have come to ponder is the journey of growth and stages of my dreadlock ordeal. I come to appreciate what dreadlocks symbolizes throughout the world, specifically to Hindu yogis and Rastifarians. Most would say that dreadlocks, being a symbol of nature and separation of vanity, are reserved for those that have an inner desire to experience what it means to be pure. I don't mean it in a sense that a person shouldn't be drinking coffee or eating Dunkin-Donuts because of the unnatural state of it (and I am still attached to those things HA!) but more to imply a state of mental clarity. Truth. So what has my dreadlock journey done to instill such a concept? There are three stages of locking and I am at the very beginning; the baby stage. Like a baby, I am learning to deal with the locking process and all that it entails both physically and mentally. Unless you've ever gone natural to grow dreads, I fear this may be lost on your part. It truly is a lot of work to separate the dreads from congo-ing (two or more locks growing together to make one huge dread), making sure the ends of each dreads are not drying out, and lastly, avoiding anything that would condition the hair and scalp which is an enemy to the locking process. I look forward to the teen stage and anyone that knows teens, can get a good idea of the process that is like with hair. Just a rebellious mess of knots, loose hairs and stubborn interlocking.It has been so far a great journey for me. While I know the general masses would find this to be such a ridiculous waste of time to either grow dreadlocks or simply to parallel the lessons one can learn, it is MY journey and one that has spiritual meaning for me. If it makes me a better person, then I'll have all that much more power to me!

So yesterday I tried to get an appointment with my primary, who was unable to see me until wednesday, so I took myself to the ER. Don't you just love good old fashioned discrimination? I personally love it...NOT!I went alone thinking my sinus infection would not put me on as a top priority and the kids would be more work for me than anything else. So I put the oldest in charge (he's 14) and took my tam that I am knitting and drove across town to the hosp.I tell the admitting secretary that I am in horrible pain from my sinuses and that it is my medical opinion that it is a sinus infection and I need antibiotics before it gets any worse. She just looks at me... "you said you are in pain" umm it feels like a tractor trailer ran over my head... "so are you looking for pain medication?" dip tird, I need antibiotics... "ok go over there and a nurse will tell you where to go." so I go and wait...Now I know that we all have a personal responsibility to look a certain way in order not to draw attention to ourselves. We should invest in products and services advertised in the main stream media in order to fit in with the rest of society but it has never felt right to me. I felt stress as a teen because I never had the money to wear designer logos or the cool shoes. My life was revolutionized when I met Sara G. This friend spent a whole year on wardrobe fashions. One year she was on safari so all her clothes reflected it! The next she went all gypsy and had a great time with it! She told me that yeah kids laugh and ask stupid questions but she does what she likes and she isn't hurting anyone! Wow, at that time I was trying so hard to fit in... but she had purple hair, was as tom as she wanted to be and dressed "like a freak" which only translated to AWESOME! So thank You Sara!So now I have dreadlocks and was dressed like shy violet (rainbow brights friend) only crossed with little house on the prairy. Sniffling and knitting away. behind the little curtain I hear an elderly lady telling her daughter in law some of her symptoms (dry mouth, painful hard belly, difficulty swallowing, dizzyness, frequent urination) and asking for a drink. Her daughter in law tells her no you can't drink any water, just wait a while. Lady was only getting more stressed. tells the nurse about all meds and recent changes. I waited till the nurse left and told the daughter from behind the curtain that her mother in law is dehydrated, ask for some water and tell them about the new med. She is also constipated due to dehydration and it is common for this med to cause this. Oh my was she receptive, you think so? I told her I work with the elderly and I see this from time to time when they are adjusting the meds.They leave for some tests and meanwhile the doctor comes in to see me. "So, you're in pain. Tell me on a scale of 1 to 10." no I feel like I can handle the pain I just can't wait fro next week for antibiotics because I have an infection that will not go away. "are you currently on any drugs?" which comes with a look like your eyes are red from smoking like cheech or are there needle marks some place? No, nothing like that.So as I am rolling out of there the lady next curtain over comes back and asks the other nurse where the lady in the next curtain was (me) I introduce myself and tell her that I hope her mother in law recovers and that I will add her to my prayer list. She seemed more suprised that I prayed!So after this ordeal I get my prescriptions and head to the pharmacy where I get the nervous looks from some people.I guess it shouldn't bother me. Usually I have the kids with me so I am more concerned with not losing one or more of them while in the store. I don't concern myself with how I am perceived by others. At work I am confident. My peers might think I have a screw loose but my residents see me and they are so happy they all ask if I will be visiting them and are so happy when I tell them yes! One lady asked me why I don't brush my hair before coming to work. I told her I didn't want to waste a minute of my day that would keep me away from seeing her! She just smiled!I keep my affirmation strong.I am Pranee. A red haired dread locked Gemini. A strong mother, a good wife, a good friend. I am a decent Christian with a testimony to share. I like tattoos, music, and dancing in a field. I am on my way to becoming a hospice nurse. For now I am in nursing and love the experience. I am going to be me no matter what!So I am done. Felt good to get it all out... So, how do you deal with people being negative toward you based on appearance?

I have a problem with my hair. I have had problems for years with it. I have always wanted perfect straight soft hair. I was blessed with frizzy, wavy in spots full head of hair. While most people say that they love a full head of hair, I coveted those with flat hair that wouldn't curl. Those that could step out the shower and have their hair dry straight without the use of products or machines.I started dying my hair when I was 11 and my first experience with straightening my hair was when I was 12. My hair was typically orange and even frizzier since I wanted something that my hair just wouldn't do. As the years went on, I found my love for bleach and we became great friends but only through hair salons. I needed and craved my own "how to" manual so I could do it at home for cheap. Instead of obtaining that how to manual I used my head as it's own mannequin.I spent a whole year last year dying my hair blonde, weaving streaks of brown in and foiling any chance I could. I learned the trade, not without damage, of course. I ended up dying my hair too much and most of my hair broke off in the worst spot, my bangs. One could call me obsessed. I was determined to learn to do this on my own head. Strange, I guess but it was important to conquer this obsession with learning how. I did go to beauty school when I was 19 but I ended up dropping out...yes a beauty school drop out, the school sucked anyways. They liked to dye hair instead of highlight and I wanted Aveda schooling.I grew my hair out for 5 months to its natural but it was still frizzy and poofy. Even my husband says my hair pokes him. (i'm dangerous) So after careful thought and consideration and countless researching on dreadlocks, I chose this for my hair. I started them in June, took them out after the first couple days because it was nuts. Did it again a week later and chickened out. Finally, 3rd times a charm. Crazy, immature, awesome-- whatever you think. I don't care. I didn't do it for anyone. I didn't do it for my husband, although he's a huge fan and my biggest supporter since he hates my tools for my hair. You don't get dreadlocks by not washing them by the way as so many naive people think. You get them because you backcomb a section and then if you want to use wax to keep it, you can or you can go natural. I used wax but a very tiny bit as it helps to keep the frizzy's at bay.In my quiet times, I learned that I need to be set apart from this world and not conform based on my walk with Jesus. I need to be content with my hair since I can't change it anymore. It is a commitment, a long term one to get them to look like how I want them to look, usually taking about 6 months to a year. I chose this for my hair because I am constantly reminded of how people are judged based on how they look instead of how they act and what they are all about. I chose this for my hair because it's easy. I get out of the shower and no tools are needed.So, if you love them or hate them it's your decision but I feel that it's my decision. As far as getting a job in the future, I believe I want to work with those who are accepting of all people. Also, I left out the bangs so I can go conforming at anytime by wrapping my dreads in a bun. And no we don't do drugs. Sold out for Jesus. for photos: http://www.familyofmovers.com/search/label/Dreadlocks

can anyone help me plz????????? i was wondering it has been a week since i dreaded my hair and not sure if i should wait another week before washing the first time or should i wash the next couple of days?thank michelle-raine

So I come home and lo and behold my essential oils have arrived! Yeay! I love getting stuff in the mail! Practically all my shopping is done online these days. Who has time to browse stores anymore? Sooooo I got Tea tree oil - smells pretty strong - Lavender, Rosemary and Peppermint oils. Nice. I'm looking forward to trying them. I also - ok, this is actually pretty funny, but I also looked everywhere for sea salt here in my town and couldn't find any so once again, I looked online. I found this great bulk health foods store and bought a 5lb. bag! I didn't really MEAN to get such a large bag but it was so inexpe nsive I figured - why not? Now I'm thinking, how funny is it that I got a 5LB BAG OF SALT coming to me in the mail? LOL! It's gonna last me forever!! It's gonna come and my hubby is going to look at me like I'm crazy! "You bought SALT through the mail?!" yes, yes I did.So I am only a couple of days away from taking a break from school (thank GOD!) and hopefully soon my friend and I will get going on starting my dreads. I've been thinking a lot about how to go about doing this because I've got really silky hair and just leaving it really isn't doing anything. I sent her the link I found on this site that shows you how to do the twist and rip and i figure that will probably be ok, but if not, I thought maybe I would have her braid the sections up like, half way or something. That way they will be anchored but the roots will still be loose enough to start knotting on their own... that sounds fairly reasonable to me, hopefully it will work. If not, um... well I don't know. I think it should be fine. Plus I've got 5 lbs of sea salt to use to dry my hair out a bit first soooo.. lol!A

Ok, so i've made my mind up about wax. It felt so bad just on my fingers so I decided not to wax my new babies!I have a bit of a problem with the whole debate though... The fact is, when I decided i wanted to dread it was my decision. Other than people on this site, I only know one or two people with dreads, and I don't know them well enough to call them up for advice. They're more casual aquaintances.Because of this, the only place I could turn to do any research on the subject of dreads was the internet. It was here I promptly found DreadheadHQ (first link on a google search). After reading the info on DHHQs site, and other sites (wikiHow etc) I decided to take the plunge and buy the Supa Dupa Ultra Mega Monkey Dreading Starter Kit. (FYI... try to avoid www.dreadworx.co.uk , the guys a dick!) After about 2 months due to shipping errors and volcanos (I shit you not!), the kit finally arrived and my parents asked me to wait until after we'd been on holiday to start the journey. During the few weeks waiting to go on holiday, I added DHHQ on twitter, facebook etc... After adding them on Twitter, I started to be followed by a seemingly random dude (who we all know and love!) I in return started to follow this "SoaringEagle" and was shocked by the in your face anti-wax philosophy in his tweets.By this time I'm starting to think, who the hell is this guy?! And came to the conclusion that he's part of the anti-wax brigade that DHHQ "warns" people about!So even before i start to dread, I'm being pulled this way and that way being told "WAX IS BAD" ... "WAX IS GOOD" ... "WAX IS BAD" ... "WAX IS GOOD"For someone whos only knowlege of dreads is that they're cool and look good, this made the whole process rather daunting. In fact it almost put me off dreads all together.This is what my problem is:As a complete noob to dreads... Who do I trust? Do I go with the sleek vaneer of DHHQ, or do I trust a random dude who just happens to follow me on Twitter?!Obviously I chose the latter eventually.After the grulling 25hrs of backcombing, I didn't want to sit through another 12hrs of waxing, so put it off. Once i'd actually felt the wax on my hands I knew it wasn't going in my hair... thats when i discovered this site.Now, don't get me wrong, I fully understand, appreciate and support what dreadlockssite is doing (ie promoting strong healthy locks), but there seems to be a certain use of opposing scare tactics to put people off using wax. TBH using photos of waxy build up within dreads to post on facebook etc... makes it seem that the same tactics being used by DHHQ are being flipped and used to portray the flip side of the same coin (and I probably couldve worded that better!)Sorry to rant, but I had to get that out.Not all people who use wax are idiots or phonies wanting a "trendy" hairstyle. Probably most of them are just like me... Wanting to change lifestyle and just don't know how, and getting bamboozled by people who they've never met or heard of before!Anywho, on a liter note, I'm on Day 17 and loving it!

Fresh air is everywhere, can't you smell it... taste it... as a slice of cucumber lays in a bath of butter , waiting for the biscuit to batter the bread , long lasting... long gone... mer crumbs on a chin to old to win... charm and grace will fill the space , as the sun rises again.----Naja Sage

I can feel again but i don't touch. I can see again but my eyes are closed. I can hear again but I have no ears. I can live again. I have a breath.----- Naja Sage

Cutting cold so deep that no heat can penetrate , no sunshine can comfort , only a bed full of feathers can hide my head , as I sleep most of the day , only waking every hour to turn from the shiver. Clutched in a bed , rocking with rhythm , falling off slowly to sounds of descension. Naja Sage