Restart fresh, or hold tight with a year?

So Im about a year in from backcombing, and Ive been doing alot of thinking lately, and I have now poised myself the ultimate question...should I keep my backcombed locks, or restart and go natural?

Ive been feeling like I haven't got the real experience of growing dreadlocks. Due to the unnatural backcombing, they started out long, and I never got to experience the short dreads, nor being able to watch them grow naturally like trees from my head. The idea of going totally natural is so appealing to me, but I seemed to be attached to my one year backcombs. To be completely honest, I just dont think Im happy with my backcombs. After about the first month, it never really felt like I had dreads.

So my question to the oh so wise people of this forum, is in your opinions, should I cut and regrow, or just stick out my one year combs?

One year in dread time is not alot at all, so I know my backcombs still have a wayssss to go before they start tidying up and looking nice. Is it worth it to wait? Or should I just jump into dark waters, and cut to regrow naturally? My hair is quite straight and doesnt really knot very well. Even before I had dreads I never really combed my hair unless to go to a nice party, and I never had many knots. This being when it was quite long though, and if I cut my dreads now my hair would be quite short, which I feel might help the process a bit.

My dilema is that I think Id be happier with my natural locks if I grew them out, but theres no way to tell what they would look like, even if they did form. Plus the idea of having to explain to obnoxious amounts of people asking OOO WHY DID YOU CUT THEM?????? is something i would like to avoid, but will brave it if necessary.

Im also considering maybe cutting them to almost half the length they are now, but i figure if im gonna cut them I might as well go all the way...

Ohhh what to do...

updated by @johnny-barnas: 01/13/15 09:08:38PM

nah dont cu they are already "naturalizing" nicely but if u feel u must start iover fully natural then comb them out not cut cause thy will dread faster if left longer

if u cut them short theyd v=be too short to dread for a couple years and being dreadless a couple years can really suck

leave em to go natural and new natural dreads will form inbetween the backcombed so u still will have the partial experince of lettting some form naturally

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

they look really natural to me. i wouldn't start over. a year is only the beginning anyway and i'm sure they're going to change a lot in the next couple of years. don't worry so much about them. they look good:)

thanks guys

As usual, after posting i said to myself, what the hell am I thinking? and you guys saying what you did reassured me. Because although I did backcomb, probably 90% of them came undone and redreaded naturally anyway, and ive got a bunch with insane kinks ends and flippy doo dahs that im in love with.

I think what I might do is maybe throw some beads and such in em to spice things up a bit. I think im just craving a bit of change, and throwing in some beads and ties and such will definatly help

Any suggestions? Ive got a couple that are real thick so I cant think of anything to put on them

Again, thanks alot

Love

rings (like band types no settings) make goid beads for thick dreads

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

ahhh very smart. maybe ill look for a big wooden bead, get a tribal looking going!

Just keep them bro. Like SE said, they look like they're naturalizing to me, so, let me be your third opinion, just let them be. That's what being natural is all about, you know? Just letting things be as they are without making any modifications, no matter what you've done in the past. Beads are a great idea. I think you've already made the decision to keep them, but I'm reinforcing it. God/Jah/Allah be with you bro.

no comb, no razor brother! pertaining to the question of cutting them.. that is completely up to you but give it at least a month before you do.. my philosophy, though, isif your going to use a comb or a razor you might as well start completely fresh and hold a funeral for the dreads.. bury them or burn them.. ive had 3 sets of dreads myself and both times that i cut them i have had something very bad happen to me.. i identify myself with the rasta way of life and in no way am i going to try to impose my doctrine on u.. but to me (and this is only my opinion) backcombing/crocheting/wax/dread perm/locticianis blasphemy.. all heads are capable of dread but i think our generationhas becomeused to the quick fix, instant gratification that is detrimental to a certain virtue that is the very essence in the journey to locks.. ive been growing the locks on my head now for about 3 years now and i did not have to do absolutely anything to start them or catalyze them.. i wash my hair 1 or 2 times every two weeks and now, finally after a year of freeing my head, my locks are looking like locks.. i have done seperating because i have had some gnarly knots growing in my bush.. i have honestly enjoyed every single stage of me locks but like u i have also considered cutting them for a variety of reasons many of times.. usually when their experiencing a bad day.. in the end its just hair brother.. it grows back and scientically are only dead cells.. just be free brother always.. dont do anything you dont want or have to do.. we only have one that we know of.. take a chance

You are experiencing watching them grow:)you are still growing them. I don't see how cutting them off would make them any more "real." You have your own unique journey

yea you guys are all right, and why i didnt see it before is beyond me.

after I backcombed almost every single "dread" came totally apart into regular hair to reform its natural way, so i really have had the experience of watching them grow and form on their own, and i really love it.

I am experiencing the true journey of growing locks, just from a different starting point. I planted the seed for the tree rather than wait for it to grow. In the end, it will still come out as my own unique "tree"

Im gonna throw some beads in them to help spice things up a bit, because I think thats what I need. Just a bit of change ya know

Thnaks everyone so much.