Should I shave/cut hair short before growing natural dreads????

I've been considering growing natural dreads for well over a year, and my hair is currently around shoulder length but not in dreads. I was wondering if there are any advantages to shaving my head or cutting it back short first before I regrow my hair using the natural dread method of simply not combing, brushing or conditioning. Other than seeming more 'purist' is there any difference in terms of how my dreads will end up looking and also the process itself as far as the awkward/frizzy stage or will I essentially just be setting myself back two years???

updated by @james93: 01/13/15 10:06:38PM

youd just be setting yourself back 2 years there are a small number of purists that think they should be grown from bald or short simply because they think the longer it takes thge more dedicated you are

longer hair dreads faster..the longer it is the faster it dreadsand the more it shrinks

shoulder length is really right aboiut the perfect length for not too drastic shrinking..nor not too slow dreading

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Thanks man, just wanted to be sure so glad you cleared this up for me

Yah, definitely don't cut your hair! Just stop combing, buy some dread safe shampoo (or use BS/ACV), and let nature run its course.

I would recommend just starting where you are. I started from very short (because that is how short my hair was at the time, not because I wanted to start my dreads that way). The frizz/mess was no different, just took longer to section itself in places (the back of my hair did not start dreading for over a year because it just wasn't long enough). The other thing I noticed is that it didn't seem to matter that I started mine super short and another person starts theirs longer, after a few years, they end up the same length because the longer the hair, the more shrinkage there is. Welcome to the journey