Why Dreadlocks?

Having natural hair is extremely important to me, but maintaining my natural hair can be a bit of a chore. I've wanted dreads since I was in highschool (probably about 15 or so) but becausedreads are so permanent, I decided to get everything else out of my system first.I've done a lot to my hair, and its been every colour imaginable, but throughout all that I've held on to my natural texture. I grew up in an area where the only people with dreads were the old Jamaican guys that lived down the block. All the guys kept their hair cropped or braided, and evey last girl had a weave or relaxed their hair. I relaxed my hair once when I was 17(because my mother had been hounding me about it for months so I finally gave in) and it remains to this day the worst decision I've ever made. Not because it had the worst consequences (not by a long shot) but because it wasn't what I wanted for myself, but i did it anyway. Anyway, I hated what it did to my hair so much that I chopped it all off a few days later (heh my mom was not pleased with that either) which is when I realized how much easier my hair was to maintain when I kept it ultra short. I was still experimenting with my hair though, lots of crazy colours and cuts, until I was (I think)19, when I decided to stop dyeing my hair and cut off all the red that was in my hair since the roots had grown out, living me with roughly three inches of hair (and then I had to go to a stylist to fix what I had done to my hair lol)

So I kept my hair short for 3 years, with mixed reviews from people. People would say that the shoprt hair suited me, and then turn right around and say how good I would look with long hair. It was really weird. ANYway, when I was almost 22 I wanted to find out how quickly I could grow my hair, soI walked into my bathroom and shaved my head, then I let my hair grow out for the next two years, rocking a mean fro for a good chunk of that time because my hair grew really fast. Eventually the fro maintenance was more trouble than it was worth, hence the dreads. So in summation, I got dreads because of wanting to have long but natural hair, as well as not wanting to deal with maintenance of any kind. Spending time on getting ready in the morning is seriously not for me. I don't even bother with make up lol.

Also (this is a joke I tell people) I thought having dreads with help people take me seriously as an artist.

EDIT: I just re-read my post and realize my hair habits kind of sound bi-polar when you put them all in the same paragraph. All of this stuff was over many many years.

updated by @lu-a: 07/13/15 11:46:20AM

I started to dread for one reason..low maintenance. I hated spending $15 every two weeks to get my hair cut. Then I started to grow the fro and loved it, but hated picking my hair and ripping hair out. From there I figured dreading was low maintenance enough to satisfy me. I first got my hair twisted and thought the dreading process was going to happen over night, boy was I wrong. I feel as if the dreading process has really taught me to let things be and stress less. This is really significant to me in this period of time in my life. After graduating from college I have been unhappy about my performance in school and how it may keep me from realizing my dreams. My dread journey is teaching me that in the beginning life may not happen as planned, but if you continue to live life, allow it to unfold before you, and stress less about your current predicament, beauty will come. IRIE!!!

i was probably in second grade when i decided i had to have dreads, i was in the supermarket with my mom and i saw this girl with the most beautiful long (like to the ground) blond dreads and she had all these neat little things in them. a dreaded neighbor renewed my intrest a few years later and i also had a dreaded teacher at one point. last summer i decided (after a crazy day all k'd out) that it was time. like 10 months later and i still feel like a little kid in a candy store around dreads and playing with my own

happy mothers day to all

I'm glad this question was asked cause I've enjoyed everyone's personal stories. So for me, I've loved dreads since my brother had them when I was 10. But he waxed them and didn't wash them and although I loved how they looked, I thought it was nasty...and it is! Always kept thinking about them and if they would look ok on me, never thought of a spiritual reason. For the past 8 years I've moved to a more natural, simple lifestyle...including diet and not buying any products for my body, face, etc. I learned to make my own of everything.

At the beginning of that process, I began experimenting without using shampoo, but it later turned out bad, cause I had a build up of oil. Then I did baking soda and it worked well. For some reason at that moment I felt the time was right and I got my dreads crocheted. I immediately was happy and felt closer to myself, don't know how else to explain that.

A month into the crocheted dreads I found this site and I dropped everything thanks to SE's advice...so now it's all natural and it means much more than just a hair style. I think it has been important for me to have gone through the crocheted thing, cause now I see the difference and now that has affected my dreads. Now, letting them go has been a really interesting experience and I can't wait to see what will happen a year from now. So even though there was no spiritual reasons from the beginning, I believe going natural has brought that aspect into this part of my life.

I was always lazy when it came to my hair. I always had to wash it everyday for it too look nice and fluffy and good. I got sick of that. I started washing every other day and then so on and so forth. I've always found dreads to be so earthy, free, and beautiful. I started mine with the backcombing/crochet method over this weekend (this is day 4 of my dreads). I didn't crochet them to the extent that they were uber tight, I just did it so they were shaped. I also wasn't as fierce with the hook as most would do. Slow was my pace for doing it. I just washed my dreads last night and they've tightened quite nicely from just that wash. I love my babies more than anything else (besides art :P) They make me feel better about myself even if they are frizzy and crazy looking right now. I love them with all my heart and no one will make me get rid of them. It they've taught me anything over the past four days it's that you shouldn't worry over small things.

My dreads came as a result of the continuation of my evolution process. I like to change and learn and grow as much as I can because we don't really have much time on this planet, even less when you consider accidental deaths lol. So as i grow and change mentally I like to grow and change physically. To me dreads are the personification of evolution and change. Dreads constantly change shape and size and color. I can't wait for them to get longer. patience.......

This was VERY well worded. Thank you!

I honestly started them because i have always been somewhat of a hippie. A very peaceful, layed back go with the flow type of person. But i dress very up tight, my hair was always done all nice and neat, my make up perfect. And one day i thought "what the fuck?" I want to reflect how i feel on the inside on the outside. I wanted to change my look to fit my personality. A new wardrobe takes months to accumulate, alone with allthe fixins. I wanted something faster and more personal so i thought well shit, DREADS! i always kinda wanted them. At first i was going to go to a salon holy shit am i glad i didnt. I used a small amount of backcoming ( my friend half assed it) and TnR. NOw some of them are coming out and i have loose hair and some are already locking up. It's a wild mane and i love it. Every day i wake up and feel my dreads for changes and congos ( i already have 3!) and it makes me so happy. I thought they were just a semi tedious, long winded hairstyle but they are so much more. i LOVE them and actually look at them and think they are genuinely beautiful. I love going through the pictures on this site and looking at other peoples dreads also. They feel so homey and nice. Like a big mamas hug. That's my dread story, well the beginning anyways

It was actually a point in my life where i wanted to start anew, i was from a bad situation and i ralized that i have turned into a person who cares so much about how i look that i was so vain and it really affected my selfesteemand this was becasue i was in "that" situation for a long time. but when i finally decided that iwas time for things to change i got myself dreadlocks from my long super straight hair.

It really was a big change for me physically and emotionally.

I decided to dread for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that it's the best way I have to commemorate my best friend. In addition, I've always thought it was a beautiful style. When I was a chile, I would wrap my hair with thread, and hang bells and trinkets in it, wishing I had 'real' dreads. LONG before I ever learned about wax, etc., I've dreamed of dreads but thought I couldn't have them because it was an 'african' hairstyle, and that caucasian hair wouldn't dread.