My hair has always been completely and utterly out of my control. I had never been able to make it look "nice" or anything i wanted it to be. Any chance of trying a hairstyle was just out of the question. I ended up brushing my hair only when i washed it and had to go through it with my fingers first every time. I would do this like every few weeks it was such a huge job.
I've spent years telling people "Arrhgghh im just gonna get dreads so i dont have to do anything anymore!" And i never did cause i always thought the only way to get rid of them was to cut them off. Short hair was my worst nightmare. (Yeah i did no research whatsoever) Just always thought they looked amazing but i couldnt bare to imagine potentially cutting all my hair off one day.
About 2 years ago i experienced a pretty bad bout of depression and neglected my hair more than usual. I formed a GIGANTIC ball of dread on the back on the head which everyone around me said it was beyond repair. I tried to condition and brush it out by myself but the posittion and pain in my arms and scalp was just unbarable.
So, i cut it all off.
You can only imagine how hard it was going from butt-length hair all my life to this 
That picture is from May 2011 and about a week after i cut it.
this picture is January 2013, no scissors have touched my hair since that day it all came off, its about 1 week after the day i decided i would not brush my hair again. (Before that it had already been a few days before i had done anything to my hair) It is also the day after the first time i washed/rinsed with baking soda.
The bottom two in this is 4 days after the above. I feel it was amazing progress!!
Here i am today! January 17 2013. Nearly two weeks in and have washed twice and have been swimming in chlorinated water.
Im so happy that i have finally stopped suppressing my hair from doing what it has always been pushing me SO HARD to do. I'm excited to watch the transformation and finally come to an agreement with this wild thing on my head 
I dont feel i am neglecting at all!!
UPDATE: 27 February 2013. ONE MONTH.
All the colour has left my hair. Been washing with baking soda only - about once a week. Have a few twist and rip dreads in the front there i did maybe 2 weeks ago - and just recently sectioned 90% of my hair with small elastics. My roots are dreading freakishly fast, even with the bands ... its just not separating how i want it to. The back of my head has quite a few tight completely naturally formed ones. So this is just over a month!
UPDATE: 29 July 2014. Whoops i forgot to update!
So its been about a year and a half since i started my dreadlock journey. The entirety of my head is dreaded and i have had almost ZERO stress and pain when it comes to my hair. There is absolutely no products or wax.. Other than dye... Over the past few months in way of maintenance ive neglected, washed (baking soda, apple cider vinegar), crocheted (All by myself - cleaning up loose hair, cleaning up my scalp to minimise frizz... well i attempt to anyway). Im pretty lazy and wash every few weeks or so (sometimes i'll go a month) I get no complaints about hygiene, i feel clean and i looooovveeee themmm 
Here's some photos of the past year and a half.
m ay 2014
I have been undoing the ends to give them a more individual look and to add some length! I miss my natural curls a bit too.
thanks for reading!!!
updated by @valystra-jae: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM
