Forum Activity for @baba-fats

Combining Locs

General Questions

You should be separating the sections so they don't congo together into 1 big lock. Just separate less often and space it out. Allow whatever sections you want to get thicker to congo together

Rubbing of roots

Dread Maintenance

once every 2 weeks is not as bad as most people do it. But rubbing your roots will break some hairs, and the hairs by your roots are the most important for the integrity of your locks. Doing it often will create sores and scabs under your locks, but only once in a while wont do this. But you will be ripping out a few hairs here and there. And in 2 weeks, those hairs will not magically grow back into your scalp. In fact, the new growth that will help fix that damage is 6 months to a year away from being long enough to fix it. And by that time, the spot where the damage is done is now 6 inches further down your lock. So you will constantly be 6 months behind the healing length. So it's best not to mess with your roots at all

Interlocked, sad, unhappy, frizzy dreads :(

Help! Save My Dreads

If it wa only done the 1 time, it will heal itself. It'll look a bit braided for a while, but that will go away as more hairs tangle in and cover it up

Interlocked, sad, unhappy, frizzy dreads :(

Help! Save My Dreads

How much did they interlock them? Did they do it once in 1 direction and than again in the perpendicular direction? It can be very hard to undo this. If you can't do it easily, don't do it at all. Unfortunately, you can cause a lot of damage by forcing it to be undone. If you can see the exact place where it was interlocked, go for it, but if it proves harder than you thought, stop. It will fix itself in time. And if it was only done this one time, it won't destroy your locks.

You could get some aloe, from the plant, or Jojoba oil and lightly message a small amount onto the root of each lock. Then rinse it out. Both of these help condition and loosen some hairs. We recommend it for aiding people is ripping their locks apart.

Those loose hairs will get sucked into other locks as time goes on. Or they will form locks of their own. I know it can seem frustrating. But they will take care of themselves. Anything your will do to try and force them along will cause damage to them. If you want to, you could put a bead over a section if there is a bg enough section of loose hair. That will keep it separated, and sort of coax it into forming it's own lock right there

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

I think I wrote it in my post, but even though I don't believe in the ethereal soul, anymore, it was one of the things that drew me to locks. When I was studying Rasta, I don't believe anymore, I heard someone say that they longer and thicker your locks were, the easier it would be for Jah to pick up your soul when you died. That stuck with me even when I stopped believing in any single judeo/christian god.

But I had to share this. Just because you mentioned "4am".

This iframe is not allowed

Becsley Q Penguinface said:

Hi! This is a great idea for a threat and I loved reading your reason, and everyone elses!

So here's mine. I've wanted dreads since I was 10 which was 15 years ago (eep!). I liked the look of them, I liked people that had them and I liked the decorations. I've always been a bit of a hippie, I never feel happier than when I'm by the ocean. I love nature and rain, I believe in spirits and energies and the soul. Over the years I've suppressed this part of me, because of the way I was treated for showing it. I would get laughed at, put down, mocked, I even got dumped because my boyfriend thought I was the most stupid person in the world for believing we have a soul. And so I gave in to the pressures of this society and plodded along like everyone else.

Of course, burying your true self can never go well, and so for the past few years I've been depressed, losing "friends" left, right and centre, and withdrawing completely from society as much as I can. It was at the point where I slept around an hour or so per night, spending the rest of my time awake on the computer, painting or writing or playing xbox and I was the most unhappy person for what I essentially thought was no reason.

A couple of times a year for as long as I can remember, I'd get on the internet and look up pictures of dreadlocks and dream. I think they're so beautiful and can speak a lot about the person that has them. But then I'd close the laptop and go back to bed and that would be the end of it. I was worried about what my friends would think if I got dreads, how my old school nanna probably wouldn't dig them, how I would be further shunned from a community that has already shunned me for being fat, for missing some fingers on my left hand, for being a hippie, for wearing glasses, for having tattoos.

A week or two ago, at about 4 in the morning, I stumbled across this site during my bi-annual dreadlock rummage and I made the decision. I'm not going to care about anyone elses opinions, I was going to dread my hair! I'm no longer going to be what people expect me to be, I'm going to do what makes me happy. I'm viewing dreading as much more than changing my hair, I'm using it as a turning point for the rest of my life. Even though I only have one dread in right now, just making the decision has changed my mood completely. I'm more happy, I've been sleeping, I've been talking with like-minded people who are friendly and not superficial and horrible like the people I've been surrounding myself with all my life. My parents are in full support of me and I'm amazingly thankful for having them. They are the two most incredible people. My dreads will be an extension of my soul, and will show all those morons that have made my life a misery that I am confident, happy, unique and not afraid in the least to show it :D

Peace and light to all of you x

And sorry for the super long post! :P

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

Kezz, you partner sounds like he was a brave and wonderful man. Anyone who's only concern, to the end, is their family, did not die in vain.

It sounds like as hard as it was for you to deal with, some of hisbraveryis now inside of you. The choice to grow dreadlocks isn't one taken lightly. Like you said, you were worried about jobs and losing your hair. But now you aren't. You see that doing what feels right for you is right, That shows a lot of maturity and commitment.

Death is always difficult to handle. But you are getting something so much out of it. I don't believe in spirits, or souls in the biblical sense, but I do think that we are all interconnected. So in a way, you partner is still having an effect on you and the world around you. It couldn't hurt to say "thank you" for what his death has done for you instead of to you

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

Noble, I disagree a bit about dwelling too long. I see growing locks the same as getting tattooed or pierced. Maybe not piercings as much because you can take them out the same day, if you don't like it, and they close up, but rather that they take commitment. If you plan of growing locks, you are making a long term commitment. You can comb them out, but if you have them for a long time, you have grown attached to them.

Like tattoos, you should think long and hard about whether it is for you. I know that many people get tats that they think are cool one day and then years down the line regret them. I have always thought about what I got etched onto my skin for more than 5 years before getting it done. If I haven't had the plan for more than 5 years, I don't get it yet. Same with locks. if you jump into it without thinking, you will not yet be ready for the emotional changes that come with them

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

Congrats. Growing locks have been used to heal eating disorders, depression, anxiety, even just plain shyness.

Than you for sharing this personal information about yourself. We are not here to judge you. Only to help you. But I can see you already began to help yourself

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

Nothing boring about that. It's wonderful that you feel so calm when playing with locks, even if they aren't yours. That's great. I like to grab one or 2 of mine when I get a bit stressed out

Let's Get Personal

General Talk

I had always loved them. Ever since I can remember. When I was 17 I got my first set "done" with wax and a simple twist. I was told to not wash for 2 months and apply wax twice a week. When the day came for me to wash my hair, it melted off of my scalp. Just the pressure of the water was peeling off huge clumps of hair. I felt like I was a chemo patient. I ended up having to shave my head and start over. I lost about 1/3 to 1/2 my hair.

Then I started studying Rastafarianism. It never stuck, because I can't get down with a single judao/christian god. I Like Native American spirituality so much, and mix and match what I believe from different groups. But while I was studying Rasta, I came across a post that said that the longer and thicker your locks were, the easier it would be fr Jah to pick up your soul when you died. I don't consider it morbid, but I think about what will happen to me when I die a lot. I already know what I want to done with my body. But that saying stuck with me. I started growing my locks right away. I stopped smoking weed about the same time too. I know. Funny to stop smoking weed while studying Rasta and growing locks. I'm weird like that.

Anyway. I found that my locks gave me a sense of freedom and connection to thecrazinessthat is the world. I am a ground person. I don't like a fly and I don't like to swim or by on boats. So my locks acted like my roots to the earth. I did use a starter method for a couple. But when I started hitting that messy stage, I just stopped and embraced my lazy self. Part of growing locks in the first place was that I didn't want to have to use gel or any products in my hair (I used to have a few mohawks and spike). I wanted to be able to just get up and go without ever looking in a mirror. 6 years later, That is exactly what I have been doing all along.