i did a lot of root rubbing that caused deformed parts in my first set of dreads and as a result you could tell where half the hair in the dread had once died or broken off at one point.
Welcome to the site, and if you have enough patience, go the natural way. I ended up cutting my first set off because I didn't like the way they turned out(I did backcombing on my first set by the way).
I'm not rastafarian either, but I do know that dreads are part of the religion and they are supposed to not comb or form their hair in any way that will affect how it grows. Following this will eventually lead to dreadlocks upon one's head.