Forum Activity for @bj-sickboy

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inspiring dude. freal

David E Glazai said:

yea I definitely hear you n wish you the best on your new journey, I've had to deal with a lot coming from others about why I let my hair jus do their own thing but I'm quiet satisfied and happy with the outcome so far, I've developed an indescribable new comfort and patience towards a more simplistic way of life through my on-going journey, and I personally think it's one of the better decisions I've made in my young adult life (21 years old)

Beginning of a new journey

Introduce Yourself

lol. i feel you bro, funny story man. and thanks for the support!

Brandon Arnold said:

That's awesome! Glad you were able to "see the light" lol.

I just had to explain to an african american lady I work with why I don't comb my hair and why it looks so messy. She was telling me if she didn't wear her doo-rag at night and didn't go to a salon, her hair would be all nappy. I was like "exactly!!!!"

but congrats. I hope you can push through the messy phases and stuff! If you ever feel down or get made fun of, just come on this site and it'll boost your confidence right up. works all the time for me lol

Beginning of a new journey

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i don't mean that i don't deserve dreads because of my mistep. but i mean, i don't deserve dreads if i can't deal with the path that comes with it, starting now. (e.g. if my hair is too messy for my liking and i cant stand it, or if i don't like how they look, then i would rather cut them off than go back to having manicured dreads). i'm not condemning myself for my past actions just saying that i would rather have real dreads and a real journey than have manipulated ones.

Knottysleeves said:

I respect your spiritual connection to your dreads, but I think it's silly to say you or anyone else doesn't "deserve" dreads just because you might make a misstep or two in your journey. Dreads are just matted hair. And dreading happens naturally to anyone who doesn't comb/brush and condition their hair, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Even my cat's fur mats up into soft puffy dreads if I don't brush her every day.

As I said, I respect your beliefs, but I think you're being a bit hard on yourself. A dread journey is supposed to be enjoyable, not a source of guilt or shame or inadequacy.

BJ Sickboy said:

thanks for the support everyone. yall have been very enlightening. i'll take it one day at a time. i know my biggest challenge will be the "neatness" of the dreads. but if i can't deal with it, then i dont deserve them. i love dreads too much to disrespect them.

Beginning of a new journey

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thanks for the support everyone. yall have been very enlightening. i'll take it one day at a time. i know my biggest challenge will be the "neatness" of the dreads. but if i can't deal with it, then i dont deserve them. i love dreads too much to disrespect them.

Beginning of a new journey

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i've thought long and hard, and reflected and prayed.

initially i got my locks to represent freedom. after getting them, i had to learn patience. BUT after reflecting on my methods (crocheting and interlocking)), i've realized that i wasn't free and i wasn't patient. I wasn't free to wet/wash my hair anytime, or swim when i wanted in fear that i would mess them up. I had to report to a salon every month to keep them looking pretty and i took the easy way to LOOKING dread instead of taking a journey to BE dread.

after 7 months of having these locks, and learning on this site, i have decided to grow them out in pursuit of the true philosophy of why i love dreads. if i cannot bare with the new growth, i will cut them off out of respect for dreadlocks. if i'm gonna do them, i wanna do them right. and if i can't then i will just admire them.

thank you to all those who have advised me and welcomed me to this site. wish me luck. i post pictures of my progress.

updated by @bj-sickboy: 02/14/15 06:10:54AM

GREETINGS and BLESSINGS...

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i understand. it will definitely be a challenge for me. 2 things i would like for my locks (besides being healthy) is remain rather thin and rather tidy..seems like i'll have to compromise these unless i start over. feeling very torn. we'll see how it goes. thanks again brother. very enlightening

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here's the best pics i have of my locs right now

the first one is from a month ago

and the second one is from 4 months ago.

GREETINGS and BLESSINGS...

Introduce Yourself

Thanks for your input guys and i'm really considering letting them be. One thing i've learned here is that interlocked and crocheted dreads are thinner than natural ones. I initially wanted thin ones (as i have right now) and i'm assuming if i let them be, they're gonna turn out thicker. I'm hoping for the best, still haven't made up my mind yet. I think i'm gonna take it one day at a time and see where it goes from there. I'll post pics soon. thanks again guys.

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Thanks for the reply and the welcome. i'm leaning towards seeing how they will go naturally but i'm gonna have to find a way to fight the mess. i'm determined to lol. (i'm aware that i may sound naive by saying that) now, one of my worries is how will the interlock affect the new growth lock that will form. i ask this because of the initial part that the interlocking causes.

Knottysleeves said:

Welcome! All that maintenance sounds like a lot of work. The irony is that if you'd just left them alone after the initial backcombing and crocheting, by now (7 months) they would've been tight & locked up enough by themselves to not need all this "cleanup". I'm not against occasional crocheting (I do it myself a few times a year) but wow, every 2 - 3 weeks is overkill, especially since your dreads aren't even mature yet.

Locks in their healthiest state are meant to be a little messy -- loose hairs and loose roots are normal & they happen to all of us no matter how mature your locks are, that's just the reality of dreads. Trying to fight that by crocheting, interlocking and constantly using products is a losing battle, in my opinion. I know that some people just prefer the look of manicured dreads, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you want that look then you have to accept the risk of cumulative damage. There's really not a lot of in-between solutions, unfortunately.

I think you should stop all the maintenance ASAP and let your dreads & scalp breathe for awhile. Let your dreads settle and mature naturally instead of trying to force it. After a few months you might be surprised how much progress they've made! Then you can decide if you still want to do occasional maintenance and whether it's worth it to you.

GREETINGS and BLESSINGS...

Introduce Yourself

Greetings everyone. I've stumbled across this site in search for dread knowledge because I've noticed it's hard to get real info on dreadlocks online. After doing some reading on here, i've decided to join =)Little bit about my journey. I wanted to grow locks because i felt like it was a great way for me to express myself. having locks for 7 months now, they have been teachers to me. they have taught me to be patient and to stay true to myself. that being said, my hair is think and straight (i'm filipino) and I started out backcombing and crocheting. My locks look great and i love how they look. I also have them interlocked for maintenance. I get my locks crocheted every 2-3 weeks (1hour minimum-4hours maximum)... after reading alot about the dangers of crocheting and interlocking here, i feel torn because it's worked for me, but i also want healthy dreads.How can i transition from interlocking to something else and what steps are needed? how can i maintain the neatness of my locks because that's also a big thing for me. I know locks are not meant to be perfectly clean but i prefer to have a clean look to them. what should i do guys?btw. i'm currently using Rasta Products Mango & Lime, shampoo, itch spray and lock gel.
updated by @bj-sickboy: 01/13/15 08:52:59PM