Natural Do or Don’t?

May 1, 2012 by thebaraza

By Katie Shaw

Dreadlocks have been around since before the comb was invented. Okay, that may have been a bit cheesy. But, really, they have. Back in the day, this wasn’t necessarily the desired hairstyle, it just happened.

There seems to be controversy in one form or another that follows dreadlock wearers of all types. People who wear dreadlocks are stereotyped—pothead, hippie, Rastafarian, etc. While some of those stereotypes remain true, it is not the case for all dread heads. Non-dreadlock wearers tend to ask the same questions:

Do you ever wash your hair? Don’t they smell? Do you have to shave your head to get rid of them?

I’m here to help clear things up a bit. But first, I have an announcement—I’m dread locking my hair. I’ve always thought that dreads were beautiful, unique, and that each person had a fantastic story behind his/her set of locks. Through my research, I’ve found that the journey one goes through to attain such wonderful locks is simply inspirational. This is not just a hairstyle—it truly is a journey.

I’m part of a generation that thrives on instant gratification, and I’ve been guilty of this on more that one occasion. So my hope for my journey is that I’ll learn patience, and that good things will come in time. I can’t expect to have fabulous dreads overnight. I’ll have to learn to focus less on vanity, and more on growing beautifully from within.

So, back to the misconceptions.

Do you ever wash your hair?

Yes. For dreads to properly “lock up,” they must stay clean. Everyone chooses to wash his/her dreads differently, but I’ve chosen to wash mine 2-3 times per week.

Don’t they smell?

In most cases, no. If you don’t let your dreads dry properly, there is the possibility that they may begin to smell like mildew. That means don’t go to bed with wet dreads, and don’t tie or wrap them up until they’ve fully dried.

Do you have to shave your head to get rid of them?

Not exactly. There are several ways to get rid of locks, if you choose to do so. Soaking the dreads in conditioner and spending hours combing them out is one way (sounds painful to me). You can cut them short, condition, and comb them out—the less hair, the easier. Or you can shave them. The latter is probably the easiest.

What are your thoughts on dreadlocks, dear friends? Do you have dreads, or have you ever thought about getting them? Please share!