Stop Dreadlock Procrastinating - Begin Today

It all begins with the first twist.

I have permission to use this picture by Et-Nic on tumblr.com

Interview with the Queen: Precious

I wear locs because it adds to my beauty :)
Model: Precious
Photographer: Ibrahim Badru
MUA: Samantha Boyce-Kentish
IG: @thelovelyqueenp

Khadija Interview: South Carolina Beginner Dreads

ARE YOU AFRAID TO BEGIN YOUR LOC JOURNEY? Don't be. Beginning your dreads can be the beginning of finding yourself as this interview with Khadija will clearly make you see.


My name is Khadija, and I’m from South Carolina. I am one month in on my loc journey. I’m twenty years old, and for years I’ve wanted dreads. Being a biracial women I’ve always dealt with negativity from others when it came to my thick natural hair.

A year and a half ago I finally gave up chemical relaxers, and went natural. Starting my dreads is the the best choice I’ve made when it comes to my hair. Everyday my locs lay a different way which is teaching me to be happy with what I have.

Before starting my locs I would hear people complain about the “ugly phase”, or how they hated their young locs being fuzzy. Now that I'm going through my journey I can honestly say I love all these phases others complain about. I like when a dread sticks up, or is extra fuzzy some days. I have shrinkage galore, fuzzy stray hairs everywhere, and untamed locs sticking up.

Watching my babies grow is helping me accept myself, and to not care what others think.

 I started my locs myself. I retwist about once a month minimum, but when I do I'm the one to do it. I treat my locs like plants. I started them, and I will care for them continuously.

Thank you Khadija for sharing your story with us. I am sure your lovely locs will be the inspiration one of the many readers need to start their own self discovery and beginner dreads.

HOW DREADLOCKS WORK/CARE

Photos not submitted by subject

Everyone has their own hair regimen. You wash and condition it, maybe put rollers in it, or some type of product to keep it straight or curly longer. But what would happen if you just left your hair alone for a couple of weeks? We all have an idea of what may happen and we do all we can to avoid our scary assumption; accept those who love dreadlocks.

If left to its own devices, human hair tends to form KNOTS, TANGLES, and eventually MATTED sections. If you have ever tried to run a comb or brush through your child's hair that hasn't been combed for a few days, you will be met by a lot of resistance from the hair and the child. And if you let that child's hair keep growing without combing or brushing, even if you washed it occasionally, more than likely it would start to resemble my beloved: dreadlocks.

Don't let the misunderstood reputation of the dreadlocks fool you. While they can be caused (formed) by intentional neglect, don't get it twisted and think dreadlocks are necessarily dirtier or messier than other hairstyles. It is actually just the opposite. Most people who wear dreadlocks achieve the look through careful styling and maintenance, by building the locks strand by strand on their own, as I did, or with the help of a professional "loctician."

I have come across some information for caring for your dreadlocks that are routine for any type of hair and some tips which are specific to dreadlocks.

Of course washing will be part of your hair care routine, but special care should be taken. Once your dreadlocks have matured you want to continue to wash the scalp very carefully massaging the scalp and just letting the soapy water run through your dreads. A special note for people with especially long dreads; to prevent MILDEW and BUILDUP of product, dry the dreads thoroughly every time you wash them removing as much water as possible. you can squeeze them to wring out excess water and then use a blow dryer. I prefer to let my dreads air dry naturally so I plan my day accordingly not scheduling any activities where I would have to put my hair up before it is dry. This means I time my hair washing and drying with enough of time for my dreads to be dry before covering them with a scarf before going to bed. Tying your hair up at night also prevents the dreaded enemy of dreads: LINT.

When it comes to products to use on your hair that comes down to the individuals preference. Many people with natural hair also choose to use natural hair products. Some dread wearers use hot oil treatments to prevent the hair from drying out, while others use gels or SALT WATER 'accelerators' to tighten individual locs as they form. I use a home made conditioner which consists of consisting of eggs, olive oil, and honey. I can generously coat my hair from root to end. I leave the conditioner on for at least 30 minutes and rinse it out thoroughly with warm water. A natural clarifying shampoo is also preferred, which does not leave a lot of residue. RESIDUE can lubricate the hair shaft and cause them to come loose from the locs.

Dreads can begin to fuse together if you don't roll them individually on a regular basis. They will fuse together (join with each other naturally). Unless you want the fused look, which a lot of people prefer, you will want to separate any newly combined locs by pulling them apart and ripping the hair that is connected. of course you will want to rull them to make the loc neat without any stray hairs running along the loc.

Now I have saved the best tip for last. TENSION is another enemy of dreads. If you twist (my preferred method) your locs too tightly the first few months or really at any time while caring/maintaining your dreads, without leaving enough of room at the roots, they can can put strain on the scalp and sometimes break off. AVOID applying too much tension at the root. You need some loose hair at the root to allow your hair to continue to grow.

                                                                    Photo submitted by subject
So there you have it. Caring for your glorious locs in a nutshell. Many people believe switching to this hairstyle equals less hair care. WRONG. You need to put in the same amount of tender loving care for your dreads as you would do for any type of hair style.

I hope I have supplied you with some insightful information about dreadlocks. I know anytime I have a chance to learn something about my preferred hair choice I enjoy it. In my upcoming book "Don't Dread Dreads; The People Speak" I will have an entire section devoted to hair care. As you know the book is the people speaking. If you have some great tips on caring for dreadlocks, bu all means SPEAK (share them with us along with a picture and bio. The loc nation will love to read your words and see your lovely locs) by submitting your input to www.dorothysguyton@gmail.com or you can leave a COMMENT here. As you know any picture or comment may be used in my book project.

Men who wear dreads well

My Hair Down To There "I'm Back" Kind of Living

I have been working especially hard on collecting pictures of people who wear Locs from each state and country. Everyone does not make the cut and the picture quality has to be clear so I have not yet reach my goal.

I am depending on you to help get the word out about the interviews and pictures needed and I am happy to announce that my trade mark shirt :Don't Dread Dreads: The People Speak will soon be available for purchase. Yes, the world has fallen in love with you natural hair beauties.

You only live once. Is this is your time to shine /Contact me at dorothysguyton@gmail.com or message me on facebook: Dorothy Guyton with your loc journey including the BIG CHOP how family, friends, and strangers react to your hair style choice and must importantly a PICTURE of your lovely locs. I have to say the men have been slow to respond. I need a man!!!...to send in his picture and loc journey story.

There are so many styles and possibilities to showing who we are through our hair. Have you put your hair in a style that you are especially proud of??? Come on share it with us along with why you love your hair.

          

Go ahead take that beautiful picture of your locs and let the world see their beauty.

I will be waiting. And of course you can leave me a message here in the comment section and I will get back to you as soon as possible. I think it is time to make some magic.

2016 Olympian Hopeful, will win with Dreadlocs. AJ's Interview

Here they are and I run track. I plan to go to the 2016 Olympics, I saw you needed athletes as well.

My name is Amandji Goito

1.      What was the initial reaction/response of family/friends/ co-workers to your hair style choice?
Most of my friends and family didn't care but my father to this day still hates them.

2.      Are you in a career that is friendly to your hair style choice?
I work in retail so as long as I remain friendly and keep them neat there is usually no problem.
3.      Did you notice a boost in confidence or other personal changes once you decided
         to wear dreadlocks?
Once they started to get longer, I liked when they would swing.
4.      What do you like or dislike about dreadlocks?
I love everything about Dreadlocks EXCEPT THE RE TWIST. That is the biggest pain of them all.

5.      What state are you from and is there a large population of dread wearers there?
I'm from Mount Rainier, Maryland in PG County. PG County is highly influenced by D.C. and to most people around here it is more of a fad then a life style. I think we might have the largest population of dread wearers too.

6.      Do you believe dreadlocks add to the masculinity of the black male or does it box him in to more
         stereotypes?
I believe that masculinity doesn't really play apart with Dreadlocks, but the stereotypes are ridiculous. Everyone thinks I smoke or I'm a thug but it hasn't caused me to even think about cutting them.
7.      When did you decided to go natural/dreadlock?
As soon as I graduated high school and I wasn't be living with my father anymore.
8.      Do you view wearing dreadlocks as a larger tie to the African American culture?
I do especially in the case of African American females. It shows that you are proud of what your natural hair can do and it is unique to our race.