A small list of inconveniences I have encountered having dreads

Dreads are fun to have, but in ways, they come at a price.
Hats don't fit.
This is true. Unless the hat is stretchy or very big then it will not fit. Baseball hats are unwearable, as are the majority of nice hats like bowlers and stove-pipes (though if you're lucky, you might find a big one of those, or have one made). It is also pretty hard to find helmets that fit, but some companies make big ones for people with huge heads. This is because of dreads being the result of compacted hair. Beanies will fit, as will knitted-yarn hats.
Jobsite problems
Having dreads has prevented me from getting many jobs. This can vary based on location, but the biggest factor in whether or not you will get the job is the job you are applying for itself. If it comes down to a safety hazard then you're out of luck. Whether you have long dreads or long un-dreaded hair, long hair is always a big safety hazard and you will be asked to cut it off. Dreads are also considered by most to be unprofessional. There is an element of racism to this statement, not from me, but from the employer. If you are African American with dreads you are just as likely as anyone to get a job, if you are white (or another such race where hair doesn't dread naturally) then it is unlikely you will get a job that requires professional appearance. Most bigger cities are more lenient about it, due to the bigger the city, the more people there will be with dreads, thus making it more commonplace and accepted. The fact is, a lot of people do not like dreads and will look for someone who doesn't have them instead.
I would like to write a list of careers and companies that hire people with dreads, but it varies so much by location that, given the nationwide-accessibility of the internet, it might not be true for you. Here's a list of general careers (specific companies not listed) that have been known to be lenient about dreads (as well as tattoos and piercings):

• independent coffeeshops/donut shops/cafes
• landscaping
• hardware stores
• some department stores
• tattoo parlors
• various punk/gothic/other alternative apparel stores
• record stores
• some specialty stores - art/craft supplies, adult, videogames, comics, etc. 

Judgement
Besides prejudice employers turning you down you may experience people who will straight up judge you for having dreads. The derogatory slang term "ropehead" is a common one used to insult people (generally white people) who have dreads, as is "dirty hippie," "vagrant," and etc. As said earlier, dreads are for some reason associated by most with drug use. MANY people have thought I was a junkie because of my dreads. It's ridiculous. Here's an example (this is 100% true, happened while en route to portland when I was 17): So I go to a service station to use the restroom. I walk in and ask for the key. It is handed to me, reluctantly, by a male clerk. I proceed to use the restroom and start to apply some sunscreen. I've spent only about 3 minutes in there when suddenly the door is pounded on and I hear a female clerk yelling at me to get out. She started saying "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY BATHROOM! YOU FUCKING JUNKIES WITH YOUR DISGUSTING HAIR ARE ALWAYS COMING IN HERE TO SHOOT UP! GET OUTA HERE BEFORE I CALL THE FUCKING COPS!!" It had been 3 minutes. I was amazed. This kind of stuff has happened not only to me but many other people with dreads. I could go on and on about all the times people have done stuff like this. People (especially narrow-minded rednecks and other uneducated people) will always be judgmental. If they do end up taking it to the extreme of calling the police then just remain calm and prove to the officer that the person was just being a judgmental prick and you've done nothing wrong.
Dreads get caught on things
Never thought I would experience this. It's weak. Dreads can get caught in a number of things; blackberry bushes and other plants with barbs, velcro, nails that stick out too far, etc. You MUST be careful to look out for these things. If you're not paying attention and you are moving too fast to stop while your dread gets caught on something then it might rip partly or all the way off, which is extremely painful. Velcro will become your worst enemy. Doesn't seem like a common thing to have close to your head right? Wrong. Sleeping bags. They tend to always have a velcro at the top as a way to close it. It doesn't really hurt, or rip out any hair, but it's annoying as fuck. Just rip it off when this happens.
They can be too hot
This only really happens in really hot places. Dreads can be very hot, especially when they're hanging over your ears. To avoid this tie them back in a way that prevents them from touching your ears at all. Don't worry about sweating into your dreads. Although it may sound gross, sweat helps to tighten them.
Some dreads inevitably smell bad
Some is the key word here. Everyone is different so this may not apply to you. If your dreads smell abnormally bad even after frequent rinsing then it is the oils in your skin that you are smelling. I will make a post in the future on how to make dreads smell nice. Most dreads will lose their smell after being aired out for a while. One thing to keep in mind is if you are cycling somewhere then you should plan on getting there a bit early to give your dreads a chance to cool off and air out. Same goes for jogging or any other self-propelled transportation.
Some dreads require constant maintenance
Again, not true for all people, it depends on your hair type. If you happen to be one whose dreads require constant maintenance to the point of it being an inconvenience then you can either learn to accept it or consider removing your dreads. It doesn't really get easier over time, except in the light of just learning to maintain them faster and more efficiently.

I know there's other stuff that irritates me but I can't think of it right now.


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Bleaching, dying, and other ways of coloring dreads.

Like un-dreaded hair, dreads can be bleached or dyed. I have done both, it works well and looks cool.
Bleach:
Pretty much any bleach works, they're all basically the same. Pick some up at your local grocery store and find a good place to do the bleaching. You can bleach all of your dreads or just some of them. If you do all of them then just take the bleach and spread it evenly through all of your dreads. Work it deeply into the dread so as to bleach the whole thing, not just the outer layer of it. Leave it in for as long as the box says, no longer. When it's time to remove it rinse it out with a shower, sink or hose. rinse it until the water runs out completely clear, even when you squeeze the dreads. You do NOT want bleach to remain in your hair, it could fry or mold your dreads. To bleach only some of them then work the bleach into the dreads you want it in. If left like that for the duration of the bleaching then you will likely have unwanted spots of bleach in adjacent dreads. Unless this is your desired look then you can prevent this by wrapping the bleached dreads in plastic-wrap, using hair ties to hold it in place. Remove the plastic wrap when done bleaching and proceed to rinse out the bleach.
Dye:
Any kind of dye works. You can use the natural colors that can easily be acquired at a grocery/drug store, or you can use bright punk-rock colors from brands like Manic Panic. Dye comes in a liquid, gel or cream. They all work the same, but liquid and gel are easiest to rinse out. Application of dye is the same as bleach, whether done for the whole head or single dreads. Like normal hair, it helps to bleach the hair first to make them turn out brighter (unless you naturally have bright blonde hair). Unlike bleach, once you completely rinse them out to the point of the water coming out clear there will still remain to be loose dye in the dreads. It is a good idea to re-rinse them after about a week. Great part about dreads is you can ACTUALLY achieve rainbow hair. Normal hair is too easy to blend together and rainbow hair is hard to do. With dreads you just separate them and dye them accordingly. You can dye different sections of the dreads too, even have striped dreads. Striped dreads is hard to do but if you have a pointed tip on the end of the dye bottle (some dyes/bleaches come with these for this purpose, it's similar to cake decorating with frosting) and are somewhat of an artist then this can be done. The stripes will never be less then 1.5" thick because it will run. If any of you dye your dreads in a really cool way and want me to display a picture on this blog then send me the picture and I'll throw it up.
Henna:
Henna can be used not only to temporarily tattoo skin, but to dye hair as well. Much like the color it turns out on skin, it will be that reddish-orange in your dreads as well. The procedure for applying it is the same as the above, only the consistency of it is much different. It's like a gloopy curry substance. Henna has some stipulations that bleach and dye don't have though, and you MUST be weary of these when using henna on hair. To start, make SURE you get good henna that contains ONLY henna, no other crazy ingredients. It IS true that henna will turn out brighter on bleached hair, but you do NOT want henna on recently bleached or dyed hair. Same goes for if you want to bleach or dye it AFTER you henna it. The chemicals in the bleach and dye will react in weird ways to the henna. This ranges from hair turning into a gummy mess of no return, or your hair my actually melt and begin to smoke. To prevent this just make damn sure you have a gap of at least six weeks between bleaching/dying and hennaing, regardless of the order in which they're done.
Kool Aid:
If you didn't already know, kool aid can be used to dye your hair. Mind you dying with kool aid ONLY works if it is the SUGAR-FREE kind (the kind that come in the little 10 cent packets). People say this is to not attract bugs, which is true, but also if it has sugar in it it will NOT dye your hair. This is true, i have had experience. It is recommended when dying normal hair to mix it with conditioner and use the pasty substance as as the dye. If this method is tried on dreads it will leave residue in them, as does any conditioner. All yo have to do is buy a bunch of packets of kool aid and mix in enough water to where it is still somewhat thick, not a liquid. It should be left in for 4-5 hours. Any less then that and it won't be as bright, any more and it will reach the point where it will plateau and stop dying the dreads. Procedure for applying/removing is the same as bleaching and dying. Don't use food coloring, in my experience it doesn't work. If any of you have had successful dying with food coloring then send pictures please!
Sharpies:
This isn't something I really recommend, but it will work, despite it being rather temporary. The reason I did this was to created dreads with very small stripes (.25" or so). It looks cool but can smell bad. Your best bet is to do this as far away from the face as possible to prevent constantly smelling the chemicals. It will last until you rinse your dreads 3 or 4 times. It doesn't damage your dreads because it is only ink. Works best with black sharpies, the newer the better. If you use anything with paint in it, like a paint-pen or just straight up paint, then you're an idiot. Don't put paint in your hair.

Animal dreads, sewn in dreads and meshed in dreads can be bleached and dyed. Best to wait at least a month-two months after you attach them to start adding color.

Decorations

The most fun thing about having dreads is the ability to easily decorate them. You can do so with bead, yard wraps, sleeves, sewing things into them.. the list goes on.
Beads

(Above: Various wooden and plastic beads not intended to be worn in dreads but can be used as such)

(Above: Various home-made beads. Dark ones are ceramic, light one is carved from a piece of a deer's antler)

 Beads are the easiest to come by. If you have small dreads (pencil width or smaller) then you want beads with a small hole, and the reverse goes for big dreads. You can find beads at craft stores (yes, even ones with huge holes for average-huge dreads) or you can make them. Materials they can be made out of are: glass, wood, bone, antler, plastic, clay, porcelain, and even metal if you have the means of doing so. Glossy beads tend to slip off if they're not snugly on the dread. If you don't glaze clay dreads, or use stain instead of glaze then they turn out a bit more rough and will hold on better with the friction.
Metal Hardware

(Above: Poor quality picture of a hexagonal nut and an un-threaded metal washer-thing that I haven't discovered the purpose of)

There's also things you can use that are similar in weight and size to beads but aren't used for that purpose. The most common is metal hardware.
This includes nuts, washers, and anything else you can find on the street or at a hardware store. Rusty metal hardware will spread the rust into your hair and thus turn that section of hair green or brown. This doesn't really harm your hair unless the exposure to it is prolonged. Stick to stainless steal to avoid problems
You can also use bones. The best type of bone to use is a vertebrae. Cats, possums and other small mammals have vertebrae with a pencil sized hole. Dogs have larger vertebrae with a hole you could fit your finger through. Anything bigger and it will just be too much weight and too pointy. You can find bones frequently on the railroad tracks, out in the woods or on the beach. Clean them off with soap and warm water, remove any organic material. You can use hydrogen peroxide to clean them if you want. Just don't use bleach. It makes them very white, but it makes the brittle as well. You can clear coat them to strengthen the bones with a mixture of Elmers glue and water (ratio of glue to water is 1-5 or so). I can post more on bone preservation upon request.

(Above: This picture features 2 vertebrae and a pelvis from a pug dog and 1 vertebrae from a possum. I don't condone killing animals for their bones, that's just pathetic. Find an animal that is already dead and remove the organic matter, or just use bones that you find already stripped.)
Yarn-Wraps

(Above: Animal-dread wrapped in black and red yarn. Originally it was all one solid wrap but it got warped over time and now has open gaps that show dread.)

(Above: Yarn used to conceal connection point between my dread and an animal-dread. Black yarn with white yarn making a cross-hatch design over)

Yarn wraps are pretty sweet. You can make them last for a few weeks or make them permanent until their desired removal. You can use any yarn, and can have more than one color per dread if you want. To make them temporary then tie the yarn around the dread and start wrapping from there. To make them last longer use a big sewing needle with a big hole to sew the thread through the dread, then tie it and begin wrapping. You can make thick beatlejuice looking stripes by tying two or more different colors on, holding all but one against the dread and wrap the one you separated around that dread and the yarn being held against the dread. Then once the stripe is as long as you want it, put the separated strand of yarn against the dread and pick a different color to replace it and make the next color stripe. If you want a pattern of yarn-dread-yarn-dread then make a stripe as described, then for the dread stripe simply use the big sewing needle to insert the yarn through the dread, hiding it within the dread until you want the start the next yarn stripe. You can also make stripes that are 1 strand of yarn thick, by just taking 2 colors of yarn and wrapping them both around the dread together. OR, you could make super crazy ass patterns by constantly switching up the yarns and making it chaotic. There are lots of possibilities with yarn.
One thing to watch out for with yarn is smell. It takes a while for them to mold, but they will start to smell like they are if you get them wet too often. This is because they hold in moisture, both in the yarn and thus in the dread as well. Be sure to wring them out well after rinsing them, use a towel, even blow-dry if you have to.
Another thing to be weary of with yarn. This is something I found out entirely on my own. If your dreads are young and not fully dreaded then I don't recommend you get yarn-wraps just yet. They can at times force the dread to become lumpy and uneven due to the yarn basically constricting the dread. Also if the dreads are rather new and not locked up then the dread may involuntarily weave the yarn into it. This makes the yarn really hard to remove and you may end up with chunks of it permanently stuck in there. Yarn-wraps do in a sense make dreads tighter, but they have to already be pretty well dreaded for this to happen.
Wire Wraps:

Much like yarn, wire can be used to wrap dreads for decoration. You have use stainless steel wire otherwise it will rust. The wire I used is Stainless Steel Lockwire, commonly used in electronics and construction. It can be found at most hardware stores. The tricky thing about wire-wrapping is doing it in such a way that it won't poke you. I solved this problem by shoving the ends of the wire into the dread so they're surrounded by a cushion of dread. You can wrap the wire in any style you want. It's best not to make the wrap more then a couple inches long, because where you wrap it will be stiff, obviously, and you don't want your whole dread to be like that. Wire wraps look pretty cool, especially if you're going for that steam/cyber punk look.
Sleeves

(Above: Two sleeves, one made of many pieces of black and brown leather, the other made of a single piece of black leather. All sewn with dental floss)

Sleeves should only really be made of leather. To make a leather sleeve take a piece of leather roughly 8" long by 2-3" wide and sew it up hotdog-style. This makes a leather tube. The hard part is getting it on. If it is too wide then it will never stay on, so you want it to be snug. You'll notice how hard it is to get on since you can't reach the tip of your dread through the other end to pull it through. There's 2 ways to get the leather wrap on, both ways I invented. One way is to use yarn and the big sewing needle. Tie one end of the yard through the tip of your dread. Make sure it's on there well. Take the free end of the yarn and put it through the leather sleeve. Then just line up the sleeve to be pulled on and pull it up while pulling down on the yarn. If the yarn breaks off then you didn't tie it on well enough. Another way is to kindof inch your dread through the sleeve. Put the tip of your dread through the end of the sleeve. Now just work the dread slowly down through the sleeve. Scrunch the sleeve up the dread, pinch the tip of the dread on a further down point of the sleeve, and pull the top of the sleeve further up the dread. Do this until the tip of the dread finally pokes out the end of the sleeve to where you can just pull it through.
Some people sew the leather sleeves right onto their dreads. This way you don't have to worry about getting the dread through it. This does, however, mean that it is permanent until you remove it, and it will trap in moisture and potentially mold. I've done this and as long as you keep it dry and don't sweat on it then you'll be fine.
Patches
There's also the aspect of sewing patches, hemp-work, and other fabric-type knick-knacks to your dreads. No real rules on how to do that, you can do it however you want. I would typically take a long piece of interesting looking fabric and spiral it down the dread, sewing it on with dental floss. This looks pretty cool. I sewed a zipper to my hair once (the teeth part, not the puller) and that looked pretty sweet as well.

Dreadlock extensions: Sewing and meshing them into your dreads

Dreads can be extended in a couple different ways. Do do this you must have the dreads to put in your hair, so if you have very short (6" and under) hair that you want to dread and you want to extend it then make sure you have some dreads to put in your hair, otherwise you'll just end up with tiny dreads.
Where to get dreads to use for extensions

(Above: Various types of dreads to use. From top to bottom: 1. Dread that was made out of severed hair with free hair on end. 2. Dread that has been removed from a head of dreads, both ends dreaded. 3. Dread that was made of very short, 4" long hair. As you can see, if done right it makes a normal sized dread. 4. Dread composed of various small dreads that were meshed together to make a normal sized one.)

1. Find some pre-made dreads. If you have a friend who is cutting off all or some of their dreads then ask to have them for extensions. Or if you have a full head of dreads and want to have less (say a mohawk or mullet) then you can cut off the dreads in the spots you don't want them and use your own pre-made dreads.

2. Make dreads. Hair doesn't have to be attached to a head for it to be dreaded. If you come into possession of some human hair, be it long, short, from your head or a friend's head then you can make dreads. Long hair works the best but short hair (even 4" and under) can make full length dreads. The way that seems to work the best to make the hair into dreads is just rolling the hair. Make a dread sized chunk of hair, make sure all the hairs are lined up the same way, and start to roll it either between your hands or against the top of your leg. If the hair is short then keep adding more to it. It will all mesh together and form a dread.
Regardless of where you do either of these methods make sure that the dreads you end up with don't have bugs in them. If you even suspect that they might then you should put the dreads in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes to be sure.

3. Use animal dreads. These are typically made of alpaca fiber, which is very close in consistency to human hair. I personally have never made them but I have bought pre-made ones. You can find them for sale online.

How to attach them
1. Sew them in.

(Above: A human hairdread that has been sewn in. I used floss, and it remains visible until it is removed.)

 (Above: An alpaca fur dread that has been sewn in. The red is yarn.)

Most people think this is permanent but it is not. They will stay in basically permanently, but once you take off the thread/floss they will come off. Sewing them in just holds the 2 pieces of dread close together and doesn't allow them to mesh, especially since it only works if you sew them on tight, which causes constriction and inability to mesh. I've used this technique a lot and the dreads stayed on and were sturdy, but the floss remained visible and looked tacky. If this is what you want to do then find some thread or floss. Floss is what I used because it's stronger. Thread will work too if you'd rather use that. You can use any sewing needle. All you do is sew them together at the tips. You can overlap them a little if you want for stability but it's not entirely necessary (does tend to help in my experience). Pierce the needle through one dread and out the other side and then into the other dread and out, alternating from dread to dread. Periodically wrap the floss/thread around the dread. When done tie a good knot if you used thread or just burn it off if you used floss. This method is not my recommended method for human hair, but it seems to be the only method that works for animal fur dreads.

2. Mesh them in.

(Above: a dread that has been meshed in. It all looks like the same dread and it turns out nice)

This is something I recently got into. After being fed up with the way the floss made my dreads look i started taking it out. That's when I found out that it doesn't mesh the dreads together, so when I did so my dreads came out. I was left with fully dreaded medium length dreads attatched to my head, and fully dreaded medium-long length severed dreads. I decided to try to naturally attatch them in a way that would trick my hair into thinking that the attatchments are actually my own hair. Here's how I did this: Since all the dreads (including the extensions) were dreaded from end to end I needed to free some hair to used as the connection point. I used my mini crochet hook to yank out hair from the tips of the dreads on my head and from one end of all the extensions. To do this you insert the crochet hook as close to the end of the dread as possible and pull outwards until the hairs either unravel out of the dread, or rip free, thus making your dreads into "paintbrush" dreads. You want about 4"+ of free hair on both the tips of the dreads on your head and the extensions dreads. To attatch: Take an extension dread and find a dread on your head that is similar in width to it. If the extension is slightly less wide then it's okay, but if it is wider then it will be too much weight for the dread to handle, so try to find a good match. pierce the crochet hook through the end of the dreaded part (just before it becomes free hair) of the dread on your head. Hook onto some of the free hairs on the extension and pull them through. Do the reverse as well. Keep doing this until all of the free hair from the extension is knotted into the dread on your head and vise-versa. This may take a while. Do it as best as you can. If it feels thin at the point where they attatch then you attatched it too low. You need to make sure the dreads overlap slightly to prevent this thinning. Once the dreads are in you just let them hang and lock together. DO NOT put any beads, yarn, sleeves, or decorations of any kind on these dreads. The weight will cause them to separate. Also do not tie your dreads back in any manor that causes tension on the dreads. Any kind of weight or pulling whatsoever will fuck up the connecting process. This process will last about a month, then they will have become all one dread. It will take maintenance to help them connect. Frequently pick at them with the crochet hook until they feel tight and well connected at the point where they connect. Once they're fully connected you can put on as many decorations as you want.

pictures on the meshing process to come.

 haha

Various Facts and Myths

There's a lot of stuff that is believed to be universally true about dreads due to exploitation of them in media. Television has slandered dreadlocks since they became popular in the U.S., and probably since before then as well. The people making these assumptions and generalizations have never had dreadlocks, and, like the yuppies they are, like to have something to complain or talk smack about because they feel empowered from it. Well don't believe everything you hear. Many people have decided not to get dreads because they believe in these negative connotations that are widespread about dreads. My goal is to change that. If you want dreads then get them, because they're not as bad as people make them sound.

Myths
Dreads are dirty and those who have them are dirty/dreads cannot be washed.
WRONG. Dreads to not have to be dirty. Many are but it is not a necessity. Granted, having your hair be dry and residue-free is a necessity for the day you dread it, but they don't have to be dirty. If they are dirty before you dread them then yes, it will help them lock up, but it's not crucial to their completion. Dreads CAN be washed, but it has to be done right otherwise the residue will damage your dreads in various ways. This rumor got started likely by the hippie movement. Hippies had a very bad reputation when they started to become known in the 60's due to the U.S.'s inability to understand them. They were associated with dirty homeless vagrants, and thus, dreads were as well.

One cannot have dreads unless he/she is a hippie or Rastafarian.
WRONG. This is a straight up generalization of races and lifestyle. Who says someone can't style they're hair how they want to? It kills me to hear people say things like this. It's prejudice and racist. People need to relax and let people be themselves. If they don't like the freedom of expression here in the U.S. then maybe they should live somewhere else.

Dreadlocks symbolize drug use.
Who the fuck started this rumor? I can't tell you how many times people have thought I was a junkie because I have dreads. This myth is down right ridiculous. Just another example of judgmental people.

Weaving dreads through themselves at the base is a great way to keep the roots tight.
This has to be the biggest problem I have ever encountered with dreads. I used to do this when I was a teenager because I thought that it was true. I cannot stress enough that you should NEVER do this. At first it may look like it's doing them justice but it is not. It rips hair out at the root, and it makes dreads permanently thin, twisted, and fragile. It is impossible to repair the damage this does to dreads. This technique alone is the main reason I started this blog, because some idiot out there thinks that this will help people and he/she posted a tutorial on it on the internet. I learned the hard way, so you don't have to.


Wax, gel, shampoo and conditioner are great for dreads
Again, this is a load of crap. What do all these things do to dreads? they make them develop MOLD within them. Wax especially. Once wax is put in it is nearly impossible to take out. Take for example a rope, or a carpet. Now melt a candle into it. Now try to take ALL of the wax out. It's not happening, is it? The wax WILL mold, it's not like you'll get lucky and it won't. It will make your dreads heavy, and smell terrible. Gel, shampoo and conditioner leave residue. Residue creates mold. Never use these. Some people say to use salt water or lemon juice to help dread them up. These people are wrong as well. Salt water: just makes a salty mess in your hair. Lemon juice: just makes a sticky, potentially moldy mess in your hair. Soap will even leave residue in your hair. Shampoo and conditioner defeat the purpose of dreadlocks, because they are used to get knots out of hair and leave the hair silky and shiny. There does exist residue-free shampoo, but I would definitely not recommend this. I'll make another post on how to wash dreads, you haven't heard the last of this topic.

Dreads can never be combed out.
Honestly, this myth has some truth to it. It depends on the degree of locking your dreads have. I know some people who took out their dreads without much problem or pain and ended up with nice, un-dreaded hair. It's possible, but it may take some work. Tutorial to come on this.

Just neglecting and not washing dreads makes them lock up.
For a few people yes, for the majority of people no. For those who this does work, you will find that you will still have to roll them into shape. Knotted hair may happen naturally, but perfect dreads will not. Not washing and neglecting your hair will likely just result in disgusting hair. The grease that naturally forms on your face, on your hands and on your scalp is what prevents it from dreading. It will just get greasy and slimy. Have fun with that.

Facts
I use the word "facts" loosely here. I can't lump the body-workings of everyone into one big category and call what I say true. These have been proven to be true through my experience. They may be different for you but I imagine not by much. If you feel I am way off then leave a comment, otherwise here's some cool info:

Once you've dreaded your hair the dreads will be shorter then your hair was.
Yes. This goes without saying. Dreading hair is compressing hair. Take a rope and tie it in a knot, the rope is shorter. Here's a general guideline to use if you want to know how long your dreads will be: Once you've dreaded your hair it will be 1/2-2/3 of it's original length.

Dreads do not itch.
Dreads may itch upon the initial dreading of the hair, but after they they do not itch. Getting used to having dreads may take a while, but it will not constantly bug you. If they itch an abnormal amount then you probably have bugs or a skin condition on your scalp.

Dreads grow fast.
This comes as a surprise to many, but yes, dreads grow rather fast. Un-dreaded hair grows an average of .5" a month, 6" in a year. Dreads will not grow this much, but they will grow faster then normal hair does. Dreads will grow about 4-5 inches in a year. Yes, this is not as fast as un-dreaded hair, but think about this, if it were un-dreaded the hair would have grown around 10 inches in a year, which is more then normal. How does this happen? The weight. Dreads are heavy because stray hairs do not fall off your head, they stay suspended in the dreads. The weight of those hairs that would otherwise fall out, along with the weight of the dreaded hair itself, and possibly beads and other decorations, makes for a much greater amount of weight for the hair follicles to support. This weight stimulates the hair follicles and forces them to grow more. I'm guessing you think this makes your hair weak at the root from the stress, right? Nope. It makes the hair stronger and usually thicker. The longer and weightier your dreads are the faster they will grow (to an extent, you don't want to go and attach dumbbells to your hair or anything, and yes, the growth will eventually plateau).

Dreads keep you warm.
Dreads are very warm indeed. That and they cover your ears which produce most of your body heat. They are great to have in the winter time, and can be tied back in the summer time to avoid over-heating.

Dreads are comfortable.
Yes, very. If they aren't then you have too many beads in them.

If you have lice, spiders, or other bugs nesting in your hair you DO NOT have to cut them off
You heard right, you can get rid of those bastards without losing your locks. There are many methods of doing so. You can submerge your head in near-boiling water to roast em, rinse your hair in mouthwash, or bleach your hair. People will suggest some crazy stuff when it comes to getting rid of bugs; like spray-paint, mayonnaise, and other such nonsense. Stay away from all that toxic and mold-causing stuff, that's what destroys your dreads, not the bugs.

Dreads can be dyed/bleached
it's very easy to dye or bleach dreads. I've done it many times. Dreads are still just hair and can be dyed and designed how you like. I'll post a tutorial

Dreads can be extended.Oh hell yeah they can. This is what I love most about dreads, and also something I have learned to master over the years. I invented my very own methods of doing this since the internet offers no help on how to do this. You can naturally weave them in, or sew them in. You can make dreads out of severed human hair, use pre-made dreads off someones head, or use dreads made out of animal fur. A detailed tutorial on this is soon to come, my friends.

All hair types can be dreaded.
curly, straight, greasy, thin, thick... It can all be dreaded. Greasy hair may encounter locking problems, but it will happen eventually. Thin hair will make thin dreads, so if you have granny hair then try to make bigger, sturdier dreads.


You don't have to dread ALL of your hair
Damn right you don't. If you only want a few dreads then do that. If you want to make some test dreads to see how you like them them go for it. There's more hairstyles then just a head of dreads for those of you interested in getting dreadlocks, or for those of you who have them and are looking for a change in style.


Did I forget anything? Probably. If I ever think of things to add to this post, which I will, I'll throw them in. For now, enjoy the info.

...Living dreads indeed^

Maintenance!

Maintenance. That word makes me cringe. Like everyone else, when I first dreaded my hair many moons ago, I thought that dreads required no maintenance. How wrong I was. The less curly ("nappy" as it is sometimes call) your hair is, the harder it is for your hair to dread and stay dreaded. Same applies to if your hair is thin, silky or greasy by nature. These all slow down the dreading process. Nearly everyone will encounter these same problems that need close to constant maintenance:

• Loose/Un-dreaded roots
• Stray Hairs on scalp, hairline, and on dreads
• Unwanted conjoining of dreads at the roots
• Unraveling of dreads at the tips (what I call "paintbrush" dreads)

...The list goes on. These ones are very common though. They all can be solved simply with your hands or the all-powerful mini crochet hook. Don't give up on your dreads just yet. Here's how to solve these problems.

Loose/Un-dreaded roots
Hair will not naturally grow into dreads unless you are an african american. As your hair grows the roots will grow out straight and you'll end up with straight, normal hair with dreads on the end of it all. Many people leave this problem un-attended to. I do not know why. It looks terrible. The solution to this is likely the most simple of them all. Grab the dread at the root. If you can fit your finger through the root then there's room for improvement. If it is undreaded for several inches at the root then you've been slacking. Anyways, grab the dread at the root and simply rub it in a circular motion against the scalp. Do not physically SPIN the dread, just rotate the root as if you're drawing a tiny circle with a sharpie. You wouldn't spin the sharpie in your hand, would you? Do this for a few minutes. You can go clockwise or counter-clockwise. Some claim counter-clockwise is the way to do it, but it DOES NOT MATTER. You may not feel any difference but trust me, this will dread the roots.
I read somewhere that if you take the dread and weave it through itself at the root it will keep the roots tight. never...Ever..... EVER do this. I will provide pictures in the future of just how much that technique PERMANENTLY FUCKS UP your dreads.

Stray hairs
Stray hairs are the weeds of dreadlocks. It's your job to garden them out. They happen mostly on the hairline. This is due to your dreads naturally repositioning themselves and settling in the path of least resistance; like a river. They will also spring up in various places on the scalp (top of the head being the most common of spots), and along the dreads themselves. All of these can be pulled back into the dread with the..you guessed it.. the mini crochet hook. Like always you're just going to pierce it through the dread, hook onto the stray hairs, and pull them through the dread. Do this again and again from various angles until they're knotted into the dread. Don't pull too hard or hook already dreaded hairs as you pull the strays through.. you don't want to rip your dreads or stress the roots too much. Another method that tends to work relatively well is taking a hair tie (NOT a rubber band) and wrapping it around the dread a few times over at the base. It may get tangled in the dread, but since hair ties are coated in fabric it likely won't happen.


Unwanted conjoining

This doesn't happen to everyone, and it usually is a result of neglect, wearing a beanie hat too often, or having too much dirt/grime in your dreads. There are different degrees of this problem. It may be just a few hairs that have wandered to the wrong dread forming a small bridge, or two+ dreads may have fully formed into one mondo-dread. If they are only loosely conjoined then you simply just rip them apart. Don't rip your dreads off your head, just rip enough so that they separate. Yes, this is severing the hair, but it will only just mesh back into the designated dread so don't worry. If the dread is really thin, like the dread is the width of a pencil or smaller, then ripping them apart may sever the roots of the dread. If that is the case then you're best bet is to carefully perform surgery on the dread with a mini crochet hook and maybe some tiny scissors until it is back to normal. Or you could just let the little bugger conform into the other one until it's a thicker dread that forks into two. For the latter specified of this issue, when the dreads involuntarily form the crazy mondo-dread of doom, commonly called the BEAVER TAIL, there isn't much you can do.

If it's fully locked up as a big beaver tail then you've reached the point of no return with it. Either roll with it or just cut it off and start over with that spot. Don't worry too much about this happening to you know, it requires a LOT of neglect (like months) and dirt for it to form, and it will almost always form in the back (rat-tail location of scalp).

Unraveling of dreads

This will happen at the tip, and if not tended to will begin to spread up the dread. In the early stages of dreads this is something to look out for. If your dreads are more seasoned and have locked up more then it will not spread more then a few inches. I call these "Paintbrush" dreads because that's what they look like, a paintbrush (aren't I witty?). This can be solved with the mini crochet hook or by the palm-rolling technique. The best way to get your dreads to be dreaded down to the very end is to hook those hairs back in with the crochet hook and then palm roll the tip. It may take multiple sessions of this but it will work. I used to have this problem a lot when I first dreaded my hair. One thing I did was tie the dreads shut with dental floss. This worked, but in a weird way. It solved the problem of the paintbrush dread, but it made the dreads... pointy, I guess you could say. This could be your desired look, since most dreads end up knobby at the end, so you could use this method if that's what you're into. I got this idea from the method of using rubber bands on the tips. Rubber bands are mean to dreads. Since rubber is the sticky consistency that it is, rubber bands will get extremely tangled into the dreads. Trying to get them out is really hard. Don't use rubber bands for anything with dreads.

(^you may feel like doing this at times, maintenance can be tedious)

How to dread hair

I know this post will likely be altered because I seem to always discover new methods that work or find improvements on the ones I use. Anyways, here's my tutorial on how to dread hair. To start, keep in mind that dreads are different for EVERYONE because everyone has different hair. Differences in thickness, how fast it grows, whether it's wavy, straight, curly, etc. Stipulations like these may alter the dreading process from what I describe here, but all in all it won't be THAT different; it's all hair no matter whose head it's on. On to the tutorial..

You can dread your hair in a number of ways, but in my experience there are only a few methods that are guaranteed to work. Some methods will even damage your hair, and I have experience with that as well. The two main ways of dreading hair that have never failed me are with tools and without tools.
Dreading can be done by yourself or with help. I dreaded ALL my hair myself, even the back, it IS possible. People will tell you to section your hair into dread sized sections with rubber bands. DO NOT do this. I will explain why in the facts section. As far as sectioning your hair, just do it as you go. You can make them vary in widths by making them have bigger diameters on your scalp, or you can keep them uniform and all the same width. It's up to you. To have dreads down to your chin you will need hair roughly 15" in length. Your hair doesn't have to be dirty, but it DEFINITELY can't be freshly washed or wet. If you just washed your hair then wait till tomorrow, and make sure your hair is bone dry and without any residue of shampoo, soap, conditioner, lotion, hair gel/spray, bleach/dye or anything besides water. You do not want any of that stuff in your hair when it's about to be dreaded. Just dry, normal hair.
..on to how to dread.

With tools.
This is the easiest method of dreading hair and by far most recommended. There are two tools that you will need, a METAL LICE COMB:

and a MINI CROCHET HOOK:

(the pennies are used to show size).
These are easy to come by. Lice combs are used primarily on pets if they're metal, and can be acquired at any pet store. Notice that the teeth are very close together, but still thick enough to not break from stress. The mini crochet hook can be found at any craft store. Usually they come in sets. The one I use is a 7, them come from size 5-15 I believe. 7 works very well, any smaller and the hook won't grasp hair, and bigger and it won't act as a needle and "pierce" the dread.

Here's how you use them:
take a section of hair no smaller then 1.5-2" in diameter and separate it from the rest of your hair. Hold it straight out with one hand and with the other hand take the lice comb and start combing your hair backwards, towards your scalp. This is commonly called "Backcombing" (clever name, right?). You will feel the hair start to bunch up and knot. The section of hair you are holding out will start to dread at the base until you're left with a loosely locked dread with a few hairs remaining to stick out the end.
Here's where the crochet hook comes in handy.
Use the crochet hook to tighten the dread and wrangle loose hairs. To do this, pierce the crochet hook through the dread, hook the loose hairs, and then pull them through the dread. Keep doing this until all those damn loose hairs are stuck in the dread. Trapped like rats. You will learn to hate loose hairs.
Keep in mind that the crochet hook alone can dread hair with this method, it's just a tad more time consuming.

Without Tools:
I have only used this method when I didn't have tools to use; the reason being is that it is VERY time consuming, and it takes longer for the hair to lock.
What you do is, like the the aforementioned method, you take the section of hair you want to dread but instead of backcombing you kind of braid it. Just keep taking chunks of that section you want to dread and mix them together like you're making a super fucked up braid. Every couple of mixes take the hair and pull it in all directions, knotting it and forcing the knot down towards the scalp. Keep doing this until the dread is all knotted except for the end. The end is impossible to dread with this method.

Now, whether you did either of these methods, you're hair is still not going to be very locked up. A good thing to do at this point is take a dread between your palms and roll it back and forth like you're making a snake out of clay. Do this fast or slow, it doesn't matter. Do this to every dread as often as you can. You will find that the ends will come undone frequently. Either use the crochet hook to knot them back into the dread, or simply grab the dread with one hand and rub the tip into the palm of the other hand. Like you're grinding up medicine or something. These little tricks work great.

There are other methods that people use to dread hair. None of them really work. You can try them if you want to. I personally only support these methods.

I realize I don't have any pictures of the dreading process. I apologize for this. I have dreaded around 15 peoples heads, and also my own, but that was all before I made this blog, or had any intention of making this blog, so I never took any pictures. I will take some next time I dread a head. For now you're just going to have to follow the text. I might just draw some pictures of what it looks like and post those, haha.

If you followed my directions then you should have what basically appear to be dreads on your head. They will probably stick out, sometimes even straight out. They will not be tightly knotted. They will kindof suck. THIS IS NORMAL. It takes time for hair to dread, so be patient.

A lot of people swear by liquids that you put in your hair to speed up the dreading process. These people need to hold their horses. DO NOT put anything in your dreads besides water. Soap can go in dreads but there are certain ways you have to do it without messing up your dreads. I will discuss this in the maintenance section.

post questions and concerns in the comment box
good luck everyone.

History and useful facts to know before dreading your hair

An abridged history
Dreads have a long history. Some say their origin lies in Africa, some say Jamaica, some say Egypt and etc. Dreads have been around for thousands of years, so there's really no way to pinpoint exactly where they started. For as long as mankind has existed hair has been able to form knots, so dreadlocks could have started in any number of places at any time. Dreadlocks started to gain popularity in western civilization once Reggae music and the hippie counter culture movement started to gain popularity in the 1970s. Over the years they have become more widely accepted and have soared in popularity among people of varying age, gender and ethnicity. Much more on the history of dreads can be found on wikipedia.

A few basic things to know before you dread
There are some inevitable truths about dreads that not all people are particularly thrilled about. What many people fail to realize before they dread their hair is that dreads are not an easy way to get out of hair maintenance. Dreads DO require maintenance no matter who you are, although the degrees of it vary among all people. Don't think that once you dread your hair that you'll never have to touch it again, and if that's something that you're not into then maybe dreads aren't for you. Dreads are also considered by many to show that the person bearing them is non-professional. In many circumstances you will find that having them will prevent you from finding the job you want. This, of course, also tends to vary based on where you live, your job experience, and yes, even ethnicity. Another thing having dreads may cause that is along these same lines is discrimination, not just at a workplace but in daily life as well. This doesn't happen to everyone but it is a somewhat common occurrence due to dreads currently being not the most widely accepted of hair styles. This is a very brief summary of a "facts" post that I will make in the future, where I will address many more issues, various facts, and advice.

Night Of The Living Dread Is Here

Hello all, and welcome to my new blog all about dreadlocks. After years of experience and never finding what I consider to be a decent website or blog on the subject I finally broke down and started one myself. My goal is to make the most in depth, and informative blog for all those who wish to start their own dreadlocks, or already have them and have unanswered questions. All experience and techniques that I write on the subject are from my own personal experience, and I will provide pictures. I'm also open to answer any questions sent to me in the form of comments and messages. Beware... the Night of the Living Dread is here!

-Junkdread-