My Journey to Dreadlocks

“There is something very liberating about ‘going natural’.”

I was recently asked to comment on the challenges of natural unprocessed hair and/or dreadlocks compared to the trending relaxed hair and extensions. I was asked whether I preferred processed or unprocessed hair, and what were some of the challenges I experienced along the way.

For some reason or the other, some folks seem to think that there is something unattractive about natural hair. Believe it or not, even the opposite sex appears to be more drawn to women who sport long, curly or straight hair whether natural or extensions, as long as the hair was past the shoulders their heads would turn.  I can testify to this as I have sported both processed and unprocessed hair, even tried a wig once, long deep waves with a bang; I was totally amused at how freckle minded males can be, oh no, let me rephrase that, how visual they are. :) As a teenager, my hair was processed for manageability but in my 30’s I opted to experiment. Twice, I went back and forth between relaxed and natural hair before I made my final decision.  Along the way I have made some interesting discoveries.

My first conclusion was it takes a very confident woman to go against the trend of weaves and extensions to first cut and sport a low hair cut and secondly to allow her hair to grow out in its natural form. One better be confident in one’s own skin to pull that off!  There were moments when I wished I didn’t do the natural hair thing, especially when I look at my friends and other females enjoying the freedom of wearing their hair in a variety of different styles. I eventually found ways to rock my hair the way it was and loved it.

I admired dreadlocks for so long but never seemed to have the courage to start the process, but I kept having visions of myself as a mature female with gorgeous locks.  I felt confident enough to try in 1995, when I cut my hair for the first time, rocking a bald head to start from scratch, it was my symbol of a new beginning. I have experienced being stereotyped; was frown upon by other females, and had my “Oh no! She didn’t!”moments. I was also referred to as “nappy head”… lol, that one was way too funny not to mention.  Unfortunately, sporting dreadlocks is still being viewed in a negative way. Those who wear it are usually stereotyped as associated with Rastafarianism or ‘weed-smoking’. I clearly remember a friend making fun of me, referring to me as a “fake dread” just because I opted not to take part in social smoking. There I was the only one in the group with dreads and I don’t smoke pot, to date I still find it funny being called “fake dread”.

When my hair was long enough to braid, I experiment with braids; I tried it long and straight and other times long and curly.  I was amazed at the heads I turned just because of the choice I exercised. It was unbelievable, same woman, same body, just longer hair more whatever was in their thinking type hair. The results stunned even me. All types of men noticed me more (PS: they are so superficial). Funny! I have one particular friend, her husband prefers her with long hair, so she is always wearing extensions. Sigh….The things women do to please men, but hey, that’s another story….

There is something very liberating about ‘going natural’. And if it’s dreadlocks that you choose, it really has nothing to do being a Rasta or smoking weed. I certainly don’t experience the same hair woes as I used to with relaxed hair. I have more freedom when I go to the beach or to the pool or just having an intimate shower time for two. The most tedious experience for me is keeping it neat because I chose to palm roll, over using the needle locking technique. Palm rolling is gentler on the scalp and hair line, something that is often taken for granted when hair is worn in its natural state.  I met a woman who recently had to cut off her 10 years locks because she lost her hairline. Too much pressure wear out the hairline. My advice is to watch the up do’s, avoid pulling too tight.

Locking the hair requires patience with the various stages.  The amount of time the hair takes to lock depends on the hair texture.  I thoroughly enjoyed every stage of my hair. I experimented with different hair colors, from shades of brown to platinum blonde. Coloring is a great option for adding interest to natural hair. For the first two years before I started to lock, I double stranded, twisted and braided from time to time. This gave me a chance to weigh my options before I made my final decision.

With natural hair, it is important to take the same care as you would with chemically treated hair. Choose the best products that would compliment your hair texture.  You still need to shampoo and deep conditioned the hair as often as possible, and add your oils so your scalp and natural hair is healthy and well managed. I recommend that you steer clear from waxes, heavy hair dressing. These get trapped in the locks as time go by and the build up causes the hair to break. Gels with high alcohol content dries out the hair, water based gels are better. The best product line I have used is Jamaican Mango & Lime. There is a wide range of products to choose from.  I however prefer to use a shampoo and conditioner in one and from time to time I use the Olive Oil Deep Conditioning treatment, I love the way it leaves my hair nice and silky when its dry. I just have to ensure I rinse it thoroughly. I also like the new line of shampoo and conditioners by L’oréal. They are sulfate free. The Tresemmé line is also great, and the new Naturals is also low in sulfate. When I colored my hair, I opted for a shampoo & conditioner that caters specifically for my hair needs. I have since stop colouring my hair, I am enjoying my natural texture, I discovered that the chemicals from the colour was messing with my natural texture, I believe this is another phase of my experiment, will see how it goes in a few years when the greys starts to peep out :)

Eight years ago, I made the decision to go all the way, dread locks baby. My hair is half way down my back and I am still having as much fun with it as I did when my hair was relaxed and yes I still experienced bad hair days, believe it or not. But I won’t trade my dread locks for relaxed hair or extensions or for anything else in the world! Whatever your choice is, ensure you are comfortable and you are taking good care of you from the inside out.

One of my most interesting discoveries is that there are a few guys who love women who opt to wear their hair natural, and love dread locks. Winks!!!

All rights reserved