Thursday, September 20, 2007

Looking 'artsy in a clean sort-of way'

My hair is such a disaster, the Red Cross wouldn't give it coffee.
For a couple, maybe three, weeks now I've been attempting somewhat unsuccessfully to dread my hair.
Now, there are a lot of misconceptions about dreadlocks, and so I would like to dispel some of those urban hair myths if I may:
- For most, simply not brushing your hair does lead to dreadlocks, not very nice ones anyway. I have a few friends who this has worked for, but there is some maintenance involved.
- You still have to wash your hair when you have dreads. Dreadlocks form best with dry hair. Oily hair does not work as well, therefore washing is a must.
I guess those were the two main things.
My hair is thick, curly and course. I though it would be perfect for dreading, but it's not taking very well, hence the above disaster comment.
A couple weeks ago, when I made the decision, I sat down with a fine-tooth comb, clips, tiny elastics, beeswax and an entire season of Will and Grace. I separated the hair into sections and backcombed, or teased, the snot out of it. Then I twisted and twisted with a bit of wax until my head was covered in puffy, schlongs of hair. After a few days, the knotted hair began to unravel. Can it be? I kept up the maintenance, sitting down each night and teasing the crap out of the hair. (with a comb, not verbally). Again, after a few days and a gentle washing with all-natural shampoo, the knots were coming out. Did I tell you that I have horse hair? I mean, really, WTF?
I'm now in the third week and all my original dreads have come undone. I'm not giving up, however. Now I want them more than ever. It takes months for dreads to start and sometimes years for them to look good, if you like how dreads look, which I do.
So, even though I'm not patient, I will wait and tease and tease and probably get teased. That's OK, though.
I won't post any pictures because, well, you know, the aforementioned disaster. But Google Medusa and you might get an idea.
Peace.

5 comments:

Theresa said...

Owen loves Medusa. He pretends to be Perseus and is always looking for someone to role play with him. Hang in there, dreadlock rasta. If you are patient, they will come.

P said...

I have dreads! I didn't use wax, I used a flea comb and rubber bands, it still came out pretty crap-tastically. Then my friend looped my dreads through the roots for me. Go to this link:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=get_up_dread_up
--they have really great tips. Good luck!!

P said...

oops i think the link didn't take:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=get_up_dread_up

Anonymous said...

I love you and your hair. It is beautiful. If I could I'd marry your hair. --lib

tangle said...

Did you try putting pantyhose over your head at night, until they stick? Or washing your hair in salt water right before dreading? I've got super fine, not-dread-friendly hair but mine stuck when I had them a couple years ago. I had to cut them off for a job, but I'm thinking about putting them in again.