Dreads or Knots?

[peaceful chaos]

Hey friends.

So i've not combed my hair in about a year now as I wanted to let it lock up.The thing is its now matted in the back and kinda tangles into one main clump.This isnt how I thought it would work out.

Will dreads eventually form from this or did it not happen as it should have? I was under the impression the dreads would form from many seperate strands and not from one huge matt.

[heron]

you have "shithead", if it is one big knappy mat, you might have to cut it into seperate pieces and rub them into locks.

[peaceful chaos]

Thanks for the reply.

So how would you go about doing this?

Just cut the clumped together strands of hair or pick it loose with something?

[heron]

say its one matted piece, cut up it, vertically, about an inch from your scalp, now you have french fries all in your head, palm roll them into shape.

[freedomforall...ALL]

Sorry to say this, but Heron is wrong. There is nothing you can do now but cut it. There is no way you can pick it apart, trust me. The same thing happened to me.

[heron]

Well, you can listen to me, or the 14 year old.....your choice.

[Irish Hippy]

Lol.... even if u listened to Heron and he was wrong (which i dont think he will be), but what would u lose if u had to cut it anyway?

A guy that i worked with got one big clump at the back of his head, which formed as a result of him not combing for 3 monthes. He decided that seen as the dreads were already half way formed he would keep em, and so he cut that clump into 2, and then further divided them everynow and again. Now he has a loads of cool dreads (when i say cool i mean well shaped, and pretty to the eye, aswell as sturdy). He said it took him the best part of an hour to cut the clump in 2 parts. He didnt mention finger rolling them, but cut and see if u think it needs finger rolling. I have never had a clump or seen anyone deal with it, except the befores and afters of my friend, so i am not an expert.
But i know it IS possible to cut successfully.
freedomforall probably just took a scissors to his head and cut around for a while aimlessly, and then decided to cut it all off, otherwise i really dunno why else he might say that u have to cut it off, unless he is being an ass, which i hope he isnt :).

Peace and Love

[SLammon420]

I don't see why you couldn't cut it and then palm roll them into dreads.

[SLammon420]

Sorry to say this, but Heron is wrong. There is nothing you can do now but cut it. There is no way you can pick it apart, trust me. The same thing happened to me.

Heron said to cut the mat into seperate little strands and palm roll them...why are you saying he couldn't do this?

[dollydagger]

I think you should just roll with one big shnotty dread....real rastas dont cut their hair, they just let it go....plenty of 'em with one lock

[heron]

I think you should just roll with one big shnotty dread....real rastas dont cut their hair, they just let it go....plenty of 'em with one lock

who said anything about rastas??? What is the hang up that dreads=rasta???

Fuck that pisses me off...

[freeinalaska]

who said anything about rastas??? What is the hang up that dreads=rasta???

Fuck that pisses me off...

Um,this was posted in the Rastafari forum. And....it was the Rasta/Reggae influence that brought dreadlocks into modern counter culture society, was it not?

[heron]

Um,this was posted in the Rastafari forum. And....it was the Rasta/Reggae influence that brought dreadlocks into modern counter culture society, was it not?

Still...in the thread nothing of being a "real rasta" was mentioned...

No one I know with dreads are because of rasta...or because of counter culture for that matter...mine (the few i have) are religious in meaning and have nothing to do with fashion or reggae.....it sucks that everyone with dreads in put into the same category...

[freeinalaska]

Our dreads mean different things for each person. Mine were deeply spiritual for me as well, but I doubt us white people from the susburbs would have know what they were if not for the Rastas and reggae, at least not those of us who grew them over twenty years ago.

Ancient egyptions had them. Shiva had them. Rastafarians introduced them in our time and we used them for our own spritual symbolism.

[WayfaringStranger]

the real solution is to grit your teeth, and rip them apart with your hands. when you have dreads you always have to do this to keep them from forming one big dread. although some people prefer scissors, waxes, and salons, these are just cosmetic pretty boy ways of imitating a spiritual path.