Dreds... should i or shouldnt i?

hey everyone!
im 15 years old and I really want to get dreds. I just love they way they look. even though some people are like they are gross and dirty, but not really, i mean they do have certain shampoos for that. But i was wondering from those who have them, if i do decide to get them, when i want to take them our is it true I have to shave my head? because i just really dont want to do that. That would be my worst nightmare. haha and will it totally ruin my hair? thanks!

 

your young enough to totally ruin your hair and grow a whole new head of hair! it depends on how long you have them or how dreaded and locked they are when you want to remove them. ive seen them be brushed out. but to be honest i dont really think its worth all that hassle. just dread your hair and keep it forever. and when you want to get rid of them when your a granny, just dont dread the roots for a while and cut them out! i love dreads and i highly reccomend them! even my grandparents love my hair!

 

I've never had dreds myself (maybe one day!) but I saw a girl on tv and she had been growing her dreds for YEARS...they were super long and super locked and she was getting a makeover where they cut her dreddies off to about chin length and untangled the remaining hair....at the end she looked really nice and had a nice little chin length cut. So no you don't have to totally shave your head if you don't want to.

 

No you want hafta shave your head, but it is a pain to comb em out and it probably hurts lil too. Talk to Earthymama, she just took her dreads out after something like 4 years. Dreads are not dirty, in fact cleaner dreads dread fast and tighter. Check out the knotty know-how forum. It is in the personal forums about 3/4 the way down. There is alot of info on how to dread, what to use, what not to use. Just alot of good first hand info!

 

if you're asking here and waiting for our response, I doubt you're ready. I know when I'm ready to get hem, i'll just know and so will you. If you place a huge amount of importance on having your hair, and it would be the end of the world to cut it all off, I would wait.

 

Headymoe is right.... If is a big deal for you to have to cut of your hair your not ready...

 

i dont think i can take mine out any more, wold probly have to cut them and have a tiny mohawk or something if i wanted to get rid of em............. but i absolutely love mine, they are ugly as hell right now cuz they are super short and i look like flava flav haha but they will grow and mature and look beautiful one day........

 

yeah, I was going to mention they look like crap for a long time (not crap, but not like mature dreads) until they grow into real knotty dreads. It takes about 6 months for them to start looking liek "real" dreads. My man has some and they are only 3 months old. I love them to death! I like the early, quirky stages, but if you care a lot about appearance, you might want to hold off. THey can get a little funky sometimes. Erik only has to go to work. He probably wouldn't have done them if he was still in school.

 

yea, well i wasnt going to get them right now... iw as going to wait until the summer, but it wouldnt be the END of the world if i had to shave my head, i would just get upset because i like to have hair on my head.

 

I thought she only had her dreads for a few months...like 7 or something. It definitely wasn't 4 years...lol.

But yeah, I saw that makeover show where they took out that chick's dreads who had them for years and years and they were able to give her chin-length hair at the end. And then she looked like every other girl in this slowly-assimilating world we live in...lol...

Getting off track...but yeah, you can have dreads and then salvage some hair, I think. I've had mine for over a year, and I honestly don't think there's a chance in hell they could come out. But then again, cutting all my hair off isn't a huge deal to me. But I guess if you're willing to go through the pain and conditioner to get 'em out, it can be done.

 

depends on where you what to go in life...

 

yes get the dreads- ive been considering the same thing- but the downsides: yes, the hair will be dead so to get rid of them you have to cut your hair super super short- i mean i dont know ab you but i change rapidly i used to be a hige spice girls fan and wear platform shoes and knee highs now im a huge hippy and (hopefully not) but tomorrow i may want to be a straightlaced republican lawyer or something and the dreads might set you back- or the bald head may set you back- whatever- its a tough decision but i think you should do it- they are gorgeous

 

i really really want them but my mom wont let me. i am upset about it. but i do love them and hopefully i could get them in the summer!!!

 

I have dreads. You can usually get your dreads out pretty easily the first month(s) or so but after that it can be quick tricky. There are dread removel kits sold at www.knottyboy.com and you can just put LOADS of conditioner into your hair if you want to attempt to comb them out. You have to know though that dreads don't just happen.. it takes months and months (and years) to get amazing tight looking dreads.

As for the age thing.. I think you'll know when you feel okay to do them. I wanted some since I was 14 but never had the guts to do them. The sahving head thing was a big concern for me as well. I just got mine about 6 months ago now and I'm 16. I just knew I should get them when I felt comfortable with the idea and now I'm even worrying about what I'll do when I don't want them anymore. JUst give it time, you'll know when you're ready.

 

Theres more benefits to dreds than meets the eye. Experiencing them is very strengthening.

 

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It's true you have to cut them off but that's not as extreme as shaving your head. They are just matted hair that you can't comb. You have to wash and care for it much better than if you have regular hair because it can look and smell very bad. You want to watch out how you care for it. Try it short, that way if you don't like it it won't feel so bad when you have to cut it.

 

hey,
i have dreads, and they arenot gross and dirty if you don't want them to be. you don't have to wash them nearly as much as normal hair. i was mine anywhere from once a week to once every two weeks. At first it's not smart to wash them more than that becuase they will untangle and you will just have messy hair.

If you want them out you can get them combed out but it hurts, i've heard it hurts more than getting them in (the backcombing method of getting them in). And if you want to cut them out you can just stop touching up the roots and new hair will grow normally (not in dread form) so you can cut your dreads off with your new hair at your own desired length.

 

I had dreads and were able to take them out after a lot of combing out and you'll never believe this but I used Johnson's detangler to aid in me taking them out. LOL

 

alright well i still dont know if im going to get them

 

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Get one of those play hats. (The kind that have the fake dreads attached.) That way you'll know how they'll look before you grown them and you can wear it around your friends without aggrivating your mom.