Hey everyone I have a question ... i was thinking about getting dreads... but this question always pops up in my mind how do u get them out ? this may sound stupid but i dont kno much about dreads . I heard you cut them out ? i also heard they just come out after awhille. soo please be nice LOL and help me out thanks Peace <3 KATY
When they're still young you sometimes can comb them out.. while using a lot of conditioner.. but that will take aaaaaaaaaaages.. So just cutting is the easiest way.
I agree with the above poster. If you're not sure if you want them...don't get them...it's extremely difficult to brush or comb them out once they get past a certain point... You'll end up having to cut a lot of it out and deep condition it to get the knots out. But it's virtually impossible after a certain age to get ALL of the knots out.
that's a little harsh. We can all be sure about what we want today, even tomorrow and maybe even next week but there's nothing wrong with admitting the decisions we make now may not allways be the decisions we should have made. Circumstances change, people change, if dreadlocks is right today but not in five years then there's nothing wrong with wanting to know how to change that decision.
but in 5 years combing them out will be impossible. if you want to know how to get em out, you're not planning on keeping em for 5 years. dreads are not temporary..
Easiest method - you shave them off with buzz clippers. No big deal. It's just hair, it will grow back. A bit more work, you cut them short and start combing, and combing and combing. A lot of conditioner would help, and you comb some more. I had an accidental dreadlock (haha - just a big matted nappy spot in the back where I wasn't combing my hair well enough) in highschool, and I cut it in half. When I got tired of combing I shaved it all off. Got rid of that gawdawful 80's style big hair perm, anyway! And it was fun to not have any hair when everyone, even the boys had big big hairdos.
but cutting them out will never be impossible and unless I'm very much mistaken the original post enquired about this as one of the options for removing dreadlocks. So if I want to cut my dreadlocks off in 5 years I shouldn't have got them in the first place? Ridiculous
that's not what I'm saying it depends on how you interpret her question, to me it sounds like she wouldn't want dreadlocks for several years
and if she doesn't want dreadlocks for several years then a few helpful people in this thread have provided her with information on how to remove them if she decides too. If there's one thing I'm not a fan of it dreadlock elitism, some people do it because it looks good, others don't. Neither are more valid or right, aslong as you're not hurting anyone then do what you like with your hair.
I agree with you that everyone's different, blah blah blah, but I very much agree with annie on this point also. Dreadlocks are a COMMITMENT, and nobody should let their hair dread unless they are willing to accept one of two (possible, but very probable) inevitable outcomes: (1) I have dreads forever, or (2) I shave my head when I don't want them. I don't think this is an "elitist" point of view - it's just realistic. I've known far too many naive people who go into the process thinking "oh, I'll just comb it out in a few months.." You might think that the truth is harsh, but the op here did sound an awful lot like she wasn't ready for a commitment to it, even for a year, much less 5.
You were missing the point of my thread, and I do not think I was being harsh at all. The reality is...if you want dreads, it's not easy and you surely will have to cut all of your hair off if you want to take them out. If you healthy, luxurious long hair after taking your dreads out right away, it's not going to happen. I am certainly not an elitist...and my hair certainly doesn't look "good" my societies standards. She asked for her opinion and I gave it. I don't hear her complaining.
and I had an opinion on your opinion and I gave it. All I'm saying here is I read post upon posts of people telling people that the only reason you can have dreadlocks is spiritual, and the only way to do it is natural, whats the problem with these kids doing what the hell they want to do with their hair, if she gets fed up of it in 5 years then now she knows what she'll have to do to take them out. It's like the post I read in the tattoo forum, there was one girl with a tattoo on her lower back, something fairly commonly seen and some of the posters (particularly you annie) ripped her apart. So much for the peaceful spirit, provide help not judgement.
There are some seriously negative vibes coming from you guys ... relax, please. Everyone has an opinion, thats what makes this world so beautiful. Live and let live. To the OP. I think your questions been answered, but just to throw in some personal expirience ... My friend Andrea just cut her dreads off and her hair is pretty short ... it's not shaved though. So you can still have a short hairstyle, but like DancerAnnie said, "don't expect luxurious long hair." It just dosent work that way. I'm sure if you decide to dread you'll love them so much, you won't be thinking about taking them out. I love mine to death, and don't have any intentions of parting with them anytime soon.
I don't remember anyone in this forum saying that the only reason to get dreads is for spiritual reasons...I come here daily...but I must have missed that one. Can you send me a link please? Most of us in this forum encourage using the natural method as personal choices...no one who comes in here for advice needs to heed any of it that is given... Everyone is just saying that it's not easy to take them out in 5 years if you don't want them anymore...by "not easy" I'm saying...you'll need to either shave it off, or cut them off very close to your scalp and deep condition. And as far as the tattoo forum goes...that has nothing to do with dreads, so I'm not sure why you are bringing that up here...if you would like to discuss that in the Tattoo and Piercing forums, I encourage you to.
Cutting them would probably be the easiest...but it IS possible to comb them out also. The longer you have them, the longer you will have to comb. I combed mine out, as did a couple other people I know. I had my dreads for 3 1/2 years, and after combing them out, and getting a trim, my hair has never looked healthier Maybe I just have special hair, but after combing my dreads out (which took months...), it was healthier than it was before I had dreads. I have pictures for proof if you need it.
DONT FUCKING COMB THEM OUT!! i did it and it takes a bottle of hard conditionar, and hours of combiing soo not worth it!! if ur not sure if u want them DONT GET THEM!!!
i deffinitely think it was worth it...i love my long hair now...in dreads it was to my shoulders, combed out it was to my belly button
