Dread Journey

Happy 2 years to my Dreadlocks.

On August 12, 2014, I decided to begin my 'dread journey'. For someone who would cut and colour her hair every few months, dreads was a huge change, a change that couldn't easily be reversed once decided. It was keep it, or shave it.... all or nothing! And two years later, you can see that I have kept it!

But trust me, I've had my moments where i wanted to shave it too! Its something that I've been able to grow with. They have gone through stages and have taught me patience along the way. Patience to watch them change, and mature. In many ways, it reflects on me.

When I got them, I vowed to myself to always try to be a better person. I'll admit I used to have sticky fingers, and now having dreads and a considerable amount of tattoos, I'm too recognizable to be caught being naughty.... So instead i'll be caught being knotty ;) did you see what i did there?

Nonetheless, Today it has been 2 years since I knotted up my fine caucasian hair. Last year I was shocked that I still had dreads. But now that its been two whole years, I wouldn't change it for 'normal' hair and can't wait to see what the next year brings for them. I've seen it go through some wild changes.

I'll explain with photos

Before I had Dreads, I had a bob hair cut about shoulder length, and had it coloured ombre, from natural dirty blonde to a lighter blonde. I wanted long dreads, but didn't have the length. So I did what any curious cat would do and watched every single youtube video on dread extensions. I had a method in mind, and went out to hunt for real human hair extensions. I picked out some that matched the roots, and some that matched the tips.

So this is freshly dreaded, fuzzy fuzzy hair....

I figured out how to wear it in a braid. and watched them grow tighter.

And this is the results of small braids taken out.

And how to rock it in a pony tail.

I learned how heavy they get when you submerse them in water...

And how to curl them, and add funky knots instead of using elastics! The more time passed, the tighter they got, but also the shorter they got. They kind of condense as they mature.

But this lasted about a year, and then the ends became brittle and dry and really annoying... so I decided to take the extensions out and see the length they would turn out to be.... And this was a big change for me.

These are the results.

I didn't really feel like I had them anymore, I had way more loose hair, and the dread only went half way down my hair shaft so that I could still have the ability to curl them, and keep some length. But I was relieved to have the itchy dry hair out and to feel an all natural and all me type of way. kind of like a haircut, dread style.

But! Of course... after a while... I really missed my length, and missed being able to use my own locks to tie my hair up... So I went out and bought more real hair extensions. And made dreadlock extensions. This made it so that the top of my dreads were nearly two years mature, and the bottom are fresh dreadies (a term for baby dreads)

And this is how they currently are:

Crimped, braided, curled and wild!

Until next year...The dread journey continues!