2 April 2012

Why Dreadlocks?

Practically speaking, my Afro-Caribbean hair has been on a lengthy trial; cornrows, hot presses, braids, perms, weaves, accessories, colours, products, hair cut, after hair cut, after hair cut... They all offered the illusion of long-term freedom and flexibility that never quite came to fruition. Each hairstyle, in it's own right, reaped initial benefits; compliments, fashion-ability, creativity, but non survived.

I have always wanted my hair to visually express who I am, to make that opening statement to world that encompasses the essence of my personality. I wanted a hairstyle that was feminine and vibrant but also practical, low maintenance and inexpensive. Most of all I wanted hair confidence.

The Story...

One day I just fell in love with the appearance of dreadlocks and my desire blossomed in a relatively short time. I'm fortunate that my lifestyle gives me the freedom to express myself in a variety of ways and my hiatus from student life gave me the perfect opportunity to explore. So I decided I wanted dreadlocks.

I researched for several months whilst "transitioning" with loc extensions. My transition was really a bi-product of needing to find an out of the way hairstyle for a new job whilst simultaneously venturing back into the world of hair colour. I wore deep red kinky hair extensions for around two months and at that point I had given little thought towards cutting my hair or loc'ing it up for real. I just enjoyed the instant new look for what it was.

After a couple of months of loc research, loc thoughts, and a heap of loc pros and cons, I came to recognise that a dreadlock journey could embody many of the lifestyle principles I wished to uphold in the future; understated, economical, individual and creative. Overall I believe wanting to grow dreadlocks was a response to my decision to end the up hill struggle with social fads and approach life with a less is more attitude because I'd suddenly realised that for almost a decade my hair had been unjustifiably time consuming, expensive and unnecessary.

So with the new year, came the desire to be drastic and on the second week of 2012 I arranged a salon appointment and under went my big chop.

I started my loc journey on the 3rd April 2012 and I'm using this blog to document the goings on along the way - check it out.


DREADLOCKS ARE...

6 comments:

  1. i see myself so much on this page. you've literally taken the words out of my mouth. also, answered the question i asked: "what about you" yesterday. so, there's no need to repeat your words. and you're right about how lifestyle has a big impact on whether you get them or not. there are several professional industries here that i'd feel uncomfortable having them. but this life i have now is perfect for dreads and perfect for all the colorful strings i'm putting in them. :)

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  2. lol @ bright red kinky twists. I rocked some of those when I was transitioning from relaxed.

    Love your story. I see some similarities to mine, especially the 2nd to last paragraph. I never knew I wanted dreads until I had them. Now they complement me so well I don't know why I ever tried all that other stuff.

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  3. lol @ bright red kinky twists. I rocked some of those while transitioning.

    Love your story. It sounds similar to mine, especially the 2nd to last paragraph.

    I never knew I wanted dreads until I had them. Now they complement me so well that I wonder why I ever did all that other stuff.

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    1. Hey, thanks for reading up on my story. It's a comfort to know that even across the pond people are united by something as basic as hair.

      My long term plan in to dye my own locs red permanently but I'm still researching the diy vs. salon pros and cons

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  4. I also have a very similar story and got the big chop today!!!!. They look kinda crazy right now, I'm going to get a stocking cap and maybe a wig for job interviews, but I feel sooooo much better. Nice to see there is someone with me taking this journey:)

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    1. Hi Kenya,

      So pleased you stopped by and left your mark here. I recall my big chop was very quick and I hadn't though about how funky it'd look growing out. I was looking for a job just like you and I put in extensions asap. Fortunately I was successful as I sincerely hope you are too.

      Stay in touch and let me know where I can find updates on your natural hair journey too.

      Peace :))

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