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Natural dread

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Time Zone: EST (New York, Toronto)

Messenger: Alabaster ointmnt

Sent: 2/16/2023 7:22:15 PM

chim in

I would like to know how each of your started your locs .has it been a journey for you ?have you faced any road blocks along the way with your crown? have you ever been targeted or particularly loved for you locs? empresses I know there is a few of us on this forum , I would like to hear about your stories on how you became a locd rasta woman .

I myself do not have any locs in now as a combed mine out at the beginning of last year but I would like to share that I still consider myself a rasta woman natural woman of the irates and hearticle . I’m thinking about loving my dread again but I simple have a crown of natural hair that I twist . some in Jamaica even consider this to be locs as well.

I want to hear from the man dem and the sistrens please share

one love

Messenger: JAH Child

Sent: 2/17/2023 11:52:33 AM

Greetings Empress
The subject of Dreadlocks has been discussed so many times before on this site:

All About Hair, Yogi Style

Meaning of dreadLocks

Dreadlocs care

Natty dread on women

Starting Dreadlocks

How To Wash Hair When Freeforming?

But to answer your specific questions:
I just stopped combing my hair, it freeformed, this was 10 years ago now and I have knee length dreads now. Of course it's a journey, growing dreadlocks does not happen overnight so of course it's always a journey for everyone. I've never had a single problem in society, people tell me all the time they love my headwrap, employers are always respectful which is required by law anyways. The only issue I've ever had is that I can get a headache from the weight and it being tied too tight.
My King has been dread up since.. probably 1998 or so.. I'm not sure exactly when. Long long before I knew him. He has a job in the county school district and no one ever trouble him about his hair, he's very well respected amongst his colleagues. He just wears a tam. He come to a point of bongo natty, he basically has 3 big bongos, some thinning at the top. I truly admire his departure from vanity with the way he let his hair be up to nature, no manicuring. What a relief compared to some men I knew who would even get fake locs attached, wear baseball caps even in bed to cover their thinning, and of course turn their insecurity toward me, criticize every little thing about my appearance and my hair. These experiences have taught me a lot. Natty dread is the only way to go for I, and it's great to have a partner who accepts his own natural self and therefore also accepts my natural self.

No judgement on your own hair choices though. Everyone has to choose for themselves whether they want to comb, trim, whatever it may be. At least it's natural and that's always a beautiful thing.

I always refer to my hair as DREADlocks in honor of Tafari, in Amharic meaning the Dread One, Ras Tafari the Head of Dread. People have their own take on it but no locs for I, it's dread, dread, dread, dreader than dread.

Messenger: Alabaster ointmnt

Sent: 2/17/2023 9:32:48 PM

Bless up thanks for the links curious to hear from some others

Messenger: GARVEYS AFRICA

Sent: 2/19/2023 11:08:20 AM

Rastafari is many things, one being an outward expression of culture with the dreadlocks being one of the most obvious format. At the same time Rastafari does not seek validation from others. Make of that what you will. I tend not to agree with Morgan Heritage. But each to their own

Respect

Messenger: jessep86

Sent: 2/24/2023 11:27:07 AM

My hair is a natural extension on my body. In many ancient indigionous cultures hair cuts were never a thing. Hair grows to a certiain length for each individual. I found my dreads dont want to grow past my waist.
My beard is not full more like a gotee, it formed 2 dreads into one and to my belly button.
In many places, for asia for example, slaves were given haircuts to show they were slaves. Ghengas Khan did this to the chinesse women gave them bangs.
Not to judge those who have haircuts, but look at why they do. When I last got cuts or shaved all my hair I would feel naked after and need a hat.
I put alot of attention on getting blood flow to scalp, sunshine, nutrients both from inside ingested and outside topical.
I have tore dread with my hands, dreads that got too congo and became for me unclean and too heavy on scalp. Do scissors or comb. No knife, my hands and finger nails have seperated dreads that were too congo. So now as new are forming I keep a eye on them!

I have contemplated both haircuts and shaving but the vow I took is too strong and outweighs all those comtemplations.

Have been growing natty for 15 years now and have overcome any stigma. I can work in professsional world with them and I can imearse myself in wild nature with them.

Its how we carry the dreads if we have them that matters. Its how we carry ourselves that matters, dreads or not.

I dont worry about some dirt and lint anymore, I just wash best possible.

We know the hair is full of nutrients and can reveal alot about our health. I have colors of hair natural, a blend of blonde, black, brown, grey, red..... I am american and have alot of mixed ancestry. Its amazing how much hair can change, for example sunlight makes it lighter in color. I believe if we are lacking some nutrients we can tap intto our hair as reserves. I also believe haircuts make hair grow more because body want it to be there. When hair is full it dont grow, or dont grow as much so body can do other work.

Out of all the species of mammels humans grow hrow grow hair just on head, this is a mystery to be meditated upon....

Messenger: JAH Child

Sent: 2/24/2023 5:35:19 PM

More Love Idren

Awo Iyah Ras Jesse that's a great meditation indeed. Give Ises.

Garveys Africa has the I seen how Ky-Mani has recently cut his dreads? My Kingman suggested it's possibly due to a personal loss of a loved one/family member, he says this is common in his experience with Jamaican Rasta. However it could be for any reason, I don't know, I didn't ask him personally, so I can't know his reason. But what does the I say about this? I know the I reasoned before too, sometimes when dreads get too heavy, ones n ones might cut short, then start all over again.

I tend to be more aligned with Ras Jesse in saying I have made a covenant that I will not cut or comb my hair, so I simply don't cut or comb it.

Not that I havent had loss of loved ones. Not that I haven't had issues with the heaviness. Just that my personal covenant supercedes those things.

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