Why would I want dreadlocks? Well, it all started when I met a girl in choir my sophomore year who had dreadlocks. She was an interesting person, definitely different. She'd wear long hippie skirts and sometimes even saris to school. I thought she was beautiful.

I looked at pictures of dreadlocks online, and found that I preferred the backcombed method (where you can choose the size and thickness of your dreads, as opposed to the patience method where you let them form on their own). I also love the look of dreads when they're tied up or back - it seems to me the fastest way to go from "extremely casual" (hair down) to "incredibly distinguished" (hair up.)

I thought to myself that I wanted to try dreadlocks, but at the time, my hair was rather short (and about to get much shorter, as I'm sure you all remember!) Over time, my hair hasn't been allowed to get much longer than it is now. I looked at pictures of dreadlocks and thought about getting them, but never really looked that deeply into it.

I watched a video on dreadlocks by a guy who said that his reason for dreading his hair was that he's always felt different, and wanted people to see that without him saying it. I felt a pang of understanding, because I can relate to that in a big way. I've always done weird things to my hair, because it was one of the easiest ways to express myself. (I have since learned that guy is kind of a douche who pushes dread wax on people, a completely unnecessary product, but that's another rant entirely.)

When I entered the work force and realized I could no longer dye my hair whatever color I liked, I was pretty disappointed. But for some reason I've noticed that it's not difficult to be in a workplace environment with dreadlocks - it might be frowned up on here in Idaho, but most places are pretty accepting of dreads nowadays. Why dreads are more acceptable than neon pink hair, I will never know.

So, I'm dreading my hair because it's a way to say to the world, "Hey, I'm a little bit different," without screaming it in their faces. I've backcombed sections of my hair, so they resemble dreads, and now I have to let them do what they will - as dreadlocks are a patience-based hairstyle, and take time to lock up and get pretty. Once my dreads do lock up, depending on how things are going, I'd like to add extentions to them, but that likely won't be for another six to eight months.

Anyway, if you have any questions about dreads, feel free to ask me. Otherwise, here's a handy website for all your dread-info needs - [link]