Contrary to popular stereotypes, dreadlocks are not about marijuana and being Jamaican, they are about strong dedication and personal desire.
Dreadlocks are permanent and a commitment. Patience is a necessity for acheiving dreadlocks since they take months to form and can be costly. Once the twists finally lock, a person cannot change their mind about the hairstyle.
“If you don’t want them you have to cut them out or wait for new growth that is not twisted,” said Karla Montgomery, a stylist at Eutopia Salon off West Chimes St.
For some people, the desire to achieve this hairstyle shadows any anxiety or doubts about the commitment. This desire varies for each person.
Toni Dangerfield, a textiles/apparel/merchandise senior, has been growing her dreadlocks for a year.
“Dreads give my hair character.” Dangerfield said.
MUSIC AND INFLUENCE
Niko Imbraguglio, a chemical engineering sophomore, has worn dreadlocks for six months. Besides his desire to grow dreadlocks, Imbraguglio notes music as one inspiration for his hairstyle.
“People would tell me I look like Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine.” Imbraguglio said.
This comparison suits Imbraguglio’s personal taste since he is a Rage Against the Machine fan.
Dangerfield, a reggae lover, believes the music was also a definite influence on her hairstyle, since she first saw dreadlocks at a reggae concert.
“I thought they were beautiful,” Dangerfield said.
Dangerfield began her dreadlocks using straw curls, which twist the hair together using a straw. This is one of many twisting methods.
Imbraguglio, however, used the double-strand twist. This method takes two strands of hair, parted beforehand, and twists them around each other.
MYTHS
A common myth about dreadlocks is that the wearers are automatically marijuana users. However, like the different styles of dreads, people with them have unique views about marijuana use.
“I don’t smoke weed,” Imbraguglio said. “People automatically assume I smoke. They often ask me if I’m ‘Rastafarian.’ It’s stereotypical.”
Dangerfield has also experienced the marijuana misconception.
“People think if you have locks and listen to reggae you must smoke,” Dangerfield said. “People ask me that; friends who never thought I’d do that before.”
Another rumor is that if a person doesn’t wash their hair for a while, it will eventually dread. But dreadlocks are a process that take months of twisting to perfect.
PROCESS
Before the twisting and dreadlocking process begins, the hair must be prepped and follow a few guidelines.
“Caucasian hair needs to be roughed up and teased, because it grows straight,” Montgomery said. “But if it’s ethnic hair, it cannot have any chemicals. It needs to be natural.”
When she works, Montgomery sections off the hair–the coarseness of the hair determines the size of the sections. More coarse hair is divided into smaller sections or the dreads will be big.
Then she twists the sections into coils.
“The coil is the first part to dread,” Montgomery said. “It’s called a bud or a baby dread ball. Coils can take one to six months to dread.”
Once the coils are formed, the dreadlocks need to be maintained- leaving the hair uncombed is not enough. During this stage, all of the new growth must be retwisted.
Marah Briamah, salon assistant at Mo Hair on Gardere, emphasizes retwisting to achieve dreadlocks.
“After the first three to four months, they start to lock up by retwisting the root every two weeks,” Montgomery said.
Imbraguglio got his retwisting done at Haerazors, where they misted his hair with oil to prevent overdrying. Then they retwisted the dreads before putting him under the dryer. This process costs him $50 every visit.
No different from straight or curly hair, dreads need to be washed in their own special way. Imbraguglio couldn’t wash his hair at first, and he relied on scalp antiseptic to relieve itching.
“It itched like crazy,” Imbraguglio said. “I was almost ready to give in.”
After two months of dirty hair, he went back to the salon for his first washing.
“It was like the botanical commercials,” Imbraguglio said. “It was orgasmic.”
Products are another part of the lengthy process. Although beeswax is commonly associated with dreadlocks, Montgomery said a cream wax and a locking gel would work.
And Briamah swears by Lab, a Paul Mitchell product, which acts as a hair glue to keep dreads neat.
Professional dreadlocking starts at $45 at Mo Hair, and costs between $45 and $60 at Eutopia depending on length. To retwist hair at a salon can cost just as much as the original dreading, but Montgomery said people can do it themselves.
“You can do it at home as long as someone is there to help,” Montgomery said. “The key is to make sure it is twisted in the same direction.”
The Internet hosts many Web sites containing additional information on dreadlocks. Offering step-by-step details on dreading at home, www.dreadheadhq.com has photos demonstrating each step. A Web site that focuses on the scientific approach to understanding hair, especially African American hair, and dreadlocks is www.nappyhair.com.
Dreadlocks aren’t just a hairstyle, but a lifestyle. Many life changes must be made when starting to grow dreads.
“I had to twist my hair every day,” Imbraguglio said. “It’s a commitment. Especially for white people. If you’re not willing, don’t even try.”
Dreadlocks taught Dangerfield patience. She said it took about two to three months for her hair to bud at the ends, and six months before normal washing.
“I never thought I’d go through the process,” Dangerfield said. “You go through this ugly duckling phase. Now it’s almost like I fit in. I look like someone, a part of the culture.”