In the beginning...

First off, I better explain, the title is at the same time both no longer an issue and yet still true. I was actually dreading telling my mom (although I assumed she'd guess once I showed up to Easter wearing a tam and a sheepish face), but I actually told her today. Now I just dread any continued conversation to the effect.

Secondly, I don't have dreads yet. I figured if I was to chronicle my journey of getting dreadlocks, I had better start from the beginning. Even this isn't the true beginning. I've been thinking about getting dreadlocks since the beginning of the year. But I'm hardly going to start a blog on thinking about getting dreadlocks just to have it fall to the wayside if I decided not to get dreads... it would be a bit ahead of myself, I do believe.

So, the dreadlock party is this Saturday! Barring disaster (like car accidents or Mom suddenly bribes me with lots of money), I will be getting dreadlocks this Saturday. My two friends (carefully selected from the list of people who weren't against it) and my husband will be backcombing my dreadlocks in and then it will be all downhill and hate mail from there.

My husband keeps telling me I am making too big a deal about this, that my family isn't going to disown me (Mom said it would take more than dreads to disown me, but she then asked if I was getting a tattoo, so I guess not much more), people aren't going to freak out, and the world will keep moving. I had about convinced myself of that before I went online to see if I could still wear a bike helmet. Another guy asked the same question, saying he wanted to get dreadlocks to represent a change in his life and was merely inquiring as to a helmet fitting. The amount of disrespect for this poor guy's life choices and dreads in general made me sad. In the end, it really is just hair and if people can get Skrillex cuts, then why not dreads?

So, by nature of beginning, here is a before photo:


Don't I look like a goober? That was totally unintentional, I am not trying to twist before and after results like some of those weight loss or whatever by not wearing makeup and being drunk or whatever they do to those before photos. I don't wear makeup anyway. That is what my hair does on it's own, when clean. I usually straighten it or put it into pigtails, because I honestly can't stand this look. Well... looking at that picture, it actually doesn't look so bad. It doesn't seem as poofy under the ears as it normally is.

So. Saturday. It begins. And I want to chronicle this journey because I believe it could be a helpful tool in helping other people choose dreads (or perhaps a cautionary tale against?) and I would have liked to read something of this nature when choosing myself.

I would like to note that I am using almost all DreadHeadHQ products and information in the starting of these dreadlocks. I was first attracted to their site by the promise of dreadlocks "in any hair type" and I stayed there because of the vast wealth of information, the humorous easy tone, the many many good reviews, and the fact that while they recommend their products, they aren't all "this is the only way to do this!" on you. I will refer to their site frequently.