So Dreadlocks....

**calmyogi** · December 8th, 2015, 08:26 PM

I have come across a dreadlock thread before but I haven't seen it in a while now.

I am curious what everyone has to say about dreadlocks, specifically on white people?

If you were in a professional setting and recieving services from someone with dreadlocks would you feel like they were less competent at their job, such as a doctor, nurse, lawyer?

I'm probably asking the wrong people though because I think most of us are kinda biased and sensitive when it comes to hair in our own ways, but this is the only place I can come and just yack about hair.... so opinions on dreads, good and bad?

**spidermom** · December 8th, 2015, 08:33 PM

I like them on other people but like combing/brushing out my own hair too much to have them. I wouldn't judge a person as less competent for having dreadlocks as long as they were worn in an appropriate style for the job. For example, I'd expect a doctor to have hair up and back, not hanging all over the place.

**Anje** · December 8th, 2015, 08:46 PM

My personal hangup is that on straighter hair, they take forever to look right to me. As in, I rarely like them on the straight-haired before they're 3-4 years old. (It doesn't help that many that I've seen are flat, irregular, bleached, and frequently are attached to people who think they're not supposed to wash them.)

When they're well-cared for and mature, though, I really do appreciate them.

ETA: It's worth mentioning, if you do it, that there are more and less damaging ways to do it. The consensus from what I've seen is that "twist and rip" is relatively non-damaging compared to backcombing or felting, and you don't want to use any sort of wax. Of course, if you've got very curly hair, you can pretty much just make little twists and let them lock up, which is gentler still.

ETA2: Lynnala has had a set going for about 1.5 years now, and they're looking good.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...d.php?t=124275

**Sweets** · December 9th, 2015, 02:06 AM

I love them. I've always wanted them, but I'll probably never have them. I think a nice set of well-cared for mature dreads, no matter the hair type or what the person looks like, is lovely. They fascinate me!

**picklepie** · December 9th, 2015, 04:28 AM

IMO, on white people they read as culturally appropriative, no matter how they're created or cared for.

**Obsidian** · December 9th, 2015, 04:43 AM

I generally dislike dreads on most white people, they just don't look right and seem messy, even when mature. My daughter who has fine waist length hair had dreads for about 10 months before she decided to pick them out, its been over a month and she still quite a few left. They didn't form right and always looks icky, even though they were clean.

I don't think they look professional at all, at least not on most whites and this might seem bad but I would judge a professional who had them.

**Nique1202** · December 9th, 2015, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by picklepie

IMO, on white people they read as culturally appropriative, no matter how they're created or cared for.

This. Aside from nearly all non-black hair types not forming healthy dreads on their own (hence all the focus on experimentation with methods, while black natural hair needs none of that) white people wearing dreadlocks is pretty much always appropriative because white people will face no or significantly less discrimination for dreadlocks, while black people wearing dreads or natural hair are consistently discriminated against in all kinds of workplaces here in North America.

Personally, I'd have no problems with black people wearing dreads anywhere, especially since they often are styled really nicely and appropriately for the work they're doing and they wash and care for them appropriately (they work twice as hard at it because they're likely to face discrimination) but white people wearing dreads... even aside from the appropriation, too often when you start to unravel them or cut them open they're filled with mold and god-knows-what anyway because the hair isn't suited to it and they don't or can't care for them properly, which makes me worry about health and safety in any context.

**bunneh.** · December 9th, 2015, 04:49 AM

Dreads on other people for me are alright I guess... I myself would never have them... It's like a recipe for ruining your own hair imho... You can't comb them, you can't brush them you can't do anything with them. :/

**Estrid** · December 9th, 2015, 05:04 AM

I think it looks nice, I would never have them myself, but I think it looks cool on others.

The black vs white thing I know nothing of, I have only seen white people irl with dreadlocks (probably because there are not many black people around here). If I google images of dreadlocks I can say that, to me, it looks good on everyone x)

I would definitely not think people with dreadlocks = less competent. That just sound strange to me. Since it is quite obvious that they've done something to their hair (that looks like it takes some to care of, not sure if it does, but yeah) I always seem to assume that they're generally good people (I don't know why I make that correlation, so don't ask).

/Margo