Dreaded Sock Bun

[terryn]

Hello LHC-ers! I wanted to share with you a style I tried out today that is a lot of firsts for me! I am going to NY in a couple of weeks to attend a family reunion and my grandmother's 75th birthday party. The party will be somewhat formal so my mom is kind of freaking out about how I will be wearing my hair. (I've been telling her since I dreaded it that it was not going to be "gone" by the time we went on the trip, I guess that finally sunk in. For anyone curious, they are about 9 months old now.) My family is very conservative, so I feel like no matter what I do I won't be up to their standards of presentable, which is why I wanted to get you guys' opinions.

It's really hard to do any kind of style with my hair currently. Any real style with dreads takes a lot of length that I don't have since mine are just below my shoulders, so I decided to try a sock bun thinking I would probably have enough length for it. It is my first sock bun and first real bun. I didn't realize how off center it was until I was taking pics, so sorry about that. Also, ignore the front bit/extra hair tie, I was trying to do a "basket weave" in the very front of my hair to add some interest, but I think it just looks like a gnarled mess, so I probably won't do that again.

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/Trryn73/e9609310.jpg

http://i360.photobucket.com/albums/oo45/Trryn73/5a39310b.jpg

What do you think, lhc? Presentable?

[trillian]

Hey Terryn,

I think the back looks really cute!

I don't know if it's my computer, or what but it looks like you have some wisps sticking out on the sides. If your family is very conservative, they might be more used to the slicked back hair look? If you put in a pretty colorful scarf that matched your outfit that was 2 or three inches wide, it might help slight those back a little, and cover up the parts where your dreads part.

Just a suggestion! like I said, I think it's cute.

[terryn]

Thanks trillian! Yeah, I have a lot of sticky-outy hairs, and I had thought about wrapping a ribbon or something around the base of the bun. That part shouldn't be there when I do it for real since I'm not going to do the top part like I did in this photo. I'll definitely keep it in mind, and I might aloe down the hairs for the actual event.

[Rowan1980]

Nice! I wish I had known about sock buns when I had dreads. Looks awesome! :)

[Corvus]

I think the bun looks presentable, and a scarf to hold in those wispy bits will look quite pretty.

May I ask - curiosity really - what is the purpose of dreadlocks, and why do people like them? Personally, I would hate to have my hair all knotted. No offense intended, but I've never understood the dread thing.

Maybe I'm just getting old...... :D

[MandyBeth]

What about a fabric headband over the top? That's the only part that looks not-conservative-family-friendly. Otherwise, I like it, and my dreadhead DH thinks it look nice and your dreads look great for being 9 months old.

[PixxieStix]

I agree with the others, it is certainly a presentable hair style for your dreads, especially if you add in a scarf or wide head band to go with it.

Hope you have a great time at your family reunion!

[terryn]

Rowan1980 - thanks so much!

Corvus - thanks for your thoughts! To answer your question, like any hairstyle, the reasons people wear dreads are as diverse as the people themselves! A lot of people do it because it makes it easier to deal with their hair type (and of course a lot of people don't embrace their hair type), or for cultural reasons, those are the two most common reasons I've come across. Some people just like the aesthetic. For me, I've liked the aesthetic for a long time and being a hippy and counter culture type person, I find that they suit my personality rather well. When they are longer you can do some really neat styles with them which I am much looking forward to. I thought they would bother me because as you can see in my profile pic, my brushable hair is very straight and smooth. Getting dreads has really taught me to let go of perfection and try to not have any expectations, both of which I have found to be valuable lessons. The thing about dreads is they never turn out like you think they will, especially if you don't try to make them perfect with the use of product. Hair will always do it's open thing, as I think lhc people know well!

MandyBeth - thanks to you and your dh too!

[battles]

I really love the look of the dreaded bun. :D

[pennyroyal]

It looks awesome! I love your dreads as well. Yay dreadies!!! :p

[ddiana1979]

I like the bun very much. I think, especially with a conservative scarf or wide ribbon headband, it will go over very well with your family.

I'm curious. . . your hair type is extremely similar to mine. . . how on earth did you get it to dread? That must have taken a lot of work!

[terryn]

Hey! Thanks for the vote of confidence! I dreaded my hair by sectioning it into roughly the size I wanted my dreads, and then backcombing the sections basically until they stood up straight. I did that in January, and since then I haven't done anything other than wash them, separate them (to avoid unidread) and palm roll them - which means roll them between my palms like I was making a snake out of clay or something. That's it! All hair will dread so long as you don't detangle it, some hair types take longer than others, but there is no need for product or any kind of harsh maintenance. HTH!

[Aerin]

This looks very pretty! Though I have to say, every time I see the thread title I think of pirates and/or the terrible sock-bun!

[ElusiveMuse]

I totally misunderstood the thread title and was like, "Why do people dread sock buns? Like, Dread Pirate Roberts? Are sock buns that bad or hard to do?"

But I think it should, if not pass muster, at least be a good compromise for the event. And I'll never understand why family can't just love you however your hair looks (my dad used to give me so much grief when I had brightly colored hair).

[Corvus]

Corvus - thanks for your thoughts! To answer your question, like any hairstyle, the reasons people wear dreads are as diverse as the people themselves! A lot of people do it because it makes it easier to deal with their hair type (and of course a lot of people don't embrace their hair type), or for cultural reasons, those are the two most common reasons I've come across. Some people just like the aesthetic. For me, I've liked the aesthetic for a long time and being a hippy and counter culture type person, I find that they suit my personality rather well. When they are longer you can do some really neat styles with them which I am much looking forward to. I thought they would bother me because as you can see in my profile pic, my brushable hair is very straight and smooth. Getting dreads has really taught me to let go of perfection and try to not have any expectations, both of which I have found to be valuable lessons. The thing about dreads is they never turn out like you think they will, especially if you don't try to make them perfect with the use of product. Hair will always do it's open thing, as I think lhc people know well!



That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the explanation........

[kwaniesiam]

Are you a member of GUDU? You look familiar.

http://get-up-dread-up.livejournal.com/

[Anje]

Eeeek! A sock bun... RUN AWAY! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_u4UTvk9w)



Honestly, it looks very nice.

[sisi33]

I totally misunderstood the thread title and was like, "Why do people dread sock buns? Like, Dread Pirate Roberts? Are sock buns that bad or hard to do?"

But I think it should, if not pass muster, at least be a good compromise for the event. And I'll never understand why family can't just love you however your hair looks (my dad used to give me so much grief when I had brightly colored hair).

I thought the exact same thing! But your dreads do look really nice up in that bun- I didn't even know that you could put up dreads in a sock bun- learn something new every day! :D

[Sagi1982]

Beautiful! I like dreaded hair. :D

[terryn]

This looks very pretty! Though I have to say, every time I see the thread title I think of pirates and/or the terrible sock-bun!

lol! Thanks!


I totally misunderstood the thread title and was like, "Why do people dread sock buns? Like, Dread Pirate Roberts? Are sock buns that bad or hard to do?"

But I think it should, if not pass muster, at least be a good compromise for the event. And I'll never understand why family can't just love you however your hair looks (my dad used to give me so much grief when I had brightly colored hair).

It's not misunderstanding! I did it like that on purpose, because I think I am just oh-so-clever. ;p

And, yeah, I think my parents are starting to get used to it... but I will never forget how upset they were when I pierced my nose, shaved my head to about an inch and dyed my hair purple. I think my mom is just freaking out because it's family we never see, and they already consider us the "alternative" ones.... I am the leader of that particular pack.


That makes perfect sense. Thanks for the explanation........

Np! I'm glad I could help!


Are you a member of GUDU? You look familiar.

http://get-up-dread-up.livejournal.com/

Yes, I am, terryn73 on there, and I think I've seen you on stretched too?


Eeeek! A sock bun... RUN AWAY! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_u4UTvk9w)



Honestly, it looks very nice.

LOL! Excellent!


I thought the exact same thing! But your dreads do look really nice up in that bun- I didn't even know that you could put up dreads in a sock bun- learn something new every day! :D

I didn't either! But I'm glad it worked out so well!


Beautiful! I like dreaded hair. :D

Thank you!

[Alex Lou]

I like the bun. But don't be afraid to own your dreads. You can't really hide them anyway. To compromise, you might make sure that what you wear is super sharp and fashionable. Show them that you can look better than them even though you have dreads!