Dreadlocks are love.

Hey folks! It's my one month lock anniversary! (Well, technically yesterday was. But hey, same diff.) So I thought I'd celebrate with a little picture fest of how far they've come. (Not a timeline.)

EDIT: One month into my dreading journey and while there are definitely trials, tribulations and occasional doubts (and the possibility that my head is morphing into a tribble), I am overall very glad I started this whole affair. I feel absolutely content with myself despite the hardships that naturally accompany such a radical change in appearance.

I have a history of ennui-triggered depression, and it feels like having these dreads and taking care of them and caring about them in general is a huge step to overcoming it. Just by reason of existing, they've made me realize a number of things about myself and others that I may not have considered otherwise. I love my locks and I while I want to say that I can't wait until they are mature and gorgeous, that would be a lie because I really, really *can*. I am happy with them in the state they are now and while I am excited to see what happens with them in the future, but I'm not in a hurry to really rush things. Experiment, sure, but not really rush.

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I'm trying to find a job now. I'm very concerned with the "messiness" of my dreads and how this will effect me becoming employed at a salon. I'm planning on coloring my hair so that it's all one color, I'm hoping that will make it look nicer.I've thought about wearing it up but doing that all the time isn't good for it right? and even when it is up its still looks like a pretty ratty ponytail not really dreads.Does anybody have any ideas for me? My dreads are 1 1/2 months old.

So I'm new to this community.
I'm thinking of starting dreadlocks. I'm caucasian with lots of thick, not curly, hair. I want thin dreadlocks, about the size of the braids you get when you go to mexico, ya know?
So far what I have come to understand in terms of getting dreadlocks is that you need to wash your hair with residue free soap for a week ahead of time. After this, you need to section your hair (in my case small section) all of equal size and spacing. Then you begin the dreading. Using a metal comb and dry hair you back comb one section so that its really tight all the way up while rolling the dread in your fingers so that you get all sides of the dread. You do this all the way down the dread until you get to the bottom. Once there you put small elastics in and fold over the tip into the elastic. Then you go back to the dread with wax, and using 1 gram of wax for every 3 inches, you work the wax into the dread till you get to the bottom. After you've finished the entire dread you palm roll it for approximately 30 seconds (maybe more). Do this to the entire head. 18 hours later, once you've finished the whole head you blow dry your hair to melt the wax all the way into your hair. For the next rest of your life... or long time at least, you palm roll each dread everyday (as much as possible) and occasionally add wax when all the wax is gone. While maintaining dreads only use residue free shampoo, no conditioner, and continually work the new hair coming in.
That's what I have learned so far.
I'm hoping you guys can correct me or add details Im missing.
Thank you.

I haven't posted any art in a while. I just created this page for a guest designer spot that I'm taking part in for the month of December.

It features one of my front fatties. :)

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Are community lock-philosophy discussions welcome?

I happened upon this via another friend's LJ, and it made me sort of cock my head and go "huh": http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2009/11/29/dreads/

While I'm looking at my own "hair journey" in a sort of philosophical/spiritual way, and it means something important to me, I get itchy under the skin at the notion of attaching morality to it. I don't believe anyone should condescend to someone else over what they choose to do with their hair, or the reasons behind it. If someone locks and knots their hair just because they like it aesthetically, and know nothing of Rasta, I don't think they should be regarded with any less respect than the holy man in the wilderness... Though I do think it's great to educate yourself on the history of things you're doing, like getting tattoos with cultural relevance to other people, or piercings and stretchings and suspensions.

I'm really curious about the rest of the community's thoughts.

Last night my husbandjustwes sat and helped create my first set of dreads.

I'm excited to be starting this journey and cant wait to see where this leads.
Thanks for giving me inspiration over the last 3 years.
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one of my best friends moved away a while back, and came to visit this weekend. she be knotted too :)
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