Are dreadlocks compatible with my hair, lifestyle, and location?
I am a white guy with dreads. I have fairly curly hair, so they are very easy for me (I do almost nothing to maintain them). I have a bunch of friends who have or have had dreads with straight Swedish hair. They’re from Minnesota. The only one I’ve talked to much about her dreads said they’re a moderate amount of work for her. I find them warmer than not having dreads. And wearing a hat on top of them provides a ton of insulation. I think if you wring them out and shake them out about after washing them, you should be okay going outside without a hat – they will freeze a little but I’m pretty sure they won’t break off! If you wear a hat they’ll be fine. If it’s cold outdoors and you are indoors where it’s heated probably the air is very dry and they will dry out quickly. I think you will want to not wash them every day. The grease will stay closer to your roots so your dreads won’t get gross as quick as regular hair will. I don’t know how the grime you’re surrounded with will work out
The first time I got mine, I was travelling, swimming in the sea a lot, and had given up on my hairbrush. When a forming mat/clump/proto-dread got too chunky, I’d just grab it in two hands and rip it in half. I did this because I liked having long hair, but I was fed up with having to put conditioner in it just to get a brush through it. When I got back from travelling, I kept the dreads because I was well used to them and they’d settled in to the point where I no longer had to rip them in half. Maintenance involved washing my hair with plain water (no shampoo). They would occasionally smell a bit funky if they’d taken a long time to dry, especially in winter. A swim in the sea, or if desperate a chlorinated swimming pool, would fix that. I cut them off after an epidemic of head lice went through our share house. The only other dreadlocked occupant chose to keep hers and treat her head with kerosene. I think I suffered less. I used mine as mulch for a young pumpkin plant. It was that k
