Community impressions

Most people in my vicinity have by now gotten used to my different hairstyle, so I receive a lot fewer comments on my dreads than in the beginning. It’s fun to see people’s reactions when I travel (though it can be a bit intimidating when I want to go unnoticed- growing dreads is not really the way to do it).

When went up to North Carolina, there were a lot of positive comments mainly from African Americans, which has generally been the rule. This was similar when I was visiting Atlanta. In D.C., however, I haven’t received any spontaneous feedback. Perhaps the stereotype is true, and the higher up north I go, the more reserved people are. Or they notice less… Or it’s more common to see white people with dreadlocks. Whatever the reason, it’s a neat little sociology experiment that I get to carry on my head.

I’ve gotten a few negative comments from my family (I was even told once that I look like a witch) and I think they see it as a personality phase that would soon pass. It’s been a bit challenging to not have much support from them, but it also teaches me to not be swayed by opposition and stay respectful and gracious when explaining to them the reasons for my hairdo. I would love them to remember that my dreads haven’t changed me on the inside, and that I am still the same old Mia (only perhaps a little more self-confident).

It will be exciting traveling to Angola and Slovakia this summer, trying to remember that very thing that I want my family to understand, and observing how my dreads will get accepted in each of these cultures. Whatever the common good and bad associations that people have with dreads (Rastafarian, bohemian, "black-culture-appropriationist", hippie or homeless), as India Aire said:

I am not my hair.

I am not this skin.

I am the soul that lives within.

Seven months of dreads

I crossed the half a year "dreaded mark" successfully, so I thought it would be a good time to write a little update about my dread journey.

It’s been seven months with the dreadzies, and I think they are looking pretty well! Definitely more matured and smooth looking than in the beginning, including fewer scalp patches showing and no unraveling in the middle of the dread. I've been struggling with an itchy scalp though, but I've found a remedy (see point 6 below).

Here are some of the routine maintenance steps I've been taking to keep them growing healthy: 

1) Washing them once to twice a week, depending on the amount of itching/sweat that week. 
2) Shampoos that have worked well: Knotty Boy soap or Dr. Bronner’s soap. I’ve used DreadHeadHQ’s soap but I found it harder to wash out without leaving a layer of thin white film on my scalp, followed throughout the week by dandruff and itching. I will stick to Dr. Bronner’s for the near future since I can get it pretty cheap (cca five bucks) at our local store and I don’t have to pay for the shipping all the way from Canada. Plus, I save a ton of plastic and paper wrapping that goes along with airmail. 
3) Crocheting about twice a week to pull in loose strands and new growth. I now tackled the technique well enough to not jab my thumb every time I do it!  
4) Applying DreadHeadHQ Dread Butter to take care of the surface of the dreads. Sometimes they get dry and scratchy, and the butter helps them be nourished and softer to the touch. And they smell amazing! I would like to find an alternative I don’t have to buy online for reasons similar to point No.2.  
5) Applying KnottyBoy Tightening Gell, especially to the strands that still feel soft. It smells great and gives the dreadzies some good vitamins, but they are sticky for a bit until the gel dries out.  
6) Dandruff and itchy scalp have been bugging me since day 1, and I finally found a cure that works! I mixed some water with a few drops of rosemary and lavender essential oils, and I spray it on my scalp with a spritz bottle once to twice a day. The dandruff is mostly gone! What also helps the scalp to regenerate is regular combing (I use my dread comb) and massaging while washing the hair.