Sunday 26 September 2010

Dread beads

I recently got some new beads in my hair – gorgeous hand-made glass beads from a friend of mine

34 dread beads

They look awesome in my hair – I do, of course, have a lot of little decorative things randomly in my hair. Most of it has been put there by other people; I’m not really into adorning myself, and have a philosophy of “keep it clean and let it be” when it comes to my hair.

But I was especially honoured to get personalised Emu Beads in my dreads (You can see more of Emu Beads HERE)

35 dread beads 

And I realised it’s been almost 15 years since I had these dreadlocks – the longest ones go past my knees! I had one that was to my ankle, but I tripped over it a few months ago and about 45cm (18”) snapped off the end (it’s still long enough to sit on though).

So I thought I’d do a dread FAQ to mark their 15th birthday! post your questions if you have them in the comments section and I’ll do a dread post in the near future.

16 comments:

  1. Happy 'dreadversary', I really would love dreads but am wondering if at 42 its a bit late to start with them!

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  2. Wow 15 years.....
    Beautiful beads....:)
    Funny, Ive been wearing a lot of green lately.

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  3. thanks everyone.
    Sue, 42 is *so* not too late to start with them! Go for it if it's what you want; who cares how old you are, it doesn't make any difference :)

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  4. My dread question: But a bit of background first...I'm 41 (smiles at Sue!) and I had dreads for about 4 months...they drove me nuts, but I loved them. Went through bad PMS and let everyone elses' opinions hurt me and combed them out. Now, I'm looking at doing it again but wondering if you put any kind of wax in your dreads to "hold" them, and create them?
    Loving the fairy themes!!

    Blessed Be, hugs and smooches!!
    Kelly

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    1. wax is bad for dreads :( the less product the better. wax is always a no. i know this women didnt use them. :)

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  5. I've always wondered how 'old' your dreads were! Your dreads are SO beautiful!! As a fellow dread mama (2 years in November) I have a bunch of questions, I hope you don't mind!!
    How many dreads do you have? How long was your hair when you started them? How do you maintain them? Are they super heavy or do you not even notice the weight anymore? Do you use pins or hair sticks to hold them up in the bun you wear or do they just stay like that on their own?
    Whew. I think that's everything I wanted to know.. hee hee. I just hope mine look as fabulous at 15 years!!

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  6. 15 years wow thats amazing! They are beautiful. So I just got dreads two months ago. They are loopy bumpy and frizzy which I've heard is normal but I hope to have smooth dreads someday. Did yours start out loopy too. Also I am wondering if you had or have any dandruff problems and if so what you used. I've tried oils and its not working. Im getting very frustrated with it.

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  7. Your dreads are how I first found your blog! Happy Dreadiversary!! I love your beads! Do you keep the beads in all of the time? Have you ever done a dread timeline?

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  8. The photo you took of them is very creative! I thought it was part of your garden for a second :P I am with you on adornment. I can't stand it, I must feel comfortable at all times. hence I only wear stretchy clothes he he. I have thought about dreads but never gotten there yet much like my tattoo ideas. I have similar questions to the others - revolving around cleanliness and maintenance. Also is it wise to have a professional do the dreads? I wonder if I can get them done in Singapore.......? xLilith

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  9. As an ex hairdresser dreads have always fascinated me.
    My questions are -
    Have you ever found anything strange in them? (I had a client once who found a big spider in his!)
    And how do you maintain them?
    And also do you ever get unwanted comments from people and if so how do you deal with them?
    Looking forward to your dreadlock post :)

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  10. I am *this* close to getting dreads, and wondered if I could come down and talk to you one day about them... I have *lots* of questions and would rather talk to someone about them than consult the WWW gods.

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  11. sparkling adventures; you could totally come down for a chat :)

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  12. I also came across your site because I was thinking about getting dreads. Lo and behold, I found much more. Your parenting articles are invaluable to me - such a wonderful resource! I thoroughly enjoy your wisdom and finally wanted to send my thanks. I finally got the dreads, however they were done by crochet, not by neglect. How did you start yours? How do you handle stray hairs or do you just let them do their thing? Do you think you'll tire of them?

    ~ Ana

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  13. it appears everyone who wants dreads finds them here! go google! you were top three when i typed "dread beads".

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Thanks for your lovely words, witty banter and entertaining discussion :)