Why You Should Let Me Dread My Hair

A Dreaducational Presentation by Mariana

Common Misconceptions About Dreadlocks

• Myth: People with dreads don’t wash their hair.

People with dreaded hair can wash their hair just as often as people with normal hair as long as it dries. In fact, hair will not even dread properly unless it is clean. There are even special shampoos sold specifically for dreadlocks.

Common Misconceptions About Dreadlocks (cont.)

• Myth: Dreadlocks originated from Rastafarian culture therefore are only for Rastas and blacks.

Here’s some examples…

Dreadlocks are just knotted hair. Before the invention of combs most people probably had dreadlocks forming in their hair naturally. They have existed in every single culture and civilization in history.

Ngagpa Buddhists of Tibet have

subsituted shaved heads for

dreadlocks. It is a way to let go of material vanity and excessive attachments.

Incan mummies with dreadlocks have been

found.

Sadhus, Indian holy men, consider

dreadlocks to be sacred and use

them as a symbol of their spiritual

understanding that physical

appearances are unimportant.

In the bible narrative Samson

and Delilah, Samson had seven locks on his head

and when he shaved them, his strength left him.

Even the Gauls, an Irish and

Scottish clan, were described as

wearing dreadlocks.

Common Misconceptions About Dreadlocks (cont.)

• Myth: If you don’t want your dreads anymore you have to cut them all off.

Dreadlocks can be combed out with a comb, conditioner, and lots of patience.

This woman was able to brush out her dreads after having them for ten years.

Why I Want Dreads• I love having long hair; I would never cut it short. But my hair gets super tangled and full of

knots after just one day without brushing. Brushing it out is painful, time-consuming, and stressful. Dreads require no brushing-they’re stress free.

• It saves time. You can wake up and leave the house without styling your hair (unless you want to)

• YOLO- You Only Live Once. I’ve had my hair like this for 17 years. Why not try something new?

• I don’t care what people think about me- or my hair. Dreadlocks are a great way to stop worrying about what people think of you and can teach you to stop judging others.

• They are also a great tool for filtering out shallow people because “those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter.”

• Dreadlocks teach you patience. They take a while to lock up and roughly a year to fully mature. In the process, they might not always look the way you want them to and your dread journey will teach you patience and understanding along the way.

• I feel that dreadlocks embody my personality. Dreadlocks are a very unique hairstyle and you can customize them by adding strings, coils, color, and beads to them unlike any other hairstyle.

• It’s the most natural hairstyle out there.• To help debunk all the common dread myths and help put a stop to dread stereotyping and

prejudice.• I think that they’re aesthetically pleasing.

Why You Should Let Me Dread My Hair

• I shouldn’t even have to ask you guys in the first place. It’s my hair and it wouldn’t affect anyone except me.

• I took some time out of my day everyday for a week to research and make this insightful, informative, and hopefully convincing PowerPoint instead of just dreading it behind your backs.

• I’ve always been a really good kid and I never get into any trouble. If getting dreads was the “worst” thing I did as a teenager, consider yourselves blessed.

• I’ve been talking about dreading my hair for two years. It’s not just a “phase.”• It’s just hair. I can always brush them out.• If I regret it, that’s my problem. I can learn from my mistake.• It just might teach you guys a little something about being accepting and less

judgmental.• Since freshman year it’s been my dream to have dreads for my Senior Picture.• FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION! Let me be my own person as long as I’m not harming

anybody.• Makes a great birthday present!• Most importantly, it would make me happy.