Advantages: You can do it without assistance. It is the easiest method. No special tools or products are needed, just time.
Disadvantages: It takes at least 3 years to start looking like dreads in most hair types. You need to have about 10" of hair for the knots to start forming. The dreads form unevenly, some dreads will be huge and flat, others skinny. People usually get sick of having nasty hair and cut it off long before they get dreads.
Instructions: The neglect method is pretty much just that. You do nothing but keep the hair clean. (Some people don't even do that but not washing your hair is unsanitary and it slows down the dreading process) Just let it grow and in a year or so it may start to knot up or it may take 3 years Hair texture and hair length has a lot to do with how long it takes. You can rip it into dreads and try to combine dreads that are too small with rubberbands if you like, but in the spirit of true neglect most people don't.
I personally don't like this method of locking, because they really look dreadful, untidy and ugly. But it is a free world.
That looks scary 8^0
ReplyDeleteLOL!!!! Mozaic they are scary, I can't imagine having them on my head...
ReplyDeleteSasa Cee
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting a blog on dreads, very helpful especially for those of us who live away from home and can't easily access black hairdressers!
I had my hair locked last December, and of course when I was in Kenya it was beautiful and well maintained. Now that am on the opposite corner of the world, I find that keeping it neat is difficult. I live in a city that's very humid and as soon as I 'repair' the growth, the dreads become loose and untidy. The tips are more or less locked though.
Could you please give some tips on DIY maintenance of locks? Cheers!
Poa sana Tafsiri, Karibu sana. I will have a post on maintenance pretty soon. Feel free to send questions
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely enjoying your posts! In regard to your post on Neglect, under your disadvantages section, I would caution against calling freeform dreds nasty. That may mislead ppl into thinking that dreds are indeed nasty, because when you think about it, most ppl(who are not sophisticated in lock analysis) do not know the different distinctions ppl in the lock community make about dreds based on how they were started. So, it would be easy to perpetuate (unintentionally) the idea that dreds are nasty and unkept. In fact, i know ppl who have locks in the freeform/neglect form and I am willing to bet that their locks are 100 times healthier and cleaner than a person who uses a bunch of products in their locks. Most freeformers only wash and lightly oil their hair, and they are extremely particular in what they put in their hair, shampoos are using aloe vera plants or 100% vegan shampoos. They do not go mainstream to the beauty supply store for hair needs, but they go to whole foods or herbal stores. I love and appreciate all kinds of locks and I am no way saying you cannot have an opinion. I'm just saying if you are describing the advantages and disadvantages, its best to be objective and allow your readers to make an educated decision about their locks based on that...because it's easy to perpetuate the stigma of locks.
Great Blog!
Welcome to my blog anonymous and thank you for sharing your opinion on freeform locks. There is nothing nasty or dreadful about locks in general, but when they are all dirty and stinking, they do become dreadful. My blog is all about encouraging people to care for their locks just as much as they care for other hairstyles.
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog and would like to thank you for spreading information about dreads.
ReplyDeleteAs for this post, it seems very biased and opinionated. I don't prefer the term "neglect" because it implies that the wearer does nothing at all to the hair, and this is incorrect. The hair is still cleaned and often moisturized. I call this method "organic."
And the comment "people get sick of having nasty hair" implies, IMO, that the organic method is dirty, and this is also inaccurate. Dirty dreads come in all types and textures.
No hate meant by this post, just expressing my opinion. Keep up the good work.
Hey Nappy girl,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog and I appreciate your sincere opinion.
I understand your anger about this post. I'll make a post on freeform/organic locks to level the ground. This post was only about neglect locks which do not represent organic/free form locks.
@ Cee
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding.
It seems we have different definitions of freeform and neglect. To me, they are two different methods. What you consider neglect is in fact my organic.
Interesting topic...I'll be looking forward to your post about this subject.
Hi Nappy girl,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your opinion and contribution. There are a lot of foggy areas when it comes to locks, but we can always work together to clear them up, right?
Coming from a time 30 years ago when you gave your locks water, sun, rosemary and love, it never took any of us three years, it was a one year process and initiation. In the beginning of this definition you say that all they do is wash it and then in the same paragraph you refer to it as nasty. You should just say that you prefer manicured uniformed locs, why call it nasty?
ReplyDelete