When I was about 6 or 7, I was in charge of combing my own hair, which at that time fell to about my waist. I'm not sure whether my mum was just busy, or if she really thought I was up to the challenge. Anyway, I only combed the top part - that is, what showed to the general public, and my secret would never have been revealed if a visiting family friend hadn't patted my hair to compliment me on how beautiful it was, and discovered the giant rat's nest mass of tangles that sat just at my neck. Oh well, it was probably an embarrassing parenting moment for my mum, which she solved by getting the scissors and cutting it all out, in one giant clump. Fast forward forty years...one of my students made dreadlocks out of her perfectly straight shiny hair, and I wondered, how did she do it?Making dreads is far more complex than I first believed - I knew you couldn't just let bedhead get the best of you if you wanted them to be even, thick ropes, but the idea of twisting or backcombing hair for hours - ouch! A dread perm is expensive, and straight hair won't twist into dreads the way african hair will. All the methods of making dreads sound very painful and very laborious - latchhooking, twisting, backcombing..ugh.
As a side note, I was surprised to see how many internet sites exist to make money selling products to make dreads, although I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because when I walk in the Shoppers Drug mart, there are full aisles devoted to hair care products. It must be a lucrative industry.
http://www.dreadlocks.com/
http://fromgrandmaskitchen.com/
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