My "Journey" through 3 sets of "Dreads"

So, this is my second blog and i'm not covering what i said i would write about in my last blog...but for a good reason.

I was inspired to write this after reading a post by Jonny Clean on Facebook. Here is his post..

DreadHead Hq -This recent wax-talk reminds me.... If you're one the many who've had an excellent experience with DreadHead Dread Wax and you want to show your support and tell the word there is no better place than right here: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&ref=mb#!/group.php?gid=210691366729&ref=ts

So, i began to write my reply for the board and when i was done it was too long to post! Anyway, I thought the "journey" i went through with all sets of dreads would be helpful to people (hopefully). So..here it is.


I'm on my third set of dreads currently. My first set was when i was younger...i didn't do much research. I just came across the Kboy site and ordered some wax and shampoo. I just listened to some friends who said that wax won't hurt them, the more damaged your hair is..the better, etc. Obviously it was a terrible experience. I had candles as "Dreads" and was very unhappy with them so i combed them out within a month or so.

The second time i had dreads...i did my research. However, most of the sites i was reading from were wax-haters. So of course, i tried it the "natural" way except i did backcomb. I backcombed them once and palm rolled them once and let them be. I did wash them with the Kboy shampoo also. While this set of dreads were extremely easy to "maintain", they were not the dreads i wanted. These dreads were not me. I was not proud of them...Anyway, that set lasted 3 months until i combed those out...which took 2 days using Kboys dread removal conditioner.

Now my third and current set of dreads...i did lots of research from both sides: people for and against wax. Now after my first set of dreads..i was an anti-wax kid which is why my second set i went "natural". After reading and reading, i realized that i hated wax and had such an awful experience with my first set was obviously because i over-waxed. I already knew that i overwaxed on my first set when i got my second set (the "natural" set) but i was still against wax because i didn't understand how wax works. After reading and researching for a long time (this time i knew i couldn't be in a rush to start the process or i would probably regret how i started them) and i came to the conclusion that i definitely didn't want to go down the "natural" dreads road again..Please don't get me wrong...i'm not disrespecting anyone who chose that route..it works for some people. It just didn't work for me, or it wasn't what i wanted or felt comfortable with.

So once i decided the route i wanted to go, i found dreadheadhq's facebook page and messaged Jonny (one of the owners for those who don't know) and asked him many questions, messaged him many times...Jonny answered every question and message knowing that i wasn't a customer of his yet and that i may decide not to be. He wasn't pushing products or anything like that, just answering my questions..not once tried to sell me anything..Anyway, i'm getting off topic..After talking to Jonny and other dreadheads (not just people from dhhq) i decided that i wanted to purchase a kit and start my third set that way.When my friends and I were starting my dreads with the kit, i was very careful about how much wax everyone was using.

Now, my dreads are over 2 months old and i've been enjoying the experience and finally feel like this set of dreads are me..they're the dreads that i was trying to achieve with the other sets.

Yes, this set of dreads take some "work" because you need to maintain them but to me and many dreadheads, it's just part of our journey to basically create (with the help of the people/products at DHHQ and other help we received) our own vision of perfect dreadlocks.

Right now, i am on my way to my choice of perfect dreadlocks and dhhq wax (along with many of their other products and tools) is helping me get there.

Wax is great in small portions!

Thank you to Jonny and Sloan for all their work and effort they put into Dreadhead Hq.

Dreadlocks Sponsorship Initial Post

Hey Everyone. I'm officially sponsored by DreadheadHQ.com and I'm very proud to be a part of the family...if they'll have me, that is! Huge shout out to Jonny and Sloan. Thanks so much!

• Blah Blah Blah, but please still read. still important to story.

To start out, If you are familiar with DHHQ sponsored members...they usually have a great talent. Some sponsored members may be excellent skateboarders, amazing drummers or even have a few talents! I'm a little different. I'm not sponsored for a talent similar to most sponsored members...I'm being sponsored because I'm different than most other sponsored members. I don't have any amazing talents. I play the guitar, mostly acoustic..but i'm not amazing at it. I'm really interested in photography and writing and try my best at them both. However, again...those aren't really talents.
I'm not being sponsored because i necessarily have a "talent". I believe I'm sponsored because I am a little different that most of the other sponsored members seeing as, I don't really have a talent.

• Some Info about why I'm a sponsored member!

One of the main reasons I'm being sponsored is because I'm going to do as much as possible to promote DHHQ and help "Spread the dread" as Jonny said. I have a lot of businesses and friends who will help me out with that. Also, I'm not able to have a job right now and have spare time so I would dedicate a lot of my time to spreading the word.
I'm not able to have a job right now because I have Fibromyalgia. For those of you who aren't familiar with Fibromyalgia (Fibro), It's a syndrome that causes Widespread Chronic Pain, Depression, Anxiety and Fatigue. Those are just the main symptoms. In addition to the pain, most people also experience sleep disturbances, chronic headaches, loss of energy and/or weakness. I will be able to have a job eventually, I can't right now because my doctors and I are trying to figure out what's best and i'm on strong pain medication. If you're interested in finding out more about Fibromyalgia, I definitely encourage you to look it up. I'll also talk more about it in future blogs.

• Extra Fibromyalgia Information (if you're interested)

Fibromyalgia has been a huge struggle for me. I was diagnosed in May, 2006. I was being treated at the Mayo Clinic and doing my homework in between different doctor appointments, just so i could graduate High School on time. I had to mail my homework back to my hometown in WI and just made it in time to graduate.
With Fibromyalgia there aren't any physical signs or indications and because of that it's a bit more difficult to diagnose. People with Fibromyalgia are generally in constant pain which makes the depression worse.
Enough of the "boring stuff" even though i consider it important to my story!

• Why I got Dreads with a bit of rambling..just a wee bit (promise)

Anyway, moving along from the boring stuff..hehe. Basically, i'm a part of the dreadhead family because despite the constant pain i'm in (which is mostly in my back, shoulders and neck) I decided to get dreads. I knew it was going to be extremely painful to start the process..hell it's painful for everyone to have their arms up working on their dreads. I also knew i was going to deal with a lot of pain everytime I worked on them.

Getting dreads was very important to me. At first, I wanted dreads because I'm different and I consider it a "good" different and I wanted to show that, in what I think is a positive way: dreads. As lame and cliche as it sounds, once I had my dreads..I felt like myself finally.

Another reason, that came later to me was to challenge myself. Like I said earlier, I knew getting dreadlocks would be painful to keep up with but I wanted them very much and the pain wasn't going to stop me. After my friends and I finished putting my dreads in, i was in extreme pain from having my arms up for so long, etc but i was so proud of them. Now, I push myself in a healthy way to work on my dreads, and after I do...I get that proud feeling again and feel like I succeeded. My dreads help me feel "normal" and they're my challenge. They're a great gift to me.
If you have any questions about Fibromyalgia, feel free to ask via facebook.

My next blog will talk have more pictures of my dread progress. I will also be explaining how i'm going to be promoting Dreadhead HQ! I may talk a bit more about Fibromyalgia. I just want people to be a little more informed about Fibromyalgia. Also, in an upcoming blog..I would like to talk about growing up realizing i was different. Then, over time as a child i realized I was interested in girls not boys. I am a proud lesbian and would like to share my story. However, unlike my intial post (this one), hopefully my next blog will have more information about my plans and ideas to "spread the dread" and promote DHHQ!

I hope you all somewhat enjoyed my first blog, hope it wasn't too boring!

• My Dread Info:
  
• I've had my dreads since February 13, 2010. They're still very new!


• I had 2 friends help me. We used the Ultra Dread Kit. It worked great!


• I was very happy with the way they turned out.


• It's very difficult for me to decide what my favorite product is.


• The shampoo is amazing and really does help tighten the dreads.


• The lock peppa really helps speed up the knotting process.
  
• I also really love the Head Honcho. It feels great! I love that you can fold it up too!
  
• I don't feel i'm ready to say what my favorite is because i haven't had enough time to use the products long enough to decide. I've barely used the loose hair tool and everyone loves it. I'm sure I will also once I use it, very soon.
  
• I also recently bleached the tips of my dreads! 3/1/10

Before and After Pictures

Instructions and products for growing and maintaining dreadlocks.

Visit www.dreadheadhq.com for all your dreadlock needs!