Natural vs. Non-natural?

[Deleted]

I remember a couple of years ago when I started to really consider dreads I came across a couple of sites encouraging neglect to the point that there was the notion that neglect dreads are somehow more pure than using other methods. I thought that was funny, especially because of the arrogance and superiority of the folks making those judgments. I understand the appeal of being very 'natural' about dreadlocks, and I mostly share that feeling.

Where are the lines that distinguish natural from non-natural? Seems pretty subjective to me.

As I don't have a community of people irl where I live to ask, is this attitude common or mostly found in small pockets online?

[Dreadlocktruth]

Funny enough, you never mentioned the name of the site you found pushing neglect and being arrogant/superior and yet all of us who've been around for a while will know exactly who you're talking about ha. We've been known to be the "recovery" site that a lot of people come to after unpleasant experiences there.

Firstly, I actually avoid using the term "natural" because I consider backcombed dreads etc to be just as "natural", since we are nature and thus nothing we do can be anything other. I guess that kind of answers your question, really, when you remove that word from the process and stick with neglect, back-combed, twist and rip etc then it also removes any stigma surrounding any of those terms.

We did have someone recently who thought that we were elitist because his locks were very heavily crocheted and waxed and, while anyone is free to do what they want with their own hair, we objected to the advice he was giving people about using those methods. The truth is the only time we're ever "against" a method is if it's known to cause damage or be more trouble than its worth.

[james]

Yeah. Mine are natural. They started that way so about 6 inches of my dreads at the ends are 'natural' the other few feet up to the head are natural too just like everybody else's never mind the starting method, because they all just dread themselves. I once thought there was a point in 'natural' but after years it becomes meaningless.
The best thing to draw from it is that you don't need to do anything, after whatever starting method, it's the same, and if you want to keep crocheting hair and have neat dreads all good. They look just as fab as wild hair. It's not really about hair, it's about the person, and there are a lot of nice people, some have dreads.

[Deleted]

Jul 21, 2016 17:46:40 GMT Dreadlocktruth said:

Funny enough, you never mentioned the name of the site you found pushing neglect and being arrogant/superior and yet all of us who've been around for a while will know exactly who you're talking about ha. We've been known to be the "recovery" site that a lot of people come to after unpleasant experiences there.

Yeah, I didn't want to name names, but I knew it would be obvious. I think I posted there once when I first started with a washing question and was told that the shampoo I was using (dreadheadhq, btw) was the work of Satan and his Luciferian angels.

I really do get the appeal of letting go completely and letting the dreads form as they want with minimal interference, but if the outcome of that is arrogance and one-upmanship, seems pretty lame.

[Deleted]

james -- I hear that about realizing there is nothing necessary for hair to dread. Letting it be is kind of a relief, and letting go of fiddling with them seems to be the best way to avoid frustration for the first year or so. It's not easy to not want to push them along, though. The first few weeks I was worrying too much about them and researching way too much looking for ways to help 'em along. I still have days that I avoid the mirror because of the mess. But I'm just now starting to relax, though it's still a struggle some days.

I'm feeling kinda 'natural' in some ways, in that about half of mine have all come out after the initial backcomb, and I have every intention of letting those form on their own, but not because I think that's a better way to go, I just think the process is fun. Of course, we'll see if I still feel that way after months of having to keep the loose hair out of the ones that are forming more quickly.

And you're right about the people. I think every activity has its smug fans, it's just even funnier when it's about hair.

[james]

It is silly and am sure only people who've had dreads less than a couple of years would rant like that. Once they start, letting the hair knot itself or giving it a helping start, everything after that is natural. I know some folk can't get there head around the idea that your hair keeps dreading itself over years, they think you 'do something'. Once locked in they just continue as a matter of course so I have no idea what these people are talking about.
As Paul said, the idea is to educate and stop people doing silly things to their hair to start. All the folk here show the results of what happens as time ticks by. It's all natural, no matter how you kick start them.

[Deleted]

I have heard ashes and cow dung works well. And that's totally natural and approved by Shiva.

[james]

Well I used to break into orphanages and steal the kids teeth and stick handfuls in my hair so the tooth fairies would come and fight at night and as a by-product tangle my hair, then I'd use the money they'd left to buy some dread wax to get it looking all nice and sticky. You're not a proper dread head if you didn't do it my way!

[chad]

Ahhhhhhhhhh I can always count on you guys for a good laugh lmao!

[Deleted]

The orphanages/teeth thing really needs to be made into a folk song.