Pros & Cons Of CUTTING Dreadlocks!
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- čas přidán 5. 12. 2016
- ///In case you haven't noticed - my hair is getting QUITE long - so let's talk about the pros & cons of cutting dreadlocks.
Now that I’ve successfully drawn you in with that deliberately ambiguous video title, I’d like to specify that I’m literally talking about the benefits and draw backs to cutting dreadlocks SHORTER, not all the way off :)
Okei cool. Two things I want to get out of the way straight off: yes dreadlocks do grow, and secondly yes you can trim them - you are not forced to grow them and grow them until they either consume your person or you remove them completely. I have in fact trimmed my hair several times in the past, that’s why if you look back through old pictures of me, my hair length isn’t a particularly good indicator of when the event took place, however I haven’t trimmed them since I started making videos… and I’ve been making videos for a while.
So while dreads can be trimmed, just like regular hair, unlike regular hair the trimming often needs to be justified, often both to yourself and to others I often find that people who are relatively new to growing dreadlocks are wide-eyed and say they want to grow their hair forever and ever… and then those who’ve been at it a few years begin to see some benefits to having them at a more manageable length - so I’m going to go through some of the pros & cons to trimming.
Downsides:
Dreadlocks grow REALLY slowly, when you make the decision to trim them you’ve got to be real certain as a rushed choice can leave your hair shortened for a LONG time, and permanently shorter than they would be naturally… which leads me onto my second downside…
Dreadlock length is often used as an indicator of dreadlock age and maturity, the longer the dreads, the older they must be, the more committed you must be, and often the more experienced you must be - this is often the reason why some people get so opinionated on dreadlock extensions. Many, myself included, have no doubt benefitted from the visual that “look how long my dreadlocks are, I must know what I’m talking about”… when that’s not always the case.
Bit of an opinionated one, but I’m fairly sure it’s one that most can get behind… long dreads look excellent, I mean look!
Lastly, a bit of a practical downside: while most people considering trimming will have had their dreadlocks for a long time… since their dreads have grown to be long enough to consider the trimming - however should you decide to trim dreads that are not yet fully matured you run the risk of the new ends fraying and unlocking - forming new tips that are looser than you’d potentially plan on.
Ok, so why would anyone trim their dreads? Well, the benefits include:
They’re all around more manageable - there’s less ‘dread’ to deal with. There’s less overall volume to wash and dry - so the whole process is quicker. The dreads straight up soak less water and there’s less length for the water to have to flow through and so drying times can be reduced dramatically even with just a minimal trim. If you’re maintenance-inclined, well there’s less dread to maintain. And as far as manageability goes from a practical point of view, they’re just easier to deal with, easier to keep track of… less chance that they’re going to go wandering onto your neighbours bus seat…
Less dread also means less weight. While the weight of dreadlocks creeps up very slowly over time, it can start to add up, especially when they’re wet, and especially when they’re wet and take a long time to dry. Long, heavy dreadlocks can not only start to become impractical, they can become uncomfortable.
Similarly if they get too long they can stop you from being able to do certain things that you otherwise might simply because so much hair can easily get in the way.
And to balance my previous opinion early - some people just prefer dreadlocks of a certain length, and may simply not want dreads to their waist, knees or ankles.
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I'm a mom of a six month old baby girl, and I cut my dreads so I don't lose a lot of time washing and drying, and keeping them out of my face. They are about shoulder lenght now and love them still!😍
Con; if you cut your dreadlocks you will lose all your strength.
Well that goes without saying...
😆
Ahhh you've given me ALL the information I know about dreads and have convinced me to get my own next year! I love you 😍
My dreads are a tad shorter than yours. In my opinion you are awesome with long dreads, that IS why I started watching your videos to know how to deal with mine. I absolutely adore your videos. Thank you for all of them
Eh if you want to trim, trim it up. My ideal dread length? I'm going for a crazy old witch lady look someday with my ratty grey dreads dragging the floor.
Some year later, thinking about trimming,throughtst,?
persiusk :))
yes! aha
@@persiusk just curious, did they get too heavy? That's the issue I'm having.. I'm looking into ways to shorten them and strengthen the roots cause they're too heavy to put up when it's hot out and it's kinda hard to sleep with them as well..
At 72 1/2 this ole witch has locs past her butt fully...I’m tired of excessive weight, and them getting stuck in drawers, longer than my fingertips! Getting em tightened and defined tomorrow, then cut off at least a foot!
What would my dreadlocks do without you? Actually, I probably wouldn't have them. Your videos gave me the information, direction, and confidence to go for it! One year later, I have never loved my hair more. You are my go-to for information. THANK YOU for having all your videos!!!
I just "trimmed" (took about a foot off) my 20-year locks the other day. I feel massive regret in one aspect, but it also feels amazing! You bring up all the valid points, and im so excited to be able to swim this summer and not be as concerned over my hair.
I'm starting my dreadlock journey pretty soon, and I personally think that shoulder length or a few inches past shoulders are the best. That's my goal anyway
Elijah Schwindt: Me as well!
Elijah Schwindt I started with the manbun and undercut, then I did the top and it went to my shoulders
I saw a shirt that had lines going down it and every line had a label next to it, and the labels went in this order, Manly, cave manly, sea captainly, dudely, truckerly, hillbillyly, hippily, bigfootly, civil war generaly, santa clausly, professorly, lumberjackly, orthodoxly, amishly, kung fu masterly, wizardly, godly. It was made for beards, but who says it can't be used for dreadlocks? Well after a few changes it would be better, but still worth it. I think you should get that lol, I know I am when my hair starts to get long enough. On Amazon it's called Beard Scale T-Shirt, I believe it's on sweaters too. Heck, if you wanted to you could create one that fits dreadlocks better and sell it as merch for your channel.
dingle berry if buy it if it was around $25
When I started I just wanted longer hair. I had always cut it off the second it hit my shoulders because I'm not one to style or maintain. Now they are almost to my shoulders and I love them! I plan to get the bottom layer to the middle of my back but who knows!
I'm starting my dreadlocks next week 😆 jus wanted to say I been binge watching ur videos nd they been so helpful, I feel confident going into this thanks to u :)
I've had my dreads for almost 5 months now. My hair was about shoulder length when I started so I'll have pretty short dreads for years to come! I love the look of long dreads the best, but I figured I'd rather get started now and enjoy the process. Happy I did! I plan on having them for a very long time so I'll have fun with the different styles and stages. Your videos have been incredibly helpful along the whole process. Thank you! ~e
Very good points! I’m hoping to grow mine long enough to do some cool styles, but I have to admit they are getting very heavy, and there not even too long right now - chest length. I have neck / migraine sensitivities. So I may have to keep mine shorter in the event that I can’t deal with the weight and tension after a while 💗
Thank you for the awesome video! I did have an original length in mind when I started out. I wanted my dreads to be just above my butt when sitting/to my belly button while having them in front. It's nearly a year later & I still want them to be that length! I'm looking forward to their growth. Thanks again, Christian!
Warmest Regards,
Leah Sky Heart | Owner/CEO/COO | Dread Cove, LLC
ahhh...less time drying my dreads would be a dream, but I'm good on trimming for now tho. I'm loving the length of mine being just passed my shoulders and embracing my new growth too 😊
I asked my boyfriend to trim my dreads a while ago and he trimmed them much shorter than I planned. Totally dealing with the slowness of dread growth right now...
lazy dreads, Question: I just got new locks... approaching 4 weeks old. I was just wondering what i should do about working out/running? I sweat a good amount while working out but, now i have locks i cant wash them daily. What should I do so i can clean the sweat from my head and/or keep them smelling good after a few days of working out? Thanks!
I generally like longer dreads but I think you rocked your shorter dreads (e.g. your first video in this channel) pretty well too! Definitely wouldn't mind seeing short-dreads Christian ^_^
Keep it up man! Awesome videos :)
@LAZYDREADS I never trim my locs I just let them GROW AND GROW AND GROW!!! 😂😂👐
I love long dreads and short dreads! I feel dreads in general are rad af! 😍
Mine are young and I’m loving watching them grow and Mature. My ideal length would be down to the middle of my neck
I had almost waist length hair before I did my dreads, they shrunk/tightened up to shoulder length. I'm impatient and missed my long hair so I added synthetic extensions to the ends of the majority of them, I left a couple at the back that are rarely seen and the two at the front middle of my head. I'd had my dreads for about 16 months before doing this. I've done it all myself so the extensions were added over about the space of a week. At first the new weight was annoying but my neck is used to it now. The synth parts dry super quick compared to the natural dreads. I now have dreads down to my lower back, yay! They're bright red and the synth perfectly matches the colour of dye I use for the natural parts (I got super lucky there!). As they grow over time I'll probably trim the extensions. But so far I'm happy with how they've turned out! I get lots of compliments and questions about them. I tell people straight up which bits are real and which are extensions, they can't tell the difference unless I point it out. Long dreads FTW!
I've had my locs for 5 years now, and they're nearly hip-length. They can be cumbersome when doing stuff like painting and cooking, and I've found the more frequently I tie them up the worse headaches I get. I really didn't want to trim them but I don't want them to be any longer, I will not deal with sitting on them! So perhaps a trim is in order.
I watched your video on the neck pain you experienced, and I can relate to that as well, but do you ever get headaches? I keep my hair up all day at work, and when I'm doing things they can get in the way, and I find that more than a few hours up can give me a bad headache. Do you have any experience with that? Any advice or solutions, besides trimming?
Question: Since My Dreads Are 3 Months Old They've Grow Atleast A Good 3or4 Inches Within That Short Length Of Time And Was Wondering Is All This New Growth Gonna Shrink Up Or Will It Most Likely Stay This Length And Tighten Up That Way Although I Do Expect To Lose Some Length But I Was Just Wondering Because My Hair Type Is Pretty Thick And Curly.
Great video ..I needed to see this.
do you think it'd be a problem if my bangs were a bit thinner than the rest of my thick hair(from pulling it back a lot when i was growing it out)? or is it something i shouldn't worry about?
I've had my dreads for over 4 years and they are super long down to my butt. I'm extremely attached to and don't want to cut my babies but I feel I have no choice as they are starting to affect my neck badly with all the weight. I jarred my neck last week while tying my hair up and I had to miss work because I couldn't move the next day. It's also costing me money in chiro and massage appointments. Time for a chop chop!
i know this has nothing to do w your video but i was wondering is it possible to cut apart dreads that have grown together?? my husband has maybe 10 that have grown together and we need to fix it asap... and would it affect his dreads being that they r only about a bit more than a yr old?
I mean long dreads are great but I probably wouldn't grow mine as long as yours. I didn't really consider I'd be trimming my dreads when I got them last month though. Thanks for the info.
I just washed my dreads at two weeks, should I tighten them? they feel decently locked to the touch, should I twist and rip (I dreaded using this method) and palm roll?
I cut off my extensions a couple of months ago, I don't miss the extensions because they were scratchy but I really miss the length and my dread bun 💔
Extensions dont count lol
had dreads just over a year now, still short, however once they start getting past shoulders ill look at trimming them, got no intention of having longest locks etc, want them manageable.
mine are nine months old and I've got some beaver tail dreads that I plan on cutting the ends off of when they're older and I want to get them to just below waist length
Being 1-1/2 years into my journey, I have lived with them long enough to relate to your videos know! They are relatively easy to maintain, so far as wash intervals. I go 1-2 weeks, and my hair never gets funky (common misconception). You just kinda.....well....wake up and go. Washing and drying IS a chore. But I mainly wash, squeeze the water out with a towel, and then let them air dry. I've never once gotten mold in them. Drying with a blowdryer fries my hair. So patience is the key. That and using a soap that rinses clean (not Dr. Bronners...sorry).
So far as inconvenience....sleeping and tugging on them in your sleep, obstructing your vision if not tied back, and the HEAT!! OMG.....they hold the heat like nothing else. I've sweat more this summer with my dreads. Tying them up helps a lot though. And of course maintenance. I've gone almost a year without any root maintenance, and I am due. BUT............I personally have found that if your hair is a little thinner like mine is (thanks middle aged male pattern baldness) then letting new growth come on will actually fill some of that in! I'm starting to get that crown thinning like most men in my mid 40's, but that new growth does hide some of that. Plus, it then can dread up on its own....and yes, it will dread all on its own without you doing a thing. I rarely separate the roots, and have no issues with matting.
Would I do it all again? Absolutely! Only I would have done it years ago!!!
I've cut mine loads of time, even shaved the back completely off but to be fair I've done the same even when my hair wasn't in dreads. Thinking of cutting them again as they are getting weak and I'm finding them too heavy as well. Good advice still 👍🏽
Thank you. You have great advise.
my dreads have reached the length my hair had when I got them (after about 3 years, but I lost over half of my hair length when I got them) and they are pretty heavy now - I'll probably need to trim them eventually or just live in pain lol
after waste length I'm starting the trimming process for sure
In 10 days, it's going to be 10 years since I've started to grow my hair for my dreadlocks. They are really long now, over 1m, and there are a lot of downsides to it. I usually sit on them when I'm sitting down, which can pull my hair. Also, I close them with my car doors. Whenever I bend over, they touch ground. If I need to reach something on a table, I will dip them in a plate or a bowl. I cannot run because they are really heavy so my neck hurt. I can't headbang for the same reason, and when I do, I usually hit somebody. I've thinking about shortening them for at least 30cm, but I just can't do it.
Do the end of the dreadlocks look different when you have trimmed them ?
Good list
I never had a specific length in mind. I just wanted to have a lion-like look. Most of them are around my shoulderblades and I don't mind them growing a little more for now.
3 months in my journey and i personally like shoulder length dreads but i might eventually grow them and congo them mabey.
After a year my dreads shrunk half the length of my hair, which was to my waist, now it's just a bit past my shoulders. I can't wait till it grows to my waist again. 😩
You should make a video on the topic of cultural appropriation and your stance on it. I've been curious if you've gotten any people who have called you out for it. I just wanna know your stance on it and how you would respond to someone accusing you of it. I had very long dreadlocks down to my belly button from age 16-19 (I started them with already incredibly long hair) and I loved my dreads. I cut them and untangled them when I was turning twenty as kind of symbolism for moving on from a 4 year relationship (he cheated :/) where we both started our dreadlocks together and some of his hair was actually wound into mine and vice versa. But I would never have dreads again out of respect for my friends who truly believe it's appropriating their culture. I try to be understanding as possible even though the selfish part of me misses them, the way they feel, their comfort, they way they envelop your head, how they can double as your very own pillow or helmet if you fall and hit your head, lol, their aesthetic, the ease of care and styling, just so many things I loved about them. Just curious how you feel about the subject and if you've done research on it or had anyone call you out on it. Would be a great video topic!
I'd like to give my insight to this. I've grew up in Croatia, where dreadlocks are still margined by society, being associated with alternative lifestyle. I've read comment over the Internet, and saw reactions around me, so I've heard about black people hating white people with dreadlocks and assumed that's a fact. Not too long ago, I've lived in South Africa for almost half a year, and white people there were looking at me kind of weird, you know, I could feel the stares. But black people there loved me. They were saying hello, hugging me, high-fiving me, sang to me, and telling me that my dreadlocks are gorgeous wherever I was going. They were calling me Jahman and rastaman, they've yelled peace and irie all the time. I was accepted as an equal, and I would lie if I'd say that I wasn't surprised. That's when I've figured out that you cannot believe everything you read over the Internet. I'm living in the United States right now, and I've still getting compliments on my hair, mostly from black people. I've never, ever experienced anything bad from black people regarding my dreadlocks. On the contrary, everyone who commented, said only positive things. They can see how dedicated I am, and how much time and patience I've invested in them.
Murry Moon the reason why its not cultural appropriation is because dreads are natural, for humans, regardless of race. if you have hair on your head and you dont comb it, you'll get dreads. I have a lot of white friends that formed their dreads naturally like that and they're beautiful.
People who call dreadlocks cultural appropriation simply don't understand that you cant say that about the most natural state of hair for humans.
some research will show it is not cultural appropriation, even though I respect the feeling that it is..still love my NATURAL hair. Vikings had dreadlocks....as far back as whites go, you will find locs. Not only that, but we all come from the original people in Africa. Making it our true heritage! (lol ok.that is a STREEEETCH)
Dreads are the best! Sorry about ur relationship.. Make more videos ! Lmao
Dreads are the best! Sorry about ur relationship.. Make more videos ! Lmao
I'm 10 months into my journey aaaaaaand well let's just say there was A LOT more shrinking than I thought, because my natural hair is really thick and wavey I thought that there wouldn't be too much shrinkage, the method used was a mixture are back combing, rip and tear and croquet to finish, at the start they were down to the end of my ribs...now the don't touch my shoulders XD, though I feel I don't notice them shrinking now, before every time I washed them you could see they shrank, my ideal length would be just past my boobies I feel :), longer ones always look better in my opinion, but I haven't actually experienced mature long dreads let sooooo we shall see what the future holds I guess, love that your back lazy! missed these videos! ❤❤
So Christian, how much are you trimming off? As my dreads mature, I can definitely see how heavy they'll be once they're fully mature and longer.
Probably cut them to around the length when I started making videos - Long enough to still be able to be comfortably tied back.
Lazy Dreads That seems like a reasonable trim. Do what you gotta do!
I use DE dreads because while I love dreads I like changing my hair color, and I actually prefer my 12-16 inch dreads to my 18-20 inch dreads.
Actually i have started my freeform dreadlocks journey about a month ago, now my hair is nearly half back long, but i think i'm gonna cut my future dreads only once they'll reach the right lenght to touch my feet :)
My dreads are almost 16 months old and I hate the ends of them! They are still loopy and kind of weird, like the loops haven't tightened into the dread but just folded into it. Idk how to explain it. I am waiting until they grow out a little more before I trim the weird 2-3 inches of weirdness off. If my original ends started to blunt on their own, do you think the new ends would do the same after being trimmed?
jess.and.company Hi there! I'm not as experienced as Christian here, but I am a cosmetologist. Yes! Your ends should blunt over time! I'd say be patient, otherwise you're going to deal with the same problem over & over again. Warmest!
Leah
Thank you so much! :) :)
jess.and.company you're most welcome! Happy to be of help! 😁
You can take the dread between index and middle fingers. Take it at the point where knot ends and loose hair starts. And rub it to palm of another hand doing circular motion, always in the same direction. Works better if your dreadlocks are clean, but dry. I'm sorry, I'm bad at finding the words to explain the process. Maybe this picture helps. ragingrootsstudio.com/rrs/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/tip_trick.gif
dreadhead of 3 almost 4 years here not all will blunt themselves and the loops folding over as opposed tobeing pulled in is rather normal.
I’m trimming mine soon. I’ve had them for 11 years and I can’t stop my dreads ending up in my cereal. When I broke my jaw it was a really mission getting a panoramic X-ray cause they wouldn’t fit in the machine pilled on top of my head but couldn’t hang down because they’d cause artefacts. My cat thinks they are a toy (which is causing a new level of breakage). And I want it to be easier to go swimming! I look forward to my head floating.
i like short dreads. like to my mouth length. im good with trimming
I was a loose natural for nearly four years and I'm at over 3 with my locs. In March or May or something I will have 8 years worth of hair!!! What? I'm hoping to go 10 years. But we will see. I started my locs with waist length hair so they budded funny and are shorter than 10 years and I'm sure I lost some length as a loose natural...But I like what you said about never having the full length if you do trim/cut but I think the full length would/will kill my neck ;)
Swimming is something I wish I could do easier...I plan to start again in summer...
My dreads are now 2 years and one month and they go now more or less beneath my breast. At the beginning, they just reached my shoulders :D. But my dreads are also quite thick and so they are very heavy. I have a lot of time neck issues if I wear them up in an bun or wash them. Sometimes I consider to cut them a bit, but I'm not sure about it, so I'm going to wait, unitl I reach the point I'm sure about it :D Let's see how long it'll take ^^
Long dreads are the best. Mine go down to the tips of my shoulder blades and I want them at least to my waist.
Been considering shortening them but i would likely regrett it.
I have had my dreads for a year now and they have grown really fast lol
will starling I've had mine a year as well but mine actually shrunk from when they were straight and only grew like maybe 1-3 " as locks
+lazydreads Did your phone apologize for being obtuse? LMAO that's awesome.
my roots are locking up and its not forming round its forming flat how do i stop it
Concerts Air You don't. They will form the way they want to form. If you didn't start with square sections, you're not going to have perfectly round dreads. If you're thinking of palm rolling, please don't. The roots are what hold your dreads on your head (obviously haha) and if you mess with them too much you can break strands of hair and weaken the roots. If you weaken them too much, you put yourself at risk of your dreads breaking as they get heavier.
Indigo Sky thanks for the advice i was just wondering that question for a while because mostly all of my dreads are doing that i like that look of flat dreads but some of them feel like they are not locking up because of that any way thanks for the advice
Away to cut my mates dreads there two foot on the floor now and kinda heavy lol 😂 gonna put a vid up doing it lol
Ive seen this one twice so i think i want my head to float
Mine can now be tucked into my pants and I'm ready to trim, lol
I am going to get dreads soon
I want to keep them to about the bottom of my ears
Short right?
Yea.....think about Ayo for Ayo and Teo
He has short dreads and he looks cool
I WANT SHORT DREADS
I don’t like mine past my ears so I stay having them trimmed
God I remember when he bleached/dye that one dreadlock...
You old school, maaan.
Damnit I've just trimmed my dreadlocks already, and I wanted to just get rid of the split ends and make it temporarily lighter, but I really want them to be long, I hope it doesn't take me that long to grow them back in length :// xxxxxx
I just cut my dreads shorter I have extended them with human hair and I cut all of it off now it's just my own hair but I am dreading (pun intended) the time it's gonna take for them to get long again but having them be just my hair was more important so here we are.
I just got Dreadlocks 2 weeks ago and I plan to grow them waist long. But this will take ages, so who knows.
Thank u for this. Getting ready to chop about 6 inches off these beautiful yet HEAVY dreads. Still long but not bottom of ass long. 👊🏻 peace & love soul bro✌🏻💚
D: I wish I had the money to get mine started in a salon
My first set of dreadlocks was made in salon. They've destroyed them. My second, present set was made by a friend of mine that also had them, and that set is called by many random people to be the most beautiful set they've ever seen.
theonewiththeflute the person i want to see has been doing dreads for a very long time and she specializes in it i habe a friend who has seen her and they are amazing
hydrokin L yea but if not done correctly they can look bad and I dont want to risk screwing them up
i want mind at chest lenth
dreadlock LOSKI I want mine near mid back
waist length is my legth goal but no longer than that.
I prefer longlocks. I'm in the process of growing out my hair and don't plan on dreading it until it's quite long.
After having them for 9 years, I want the dreadlock equivalent to Kurt Cobain’s hair
Siri, he always ruins everything
long ♡♡ so much better.
Hi C....!!!!yeah grow long n continue ta rap around neck or in a backpack lol..while walking...Giant tam..Giant braid .freaking LUV the show lazy dreads.!!..taking care of my babiessss!!! (((One month 1week. In ..lately wanting to keep them belt length but yes I can grow them to rap around my body like a mummy if I wanted 2.....00+)...PEACE to all Humans!!!!!...((((( RRRRRAM Frozen°VAMPERRR 490!!)))))
Only a few feet shorter hehe
shoulder length is better to me
Long dreadlocks do look better
1st lol
I disagree that long dreads are cooler.
Waist lenght!
Actually i have started my freeform dreadlocks journey about a month ago, now my hair is nearly half back long, but i think i'm gonna cut my future dreads only once they'll reach the right lenght to touch my feet :)