tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79930054120867864112024-03-05T19:43:13.172-08:00The Crunchy LifeKnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-560511862333780762010-07-20T20:48:00.000-07:002010-07-20T21:10:13.353-07:00Dread Soap and New Services UpdateOkay.... so this might seem totally lame, but I have a bunch of things I wanted to post about on my Dread Queen facebook page, but don't want to post them all as big, long status messages! So, I am going to post about it here and post the link to the facebook page.<br /><br />For those of you who regularly follow The Dread Queen on facebook, you already know that I had made preliminary plans to start making and selling dreadlock shampoo bars. I was hoping to acquire most of what I needed on my vacation this past week and start cooking it up in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, a lot of vendors that usually went to the festival have gone bankrupt or couldn't afford to attend the festival we were attending. So, that means I couldn't acquire everything I needed. There was ONE vendor who had SOME of what I needed, but it was insanely expensive, so I am going to wait until my friend, Dawna, places a wholesale order that I can piggyback onto. Frugality for the win.<br /><br />In other news, I am vaguely considering offering dread wraps and/or synthetic dreadlocks, but these are very much in the planning stage and I am still learning about them. A big part of whether or not I will go ahead with doing so will depend on if there is enough interest in it. SO, if you would be interested in dread/hair wraps OR synthetic dreads PLEASE let me know either here or on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/pages/Enfield-CT/The-Dread-Queen/123563774334774">The Dread Queen Facebook Page</a>.<br /><br />A few quick questions and answers about synthetic dreads for those interested: (If you have any not listed here PLEASE ask, as your questions will enable me to learn more about them as well!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q:</span> What are synthetic dreads made out of?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> Synthetic dreads, or most synthetic dreads, are made out of kankelon fiber (plastic, basically) that is backcombed and then 'sealed' to enable them to hold their shape.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q:</span> Why would someone want synthetic dreads rather than regular dreadlocks?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> Synthetic dreads, unlike regular dreadlocks, are designed to be temporary. Whether you want to wear them for a weekend or a couple of months, after you are done with them you simply take them out. The cool part is that you can save the dreads and have them put it again (or do it yourself) later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q:</span> How long do synthetic dreads last?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> They can last as long as 3 months or so, but how long they last often depends on how fast your hair grows, as the dread will tend to slip down the length of the dread and give them an odd appearance at the root.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q:</span> Are synthetic dreads easy to remove?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> They are pretty much just braided in. It might be a little difficult, especially if you've had them in for a couple months, as the hair may have started to knot with the kankelon fibers, but with a little patience they should come out quite easily.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q:</span> Can you wash synthetic dreads?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> Absolutely, but the dreads themselves don't really need washing. What you need to focus on is your scalp and the hair that is braided at the top of the synthetic dread(s). Just like regular dreadlocks, you should NEVER use conditioner as this can make the hair braided into the synthetic dread slippery and make the dread slip out giving the appearance of grown-out roots prematurely.<br /><br /><br />If I receive enough interest in the synthetic dreads, the first step will be to acquire a guinea pig on whom to test the placement of synthetic dreads. It looks easy enough, but I will have to make and place them for the first time to give it a shot. The person who has it done will only be expect to cover the cost of the materials (kankelon fiber... which is quite cheap) and pay an inexpensive rate of only $10/hr (I would expect it to take 4-6 hours...) So if you're interested in synthetic dreads and want to be my guinea pig let me know! LOL<br /><br />Also, a more definite, new service offering is that of TATTOO DESIGN. I have been designing tattoos for friends for some time and have decided to make more of an effort to do it on a more professional level. I LOVE designing tattoos. It makes me so humble and excited to see someone with artwork created originally by me inked permanently on their skin. So, if you love tattoos and have a design floating around in your head that you can't quite convey properly on paper, please let me help you acquire the tattoo you've been dreaming of!<br /><br />Black and white designs are $2/sq inch and colored designs $3/sq inch. For some examples of my work you can check out <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/album.php?aid=21039&id=123563774334774&ref=mf">The Dread Queen Tattoo Designs Album</a> on facebook, or my <a href="http://roguewyndwalker.deviantart.com">deviantArt page</a>.<br /><br />Blessings!<br /><br />~ Amy (A.K.A. The Dread Queen/Knotty Mama)KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-25570562938188692052010-07-02T14:58:00.000-07:002010-08-05T20:24:18.602-07:00Rockin' the Rubber (Bands)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoKtguXuA5IrCs3SrFr-fDBbvzd6LhhXjz9A9b3DqnYfeqH1VrPW7O9myum-B3GEg14L-W0E1pULTHGgXqY1OlXemHO_RDkrIzB-U_39xAYz_qKCz6vUYydpzYQfSHnuOt9vzzrczM58/s1600/Megafter.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQoKtguXuA5IrCs3SrFr-fDBbvzd6LhhXjz9A9b3DqnYfeqH1VrPW7O9myum-B3GEg14L-W0E1pULTHGgXqY1OlXemHO_RDkrIzB-U_39xAYz_qKCz6vUYydpzYQfSHnuOt9vzzrczM58/s320/Megafter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489434356472189298" border="0" /></a>As someone who used rubber bands to successfully help my roots lock up, I was surprised the first time I read anything indicating they might actually be damaging. The claims range from them damaging the hair to preventing it from locking altogether, which is the entire supposed purpose of them to begin with!<br /><br />DreadHeadHQ recommends rubber bands at the roots and tips of new dreadlocks to help things lock up at the root and to help knots migrate out the end of your baby dreads at the tips, and suggests they be worn for at least four weeks. However, there is a right (see image above at left) and wrong way to go about using rubber bands. Bands at the roots should never be tight or restrict the dreadlock as this can cause weak spots. However, bands at the tips can be fairly tight with little risk.<br /><br />Several different resources I found in my research suggested that rubber bands can damage the hair. It’s true that they CAN damage the hair, but, in my opinion, only if worn too tightly. If worn too tightly (see photo below at right for an example of bands that are too tight around the roots) one risks creating weak spots in the dreads, but also risks breaking hair which weakens the dreadlock over time as well. I propose here that this is only true if they are used incorrectly. Rubber bands at the roots should only gently hold the roots in place, but not squeeze or restrict them.<br /><br />Another claim is that rubber bands can melt into the dreadlocks creating a gooey messy that’s impossible to remove. My research showed that the melting point of rubber if 262 degrees Farenheit and the only chemicals that are capable of melting rubber (acetone and methyl ethyl ketone) are ones that are not exactly found in common dreadlock products. I would have to conclude that the possibility of rubber bands melting into a dreadlock are slim to none. What IS more likely and better documented is the rubber bands getting ‘sucked into’ the dread during the locking process. That is normal and expected, which is probably at least part of the reason it’s only recommended to wear them for 4 weeks. Another possibility (liklihood) is that the rubber is heat damaged over time by the repeated use of hair blow dryers. If that happens to you the best thing you can do is to (1) air-dry, or (2) replace the bands every 2-4 weeks.<br /><br />The third and final claim I’ve heard a lot is that rubber bands restrict movement of the hair inbiting the locking process. This, like the first claim involving bands damaging the hair, is due no doubt in fact to individuals who used rubber bands incorrectly. Sure, if you place the bands so tightly around the roots that they are constricted, no there will be no movement. This is a big part of WHY they should be placed relatively loosely. It’s very true that friction and movement is what causes dreadlocks to knot and lock up. (Which is why pinch rolling is so effective!) So, keep ‘em loose and you’ll still get plenty of knots!<br /><br />If after reading all of that you still have your reservations about using elastics or you are concerned about rubber bands ‘melting’ or getting ‘sucked in’ to your dreadlocks you have a couple of different options.:<br /><br /><ol><li>This is the most simple one: don’t use them! Rubber bands on new dreads are entirely optional, although I use them on all my new clients and recommend them even.</li><li>Use silicone bands instead. Silicone sometimes breaks a little more easily having less elasticity as most rubbers, but it has a much higher melting point of 932 degrees Farenheit. Also, if you have an allergy to rubber/latex you would want to use something else anyway.</li><li>Replace your bands every 2-4 weeks to prevent them from being ‘sucked in’. (Thanks to David Collision for this suggestion!) This could be a good preventative step regardless of whether you use rubber, silicone, or anything else.</li><li>Finally, some sites suggest to instead use something that is less damaging and gross in the event they get sucked in such as string or hemp. This can be a good suggestion if you’re wanting to try it, but I would think they would be less likely to stay put than rubber or silicone since they lack the tacky/rubbery surface that helps them stay in place on the roots.<br /></li></ol><br />Do I think rubber bands are good! Darn tootin’ I do! I recommend them and I use them on my clients (unless someone requests otherwise). However, just because I am a fan and think they are worth it doesn’t mean you have to use them yourselves. Just like everything else in the world of dreadlocks: only you can decide what’s right for you, philosophically and physically.KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-58103670330088280482010-06-19T16:53:00.000-07:002010-06-22T09:18:16.590-07:00Dangerous Dreadlock Product Ingredients<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-wUNZJsGufsRrp7Cusa1EdzWU_l6Iyy4iXmQSBRv8OQOp0lCJEdLruB69Edsr5I6EHwW6VflKdvF9BHAoKBqCcDgRtAyRt9qfoLSYe6YvQYvKQC-aOWQa8VPG9yWgETzQzI-OKuUWNc/s1600/poison-bottle.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-wUNZJsGufsRrp7Cusa1EdzWU_l6Iyy4iXmQSBRv8OQOp0lCJEdLruB69Edsr5I6EHwW6VflKdvF9BHAoKBqCcDgRtAyRt9qfoLSYe6YvQYvKQC-aOWQa8VPG9yWgETzQzI-OKuUWNc/s320/poison-bottle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484637468287508754" border="0" /></a><br />A lot of people have indicated a couple times now they wanted me to do a blog entry on questionable and/or dangerous dreadlock product ingredients. My research has shown there are relatively few really BAD things to use in dreadlock ingredients, but it all depends on your outlook and stance on things when it comes not only to dreadlocks but on the environment as well.<br /><br />Many dreadheads in the general online community have expressed a general dislike of any product containing anything ‘chemical’ and prefer to keep their dreadlocks and dreadlock products as natural as possible. No matter what you choose, if it contains chemical ingredients, it will ultimately end up in our water supply. Think about that for a few minutes.<br /><br />As a user of DreadHeadHQ Dread Soap and Lock Peppa, many of the ingredients I list below ARE in those products. I have to admit that I LOVE my Lock Peppa and no matter what’s in it, as long as it’s not poisoning or killing me, I plan to keep using it, but definitely its important to be aware of what’s out there. If you’re curious about the ingredients of the products you are using, just head to the website you purchased it from (either DHHQ or KnottyBoy…. I can’t speak for other sites) and they will have a list of the products available.<br /><br />I know a lot of information out there is focus on the ingredients of Lock Peppa so I do want to focus on that product in particular. Here is a list of the ingredients in Lock Peppa:<br /><br />Zinc oxide, silicone dioxide, methyl salicylate, rosin, bentonite, wintergreen mint<br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zinc oxide</span> is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Most information I’ve found suggests it is a very benign substance used in many applications for cosmetics, medically, and industrially. Its only real pitfall, as far as I can tell, is that it is a chemical. But, as far as chemicals go, it’s pretty harmless.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Silicon dioxide</span> is really a fancy, chemical name for sand. Like zinc oxide it is only dangerous if inhaled. Depending on the particle size, it can build up in the lungs causing lesions know as silicosis. Usually this disease is found among miners and quarry workers, so I doubt we have much to worry about, but these are good things to know! In all other aspects, it is harmless. Silicon dioxide helps to absorb moisture, drying the hair and making it knot easier. I have read that it is insoluble in water, but my experience has been that lock peppa washes out easily in one wash.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Methyl salicylate</span> is most frequently found in medical preparation for the relief of aches and pains related to the musculo-skeletal system. It is basically oil of wintergreen. However, in topical applications on the skin can be irritating and cause contact dermatitis. In children less than 6 years of age, a teaspoon (5 mL) or less of oil of wintergreen has been implicated in several well-documented deaths so definitely keep your lock peppa out of reach of your little ones! Interestingly, it’s also used to flavor foods…. Go figure. Methyl salicylate is, as far as I can tell, simply used for its pleasant scent.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rosin</span> is pretty much tree sap. It’s sticky and it makes the hair stick together. There is no information available to suggest that rosin is dangerous in any way.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bentonite</span> is a clay product used for it absorptive properties. It, like the silicon dioxide, helps to dry the hair making it easier to knot. There are no known side effects related to bentonite. However, there has not been a longitudinal study on the effects from humans. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wintergreen mint</span> is an odd addition the list given the already included methyl salicylate is oil of wintergreen. As far as I can tell it has the same purpose as the methyl salicylate.</li></ul><br />So, ultimately, it Lock Peppa safe? I think so…. But the general rule of thumb is don’t get it on your scalp, and don’t let small children or animals eat it… which I would think would be a given, LOL. If NOT using any chemical on your body at all is not your thing, steer clear.<br /><br />Here is a short list of some other dread product ingredients to be aware of. They are not all necessarily ‘dangerous’, but they do have certain effects that are important to know about that I want you all to be aware of.<br /><br />(1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oils and butters</span> - Anything that says it is an ‘oil’ or ‘butter’ (mineral oil, cocoa butter) isn’t necessary “dangerous” persay, but using them on dreadlocks that are not mature yet can deter the locking process and cause knots to slip out and dreads to loosen up. One very popular product containing one of these ingredients is DreadHeadHQ Dread Butta, and it says right on the product page to only use on mature dreads, so please stick with the directions and only use if your dreadies are good and mature!!! Some people get really antsy about wanting to make their dreads smell pretty (since DreadHeadHQ dread soap has no scent). Essential oils (despite being an ‘oil’) in small amounts can help add a pleasant scent to your locks. Try adding a few drops (10-ish) to your Lock Accelerator, bath salt soak (a la SaltedEarth Bath Salts on Etsy), or to your aloe and lemon juice spray (lavendar mixes well with lemon!).<br /><br />(2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulphate</span> - This is another product that isn’t inherently dangerous, but some people have an allergy to it without even knowing. SLS/SLES is found in toothpastes to hand soap, to shampoo (a la DreadHeadHQ Dread Soap, which contains SLES, a slightly less questionable alternative) and is basically used to create the foaming lather we all like to see and feel represents cleanliness. If you have an allergy to SLS or to other commercial products containing it, be careful! Apparently, too, there is a lot of controversy out on the web as far as the detrimental effects SLS/SLES can have on our health. I am copying and pasting the below text from <a href="http://www.health-report.co.uk/sodium_lauryl_sulphate.html">http://www.health-report.co.uk/sodium_lauryl_sulphate.html</a> for your viewing pleasure:<br /><br />Studies on SLS have shown that: (Judi Vance, Beauty To Die For, Promotion Publishing, 1998)<br /><ul><li>"Shampoos with SLS could retard healing and keep children's eyes from developing properly. Children under six years old are especially vulnerable to improper eye development. (Summary of Report of Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. conference."</li><li>"SLS can cause cataracts in adults and delays the healing of wounds in the surface of the cornea."</li><li>"SLS has a low molecular weight and so is easily absorbed by the body. It builds up in the heart, liver and brain and can cause major problems in these areas."</li><li>"SLS causes skin to flake and to separate and causes roughness on the skin."</li><li>"SLS causes dysfunction of the biological systems of the skin."</li><li>"SLS is such a caustic cleanser that it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs the ability to grow hair."</li><li>"SLS is routinely used in clinical studies deliberately to irritate the skin so that the effects of other substances can be tested." (Study cited by the Wall St Journal, 1st November 1998)</li></ul><br />These facts should cause you to not only re-examine what you use on your dreadlocks but on the rest of your body. SLS is an ingredient found in SO many products. Thankfully, there are many companies out there dedicated to making SLS-free products. SLES is a very similar compound and many sources say it's known to have similar effects as SLS, however, there seems to be very little to no official studies out to compare the risks and effects of SLES vs. SLS. If it’s a concern of yours check it out.<br /><br />(4)<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Sea Salt</span> - AGAIN not an inherently dangerous ingredient, but many people are unaware that any salt-based dreadlock product, while having the desired effect of roughening and drying the hair, can have the same detrimental effect on the scalp. In people who are already prone to dandruff getting sea salt-based products on the scalp are a BAD idea. I, personally, prefer the use of an aloe spray mixed with lemon juice to get the same effect while moisturizing at the same time. J<br /><br />So ultimately none of these products are dangerous. Many of them are in other products we use daily with no notable mal-effects. As someone wrote on one of the message boards I sifted through during this research said, "Just because it's residue-free, doesn't mean it's chemical-free!". Now that you know what they are and the risks they pose only you can decide which of them you are still comfortable using. I sincerely hope that this entry has causes you to truly think and analyze what you use on your body and on your hair, because there’s more to them than just ’soap’. I look forward to your comments and questions.<br /><br />Blessings!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-23712020912061950832010-06-07T17:17:00.000-07:002010-06-07T17:20:59.923-07:00Wrap 'Em UpOkay.... so this past week I discovered the overwhelming amazingness of dread wraps. I used to use a ponytail holder to pull my dreads back if I didn't want them down which eventually would pull and start to give me a headache, but dread wraps, my knotty friends, are amazing.... hold your dreads out of the way, look super cute (if you find some great wraps/scarfs) and DON'T HURT!!! The last part is my favorite, LOL. Anywho, I am including here a video I created on how to put on a dread wrap. :-)<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3FmA3WqeDSQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3FmA3WqeDSQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />In other news, I finally found the information I've been trying to find for WEEKS about the legal and licensing statutes in the state of Connecticut regarding dreadlocks and what generally falls under the bracket of 'african braiding'. Connecticut actually has official laws exempting braiders from needing licensing. WOOT! That means that my dread business is 100% legal! I had worried it wasn't so I was trying to keep it on the DL... but now that I don't have to worry about that, I am free to start promoting myself a bit more -- post on craigslist, put up flyers on community bulletin boards, etc. So SPREAD the word, people! Tell them to check out <a href="http://www.thedreadqueen.com">The Dread Queen</a>!!!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-56383708780107187962010-05-29T12:30:00.001-07:002010-05-29T12:57:53.114-07:00The Dread QueenGods, people.... I know I'm SOOO behind! For those of you keeping track you know its because I've been working my @$$ off working on a facebook page and website dedicated towards the dread services I offer, the least of which is the services.... I'm much more focused on information and making sure people are getting a sound, relatively un-biased answer to their dreadlock-related questions. I'd like to tell you about things in more detail, but it's much easier to post up a couple of links to SHOW you! To head on over to my 'The Dread Queen' facebook page click on the image below:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Enfield-CT/The-Dread-Queen/123563774334774?v=app_2392950137#%21/pages/Enfield-CT/The-Dread-Queen/123563774334774"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 44px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctI0PIP_nWYt1VN_Orn8hwyTVFbWPbVhJ8549207YYBHN82bQGP_xG2tlbuagCGSr7Xa1OAOHa4yznXBJdy1yhetVpJ0Ionn1mdoo3vQC9TfVzpdHDWLFyIXFAhQrEQhsBB5HPEH6OLw/s200/facebookbadge.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476782908967373090" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">AND check out my new website, too!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thedreadqueen.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk8GzCJzeMGtDzDT9I1DhDiYxNM6sVud0dgWxvPRlHGMhg4BQo6dGcwROcGdBZSew96QPhUwYAaMFYEK_YeZnlP-mgX-ggv2gZCDgw1mVpjigi_KFsYRG1c4PnKCPPqajv2hrZa1WR9c/s320/dqbanner_link.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476780232740279058" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Please note that I am STILL working on the website so please don't be mad when you noticed that about half of the pages are still blank! It's a work in progress, but I wanted to share it with y'all anyway! I want to especially direct people the <a href="http://www.thedreadqueen.com/links.htm">Links page</a> on my website which has a nice long list of Etsy sellers that make and sell some AWESOME dreadlock-related items (especially beads!!).<br /><br />Now, speaking of beads, I have moved on recently to the next element for my dread bead series. The next element is FIRE! Also made by the awesome and amazing <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beatlebabyglassworks">Beatlebaby Glassworks</a> (who is also linked on my website). She made my 'WATER' bead, too, which I wrote about in a previous blog entry. :-) Here is a photo of the awesomeness!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijneZcFqFjEc9-JP3g_epYA16T0zcDpF9z6jbw2tY2DMBzfY_e9Z5J0th6wxPkQrIydCEN9WiTGPcIsdhrxoiKy57-771uuu47SH9e_ZwjYTGvtJwp6SdapI-vWxPaRzPIIkiv1Yb59s/s1600/firebead.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijneZcFqFjEc9-JP3g_epYA16T0zcDpF9z6jbw2tY2DMBzfY_e9Z5J0th6wxPkQrIydCEN9WiTGPcIsdhrxoiKy57-771uuu47SH9e_ZwjYTGvtJwp6SdapI-vWxPaRzPIIkiv1Yb59s/s320/firebead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476781467934299810" border="0" /></a>Finally I want to point out to people that I have a NEW POLL up on my blog page and am asking people to PLEASE vote on what you would like me to write my next blog about! I want to know what YOU want to read about!<br /><br />Alright, well that's about it for now, folks. Stay tuned for more updates! Spread the dread and let people know about my website!!! Happy Dreading!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-4792026988864289442010-05-16T09:13:00.000-07:002010-05-16T09:20:47.818-07:00The Weeping Willow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA3EaIkvlq0Gn-F4hzrZ58aSF8r8y9xly2tgWP1ElUfFsumfvbK1equPzdi2bVySz7KsOkNrqW9SrALZCjq-yS56yaVgTIUE0Hkp-6olsDus-Fc61ylfljuRWvZ8ltHLPflQHgfa7h3k/s1600/weepingwillow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA3EaIkvlq0Gn-F4hzrZ58aSF8r8y9xly2tgWP1ElUfFsumfvbK1equPzdi2bVySz7KsOkNrqW9SrALZCjq-yS56yaVgTIUE0Hkp-6olsDus-Fc61ylfljuRWvZ8ltHLPflQHgfa7h3k/s320/weepingwillow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471902349915976306" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">by Amy Schile</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >I stood among the weeping branches of the willow tree</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Her leaves caressed my bare back </span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >And Embraced me as if she were Mother Earth herself</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Mother to mother, no words needed to be exchanged</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Here I wept</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >I sat at the foot of the weeping willow tree</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >My dreadlocks my roots and my branches</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >She showed me beauty</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Rustling in the gentle, early summer breeze</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;" >Here I wept</span><br /></div>KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-79635312274324672302010-05-15T17:21:00.000-07:002010-05-15T19:11:25.782-07:00Dreadlock Decorating<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmaKCX4HrFVSu3zVCv8eoo99GWeuANyj6VDSymacOBhn260qZ7AR1YEL2kaxxH5v2eZlz81VTR1qFZEZgkTBu71MLaKB_Ha3WTWK1tm4LKbYVOVlue7YZ-q6-2FKRoN1MnGC5gFnNL6w/s1600/MommyPhoenix+006.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmaKCX4HrFVSu3zVCv8eoo99GWeuANyj6VDSymacOBhn260qZ7AR1YEL2kaxxH5v2eZlz81VTR1qFZEZgkTBu71MLaKB_Ha3WTWK1tm4LKbYVOVlue7YZ-q6-2FKRoN1MnGC5gFnNL6w/s320/MommyPhoenix+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471658771369811410" border="0" /></a><br />Okay, so I know I already did a blog on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Chttp://knottymama-thecrunchylife.blogspot.com/2010/04/dread-adornment-and-agriculture.html%E2%80%9D">dread adornment</a>, but I was so excited by my newest purchase (so new, in fact, that I haven’t even received it in the mail yet) that I felt compelled to make another post about them! Unfortunately, the bead that had purchased that inspired the original post about dread adornment had to be returned. The hole was just too big… as much as I didn’t want it to be, LOL.<br /><br />I have come up with a ‘theme’ for the next several dread adornments I purchase. With the knowledge that dreadlocks are a sponge for energy and in the interest of balance I decided I want to acquire four beads (maybe five?) to represent the four/five elements; water, air, fire, and earth. For whatever reason I had been really drawn to beads incorporating a theme of the ocean or water so I figured that was a prime place to start.<br /><br />I was THRILLED when I happened across the awesomely awesome Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Chttp://www.etsy.com/shop/beatlebabyglassworks%E2%80%9D">Beatle Baby Glass Works</a>. whose work, in my humble opinion just completely personifies the element of water. She has mastered the ability to capture the depth of water, using dichroic glass to mimick the effect of sunlight glittering on its surface. The organic, free-flowing shape of her work seemed to communicate the amazing power and force of water. It was just so breath-takingly beautiful and perfect that I had to send her a message asking if she would custom-make me a dread bead. She didn’t have anything with a hole that size so I didn’t know if it would be possible, but she immediately jumped at the opportunity and ideas that I had.<br /><br />Within 24 hours she had created a bead for me that was just gorgeous, but I stupidly said that it wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind and asked her if she would be willing to try again. Her second try was a no-go… not up to her standards. The third and fourth tries were also beautiful, but by the time she had come around to those I had fallen further in love with the first bead she had made. Although I loved the others, I was ready to take the first bead. In the end it was just too perfect not to!<br /><br />In the process I inspired her to create a section in her shop for large hole/dread beads, so if you have dreadies yourself you should give her shop a look-see as her stuff is just AMAZING. She told me she is thinking of trying to make fire beads, too, which I’m SUPER excited about in lieu of my idea of a decorating ‘theme’ for my dreads.<br /><br />On top of that I have also commissioned <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Chttp://www.etsy.com/shop/knottysleeves%E2%80%9D">KnottySleeves on Etsy</a> to create a peyote stitch dread tube for me. Her peyote stitching is the highest quality, most creative ones I’ve been able to locate online. I will post photos of that when I get them, too!<br /><br />So, to round things out here I am going to wrap up with a video I created on how to use your <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a> to help you put on dread adornments. (I wrote a whole other <a href="http://knottymama-thecrunchylife.blogspot.com/2010/05/loose-hair-tool-gods-gift-to-dread.html">blog entry about the LHT </a>and how to use it to tidy up your dreads.... check it out, too!)^_^ Enjoy!!!<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VwVpHpr0b6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VwVpHpr0b6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-67177546998518478242010-05-13T14:48:00.000-07:002010-05-13T15:26:11.529-07:00The Dreadlock Treaty Debate (Update)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7MTetA5G2DR-szIVxaXXAYB_0700VupYjwHjLPcorGl3ol_SqgfH_Oqn8_iWS3SHkO9GRB-r-CAPAhb23kPL0hu5tagb20oO_n-L1wiHvEiOYA1RUZ3B5y9bfltV3wRbmOQ4cgv-2hE/s1600/n121250064560487_675.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7MTetA5G2DR-szIVxaXXAYB_0700VupYjwHjLPcorGl3ol_SqgfH_Oqn8_iWS3SHkO9GRB-r-CAPAhb23kPL0hu5tagb20oO_n-L1wiHvEiOYA1RUZ3B5y9bfltV3wRbmOQ4cgv-2hE/s320/n121250064560487_675.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470875192946223538" border="0" /></a><br />Okay.... so let me start off by saying that every thing I have written below is my own opinion, and does not reflect that of <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ </a>or the members of <a href="http://www.dreadlockssite.com/">http://www.dreadlockssite.com</a>. I'm assuming that most people reading here are probably at least vaguely familiar with this 'event' within the dreadlock internet community at large. If not I'll give a little history, but honestly this isn't a history lesson, it's an opinion piece, so if you want to know more details you can visit <a href="http://dreadlocks.tv/treatydebate">KJC's Dreadlocks.TV Dreadlock Treaty</a> web page to view his initial treaty letter and the progress to this point. OR you could check out he<a href="http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/official-johnny-clean"> official knotty johnny clean dreadlock debate </a>thread on the <a href="http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum">dreadlockssite.com forum</a>, too. And, last but not least, you can head on over to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121250064560487&v=wall&story_fbid=122893271062833">Dreadlocks Treaty Debate facebook group,</a> to round out the experience.<br /><br />Things all started on May 7th.... a Friday? I can't remember. Anyway, someone posted the link to the thread on the<a href="http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum"> dreadlockssite forums</a> and I headed on over and joined up. I have visited there a couple times for research for past blog entries (crocheting and wax entries, if you're curious), so I was happy to get a screen name so I could participate on the forum. The officially start time was 8 p.m. and so I was waiting on the site and on the site chat at that time, excited for it to begin.<br /><br />About 20 minutes in or so, KJC (finally?) posted his initial letter, which can be viewed at all of the above links in some place or another, and the fall-out began. This was the only post that KJC was to make on the site, much to the dismay of many forum-goers who were falsely expecting a live debate. I discovered only today that a live debate was never actually the goal or expectation (for KJC, anyway). SoaringEagle, the founder of http://www.dreadlockssite.com, clearly expected a live debate (and had set up to host one on his site) and when it was not delivered as mistakenly expected, the carnage began. The mud-slinging and name-calling followed quickly. Those few DreadHeadHQ cross-overs from facebook tried to defend KJC (often ineffectively or equally offensively) to little avail. (Myself included!) I guess maybe it's just my lingering good faith in humanity that leads me to the strong belief that although the debate so far as failed, it was not in purposeful sabotage by either opposing party.<br /><br />Today on the facebook page and dreadlock.tv site KJC posted that apparently the idea and challenge for a debate actually took place in a heated argument (involving plenty of negative accusations and name-calling) through comments posted on one of KJC's youtube videos. Now, I think that the idea for a dread wax debate is a GREAT one. I think the information and facts need to be settled once and for all. However, I think anger and frustration may not have been the best emotions under which to decide the conditions of said debate.<br /><br />Things have just been escalating further and further every day that passes. At this point I'm so frustrated I'm not sure what to suggest. No one seems to be able to agree on any terms for how this debate should be run. You know what? Forget this post, LOL. I'm tired of the debate. I'm taking a break. If I feel up to it maybe I will update again in the future after everyone stops being so pig-headed about everything. F this S.KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-30699970709976351852010-05-07T10:59:00.001-07:002010-05-07T11:43:54.290-07:00Nice Rack<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGf-5zmbo2z4fwcBM8gVh6XBmwjvUfF_6NRCjFt20qs0dwHmz-9OBmD3CHGNYSMr3fEBhRWFKiKFmS4xzSzW-vg69LALxi8D3M6Nj4zGVxLjgVDtzSIWvJbOTvvAQxeRfSMmJ2V3DIsg/s1600/breastfeeding1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGf-5zmbo2z4fwcBM8gVh6XBmwjvUfF_6NRCjFt20qs0dwHmz-9OBmD3CHGNYSMr3fEBhRWFKiKFmS4xzSzW-vg69LALxi8D3M6Nj4zGVxLjgVDtzSIWvJbOTvvAQxeRfSMmJ2V3DIsg/s320/breastfeeding1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468589483061414242" border="0" /></a>I was browsing Facebook this morning on my Blackberry and one of the groups I am a fan of, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/MidwiferyToday?ref=ts">Midwifery Today</a>, posted a link on their wall about a <a href="http://www.drmomma.org/2010/05/cedar-rapids-iowa-nurse-in-after-mother.html">nurse-in in Iowa</a>. This article really fired me up<br />about an issue that has really bugged me for a while now. In the blog entry (linked above) they describe how a poll posted on the news story indicated that a stunning 32% of respondents answer that they felt nursing mothers should re-locate to a designated feeding area to breastfeed their children. I am completely appalled at this. It is stories like this that test my faith in humanity.<br /><br />First off, at this point it is common knowledge that BREAST IS BEST!!! No matter how hard formula companies try, they have not yet and probably never will match the benefits of breast milk. I don't think there is any way for them to include all of the anti-bodies that the mother's body produces specialized specifically for their infant at that moment in time. It's an amazing system. Mother Nature knows exactly what she's doing and although it may sound judgemental, I think that any mother who consciously chooses not to exclusively breastfeed for at LEAST the first six months of life (as opposed to those who are unable to for medical reasons) is short-changing their child. The breastfeeding relationship between mother and child has so many benefits, not just to baby, but to mommy, too.<br /><br />Breast milk is highly specialized for each individual child by their age, health status, and dietary needs. The mother's body knows intuitively what the baby needs. Breastfeeding, especially in the hours and days following birth, encourages a deep bond between mother and child that can be difficult to reproduce otherwise. (I have plenty to say about this and the institutionalization of birth, too, but that's for another entry another time.) In addition to those thing, studies have shown that breastfeeding for at least six months in a lifetime can significantly reduce the mother's risk for breast and cervical cancer.<br /><br />Regardless, however, of a person's choice to breastfeed their own child or not, the idea that there are people out there AFRAID that their child might catch a glimpse of a mother's breast while feeding their child is, in my opinion, absolutely ludicrous. And, as far as I can tell, this nonsense can be traced to the horrible sexualization of nudity and breasts in particular in our country. People have this irrational fear that the sight of a human breast is so inherently sexual that it will emotionally and psychologically scar their children for life. What are we teaching our children by shaming the human body in this way? Little girls learn to hate their bodies and little boys learn to objectify them. I think that there is NOTHING more beautiful than a mother breastfeeding her baby and I LOVE when my 16 month old daughter gets to view other babies and children nursing. It is teaching her about the nature order of things, yes, but also showing her what the primarily function of the breasts are; feeding our young.<br /><br />In fact, I am also disgusted by how the entire human body has become sexualized in our culture. The idea that the simple state of being naked is sexual. I undress to shower all the time, and I am in no way intending on getting laid as a result of it. I fancy myself to be something of a nudist anyway, and I think our society's general attitude towards nudity not only fosters poor body image, but also teaches our children than to be human and to be in a human body is somehow dirty or naughty. As a good example, I have a friend who has a 3 year old daughter. She told me an anecdote about her MIL coming for a visit. Her daughter loves to run around the house naked and she encourages it because (1) it's comfortable and (2) why not?? While her MIL was visiting, however, she kept chasing the little girl around the house with panties trying to get her to wear them. The whole time, my friend couldn't quite peg why it bothered her so much that her MIL was trying to cover her up. It wasn't until after her MIL had left that it hit her; she didn't want to teach her young, impressionable daughter that her vagina is dirty. That's right, folks! Vaginas aren't dirty!<br /><br />The article about the nurse-in hit the nail on the head when it said that the issue of breastfeeding is a FEMINIST one. I am irritated when I see the display of colorful nursing cover-ups sold by most children's stores. To those women who are not comfortable enough with their bodies to not use one (which I don't and, I might add, still aren't flashing any copious amount of flesh without), I encourage you to be brave. Just remember when you gave birth and room full of nurses and doctors were staring at your vagina. You weren't modest then and there's no reason to be modest now, LOL. Okay... so I guess that's a little harsh, but I guess there's some small part of me crying out here and saying that nursing cover-ups are just perpetuating the sexualization of breasts by suggesting pretty explicitly that they need to be or should be covered.<br /><br />AAOJWER()&*!@#$%IH@#$TLKNASf This issue just makes me so MAD!!!! Seriously. Breasts are for breastfeeding. Children should see breastfeeding to know what breasts are for just like they are taught what their eyes, ears, and noses are for. If you don't like looking at it DON'T LOOK, but I think a breastfeeding mother and child is one of the most beautiful sights I've even seen. Babies are made to breastfeed. Breasts are made to breastfeed. Get over it.KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-3407353593102156102010-05-01T13:34:00.000-07:002010-05-01T14:07:35.786-07:00The Loose Hair Tool: God's Gift to Dread Heads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw5ir1tXiC1vEdIT58iJPkcDD9Oui5o2BiXMw2eSCjnlnYzcqR6SJ666bfyzF8xrHCnRHxqI-F-QIllP38Zo09kAjDi8idPipGYn-IG-wFkqSXOrd8Tm25lmIsHWLw1H8T0_EOxqT3P4/s1600/image.php.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw5ir1tXiC1vEdIT58iJPkcDD9Oui5o2BiXMw2eSCjnlnYzcqR6SJ666bfyzF8xrHCnRHxqI-F-QIllP38Zo09kAjDi8idPipGYn-IG-wFkqSXOrd8Tm25lmIsHWLw1H8T0_EOxqT3P4/s320/image.php.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466409623827127106" border="0" /></a><br />God must have smiled on <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">Knotty Johnny Clean</a> and all dread heads around the world when he developed the wonderous thing that is the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/"> DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool (version 2.0)</a>. In my opinion, it is the single most useful dread-related item ever invented. However in my travels across the interwebs, I have received multiple messages and e-mails requesting that I post a blog about how to use it. So, here it is!<br /><br />The<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/"> DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool </a>is pretty much a latch hook with a pointed end to help the user to insert it neatly into the dread. Some sites have claimed that, especially in mature dreads, using it can create holes. My dreads are only 11 weeks old, but I haven’t had any issues with holes yet. Considering that it isn’t recommended to use crochet hooks bigger than 1 mm for the same reason, it only makes logical sense that the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool </a>would do the same. Naturally either they cause holes or they don’t, but I haven’t heard any complaints from anyone on the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DHHQ </a>Facebook page yet. I plan to continue using it unless there comes a serious hole issue.<br /><br />I mentioned in my entry about crochet that I don’t recommend doing it anymore frequently than every 4 weeks. More frequently can cause breakage (which adversely affects the overall strength of the dread as its strength comes from the long fibers) and prevent the dreads from locking (because you are continuously moving the hair around instead of letting it do its own thing). So, these techniques, particularly in the middle of my dreads, is how I tide myself over between crocheting, which honestly I do VERY little of at this point. More or less, this is ALL I’m doing now, so pay close attention so you can put the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool </a>magic to work for you!<br /><br />Ultimately, there are three different places you can use a <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">loose hair tool</a>: the tips of your dreads, the middle of your dreads, the roots of your dreads. If you have dreads you either are of two general philosophies; loose hairs are unsightly, or loose hairs add the character of the dread. If you are of the latter school of thought than read no further and leave those loose hairs alone. I personally like my dreads to look really neat and this technique helps me achieve just that. Anyway, three different places. No matter what part of the dread you are working on with your tool, the technique is the same. The only difference being the manipulation of the tool because of your head being in the way, LOL.<br /><br />I already have a video I posted on YouTube about how to blunt the tips of your dreads. Here is the first video I posted to help you out. The second one, which I recorded just last night, talks about it, too, but in less detail. If you are just starting out pulling in your ends I suggest the first. If you are just doing touch-ups where you already pulled in the tips the second video will suffice. If you are super bored you could, of course, just watch both.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6lm2fUlnxSo&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6lm2fUlnxSo&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />Now, of course the first step of using your<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html"> Loose Hair Tool</a> is to find the dread(s) that need some work done. Usually I do my maintenance when I am in the bathroom after doing my business. I usually will start to inspect my dreads and subsequently find some hairs that I absolutely MUST fix right then and there before I loose track of them. This results in a nearly endless quest to find every single loose hair to pull in and fix…. I could get stuck in front of the mirror for hours, I swear. So, I’m not really picking out every dread that needs it in advance. I just do it as I find where its needed.<br /><br />Now, I HIGHLY recommend <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Lock-Peppa.html">Lock Peppa</a>. As I say in the beginning of this second video, the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool </a>and <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Lock-Peppa.html">Lock Peppa </a>are my absolutely FAVORITE maintenance tools. How anyone can live without them in their maintenance routine is mystifying to me. <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Lock-Peppa.html">Lock Peppa</a> just makes everyone so much easier and helps all that hard work you are doing to stay put instead of just coming undone. (Keep in mind, though, that your natural hair texture can make maintenance and dreads in generally harder work -- silky, slippery hair being a good example.)<br /><br />Once you have those things set up you can get started. Here is the video I created to illustrate to you how to use your <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a>. Per usual, there are text directions after the video, although honestly I think it would be PRETTY hard to grasp this technique without the visual examples shown in the video.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PONj6ehFtio&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PONj6ehFtio&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><ol><li>Find a dread that needs loose hair pulled in.</li><li>Isolate the hairs and hold them in place while dipping your fingers (thumb and index finger) into some <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Lock-Peppa.html">Lock Peppa</a>. Use the covered fingers to twist the strands into a small knotty lock and hold them in place while getting your <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a> so you don’t loose track of them.</li><li>Pick up your<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html"> Loose Hair Tool</a>. Guesstimate how far up the dread the loose hairs would be pulled and insert your Loose Hair Tool into that spot, feeding it down towards the loose hair lock.</li><li>You want the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool </a>to poke out in the middle of all the hairs you are trying to pull in.</li><li>Feed the loose hairs into the latch hoop and close the latch hook around them. While holding the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool,</a> pull the loose hairs taut within the hook to make sure the entire strand is pulled in.</li><li>While keeping very gentle pressure on the strand to make sure it is entirely pulled in, pull the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a> back through the dread the way it was inserted bringing the loose hairs with it!</li></ol><br />I recognize in the video and will re-iterate here that the hardest part of learning to use your <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a> is discovering how to comfortably and efficiently manipulate the tool to operate it. I think many people have difficulty getting the hair into the small loop, (1), and (2) have a problem closing the latch over it once they do. All I can say here is that like many other things in life, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!!! If people still have major issues with this after viewing this blog entry and the included videos, I will attempt to do another video that captures more detail (closer up) of how I get the hair into the tool while I am using it.<br /><br />So, the<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html"> Loose Hair Tool</a> is a godsend. It is the best tool ever created for the maintenance of dreadlocks, in my humble opinion. For those who have crocheted and are going crazy with all the frizzies and loose hairs that have come loose since your last crochet, give these techniques a try and I think you will find it makes a HUGE difference and make for some kick-ass, tight dreadlocks!!!`KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-53596588818366815302010-04-30T18:08:00.000-07:002010-04-30T18:43:24.844-07:00Freedom's Dread Week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJfNvm6RgGLwVo78Kd6gdFGmM_erPQRAfZhRqCMdSLvcIDBO4-xN4-jV1tyAv7mhg598OE_RH8te5qu5ANOszhUQYvfr1nWsg6znakjIN_PN2rAArUh7Fxzq-klVdPAP2nKWe97_pQLU/s1600/sections.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJfNvm6RgGLwVo78Kd6gdFGmM_erPQRAfZhRqCMdSLvcIDBO4-xN4-jV1tyAv7mhg598OE_RH8te5qu5ANOszhUQYvfr1nWsg6znakjIN_PN2rAArUh7Fxzq-klVdPAP2nKWe97_pQLU/s320/sections.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466104948074611250" border="0" /></a>I have been away for so long! I have to apologize for those of you who may have been following along religiously for my absence. However, I assure you that said absence was not in vain! I spent Sunday night through Thursday night putting dreadlocks in for a friend. He has/had beautiful, long naturally blonde hair.... and a big head, literally! To add insult to injury, he wanted to have skinny dreads... about 75 of them. So, I told him when he arrived that by the end of that night I wanted to at least finish his sectioning. Well, it turns out that my 15 month-old daughter did NOT want my friend to be hogging all of my attention, so it took me THREE hours to section his hair into 3/4 inch sections. (Using my trusty rat-tail comb and polyband elastics.) After all of that it was time to hit the hay.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ITe7Ybx91BHc3yKV3YgjLlg_aFWU_AKQbBfIOB17rZ9bGCE-i7DtuHCu31obQrL24qb6Mjv82iawJFPgFriI6s5m4i2fp1mVTk5E1iBr2PQ2_PXLdyDjJQ_Es3rN_UX73QcUJMb4I_c/s1600/9dreads.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ITe7Ybx91BHc3yKV3YgjLlg_aFWU_AKQbBfIOB17rZ9bGCE-i7DtuHCu31obQrL24qb6Mjv82iawJFPgFriI6s5m4i2fp1mVTk5E1iBr2PQ2_PXLdyDjJQ_Es3rN_UX73QcUJMb4I_c/s320/9dreads.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466105506354458818" border="0" /></a><br />df<br />The next night we only got through 9 dreads after I got out of work and we fell asleep. He had just come back from an extended stay in Thailand so, still jet lagged, he was about passing out while I was working on his hair. So, I took the opportunity to take a nap myself and ended up falling asleep for the whole night! At the right, here, you can see how far we got before falling asleep!<br /><br />The next day we started dreading in earnest. We worked from the time I woke up in the morning (from about 9:30 through bedtime around 9:30 that night). We had gotten about halfway through his head to h<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkgfdWdhj3DBdeWGJ88rzki4sGxrhQFpktFita8QyH9kgsUAHnofvS-vudwnWLDQNQUsiilYf8V3yjYQ-tuJqySRdmTlTQJT30e0fA-AVgfe0G1tUaL-B24gjPW7-QIrM4Zvxs1sMrPI/s1600/backofheaddreads.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkgfdWdhj3DBdeWGJ88rzki4sGxrhQFpktFita8QyH9kgsUAHnofvS-vudwnWLDQNQUsiilYf8V3yjYQ-tuJqySRdmTlTQJT30e0fA-AVgfe0G1tUaL-B24gjPW7-QIrM4Zvxs1sMrPI/s320/backofheaddreads.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466107286556103586" border="0" /></a>aving about 32 done. That makes 23 dreads in 12 hours. I was averaging two an hour, but that includes breaks to eat, stretch, and hit the restrooms. It didn't help that in the chair he sat in his @$$ kept falling asleep, LOL. That night my back was killing me and I was grateful for a night's rest before having to go back at it again. To complicate matters I was on a deadline. My friend only came through on his way back home to Erie, PA and his ride was coming to get him Thursday night. This was last minute Tuesday and I was really concerned about getting them all done in time!<br /><br /><br />The following day we started in the early afternoon after getting through with a half day of work and got through half of the top of his head leaving me with 16 left to complete the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-vmr8ex4WCA7Y4VxORCskTtich6nsA1l2Xc2X4MeYB4OvySSk7MzFgADXAUlpw5vO97oLqqCjX65xaCkfrbKZ2IcKFRYnWN3SHdzDRuhOjOzHS6fY-gcdBYpD5Siw7owwbCV0Blhle8/s1600/onesideonly.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-vmr8ex4WCA7Y4VxORCskTtich6nsA1l2Xc2X4MeYB4OvySSk7MzFgADXAUlpw5vO97oLqqCjX65xaCkfrbKZ2IcKFRYnWN3SHdzDRuhOjOzHS6fY-gcdBYpD5Siw7owwbCV0Blhle8/s320/onesideonly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466107931774767218" border="0" /></a> following day before having to be ready for his ride to pick him up. In the photo you can see how the hair on his right side of his head is still pinned up.<br /><br />The next day we got through the whole rest, but his ride decided to come the next day to make sure that we weren't rushed in finishing. So, here are the final photos including the one and only one of ME actually working on his hair!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz0sxABPVBILXQQLqzhHFhPjUla3lB3yKYnJRfwTUJeT2MbVM6EJ9m7GcSCFKQfsoP6oz9fipD06Bs6mgeOI5I-12SZRofEjQ8APCZf6MOZDHfb7AeYNgfDBiq52woKuXYwGR3S0thBo/s1600/dreadsdoneback.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuz0sxABPVBILXQQLqzhHFhPjUla3lB3yKYnJRfwTUJeT2MbVM6EJ9m7GcSCFKQfsoP6oz9fipD06Bs6mgeOI5I-12SZRofEjQ8APCZf6MOZDHfb7AeYNgfDBiq52woKuXYwGR3S0thBo/s320/dreadsdoneback.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466108665269272402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HwTg2CIUZ3XDHSbmNRpGGctTQJoNnPAu3Y-0qlSLztZiKtON7N1Bmiyz7k0BpEl_9NYn3mYC1J85k4x-v6OlconxKauONJOqaRzIh7GSkmkGM6y-2mb6HtAtVs0xKx2Cnm9uKjGMgT4/s1600/FreedomSidedreads.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HwTg2CIUZ3XDHSbmNRpGGctTQJoNnPAu3Y-0qlSLztZiKtON7N1Bmiyz7k0BpEl_9NYn3mYC1J85k4x-v6OlconxKauONJOqaRzIh7GSkmkGM6y-2mb6HtAtVs0xKx2Cnm9uKjGMgT4/s320/FreedomSidedreads.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466109156866624722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKdGY6KpuarLzeP3l-DAHqOxJFEUnpV7jMvV1Usz_u7v1sUFtZVqRGOW4-g4jkHcykQsIbqb7-NMRbW9rbuMw4Wyvr3BvwiRr-YMblpH4tgnH3ikMuJ9jJXh1u0FpBvb0gwMjVz8xYvU/s1600/medreading.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10pt 10px 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKdGY6KpuarLzeP3l-DAHqOxJFEUnpV7jMvV1Usz_u7v1sUFtZVqRGOW4-g4jkHcykQsIbqb7-NMRbW9rbuMw4Wyvr3BvwiRr-YMblpH4tgnH3ikMuJ9jJXh1u0FpBvb0gwMjVz8xYvU/s320/medreading.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466109167856651490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPnhvQKr8jeMUTG9EP5jY196tPvMTE_fmcXh2QTEPEKkaHA7HRl2XzHxb-MpWd04__SBZW1xNmSZO9tCjZUsktUNPF9o9tdGFcQ0Zl02sOAuOp8nfcZbnEg5u50Ioe3Ek72Y7udq5v-8/s1600/5elementscoilFreedom.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPnhvQKr8jeMUTG9EP5jY196tPvMTE_fmcXh2QTEPEKkaHA7HRl2XzHxb-MpWd04__SBZW1xNmSZO9tCjZUsktUNPF9o9tdGFcQ0Zl02sOAuOp8nfcZbnEg5u50Ioe3Ek72Y7udq5v-8/s320/5elementscoilFreedom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466110087904512290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The last image is a shameless plug for the dread coils I've started making! You can find them on my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mommy2Phoenix">Etsy Shop!</a> This is one of the Five Element Dread Coils. Please check them out! My next blog entry (to be posted tomorrow) will be about how to use the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool</a> as so many people have requested a blog about it! So, stay tuned for that!<br /><br />Blessings and Happy Dreading!!!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-69575761193978093302010-04-24T17:01:00.000-07:002010-04-24T18:15:37.210-07:00A Lil' Update... Random TidbitsOkay so its been a few days since I updated and I thought I'd let y'all know what I've been up to. I guess the most pertinent news is that I *finally* got my application to apply for <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a> Sponsorship. I'm WICKED psyched to finish that up and send it back to KJC. I'm just waiting for Meg (whose hair I dreaded last weekend and it came out AWESOME) to post the photos from her dread party to send along with the application. I am looking forward to seeing where that will take me.<br /><br />As I just mentioned last weekend I helped Meg put her dreads in. She now has 55 suh-weet dreads. We backcombed and crochet 'em all and pulled all of her ends in right at the get-go. She knows that she will have to frequently touch up the ends as the dreads begin maturing and doing their own thing. It took us, over the course of two days, probably a total of 16 hours or so to put in her dreads. It would have likely taken us much less time if we had just backcombed without the crochet. She started by washing her hair with <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ </a><a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dreadlocks-Shampoo.html">Dread Soap</a> and then sprayed it with <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Locking-Accelerator.html">Locking Accelerator</a>. She toweled off much of the excess moisture and blow-dried her hair so we could section it. We did approximately 1 inch sections with the ones around her hair line a little smaller so she can style it a little more easily (like the people who put in my dreads did). Meg has pretty thin hair that's prone to breakage so we wanted to make sure we didn't give her dreads that were TOO skinny. I think their size is JUST right! We used the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/dreadlocks-comb.html">Dread Comb</a> and <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Lock-Peppa.html">Lock Peppa</a> to backcomb and I used my 0.6 mm crochet hook to get 'em nice and tight! Like I said, we took pics on her friend, Elizabeth's camera... I'm just waiting for them to upload and post them on facebook so I can share some of them. ^_^<br /><br />This past week has been pretty non-eventful. Our condo was shown once with mediocre results. We signed a pre-foreclosure agreement last Thursday saying that if we don't manage to sell this property (short-sale or otherwise) by July 30th they will foreclose on us. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that, but I have to admit I'm not particularly optimistic about it. I did have a dream a few nights ago that we received two offers, one for $90,000 and the other for $96,250 (oddly specific, I know!).... so maybe it was a sign... here's hoping!!!<br /><br />My mom made an official offer on the house that was accepted for $118,000, and it was inspected a couple days ago. They found termites and some structural damage equaling about $2,000 which I guess the owner is taking care of. And I hear the closing is probably going to be at the end of June. I was kind of hoping she would close a little sooner so we could start moving our already packed stuff into the new basement. We will be, as previously mentioned, moving into her garage. Glamorous, I know. But... as my mother so poignantly put it, it's better than being homeless.<br /><br />In other news, I have finally gotten off my butt and starting making some dread coils! They are listed in my Etsy shop; <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mommy2Phoenix">Sylph Wings Designs</a>. I created a Seven Chakra Dread Coil with gemstones to represent each chakra. I think I want to tweak it some... but they are currently available! So, check it out! I have plans to also make one with gemstones to represent the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit), and another with gemstones to represent the four directions of the medicine wheel (East, South, West, and North). Keep an eye out for those!<br /><br />In other exciting news we have a friend coming over to stay for a few days on his way through to Sherman, NY for me to put dreads in HIS hair! I will take plenty of photos to share!<br /><br />Thanks for reading!<br /><br />Blessings<br /><br />~ KnottyMamaKnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-7701246651768231732010-04-21T17:03:00.000-07:002010-04-21T17:32:27.480-07:00Dread Wax: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLeLqM2k9SGcApsy-O-Wlq5l1JheXUjqOSnJ6WP3WXvbrcreWIcg6kC2UxL4smLtVN6PDAIx6GM__Qd7_ZSj5cRryUMtQrK1JuPKlJfGU34tB-yTjDdJ4XOKdn4ndETghaNAvqAb1wOw/s1600/whynotwax-1.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLeLqM2k9SGcApsy-O-Wlq5l1JheXUjqOSnJ6WP3WXvbrcreWIcg6kC2UxL4smLtVN6PDAIx6GM__Qd7_ZSj5cRryUMtQrK1JuPKlJfGU34tB-yTjDdJ4XOKdn4ndETghaNAvqAb1wOw/s320/whynotwax-1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462748370406935266" border="0" /></a><br />The hottest debate in the entire dreadlock community is the question of dread wax: Is it good or bad? Well, it turns out that as far as I can tell the answer to that is not so simple. I want to begin first by addressing the claims made by both sides of the argument. I think that myself, being relatively unbiased and new to the dreadlock community am of an ideal position to make a sound judgement on the nature of dread wax and whether it truly is or not a valid tool to encourage dreads to mature.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dreadlocktruth.com">Proponents </a>on the anti-wax side of the debate believe a great varied and many bad things about dread wax. The most poignant of their arguments is that dread wax builds up inside the dread indefinitely and cannot be completed washed out. Even multiple attempts with multiple techniques of removing dread wax can and often are unsuccessful. They say that although wax can be used to make new dreads looking more mature that it prevents locking. There are images abound on the internet of dreads cut open to show white build-up in the middle of them suggesting that it is from wax build up. Another similar claim is that the wax can crystallize or permanently harden inside the dreads . There are also images of two pots, one empty and the other filled with what we are left to presume is dirty wax and water. All of the anti-wax information out there basically argues these two points.<br /><br />For every argument wax-haters make against wax there is a rebuttal found by proponents for the use of dread wax. The proponents of waxing (generally companies that sell said dread wax and those who have managed to use it to grown and maintain successful dreadlocks) maintain that the low melting point of dread wax (<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ </a><a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Head-Dread-Wax.html">Dread Wax </a>in particular) allows it to be washed out of the hair with hot water. Waxers claim that dreads waxed properly do not attract any more fuzz and dirt than non-waxed dreads because if you wax properly the wax is in the middle of the dread not the surface. Waxers further believe that wax holds the hair in the dread in place and increase the memory of the hair, encouraging it to compress and lock sooner. In response to the claim that wax can harden inside dreads, <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">KJC</a> himself explains that he has had a tub of <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DHHQ </a><a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Head-Dread-Wax.html">Dread Wax</a> sitting out uncovered for a few years now that is still just as supple and pliant as it was when he first opened it debunking that claim. He suggests the white residue is just regular dirt accumulated by wax that was not properly cleaned.<br /><br />Ultimately what does all this arguing mean? Well, here’s what truth I have gleaned from reading all of the hot debate:<br /><br /><ol><li>Wax does build-up in dreads even if you use it in the proper, suggested amounts even if the build-up is very little. It is still there. <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">KJC</a> himself did his own experiment to attest to this. He minimalized the build-up explaining that in the entire test dread the build-up was only 0.32 grams (you can fit this much and more underneath your finger nail). However, the fact is that it is all too easy to use TOO MUCH wax. The appropriate amount is so miniscule that its no wonder people are overwaxing even with reading all the directions and suggestions for use. (<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/lore/idx/19/055/DreadHead_Wax/article/How_does_Dread_Head_wax_help_the_hair_dread.html">Here is KJC's big rant</a> about <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Head-Dread-Wax.html">dread wax</a> on the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DHHQ</a> site, LOL.)<br /></li><li>I’m sorry, but no matter what you say I find it highly unlikely that waxed dreads don’t attract more dirt and fuzz. It’s just ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Even if you blow-dry your waxed dreads to encourage it to find its way to the center of your dreads and use a paper towel to absorb extra on the surface of them like <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">KJC </a>recommends, waxed dreads collect more visible fuzz. Some people are very diligent about picking fuzz out of their dreads. If you are willing to do the work then go for it.</li><li>On this count both sides are right. Yes, waxed hair will not lock up because it causes it to be slippery and YES, waxed, already locked hair, will stay put and increase the memory of the hair to help it lock up. This is another case where the ease of using too much is high. Does wax help dreads lock faster? Maybe, but I’m hard-pressed to find hard evidence proving this claim. I’m inclined to think it’s the same or a little longer, but I can’t be certain considering that I, myself, do not use dread wax.</li><li>No, wax cannot crystallize or harden. I don’t think that wax causes crispy, hard dreads. I do think its possible and likely that the dirt and fuzz attracted BY the wax creates the hard dreads. I’m not sure, honestly, what the best way to handle this build-up is beyond cutting your dreads out and starting over. I’m sure someone out there has created some deep-clean dreadlock product that claims to get it out… let me know if you find one that works! If it IS wax that is helping to hold in the fuzz as residue or build-up in the dread your best bet is to use one of the many dread wax removal techniques you can find all over the web. Just type ‘dread wax removal’ into google and watch the crazy amount of hits you get.</li></ol><br />I just want to make another point here before I wrap it up. Some people on the anti-wax war path have suggested that dread wax is for dummies and you're basically stupid to buy into the propaganda that says it helps dreads mature. According to them, the only reason companies like <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DHHQ </a>sell it is to make money and they don't care if they ruin a bunch of devoted dread heads' hair along the way. Okay. So, I'm not saying I know <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">Knotty Johnny Clean</a> personally here, but <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ </a>is a whole of two hard-working people (<a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">KJC</a> and Knotty Sloan) and I have to say that I do NOT believe that crap for a second. They are two dread heads who know what's up and if they say it works, I believe 'em.<br /><br />When I got my own dreads my intuition was telling me that with how easy it is to use too much wax and screw up your dreads the risk just wasn’t worth what rewards I would reap. After all I’ve discovered here I am standing by that same conclusion. Yes, you can use dread wax to make some kick-ass dreads, but why bother when its so easy to ruin them just the same. If you are willing to take the risk to have better looking dreads sooner then dread wax is for you (and I would definitely recommend <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a>’s <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Head-Dread-Wax.html">dread wax</a> which has a lower melting point and more viscous texture than <a href="http://www.knottyboy.com/shop/product/dread_wax/">Knotty Boy’s</a>). But if you are willing to wait a little longer for neat-looking dreads without worrying about accidentally over-waxing, then skip the wax and enjoy the dread journey in its organic goodness.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">((Images taken from http://www.dreadlocktruth.com))</span></span>KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-19945692145592750212010-04-16T12:46:00.000-07:002010-04-21T17:17:55.131-07:00Dreadfully Clean<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx0vi8rMkk_oEl1yUZ2mcxJtm8i59JN7zSPaxRBwzjNU0pm6aaqMND3TGFejyswD4szJlnub70C5PG7vaMr990rSbYcHZpdqPIeRl7I7AisvAQowOoiynBvkmA-typ6MuKj-UgpD8gyA/s1600/lather.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDx0vi8rMkk_oEl1yUZ2mcxJtm8i59JN7zSPaxRBwzjNU0pm6aaqMND3TGFejyswD4szJlnub70C5PG7vaMr990rSbYcHZpdqPIeRl7I7AisvAQowOoiynBvkmA-typ6MuKj-UgpD8gyA/s320/lather.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460829791739569346" border="0" /></a><br />A surprising number of people have indicated in my poll that they would like me to make an entry about washing your dreads. I have been doing some more reading and I really wanted to address a couple of other issues in this entry as well. I want to address not only HOW to clean and shampoo your dreads, but also how frequently you should wash, and I want to address the stereotype that dreads are dirty or gross.<br /><br />Firstly, the biggest questions people usually have is ‘how often should I wash my dreads’? There are several factors to consider in this question. On the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ </a>website they say to wash your dreads every 2-3 days. Honestly, I think this is way too frequent, ESPECIALLY for new dreads! The wonderfully helpful people at <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DHHQ </a>correctly explain that clean, dry hair locks and matures faster than dirty hair. However, washing also loosens loose hairs and can cause a lot of frizz. The theory here is that the oils from your scalp will loosen dreads and prevent them from locking. However, it is entirely relative. If you washed and brushed your hair (and stimulated your scalp) every day before dreads at first things might get a bit greasy. This is because your scalp is used to getting a certain amount of stimulation and when it doesn’t it begins to produce more oil. Even with ‘regular’ hair they say that you only need to wash your hair however often as you do, because your scalp will adjust its oil production accordingly. If you regularly wash daily than after two days you will have greasy hair. If you only washed every 2-3 days, after 3 days you’ll be oily, and so on and so forth. Having dreadlocks is no different. Hair is hair!<br /><br />The biggest complaint I get about washing less frequently is that the itch is unbearable! This, too, is a result of less scalp stimulation. Without dreadlocks, you are brushing or combing your hair and stimulating it every day (or at least I assume you did!). Once the dreads go in that comes to a screeching halt and the scalp needs time to adjust. The itch is your scalp craving stimulation and there are two major ways to get it: wash your hair, or scratch it and DON’T wash your hair! I can’t say enough for the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ </a><a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Head-Honcho.html">Head Honcho</a>! This was an invaluable tool for me for the first few weeks of dread-hood while I was still in my itchy period. Another option if you haven’t ordered your <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Head-Honcho.html">Head Honcho</a> yet is to <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/maintaining-dreadlocks-dread-clockwise-rubbing.php">clock-wise rub</a>… not only does it stimulate the scalp and quell the itch, but it helps to encourage knotting and locking at your roots! If you continue to wash your hair every 2-3 days you will never be able to space out your shampooing, and at the beginning of your dread journey especially frequent washing can be a real downer as far as fuzz, loose hair, and frizz!<br /><br />After your dreads are established you CAN wash more frequently if you want to, but at that point why bother, IMHO! LOL. When my dreads were first put in by my wonderful dready friends, they told me right off the bat DO NOT WASH YOUR DREADS FOR A WEEK! Occasionally, someone will send me a message asking me what I do to maintain my dreads for them to look as decent as they do considering their young age and I firmly believe my washing frequency and technique has a big part to play in that. Although things get itchy and sometimes oily, it gives the body of the dreads more opportunity to lock in between shampoos. I have never shampooed more frequently than once a week since getting my dreads in. In fact, many dread heads only wash every TWO weeks, which I am building myself up to slowly. Although some of us like to be dirty hippies, just because you only shampoo every week or so doesn’t mean you can’t shower in between! Invest in a good shower cap to wear to prevent dreads from getting wet on non-washing days. And, another important thing to note, I didn’t wash the dreads themselves until just last week (8 weeks old). When your dreadies are just starting out and aren’t established yet all you really have to do is wash your scalp/roots. Realistically, that’s where all the crud, oil, and grime is, anyway and it feels fantastic!<br /><br />As far as scalp itch goes there are some other things you can do to minimize it. If you are using any products (Read: <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Locking-Accelerator.html">Lock Accelerator</a>) that specifies NOT to get it on the scalp, follow the directions and DON’T do it! Any products that use sea salt, in particular, can make scalp itch worse and cause dandruff. Also, if I haven’t mentioned it yet, make sure you’re using a shampoo that is residue free! The <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dreadlocks-Shampoo.html">Dread Soap</a> is top-notch and comes highly recommended by this dready mama! Residue is also a big cause of scalp itch in even non-dreaded hair.<br /><br />So it took some finagling, but I manage to get a video of myself shampooing my own dreads to give you an idea of how you can go about it yourselves. Below the video is some text directions on how to wash, too!<br /><br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B5vMuR4R2jc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B5vMuR4R2jc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br />HOW TO WASH YOUR DREADLOCKS:<br /><ol><li>Naturally, if your going to wash those dreadies you gotta get ‘em wet first! So step in the shower and soak those dreads before you get started. (Okay… read the whole instruction list first…. THEN hop in the shower!)</li><li>Squeeze some of that <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dreadlocks-Shampoo.html">Dread Soap</a> into your hand… I usually start with a full palm-full about the size of a half dollar or more.</li><li>Start lathering it up on the top of your head, using your fingers on the scalp to massage it in between all your dreads.</li><li>Squeeze more <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dreadlocks-Shampoo.html">Dread Soap</a> into your hand (about the same amount) and rub your hands together and lather up the sides of your head the same way as the top of your head.</li><li>Finally, squeeze just a bit more soap into your hands and lather up the back of your head and give the whole scalp a good, stimulating massage.</li><li>Next, which I only recommend if your dreads are AT LEAST a month old, preferably closer to 6-8 weeks old, you can begin rolling sections of your dreads in between your hands like palm rolling. Roll down the entire section of dreads to get ‘em good and clean.</li><li>Repeat the above step until you have gotten every dread.</li><li>Rinse! Make sure you rinse them out REALLY good. You do NOT want a soap left behind inside the dreads themselves OR on your scalp.</li><li>Squeeze your dreads to get the excess water out. You will probably have to do this a couple of times to get all the water out.</li></ol><br />Drying your dreads is beyond the scope of this article, although <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ</a> has a great section on their website about <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/lore/idx/10/206/Dreadlocks_Maintenance/article/How_to_get_your_dreads_dry.html">how to dry your dreads</a>. At this point, once I step out of the shower, I will wrap my dreads up in a towel to get some of the excess water out, spray with<a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Locking-Accelerator.html"> Lock Accelerator</a>, and put the towel back on my head until I’m finished getting dressed for the morning (about 5 - 10 minutes… since usually my shirt won’t fit over the towel). Then I take the towel off and let ‘em air dry! I didn’t mention this in my blog about dread beads but if you have them, make sure you shift them around throughout the day to make sure that the dreads underneath them dry really well, too!<br /><br />Now, another thing I want to address before I sign off for the night is the cleanliness issue. There are some people who claim that people with dreads have dirty hair because we shampoo less frequently. That is simply NOT the case! Like I talked about earlier, the less often you wash your hair the less oil your scalp will produce. So, if you have dreadlocks and only wash your hair every 1-2 weeks your scalp is producing a negligible amount of oil. That, in addition to the fact that dread heads religiously use (or should use) residue-free soap, means that in all actuality, people with dreadlocks actually can have CLEANER hair than our non-dreaded brothers and sisters who use shampoos and conditioners with all kinds of fragrances and moisturizers. I repeat: DREADS ARE NOT DIRTY! DREADS ARE PROBABLY CLEANER THAN REGULAR HAIR! I am not aware of any official studies on this issue, but I think logically, you’ll agree that it’s the case!<br /><br />The only thing that can stop misconceptions and ignorance about dreadlocks and cleanliness is EDUCATION! I love answering questions about dreads and encourage all my dreaded friends be prepared to field questions from all kinds of people who are fascinated by your awesome dreadlocks! I hope this article has helped you all out and I look forward to your comments! Happy Washing!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-654769519565098032010-04-15T17:59:00.001-07:002010-04-15T18:20:54.605-07:00A Helping Hand to Take a Leap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZWZENQcwQ55wAN_hOkIF7geWsjemZXipAgB5irwH4dvT8OhAcOFV61rfqoiUZwL5Qep4N_NcIg3-I-j1ftESXJ4FG6VMsO5FerI9LLNzOi81PNHrdgW_VVf5P_KC281T3m4Hi6ddu_4/s1600/backcombing_3.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZWZENQcwQ55wAN_hOkIF7geWsjemZXipAgB5irwH4dvT8OhAcOFV61rfqoiUZwL5Qep4N_NcIg3-I-j1ftESXJ4FG6VMsO5FerI9LLNzOi81PNHrdgW_VVf5P_KC281T3m4Hi6ddu_4/s320/backcombing_3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460535415486020978" border="0" /></a><br />I'm super excited everyone. One of my crunchy mama friends in Southern CT is ready to take her own leap into her own journey of dread-hood. Her and I have been chatting back and forth for a couple of weeks now about it, what products I suggested she purchase, what she needs to do to prepare, etc. She was saving up to buy a <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/dreadlocks-kits/">Dread Kit</a> from <a href="http://ww.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a> and finally took the plunge and has arrange her own dread party. To my knowledge, I am the only person who actually knows HOW to dread hair, so I suspect I'll be doing a fair bit of instructing while I'm there. I'm so excited for her! Of course, I'm also excited to get to help her out! I LOVE dreading people's hair, so this will be a really fun opportunity for me! I am heading to her place with my LO in tow Saturday afternoon. The hope is to at least section her hair Saturday evening so on Sunday we can get right to the good part!<br /><br />I don't know yet if she will want her new dreads crocheted, but I am going to bring my NEW hook with me when I go! Yes, I received my NEW hook in the mail today! I tried it just a little bit on a couple of dreads in particular that were really hurtin' and the results were fantabulous. It has a nice fat handle which makes for less strain. The other cool part is that it actually came with a little metal cover to protect the hook, which in my case will more accurately protect my LO if she accidentally gets her little hands on it. I'm glad to have a hook that I know will cause minimal damage to my dreadies.<br /><br />Other fun news, my hubby graciously agreed to remove all of my remaining rubber bands at the roots today! It is an exciting step in the growth of my dreads. To be honest, I felt like a lot of them were actually getting in the way at this point during clock-wise rubbing. Many of them had migrated down the dread and the dread had started sucking them in so I couldn't just take them out -- they had to be cut out. Now, though, I am BAND-FREE! Yippeee!!!<br /><br />I am trying to get more in the habit of using my <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">loose hair tool</a> to pull in loose hairs in the body of the dread instead of crocheting. One person on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/DreadHeadHQ">DHHQ Facebook Page</a> suggested the results tend to be longer lasting than crochet. Here's hoping he's right! I spoke to a follow dread head through facebook who was very interested in seeing a video on how to use the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool v. 2.0</a>, so that will have to be something I plan on doing in the future. (Thanks for the suggestion, Natalie!)<br /><br />However, my NEXT blog will actually be about washing dreads as so many of you have indicated you would like to see an entry about it. I actually have already written it, but am planning on making a video to accompany it tomorrow morning, so stay tuned!!! In the meantime, Happy Dreading!!!<br /><br />Blessing<br /><br />~ KnottyMamaKnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-65058622424015677842010-04-14T16:03:00.000-07:002010-04-14T16:48:57.463-07:00Higher Education<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdwausEYEuypZnzUCUGVtELkttHS1K5XfluG3GfVEn-BRVPzjwAS6Wd-efrxlfiIXP0Y8xgP8SvEn4Mz8EeN9FVz2vZoNxgQ2WfhhVddix6mRhyr8XM95ZiXQOifb6KUdvLvHax88d4/s1600/graduation.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdwausEYEuypZnzUCUGVtELkttHS1K5XfluG3GfVEn-BRVPzjwAS6Wd-efrxlfiIXP0Y8xgP8SvEn4Mz8EeN9FVz2vZoNxgQ2WfhhVddix6mRhyr8XM95ZiXQOifb6KUdvLvHax88d4/s200/graduation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460144019720014210" border="0" /></a><br />It's April and I definitely see the end of this semester in sight. After this semester (I'm taking Sociology and Business Law now) I'll only have one class remaining in order to graduate with my degree in Business Administration. I've been hemming and hawing over what the next step from here is. When I first decided to get a degree in Business I figured I would open a healing practice using my <a href="http://www.reiki.org/">Reiki</a>/energy healing skills. (I'm a <a href="http://www.reiki.org/">Reiki </a>Master.) However, since then I've felt the Universe pulling me in another direction, but I can't quite see what's at the end. The next thing I thought I might do was become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). I am still considering this option although I'm also trying to weigh what other possibilities are out there.<br /><br />In my very first blog post I wrote about <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WWOOF</a>ing and since then read that most places (in this locale, anyway) expect <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WWOOF</a>ers to stay on for the entire growing season (from April - October) and work basically full-time Monday through Friday (and sometimes more!). It's not that I wouldn't enjoy that, it's just that its not feasible considering I already work part-time/go to school part-time. BUT, since then I discovered there is a college near here called <a href="http://www.hampshire.edu/index.htm">Hampshire College</a> in Amherst, MA that has a really awesome Agriculture program that has a distinct focus on sustainable and organic farming, agriculture, and food sources.<br /><br />I have read so many articles about families that have created their own sustainable, off-grid homesteads and I think that's SO admirable and I would love to be able to do something like that but I just DON'T have the skills to do that! If I were to go to school for agriculture it would really be with the intention of using it toward that end, rather than towards a career, per say. I haven't really decided yet if I think that would be irresponsible! It seems silly to go to school for something and spend all that time and effort on something that, in the long run, won't equal out to enable me to generate income. So, I think I've decided ultimately that I might like to volunteer at a local farm on weekends (assuming I can bring my LO along) and go to school for something else.<br /><br />On the KnottyBoy website they offer a lotician program where you can become certified by and affiliated with their company as a dread stylist. I think that's some pretty cool $h*t, but at the same time I'm not sure I can make a career out of that! Plus, I'd have to drive up to Canada to do it... not my cup of tea. So, I guess that leaves me back at midwifery, which I think no matter WHERE we end up is a marketable and, obviously, valuable skill. The more I talk about it the more excited I get about it again! Assuming I don't come up with something else again I will likely start in a distance-learning/apprenticeship program through a midwifery school in Vermont next Spring after I graduate with my degree. The last thing I want to do is load my plate TOO full.<br /><br />Originally I thought I might become a Doula in the meantime to sort of get my foot in the door, but who knows if I'll do that or not. All I know is that despite how awesome of a boss I have (I mean... he doesn't care about me having dreads!) I am really looking forward to a change. The only thing I am hesitant about when it comes to midwifery is how unpredictable the schedule can be. With my own children I worry how that could affect us as a family. I always would need to have a back-up... someone who could watch my LO last minute if I had to run to a birth. But, everything else I think I would love!<br /><br />In other news, my mom put an offer on a house that we would all end up in. It's pretty dinky, though, so my hubby, LO and I will end up living in the garage. Glamorous, right? It's our only option, unfortunately. We are selling our condo and it's only been shown ONCE.... not exactly encouraging. It's probably going to be a short sale. The scary thing about short sale is that if it doesn't sell within an allotted length of time they will foreclose. When you are foreclosed on you can't buy a home again for NINE YEARS.... that's a LOOONG time! I want to have my family living in a house, goddamnit!!! The American Dream has become something rivaling an impossibility for most. I just want my baby to have at least as much as I did growing up... it's not moving in that direction just yet.<br /><br />So, yeah, as far as living in the garage, I think my mom should renovate it to turn it into part of the house (insulate, frame, and dry-wall the walls). She could put in a third bedroom, half bath, and a living room and turn what is the living room now into a dining room.... or vice versa, whatever. The cinch is that things like that cost major money and you have to have all kinds of permits and crap like that in place to be able to do such a thing.... On the PLUS side, the house has a WONDERFUL, large yard that will be a great place for my LO to play in. I'm hoping to start a small vegetable/fruit garden, too, with all the space back there. The only problem I can see with that so far is that a lot of the ground is covered with moss suggesting that in the spring and summer it is most shaded... we'll see!<br /><br />I think in my next blog I want to do it on washing dreadlocks since a lot of you have indicated you would be interested in seeing me write a blog about it. I am due to wash my hair Friday so I am going to attempt to take a video of it then... but I have to get my camera fixed first... >.> I have to get my butt in gear!!! If anyone has ANY other topics (related to dreadlocks, preferably, LOL) they would like to see me write about PLEASE don't hesitate to ask! And, as usual, please follow my blog or subscribe to it if you like what you see! I really love knowing that there are people out there who care what I have to say!!!<br /><br />Blessings!!!<br /><br />~ KnottyMamaKnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-89245965516075900482010-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:002010-04-12T17:44:22.042-07:00Dread Adornment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1cKZuzkP4HLxuEXp1Cny7Hh6FfUmljujlU1oQq667mGBqdhAmn4MaaHHopMimg4KL3qOhZKybaYBcQykAcpL3J54s7aGEK8T1yAY5AhynDE2w7h5WBBCjnFsMVF6vtmAsyhrUd2ThEM/s1600/deppcaptain.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1cKZuzkP4HLxuEXp1Cny7Hh6FfUmljujlU1oQq667mGBqdhAmn4MaaHHopMimg4KL3qOhZKybaYBcQykAcpL3J54s7aGEK8T1yAY5AhynDE2w7h5WBBCjnFsMVF6vtmAsyhrUd2ThEM/s200/deppcaptain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459392499159236690" border="0" /></a><br />So, today my exciting news is I BOUGHT A NEW DREAD BEAD! OMFG I swear the ability to put beads and pretty things in my hair is one of my favorite parts of having dreads. I used to feel like I always had to wear some sort of jewelry to identify myself as Pagan or feminist or interested in Native American culture, etc. Now I just put it all in my hair!!! So in this entry I am going to show off my beads and tell you their significance. To me, dread adornment is like tattoing; they should MEAN something to you. It might represent a belief, a part of your identity, memorialize a loved one, or commemorate something going on in your life. I want to clarify here that not everyone feels the same way about dread adornment. Some people like to cycle out their beads and wear different things all the time. Like tattoos and my dreads themselves, I feel like my dread adornments are a long-time commitments and so they should be something I REALLY love since I will have to look at them for a long time to come!<br /><br />Some people may love putting stuff in their dreads, but it can be hard to find places that sell beads that you can use on your dreads. My favorite place to shop for dread stuff is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a>. --> 69o9uiikjj,mjuik7 <-- (I'm leaving this... my daughter typed this when I got up to check on the chili in the slow cooker!) My dreads are about the size of a fat pen and when they were younger I could get a 5mm hole bead onto my dreads. All of the Pandora beads are that size so I had a big selection to choose from! Now, however, I have a hard time getting something that small onto the dread. That and 5 mm seems to vary from artist to artist. Some 5 mm beads I can get my <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool v 2.0</a> through to pull the bead onto the dread and others I can't. So if you dreads are the same size as mine or a little smaller that helps to expand your bead shopping options! Another site you can check out for dread beads is <a href="http://www.artfire.com/">ArtFire</a>. Another important note here is that you want to try to get your beads a little on the small size, especially if your dreadies are still pretty young. Dreads naturally shrink and then thicken up as they mature and you want to make sure the bead will stay put even once they tighten up!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNq2eEmD9y-Y0g3BwS4QaN7VBgq87JZdhMBlTzSS_455fsBRDcOioTSZdvz9QYxRhcEyC_TIYxlOlFSRiHm27G4SBZ72R62LcXlJY7ChV3VGkWEWCWtg9Cy5VYErEGCANO-e7_6mVoJU/s1600/1stdreadbead.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNq2eEmD9y-Y0g3BwS4QaN7VBgq87JZdhMBlTzSS_455fsBRDcOioTSZdvz9QYxRhcEyC_TIYxlOlFSRiHm27G4SBZ72R62LcXlJY7ChV3VGkWEWCWtg9Cy5VYErEGCANO-e7_6mVoJU/s200/1stdreadbead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459393611139224898" border="0" /></a><br />So onto me, LOL. When I decided to get dreads I knew ahead of time that I REALLY wanted to find a bead to commemorate my new dreads and the beginning of my journey into dread-hood. Although the imagery and colors of the bead don't exactly mean anything in particular to me I thought it was REALLY f*cking cool. :-) Although, I will note that it does remind me a little bit of fire, but has a whimsical, etherical quality to it, too! It's just pretty and I put it in the back on my first dread! This bead was a bead that was made to be a Pandora bead and has a 5 mm hole (that my <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool v 2.0</a> fits through). I bought it on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> from a shop named <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/glassaddictbeads">Glass Addict Beads</a>. I want to note here that you'll find that all but one of my dread beads is glass. I like glass because 1) the color won't fade or chip like wood, 2) it won't tarnish or rust like metal, and 3) it won't absorb bacteria and germs like acrylic or polymer clay will.<br /><br />My second<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cT5bZM5DqntbOb9HF3rmYwgZzVQ1M3XZeVo8exYuMgcmMG09_saVscd8btD9ezLEJ_ahuZyQ-beAIxbQ4XdBe5qCy-umV-UeJn43IAHgyA9luIYjx43IUA2BcVnDOw1D8GFGvudkK3k/s1600/sunfacekachina.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10pt 10px 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cT5bZM5DqntbOb9HF3rmYwgZzVQ1M3XZeVo8exYuMgcmMG09_saVscd8btD9ezLEJ_ahuZyQ-beAIxbQ4XdBe5qCy-umV-UeJn43IAHgyA9luIYjx43IUA2BcVnDOw1D8GFGvudkK3k/s200/sunfacekachina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459396914508728194" border="0" /></a> bead I don't actually have a photo of because its actually an earring that I turned into a dread cuff. I found the image on the left to help me describe it a bit to you. The image to the left is a Sun Face Kachina. Kachinas are nature spirits that are, for lack of a better term, 'worshipped' by many of the Southwestern Native American tribes such as the Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni. I have really connected with this symbol for a long time and associate it with my interest in Native American culture and spirituality. So, anyway, the earring was shaped like the middle part (the face) with four rays (or spokes) coming out of it. I bent the two rays on the sides around into the shape of a cuff and put it on one of my front dreads on the right side of my head. It is sterling silver, turquoise, red coral, and mother of pearl so eventually it will probably tarnish, but in the meantime I like having the symbol close to me! I purchased the earring set from the <a href="http://www.oicgifts.com/SantaFeTradingCompany/contact.html">Santa Fe Trading Company</a> which sets up a kiosk in the mall near me during the winter holiday season every year.<br /><br />My third bead is a rainbow bead. I got it for a couple of reasons. For one thing, I LOVE rainbows! But, more importantly, I wanted to communicate my stance on gay rights. I am ALL for gay marriage and equal rights for gays. I strongly believe that love and love regardless of what may be below the waistline of your lover and that love should be recognized the same by <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74tAuZicJhoTU4rbCRB85rZvMVPjFChnAPtzUrwBEETPnzXQYx4kAp7W6pkR9uRisOUf15Cyl0Sl59ILjugWoiKMAfahMJjh14mfjBQJMJfIkDMweubnkmCwVa2YYycK46sr2thOOxjo/s1600/rainbowdreadbead.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74tAuZicJhoTU4rbCRB85rZvMVPjFChnAPtzUrwBEETPnzXQYx4kAp7W6pkR9uRisOUf15Cyl0Sl59ILjugWoiKMAfahMJjh14mfjBQJMJfIkDMweubnkmCwVa2YYycK46sr2thOOxjo/s200/rainbowdreadbead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459401455913217794" border="0" /></a>the government and receive the same benefits as the love between a man and a woman. Really, what's the difference? Secondly, (thirdly?) this bead also represents, for me, the <a href="http://www.welcomehome.org/">Rainbow Family</a>. Their website states that they are "the largest non-organization of non-members in the world". The <a href="http://www.welcomehome.org/">Rainbow Family</a> "means different things to different people. I think it's safe to say we're into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. We also believe that Peace and Love are a great thing, and there isn't enough of that in this world. Many of our traditions are based on Native American traditions, and we have a strong orientation to take care of the the Earth." Anyway, you basically become a non-member simply by agreeing with their ideals and I really love the ideals of it. So that's what my rainbow bead means to me. :-) It was advertised as having a 7 mm hole. I wear it on a dread that's on the top of my head on the left side. I bought this on on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> from a store by the name of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/RavensCuriosities">Raven's Curiosities</a>.<br /><br />My fourth bead.... o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwABpwXVh1D_nCVMHUIsSvE4f-Adn8IExXZCKYMhwdVhyphenhyphen_YekhRVWb3RS6sxxYCZK0OpXCqdAqJfydN_BsUE5gdnCfxdQ0YHhaQBdVvqG3AHgJOnDNqKMzyTRX7VaE7Z5XJjTqgCZh7_Y/s1600/goddessbead.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwABpwXVh1D_nCVMHUIsSvE4f-Adn8IExXZCKYMhwdVhyphenhyphen_YekhRVWb3RS6sxxYCZK0OpXCqdAqJfydN_BsUE5gdnCfxdQ0YHhaQBdVvqG3AHgJOnDNqKMzyTRX7VaE7Z5XJjTqgCZh7_Y/s200/goddessbead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459404779747085682" border="0" /></a>h it's a wonderful bead!!! I found this bead, more or less, on <a href="http://www.artfire.com/">ArtFire</a> made by an artist who lives in England. She makes the most beautiful goddess beads! This one represents my reverence for the Goddess and by that I mean the Goddess in EVERY woman! It represents my feminist attitudes and my belief that every woman is divine and that the ability give life is truly a divine gift that we should honor and place in the highest regard. (And, in my opinion, that should be fully experienced without numbing the body...) It also represents my passion for natural, un-medicated birth and all of my parenting philosophies. I commissioned the lovely and talented <a href="http://madelinebunyan.com/index.php">Madeline Bunya</a><a href="http://madelinebunyan.com/index.php">n</a> to create this gorgeous bead for me. It was created on a 5 mm mandrel (that my loose hair tool fit through!). I put it on a dread behind my left ear in a place where it is a little bit hidden by the dreads on top of it. Since it is, essentially, a naked woman and I work in the public I didn't want to offend people, but I haven't had any negative comments so far. In fact, I've received nothing but compliments!<br /><br /><br />My non-fifth bead was one that I am not going to describe here other than to tell you that it was a Pandora "5 mm" bead that the hole was too small on. BUT, I am going to be helping a friend put in her dreads in a few weeks or so and I am going to gift it to her to commemorate her starting on her dread journey so I don't want to ruin the surprise! I think that it was ultimately meant for her anyway and I think she's really going to love it!!!<br /><br />My actual fifth bead, and the reason I decided to write this blog is a beautiful, blue glass bead with a star on it. To me, though, it has this undeniably celestial feel to it. It just seems so magickal. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. I was amazed that it stayed in the sh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC7ZvDAT9H2aYDA9BhyphenhyphenBTN5rRNWPHhiorZzJooJVr14TWaMazD4npnn63wi4spQKk3erbuJSwPqPGPaULzkEavXp9y9Vx7gdw0IaS-z37Jhccbp4Sf0zoVPNfEDaWuVcS-vQLoRDFdL0/s1600/bluestardreadbead.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHC7ZvDAT9H2aYDA9BhyphenhyphenBTN5rRNWPHhiorZzJooJVr14TWaMazD4npnn63wi4spQKk3erbuJSwPqPGPaULzkEavXp9y9Vx7gdw0IaS-z37Jhccbp4Sf0zoVPNfEDaWuVcS-vQLoRDFdL0/s200/bluestardreadbead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459409537301287538" border="0" /></a>op as long as it did without selling! I mentioned in my last blog that many believed that dreadlocks could bestow a person with extraordinary spiritual powers. I'm not expecting a miracle, but I feel like this bead just emanates spiritual power! The color, too, is highly associated with the brow/third eye chakra which deals in the realm of psychic ability and clear seeing. I feel like this bead will be an asset to my dread head! That and it's just SOOO pretty! It is advertised as having a 13 mm hole which is much bigger than anything I've bought so far so I am going to see how things fit. In the item description the artist says it will fit best on dreads the size of a lady's pinky finger or a little bigger, which mine are. So, fingers crossed, it will fit fine! I certainly shouldn't have any problems getting it ONTO the dreads like I did my non-fifth bead, LOL. I'm thinking of putting it on a dread behind my ear on the left side so it will be visible when I wear my dreads half-up. Plus, it's still pretty visible with them down, too! I bought this on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> from a shop named <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/InfiniteCosmosGirl">Infinite Cosmos</a>.<br /><br />Also, I want to encourage everyone to check out MY Etsy Shop: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mommy2Phoenix">Sylph Wings Designs</a>. I sell jewelry, hemp jewelry, dream catchers, and SOON dread coils! I haven't started working on them, but I can tell you I haven't seen ANYthing like them anywhere else online. I CAN tell you, however, that they will use ALL genuine gemstone beads (unless someone requests otherwise) and Alpaca silver which does NOT tarnish so should stay good even through washing! So, please check back often for updates! I will post more on it here once I get that up and going more. :-)<br /><br />So, I know this has TOTALLY been the Knotty Mama show here, but I totally want to hear from my readers about what they put in THEIR dreads! Please post comments and leave some links with some photos of YOUR dread adornments, be they beads, hemp wraps, coils... I want to see 'em!!!! Even better is if you tell me why you wanted it in your dreads and what it means to you!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-6661574151512121832010-04-11T08:50:00.000-07:002010-04-11T09:37:19.257-07:00To Crochet or Knot to Crochet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyYPzZxk3EaSyMd2IBOPFyHLDOQh6vf8hSOi0UjBkoRVlCILY-wnSznDPtKzWH2KwpoTBNPECif_aBLHJ_GZSbG_b0cCBmwAaa7lLct2cE0-T8YqUs_82MTdFCZDB4EK0j3FAGmAKL0s/s1600/6weeks.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyYPzZxk3EaSyMd2IBOPFyHLDOQh6vf8hSOi0UjBkoRVlCILY-wnSznDPtKzWH2KwpoTBNPECif_aBLHJ_GZSbG_b0cCBmwAaa7lLct2cE0-T8YqUs_82MTdFCZDB4EK0j3FAGmAKL0s/s320/6weeks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458919876982801010" border="0" /></a><br />So, I've been doing some research. I've been wanting to do some more reading abut the case against crocheting dreads and I feel like I have enough information now that I can write an informative and intelligent article about it here! As most you probably know I have crocheted my dreads and really liked the results as it left them all nice and tight and really tightened them up especially at the roots where they are often resistant to locking, especially so young.<br /><br />The long and short of crochet is that no matter how careful you are you will be breaking hairs when you use this technique. Your expertise and awareness of what you are doing will certainly affect how badly it breaks, however. The second more important factor is to make sure that you are using a SMALL crochet hook, that means 1mm or less!! At the time I started to crochet (and in the video I have included below) I was using a 1.3 mm hook because it was the smallest I could find at my local craft store. After doing more research last night I decided to spring on a <a href="http://www.yarnandfiber.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1540_334&products_id=13964">0.6 mm hook with a nice, fat handle</a> to prevent fatigue for when I do touch-up my dreads.<br /><br />The general consensus about crocheting is that it is difficult to stop once you start. Because crochet does have a tendency to cause broken hair once the tightness you get from crochet begins to wear off the broken hairs become more visible as frizz and loose hairs. This means that crocheting begets crocheting and it's probably not wise to start doing it unless you plan on doing it regularly and relatively often. You can stop, of course, anytime you want but you may have to deal with a lot of frizz before your dreads start to lock up naturally again. TOO much crocheting, especially if done incorrectly, can actually break dreads so badly that you will seriously compromise the strength of the entire dread. The strength of a dread or rope comes from the length of the fibers, which is why hemp is so much stronger than wood fiber. However, if you begin breaking the fibers you compromise the overall tensile strength.<br /><br />My official opinion on crochet at this point is that crocheting is okay IN MODERATION! I wouldn't recommend crocheting any more frequently than once a month. More than that and I think you seriously need to worry about the breakage you may be causing. Granted, for some people they are willing to compromise a little strength for tight, neat looking dreads. That is a personal decision that I can't make for you, of course, but I CAN warn you about the pros and cons and encourage you to think long and hard before you decide one way or the other! Ultimately, don't start crocheting unless you are aware of how often and how long it will take you to maintain it that way. I can tell you that it took me about a total of 15 hours over the course of a three day weekend to crochet all my dreads like you will see in the video below. I plan to touch-up in a week or so any that really need it, but I am trying to really minimize how much I do. Crochet is a great way to get neat, well-manicured dreads, but be prepared to keep up with it or things might get a little crazy!<br /><br />If you still really want to crochet (and I still am so I haven't been totally scared off by what I've read!) I have posted a video I took of myself crocheting my dreads so you can see how crocheting tightens the dread and how to do the technique. When you first start do it in front of a mirror so you can see what you're doing and definitely do it in silence. This way you will be able to hear and feel hair breaking if you are being excessively rough and adjust accordingly! And, this is important, DON'T make your dreads super tight! It prevents them from locking, not to mention how rough it is on your scalp! Below, in case the audio is too low for some to hear are the basic instructions on how to crochet your dreads.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nKRX0WeE99s&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nKRX0WeE99s&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />MATERIALS NEEDED:<br /><br />1) Crochet hook (1mm or smaller) - some say the larger size is easier to learn on and then go smaller once you become more proficient in the technique.<br /><br />INSTRUCTIONS:<br /><br /><ol><li>Choose a dread to crochet. I recommend starting in the front where you can see what you're doing before you start moving to the back ones.</li><li>Grasp the dread with your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger with the thumb underneath and other two fingers on top.</li><li>While you are crocheting you will insert the crochet hook always in the small area between all of your fingers as this helps to compress the dread as you are going.</li><li>Begin inserting and pulling the crochet hook out of the dread starting near the roots of your dread and working towards the tip. Make sure you are rotating and rolling the dread around in your fingers as you work your way down. As you go you should be able to feel the dread tightening up and you'll intuitively discover when its time to move onto the next area.</li><li>Once you reach the end of the dread I will usually insert the hook a little bit more vertically and parallel to the length of the dread to attempt to pull in some of the loose hairs at the tip. In this video I show how to pull in loose hairs a little more purposely. Since this video I have come to the conclusion that this is MUCH easier done with the <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/">DreadHeadHQ</a> <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/loose-hair-tool.html">Loose Hair Tool v2.0</a>. I will post another video at a later date on how to use the loose hair tool to blunt the tips of your dreads. </li></ol><br />There is some conjecture out there that the Loose Hair Tool causes holes in mature dreads because of its size. Perhaps I will review the information out there on the safety of the loose hair tool in another blog! I, however, LOVE my loose hair tool and I doubt anything anyone says will sway me against it. In the meantime, I hope this blog has been helpful and informative for all my readers!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-24740922270417499982010-04-10T10:48:00.000-07:002010-04-10T11:11:38.379-07:00Foiled Plans and a Sense of Community<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbE4rGJslDJgu7yIYUZC7Zm5oRuHzyQHOUQpXE8UZObz_TQw52lO25lAEaWwCEZ2YAAaCPTMGqVfeUrc1lz_dMSxaSTkg4WvkXMptd6wUMdP-_aqrHn3XTUSZZuILpI9QNWPsMLhbzrjk/s1600/danceclub.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbE4rGJslDJgu7yIYUZC7Zm5oRuHzyQHOUQpXE8UZObz_TQw52lO25lAEaWwCEZ2YAAaCPTMGqVfeUrc1lz_dMSxaSTkg4WvkXMptd6wUMdP-_aqrHn3XTUSZZuILpI9QNWPsMLhbzrjk/s320/danceclub.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458573061416744370" /></a><br />Okay, so yesterday I posted about the history of dreadlocks. I posted it to the Facebook wall of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/DreadHeadHQ">DreadHeadHQ Facebook Page</a> and got a decent number of people who read it and commented on the wall post or sent me messages, but no one started following me on Blogger!!! PLEASE follow my blog! It lets me know that there are actually people out there reading who give a rat's patookis what I'm writing! All you gotta do is click on the 'Follow' button in the column to the right of this entry!<br /><br />In other news, yesterday my friend Nicole convinced me to go out for a girls' night. I know this sound like a non-issue and not worth bringing up here, but I promise it relates! It was the FIRST night I've EVER been away from my daughter at bedtime since she was born. Usually she passes out between 9:30 and 10:30. We had plans to go to Diva's, a gay bar in Northampton, MA, in part because the cover was free before 10 p.m. So, we got there shortly before 10 and let me tell you it was DEAD in there. It was basically us and the staff, which was pretty lame. We didn't have plans to stay out super late, so we figured by the time it really started to pick up there we would have to leave, so one of the other girls with us suggested going to Maximum Capacity in Chicopee, MA. So, we did.<br /><br />We got to Maximum Capacity at 10:30ish. It wasn't super packed, but certainly much busier than it had been at Diva's. (Which, by the way, was quite a disappointment since I've been wanting to go there for years now and hadn't...So first trip was a flop.) And maybe this makes me old, but I think its just plain GROSS to see people basically dry humping on the dance floor. It was so... obscene! I'm definitely not prudish, but that was just nasty. I definitely could have done without those images permanently burned into my brain that's for sure.<br /><br />The high point of the night was, however, that when we FIRST walked into Maximum Capacity there was a WHITE guy with dreadlocks!!! Ohmigod... it's the only other WHITE person I've seen with dreads in this area! It was such an exciting moment. I think the best part, though, other than just seeing him is that there was a split second where we made eye contact, smiled, and nodded. We were just acknowledging each other, but I had this distinct feeling of community in that moment. It's like just by knowing that we have dreads we automatically belong to that community, we have something in common, and more than likely share a lot of the same ideals. It was so... refreshing! I wish we had gotten to actually talk. I would have asked how old his dreads were, how he maintained them, what products he used, etc etc etc. That didn't happen, though. However, it didn't detract from the excitement of it!<br /><br />Only a half an hour into our stay at Maximum Capacity my hubbins called with my LO screaming in the background inconsolably. He was clearly NOT in a good mood and she was clearly NOT going to sleep with me there to nurse her to sleep for the night. I felt bad to be cutting everyone else's night short. Fortunately, all the other girls (minus 1) have little one's themselves so they understood that baby comes first. Stupid me, however, didn't drive my own car so it was midnight before I finally got back home again. By which point, naturally, my daughter had indeed fallen asleep while watching Finding Nemo in my hubby's lap. It was adorable. I knew that would happen, though, but it I hadn't left for home I would have felt absolutely awful.<br /><br />Anyway, so yesterday, too, I posted on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/DreadHeadHQ">DreadHeadHQ Facebook Page</a> a question that has been haunting me for a while in light of some things I've read online. I've read that mineral oil is not good for use on dreadlocks. This makes sense in the fact alone that anything oil-like will make the hair slippery and prevent it from locking. However, <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DHHQ</a> uses it in a few of their products. The one I'm most concerned with, though, is their <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Butta.html">Dread Butta</a>. I posted on the Wall a question about if they have any official recommendations for the use of <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com/shop/Dread-Butta.html">Dread Butta</a> as far as how frequently it should be used and at what point in the maturity of dreads is safest, but no replies from them yet. I'll keep everyone here updated on the response(s) I get!KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-76845648738812629372010-04-09T14:15:00.001-07:002010-04-09T15:19:38.844-07:00The History of Dreadlocks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVznjH20LW8w35t-x1zNisxym9ttvOnN5alf8IxM5qUXw6ASEAZXl9icrEFAMdsMw-Air4_dH58xQYMFIbiZXd5xq5eloc4_iJeHSEFA-TUzjpH7c15BtdQqLl1T_1RIEHRY1oqtT3Z5g/s1600/Dreadlocked_rasta.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVznjH20LW8w35t-x1zNisxym9ttvOnN5alf8IxM5qUXw6ASEAZXl9icrEFAMdsMw-Air4_dH58xQYMFIbiZXd5xq5eloc4_iJeHSEFA-TUzjpH7c15BtdQqLl1T_1RIEHRY1oqtT3Z5g/s320/Dreadlocked_rasta.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458265925984427714" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I've done some minor, light reading about the history of dreads. I wanted to make sure I was prepared to defend myself if anyone ever challenged me to say that I didn't know their origin. The sad part is that despite how many times I've read it I seem to have NO retention of the information, SO, I figured if I wrote about it here it would not only benefit my readers, but help me to remember it as well!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The history of dreadlocks is varied and differs depending on who you ask. This, then, is a summary and compilation of all the different accounts I have been able to locate online.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One account claims that dreadlocks originated in India (unlike most who cite Egypt as their birth place) with the dreadlocked diety Shiva and his followers. It is likelythat this is the spirituality origin of dreadlocks in Indian culture. However, the first archeological proof of people wearing dreadlocks came from Egypt where mummies have been recovered with their dreadlocks still in tact.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Regardless of their origin, dreadlocks have been worn by nearly every culture at some point in time or another. Roman accounts stated that the Celts wore their hair 'like snakes'. The Germanic tribes and Vikings were also known to wear their hair in dreadlocks. Dreadlocks have been worn by the monks of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Nazarites</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Judiasm, Qalandri's Sufi's, </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">the Sadhu's of Hinduism</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, and the Dervishes of Islam, and many more! There are even strong suggestions that many early Christians wore dreadlocks; most notably Sampson who was said to have seven locks of hair which gave him his inhuman strength.<br /><br />The belief that dreadlocks gave a person power is not unique to this Bible story. Many believed that energy (presumably life force energy, chi, prana, ki, etc.) exits the body through the top of the head and that having knotted hair prevents or retards the escape of energy making one stronger and even potentially imbuing a person with supernatural mental and physical abilities. In many cultures it was and is common for shamans in particular to wear dreadlocks. Dreadlocks have also symbolized the recognition and demonstration that our physical appearances and vanity are unimportant. Another, similar practice is having a shaved head with no hair at all. Others still believe that dreadlocks are the most natural and healthy style of hair to have as hair will dread if left to its own devices.<br /><br />At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution Rastafarianism began gaining popularity among the Black Jamaican population. Rastafarianism draws its belief from three main sources; the Old Testament, African tribal culture, and Hindu tribal culture. Before it got the name 'Rastafarianism' its followers called themselves 'dreads', signifying their 'dread' and respect for God. In an attempt to emulate the Nazarites and Hindu holymen their beliefs were modeled after, they began to wear their hair in matted styles and this is when the term 'dreadlocks' came into common use. Rastafarianism began to draw attention when in the 1930's Ras Tafari was crowned the emperor of Ethiopia. He was forced into exile and many vowed not to cut their hair until he was released.<br /><br />The association of dreadlocks with marijuana smoking also began with the Rasta movement which contended that smoking it facilitated clear-thinking. It still holds true today that many dreadheads (caucasian more than Rastas) are pro-marijuana. However, there are other sects of Rastafarianism who believe any sort of mind-altering substance is impure and also restrict the consumption red meat and alcohol. These same purists suggest that Bob Marley and his extreme pro-marijuana stance damaged the reputation of Rastafarianism.<br /><br />Marley, himself, identified as a Rastafarian and it was his dreadlocked style that brought the style into the mainstream where it has expanded into many other subcultures. They have become especially popular among New Age travellers (Pagans, especially, who travel from festival to festival across the country), hippies, vegans, goths, and cyber goths. Additionally, dreadlocks have become highly popular among the subculture of jam bands, such as the Grateful Dead and Phish,<br /><br />Dread heads today have varied reasons for chosing to wear their hair in dreads. Some of them are based in spiritual purposes such as suggested above, others because they identify as Rastas, and others simply because they love the look! More importantly than what your reason is, is knowing your reason so that someday when someone asks you WHY you put dreads in your hair you can say without a doubt why you have dreads and what your dreads mean to you!<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></span>KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7993005412086786411.post-7075537759774616042010-04-08T15:23:00.001-07:002010-04-08T17:17:43.260-07:00DHHQ and WWOOF<span style="font-size:100%;">Welp, here I am. I have been tossing the idea of starting a genuine blog up recently and I have made a small leap in the right direction by getting so far as to even post this. Amusingly, the idea first hit me while watching 'Julie and Julia' on Netflix but was presented to me once again when I met someone on Facebook (Betsy) who is a sponsored blogger by <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a>. Granted, I have a regular job so its not like I need the income, but I thought it would be a fun and productive way to capitalize on my newly-found passion for DREADLOCKS! I started my own dreads 8 weeks ago today! I had been considering dreads for a couple of years, but wasn't ready to take the plunge. I felt pretty strongly that dreads was a one-way street that you don't just change your mind about. That was the biggest deterrent for a long time. Then, one day, I was visiting with some friends who have dreads and I just felt something click and I just KNEW I was ready to do it!<br /><br />At first my hubbins was very against the idea. He felt that I would change my mind about it a couple of months in and want to take them out and then be upset that I had short hair. He worried about how short my hair was, too. While I was still deciding one way or the other I had let his opinions sway me, but when I clicked all of that fell to the wayside. In the past he had always said that whatever I wanted to do he would support, so I figured even if he didn't like it he certainly wasn't going to leave me over it. At first his biggest complaint was my dreads poking him up his nose in the middle of the night when he was trying to snuggle me, LOL.<br /><br />I, unlike many, only wash my dreads every 7-10 days. The wonderful dread heads who put my own dreads in for my recommended only once every two weeks. I haven't worked up to that yet, but I definitely can see how my choice to wash less often to this point has worked in my favor. At only 8 weeks my dreadies are looking pretty awesome, especially compared to some photos I've seen of others with dreads the same age. Here is a brief photo-history of my dread progression so far!<br /><br /></span><div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w920.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http%3A%2F%2Fw920.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fad48%2Fknottymama%2FDreadTimeline%2Fb52334b9.pbw" width="480" height="360"></embed><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="float: left; border-width: 0pt;" /></a><a href="http://s920.photobucket.com/albums/ad48/knottymama/DreadTimeline/?action=view&current=b52334b9.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif" style="float: left; border-width: 0pt;" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br />I am constantly and dilligently maintaining my dreads.... as you can probably tell I REALLY like them to look neat and clean! I'm sure as this blog continues on living I will discuss the particulars of my maintenance for other people to benefit from. PLEASE feel free to ask me any and all questions about dreads, mine, yours, or otherwise! I sent an email the the honorable <a href="http://twitter.com/jonnyclean">Knotty Johnny Clean (KJC)</a> about the possibility of becoming a sponsored Team Member of <a href="http://www.dreadheadhq.com">DreadHeadHQ</a>. Here's hoping that my message is well received!<br /><br />My name here is KnottyMama because although I do love my dread babies, I love my ACTUAL baby infinitely more! She is the love of my life. I subscribe faithfully to the philosophy of <a href="http://www.attachmentparenting.org/">Attachment Parenting</a> (often abbreviated "AP"), of which the main components include breastfeeding, baby wearing, and co-sleeping/bed-sharing. I am very opinionated about these matters and about the horribly medicalization of birth that is and has been going on in the U.S. As far as I'm concerned anything less than a minimally AP parenting style is almost like torture to a young child. (This is not just an arbitrary belief, either. It is based strongly on 'The Continuum Concept' by Jean Liedloff.) I know it sounds extreme, but that's just my humble opinion. I assure you that in person I am actually quite tight-lipped about voicing my opinions too much because I don't like to offend people by insulting their parenting! Anyway, there is a good chance that this blog will contain ramblings about my adventures in parenting my baby/toddler, too!<br /><br />In the title of the blog I mentioned <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WWOOF</a>, too. The name of this blog is 'The Crunchy Life'. Lest you should think this is the blog about HOW to be 'crunchy' (which is a slang term meaning green, eco-friendly, liberal, etc.), I should clarify that it is more accurately intended to be about how we TRY to be crunchy. Granted, I consider myself pretty 'crunchy' already there is always room for improvement!!! <a href="http://www.wwoof.org/">WWOOF</a> is the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. My understanding is that you can use this network of organic farms to find farms you can stay on for a vacation or extended stay in which you lodge and eat for free in exchange for working on the farm. It's a great way to teach your children about sustainable living and learn how to garden organically. I really want to begin growing a lot more of our own food, but I admit that I know little to nothing about it beyond what I read. I learn pretty well by reading but I feel like learning about it in a more structured, kinesthetic way would be HIGHLY beneficial for me. Ideally, I would love to someday be able to live off the grid with completely renewable energy and sustainable living. We have a LONG way to go, however. So, I will keep you updated as I attempt to learn more about that.<br /><br />Finally, there is one last thing I think is important to mention here in my initial post. In addition to trying to live green and crunchy, we are looking at a severe cut in living space. In December of 2008 we moved into this condo and I was 8 months pregnant. Previously we were living with my mother in her two bedroom condo with her and my 11-year-old brother. I was absolutely unwilling to live in her condo (in which the air quality is highly questionable because of mold) so I rushed into moving out and we ended up in a condo we couldn't afford. I could give all the details of why, but suffice it to say that certain factors that were supposed to fall into place to assure we could comfortably afford this mortgage did NOT fall into place. Most notably, was my husband finding a job in his recently chosen job field; medical assisting.<br /><br />So, now we are officially 9 months behind on our mortgage and the mortgage company (who has been wonderfully helpful and understanding to this point) officially advised us to SELL, SELL, SELL!!! So, we listed our condo on the market. Because we are so horribly behind on ALL of our bills (especially our credit card bills) the only way we can afford to live at this point is with my mother again. Fortunately, she is in the process of concurrently looking for a new house/condo meaning that we are looking to all get a place together. However, she has only been pre-qualified for $120,000. So, looking for a house/condo with at least 3 bedrooms for under $120 thousand in this part of the country/state is difficult at best. That means that we will most likely end up living in a basement or garage while we are with her. That means a seriously loss of space. I love my mom... and sometimes my little brother, but I am generally much happier when I DON'T live with them so I know its going to be very important that I have my own space some way or another. I don't know what's going to happen just yet, but that is by far the biggest issue weighing on my consciousness lately. To compound things, hubbins lost his job a week or two ago. Before that I considered the vague possibility of renting a small, cheap apartment instead, but that possibility was completely shot when I became the only employed member of our family.<br /><br />I mentioned to DH that perhaps the reason he lost his job is that he is meant to go back to school so he is vaguely looking into the nursing program at one of the local universities for this fall. So, we'll see where the chips land. In the meantime there are lot of things up the air. This blog should allow me to keep tabs on things and organize my thoughts about what's going on.<br /><br />I guess I've rambled enough... keep checking back frequently for updates! I hope to post at LEAST once a week!<br /><br />Blessings<br /><br />~KnottyMama<br /></span>KnottyMamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08472033039692920318noreply@blogger.com3