Are dreadlocks compatible with my hair, lifestyle, and location?

Out of all the stupid things I've done in my life, and all the opportunities I've missed and will never have back, the one thing I regret the most is not dyeing my hair neon green in college, when I could have gotten away with it. I probably would have looked stupid, but I'll never know now, will I? I say do it. I wouldn't do it - it's hard to look good in dreadlocks and your hair doesn't sound compatible - but this sounds like something you really want to do, and it's your hair. Get them, decide whether or not you look like a fool in them, and cut them off if you do. Or don't get them, and when you're fifty wish you had gotten them.

No, you should not. They will take a lot of maintenance, they will smell, and whether or not you want to deal with the issue of whether white people should get dreadlocks or not right now, you will certainly have to deal with the ensuing fallout if you get them.

People have answered most of this, but just chiming in. I had http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/193368652_d30aafea34.jpg?v=0 for... ten years maybe. I cut them off two years ago because I started swimming regularly and they didn't dry right. Most of the time if you are not swimming they don't really get wet because water runs off of them, so I wouldn't worry about that part. More answers - you can wash your hair with dreads, dirt is no problem - I didn't wash mine much, they didn't smell, itch, whatever. I know other people who had this problem - I had the opposite issue of bonaldi, I wondered where all the guys went AFTER I cut them off - they are HEAVY. I swear I had neck problems as a result of waist-length dreads for so long. Yoga helped. - I was a librarian with dreads and no one cared, it was fine - I loved how low-maintenance they were, very easy to deal with, keep clean and tie back and forget about. I dislike having to fuss with my hair So I say go for it if you think you're going to grow out of it later. You can always http://flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/sets/1453425/

I am a white person whose hair dreads naturally and all too easily. I had something like dreadlocks for a while. It wasn't incredibly bad, but I'm not doing that again--lots of work to keep them neat, impossible to fully wash, don't really look good. Just get a damn ponytail or something.

I had dreadlocks while living in Chicago. I also had dreadlocks while living in San Diego. So I've dealt with cold and I've dealt with sand. Additionally, my hair also does not naturally lock on it's own, so it did take quite a bit of work. Putting them in will require time and patience. Helpful friends as well. Check out http://dreadheadhq.com/ for useful tips and products. Their dreading kit works wonders! Make sure to get the lockpepper as well, it will save you HOURS! When I had them put in, I just rented a lot of movies bought a lot of pizza and invite friends over for a dreading party. The more people you have willing to help, the better. (You can also find some salons that will do it, but it will be expensive). The backcombing method combined with the DreadHead HQ dreadkit will work on any hair type. Everything is pretty clearly explained on their website. The first 1-2 months are critical. Since your hair will not naturally lock, you have to make sure to follow a pretty strict maintenance routine, otherwise your hair will come out. If you keep your hair waxed and are pretty good about making sure the roots stay neat, after 1-2 months your locks will be set, and you should be good to go. After the initial setting period, maintaining your dreads will be a lot easier! You won't have to keep em waxed (although they'll look neater if you do), but you should also be maintaining your roots. Once again DreadHead provides really good instructions for this. Dealing with the cold! DO NOT GO OUTSIDE IN FREEZING WEATHER WITH WET DREADLOCKS! The water will freeze, and it can break your dreads. It won't do it all the time and if your quick about it (like running from your house to the corner store and back) it should be fine, but if you're going to be outside for more than 10-15 minutes, make sure your head is dry. Blowdrying works fine. I bought these really cool super absorbent shammies http://www.shammysolutions.com/site/1618064/product/100-01 which I would use to dry my dreads before using the blowdryer, which made the process a lot quicker. You should note that drying your dreads is not only important in the winter. Leaving your dreads wet for a long period of time can cause mold to grow inside the dreads and that will suck! The Dirt Issue! This will not be a problem assuming you wash your hair! No matter what anyone tells you, you can wash dreadlocks! You have to make sure to use a residue free shampoo, otherwise the chemicals left in your hair will loosen the knots and ruin your dreads. Not to pimp DreadHead too much in one answer, but I really liked their Dread shampoo as well, but any residue free shampoo will work. I'd spend days tromping through the desert in Joshua Tree or playing in the sand on the beaches and get all sorts of crap in my hair. It will wash out, so don't worry about it. When you are first forming your dreads (that really critical first 1-2 months) washing your hair can hurt the dreads if done incorrectly. Since your hair is fine, your fingers will catch it and pull it out of the dreads, you can solve this problem by washing your hair through a stocking cap. Put the cap on your head, cover it in shampoo and lather through the stocking. This way the shampoo gets to the hair, the dirt comes out, and your fingers stay away from the lose hair. Yes wearing a headcovering while at work will help this problem. What kind of headcovering is up too you. For your situation, you should probably wash your hair at night when you get home from work, and then make sure they're dry before going to bed. Wake up in the morning, throw on a headcovering and head to work. Most people suggest not washing your hair every day (I've head every 2-4 days is pretty common) I tended to wash mine every 3 days, but if you think they're getting gross all the time, washing everyday with the right shampoo is not a problem. The dreads will keep your head warm, so don't worry about that. You can always wear a wool tam or something on top if your still cold. And as someone mentioned above, you can always comb them out if you don't like them (this takes a lot of work! But it is easier if done soon after putting them in) I'd say go for it! They're lots of fun to have. The first 2 months is a lot of work, but after that, as long as you keep em clean and maintain your roots you're good to go. If you keep them clean, they won't smell. I wish I still had mine, but for some reason law firms didn't seem to want to hire me with em. Oh well. Good luck! If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

They are gross and nasty and I have not once seen a white person pull them off in a way that looks classy at all.

I completely agree with everyone here about why you shouldn't get them. BUT. Metroid Baby is right. I went through a phase when I dyed my hair funky colors, which was a blast. I then cut it all off (which looked hideous). It's just hair. You do it, you hate it, you un-do it. It grows back. No biggie.

Get them. Who cares what other people think? I didn't make this post to get people's opinions on dreadlocks in general, but to get specific answers to specific questions in order to inform my decision. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. I understand how the headliner could be misleading. Rest assured that I do plan to do whatever I feel like doing. :)

Please. Don't.