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How To Hide Your Dreads If You're Going to a Very Important Meeting

Dreadlocks are comfy, care-free, fun and adventurous. They symbolize open mindedness, a free spirit, loveliness, compassion and a statement of peace. They bring contentment, a closer connection to nature and truly makes your inner beauty glow.

So, why would you want to hide them? Although the list above goes on and on, during certain circumstances dreadlocks can be dreadfully unprofessional. Just like any hairstyle that is wild, loose and free, there's always a time a place for it. This blog post describes different strategies ofhow to tame your dreads and make yourself look more presentable in a professional setting. Perhaps, you'd just like to control them a little more but would still like to keep your Bohemian style? Here you can grab many tips on how to tidy, clean and sharpen up your look.

First: Decide what look you are actually aiming for. Is this meeting a job interview, a presentation, a formal dinner or is it a date, party, family reunion? I separate these into two categories. The first few are scenarios in which you may want to hide your dreads. (Note: I am not in any way promoting that you should change your look to please societal standards. I am simply stating your options.) The second scenarios such as a date, party or family reunion may be one where you'd still like to show off your natural look but only to an extent.
As you know, dreadlocks are a commitment. You may have your reasons as so do I but there are many people in society who will need time to understand you. Help them to accept and respect your lifestyle. Your personal appearance may be judged but if you are willing to undergo getting dreads then you have the ultimate power! Please, do not ever give in to societal standards - instead let them adapt to you. This post will help you to gradually show off your look. You know your reasons for your hairstyle choice and do not let others influence your decision. Show them better and make a difference! :-)

To illustrate styles that I'm familiar with, I will use photos of Wynd Mulysa whom is a dread lock model and has a hairstyle similar to mine. Remind you, I have bangs like Wynd, two dread locks that hang onto the side of my face and layer of a few dreads on the top of my head. The rest of my hair is naturally curly with smaller dreads here and there.

1. If you suffer from excess strands of hair and loads of frizz: use a straighter to flatten those hairs, then separate and twirl them onto your dreads so they can tighten, join and lock. This will give your dreads a fresh and less of a nappy bed head look. You can also use dread wax or gel to bring down the frizz. I recommend neither of these! A flat iron works fine. This specific look is two ponytails and preferably a date or hangout look. It's also my favorite because it's fun and care-free! I usually tie a ribbon onto one and allow it to hang. It looks really nice when the ribbon is colorful or full of designs!

2. For a fierce business look- a tight bun with a small front bump! If you have extra thick dreadlocks that don't seem to settle then a carefully wrapped bun may be the one for you. Pull all of your hair to one side, twirl it together and make a circular motion towards the back of your head. Do not raise the bun too high, it should be no higher than eye radius. Accessorize with a large eloquent clip slightly above the bun to make it appear like it's holding it together. If it's a business atmosphere, wear pearl or other round-like earrings - NO dangling earrings. Leave those for your more laid back outings. If you're into doing a bump, begin this part before the bun: section some of your top dreads away from the others. Pull these dreads out in front of you and start by rolling and tucking them in until you get your desired size of a bump. To keep it in place, secure a clip under the bump that will hold the dreads inside and keep them from unrolling. Bobby pins may be helpful to use on the sides of dreads that are untamed but I don't recommend using plastic ones as they are just too small and wont hold.

I'm awfully tired now from typing so much...so I'll finish this post tomorrow... is that okay? See you then.

In response to my dread lock post:

Here is the initial post that documents my dread lock journey and my desire for a new style in the future.
http://rebekahvegan.blogspot.com/2010/07/dreads.html

Now, (three years later) I still have a few dreads in and they're as locked solid as they can possibly get! I did also mention in the post above that I was really itching to get a peace sign shaved in. Hair is like art work, right? You've got to get creative!
I'm sorry to fill you in so late but yes, I did eventually get my peace sign! :D Pictures of the shaved look from September of 2010 and my current look (May of 2011) are below if you're interested!!! :-)

Don't hesitate to read my next dread lock post: How To Hide Your Dreads If You're Going to a Very Important Meeting! I am considering a dread blog in the future, ya know, with things like 1. Why you should dread 2. How to dread 3. How long it takes to dread, strategies and more! What do you think friends. . . is it worth writing? Let me know - I like readers!
Well. . . lots of love to you until the next post!!!!! :-)

This picture is from February and was taken in a nature reserve-bike trail the Bronx, NY. Click for a larger / less distorted image!

Here is the finished piece of the peace sign. Continue reading for some extra tips!
Before and After:
Here are some tips if you are considering the look as well.

Preview

1. Ask a barber or an artistic friend! Never, ever, ever walk into a hair salon and expect them to do THIS for you. Have someone with image shaving experience. Ya know, like the type of barber that is known for perfect edge ups and shaves Nike signs, names and symbols.

2. Make sure they know HOW TO make a peace sign. You may want to draw it out first. . .
3. Ask for an OUTLINE of the peace sign as the shaved part and make it a preference that they don't shave the inside hair down too much. They should begin by cutting the piece of you hair into a square shape or rectangle. Then shave it down but not too much! Edge in the peace sign. And lastly, trim the inside of the circle/peace sign...but not too deep!
4. Be prepared to be back in a week or two for another!
5. Once you've got the look down, experiment with other shaves like a heart, a word or a flower! I tried all three! I didn't have the chance to snap pictures but the results were lovely!!!
6. If you want it to show: braid the hair under, twist the hair above, do a side pony in the opposite direction, french braid onto one side or even put a band above to grasp the hair as a whole.
7. If you don't want it to show: simply straighten your hair or keep you hair down! The shaving should not be slightly bigger than four inches and will be easy to cover if you have your hair down and in the way of the space.
8. What to do once your done with the look: Well, it's pretty simple: just let your hair grow! It may stick out/ be slightly spiky for a few days but once it's three centimeters grown, you can then use a bobby pin to maintain it. My piece is around 4 inches long now and what I like to do is wrap it into a twisty on the side of my head. If you are wondering what a twisty is, here is a picture below. (Image is not mine. Click for direct link to hair salon site.)
9. Lastly, have fun with it! If you got a sweet style done then share it! Have something engraved that your passionate about. For me, it would be the word VEGAN. I plan to do it all again and of course, take more pictures next time. Please share with me yours too! I will post them on my blog!!! Love to you friends, I hope this post was helpful!

Sustainably yours,
Bekah