Everything Is Under Control

macabremagpie,

I can’t contact you. You don’t have an ask box and I didn’t see a link on the site. But I can’t activate my account because I’m not receiving any activation link.

Hey, you can reply to the reblog here or go to my other tumblr page (http://a-new-way-to-say-hooray.tumblr.com/) where there’s an ‘ask’, sorry for the confusion.

Let me know what username you chose and what your e-mail address is and I’ll get it activated for you.

1

Dragons Dance: So I've been thinking,

dark-wood-of-error:

And I’m not sure if I will 100% do it yet, but this is a just in case. I’ve been thinking about dreading my hair. I like the way it looks and it I think it might look alright on me (at the least, I hope!). But I have a few questions for people who have dreads. How long do I need to not…

First of all I’d suggest signing up at dreadlocktruth.com forums, as you’ll find a lot of free support and guidance from very nice people that is very helpful in the early stages when you’re worrying about what your hair is doing. (if you have any trouble with the activation code then let me know, I’m a moderator there)

In short, there are three common methods - natural, back-combed or twist and ripped. With natural you just stop brushing your hair and let it dread itself (this can take a long time but usually produces awesome dreads). To back-comb you section the hair with rubber bands (the size of the sections will be the size of the dreads) and then comb the hair backwards to your roots with a metal comb, the type you groom dogs with are good for this. With twist and rip you do the same sectioning but then perform that action - grabbing the hair, twisting it, and then ‘ripping’ two sides outwards and pulling the twist/knot you’ve made down to the root and keep repeating on top of that until you have a dread built up. Personally, I think twist and rip is the better method if you don’t have the patience for natural, but it’s also important to remember that your dreads still have to mature themselves (you’ve just given them a shape to grow into) and they’ll probably come undone a little before that happens. It usually takes about 6-7 months for them to start to become solid.

One thing, though - you’ll come across sites telling you that you should use a product called dread wax in your hair. Don’t! The only places you’ll find this recommended are those that are selling it or those haven’t seen the long-term effects of the stuff so steer well clear as it never comes out and you’ll get a gunky core at the centre of your dreads.

You don’t have to shave your head to get rid of them. I’ve combed out two sets before, both of which were 4 years old. It just takes a lot of patience, conditioner to soak them in and a tough metal comb.

I’ll leave it there for now but, as I said, come join us at the forum! We’re not trying to sell anything so you know you’ll get good, friendly advice.

3

You are Stardust, I am You: Advice would be helpful!

notabittamed:

Followazzzzzzzzzzz halp meeeeeeeeeee.

My hair is very, very, very (very very very very VERYYYYYYYYYYYYY) curly. I got tired of picking out the matting and baby dreads all the time. Seriously, it would dread within a day or two. It was pretty insane.

SO, about a year or so ago I quit fighting…

You’re not appropriating any culture. All hair knots itself up completely naturally (some takes a longer time than others) into dreadlocks, regardless of race or culture and did so long before the Rastafarian culture appropriated it for themselves. So no, it’s not cultural appropriation as it’s a natural process of your body.. to prevent your own hair from doing something of it’s own accord for fear of ‘stealing’ from another culture is pretty darned silly, if you think about it.

3

tastewhatyoukillnow:

psychedelicmandala:

“Low-Impact Woodland Home” built in Wales for under $5,000.

The home was built by Simon Dale’s himself (along with family and friends) with minimal tools from stone, mud, reclaimed wood, and lime plaster. Green features include solar paneling, a composting toilet, rooftop rainwater collection, and natural insulation. Water comes from a nearby spring and skylights provide ample natural lighting.

Here’s a taste of what Dale has to say:

This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage.

Gonna do this someday. Yes.

(via girlwiththeraccooneyes)

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