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5 reasons why not to get dreadlocks on the World Race (in Africa)…

 

1. If you go to get it done in a salon, there is no guarantee that you will actually get them and if you do the person doing your hair has probably never dreaded non-African hair before. (I sat in a chair while a lady poured gobs of honey on my hair and literally just twisted it around her finger. After about the seventh time I asked her if she was sure she knew how to lock dreads, (about an hour later), she got her brother who also was a hairdresser and he spent the next seven hours getting the job done.)

2. Your hair will get full of dirt, dust and everything else that’s flying  around in the air, and you wont always be able to take a shower to wash it out.

3. People will automatically think that you are a “pot head” and form their own preconceived notions about who you are before even talking to you. (Also, people will approach you with the line, “you buy bang from me?” – a bit tempting maybe, but quite obnoxious when asked by very persistent Kenyan business men again and again.)

4. They are a lot of work to maintain, especially with naturally straight, fine, smooth hair. Two hours every night twisting and knotting your wax saturated hair (thank you Emily!) is not always the most alluring task after playing with street kids and cleaning dirty buildings all day.

5. They are really exciting at first, but as time goes on and your head just looks like a frizzy muddled anarchy. It takes at least 2 months for your hair to really lock well, and you may start to feel a bit unattractive. When you live in places where you can feel unclean within minutes after stepping out of the shower, and your pile of “clean” clothes is non-existent, and the clothes you do wear make you look like the typical “I forgot what style is because I have been away from home for over 7 months missionary”, and there is no point putting make-up on because it will most likely just sweat off anyway, and your hair was one thing that could have made you feel just a bit womanly… you may start to feel like a hot mess.
 

And 5 reasons why I do not regret doing it…
 

 
1. One day I stepped in front of the mirror in our room and my first reaction was, “disgusting”. I had gained weight (thank you chapati), I was out of shape, and maintaining my appearance where my only option to shower was to pour water over my head with a bucket wasn’t always appealing. I felt disgusted with myself for the consuming focus I had on my physical appearance. I had always wanted to dread my hair, but never did, because it didn’t fit into the “beauty box” I had created by comparing and judging beauty based on the world’s standards, my friend’s beliefs, my family’s views, my ex-boyfriend’s opinion. As I looked into the mirror after the seven-hour plus process, I saw myself through my maker’s eyes. I didn’t see my hair or my body, I saw my heart as He sees it. And what I saw was beauty beyond comparison. I saw the image of God etched into every fiber of my being. I saw His everlasting love written all over my heart. I felt freedom and release from the bondage of struggling with self-image. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

2. Almost every night for a month my beautiful friend Emily would twist and knot my hair. She would spend hours on it. Not only did I get to have great conversations and laughs with my teammate, but God revealed to me how much He loves His children by how dedicated Emily was to my hair just because she loves me. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” And spend countless hours on her hair…

3. Stereotypes were broken. I saw people come face to face with the false perceptions they developed based on other’s physical appearance. I was able to be part of the process of people laying down their ugly judgments and choosing to instead focus on the heart. (Yes, I do like listening to Marley and yes I am a free spirit, but that doesn’t mean I am just some “dirty hippie”.)

4. After about a month and a half after getting my hair initially dreaded, I gave up on maintaining them. I basically just let my hair do whatever it wanted. I looked like Tarzan and the people around me didn’t care. They loved me the same whether I looked “put together” or ready to swing through the jungle. My desire to radiate God’s beauty through love instead of my physical presentation became so much more desirable. The time I was spending on my outward appearance started to become a silly thought to me. “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.”

5. I have a great story to tell people for the rest of my life!