15-year dreadlocks, considering getting rid - sale?

[Colin OOOD]

Hi HairExtensionForum New user here with a specific question; I had a brief look round the forum and this seems the most appropriate place to post but if there's anywhere better then by all means please move my thread.

I have very long dark brown hair (backs of knees) in 48-50 thin, neat, wax-and-product-free hand-rubbed dreadlocks which I have been growing for the last 15 years. My hair hasn't seen scissors since two years before that, so the ends are all natural. Very soon after getting them I discovered the perfect maintenance regime, which for my hair means never getting it wet; they are surprisingly light for their length, non-greasy and do not smell of anything other than hair. I've been told by many people that they are amongst the longest and tidiest dreads they have ever seen. As well as the dreads on my head, which range in length from about 30cm to maybe 150cm (most being pretty damn long) I have a collection of 11 ends, around 30cm long, that have been pulled off over the past year or so.

15 years is a long time to have the same hairstyle, so for the past few years I have been toying with the idea of getting them cut off and being a norm again. Having spent all that time and effort extruding this stuff out of my scalp my questions are - are they worth anything to anyone? If so, how much, and what is the best way to get the most for them?

Thanks for your time

Colin

[sammu]

In my experience, the real dreads I have seen for sale don't end up going for much. One mate's dreads went for £10... and he was growing them for as long as you had. There's still a stigma attached to real dreads that many people still insist on believing... y'know the usual "smelly" stereotype. Eh.

My advice would be to stick around this community. We're a real friendly helpful bunch and you'll grow to love us. Have more than 50 posts and be active for 30 days and stick the dreads on here! I'm certain with good photos of your hair in natural light will attract a LOT of attention from people who'd want to extend their own.

[LittlePinkFaery]

I just typed out a whole long reply and the computer ate it! here goes again...

As said, I don't think there is much of a market for them...as well as the stigma attached ther eis the truth that no matter how clean and well you look after them, there will be a build up of skin and oils in the core of them (don't get me wrong I like natural dreads!).

If you want to change your hair but are not sure you want to get rid of them, how about making them into a fall extension? simply cut them off, double them over ( at differing mid points to create texture) secure with a mini elastic band, leaving a little loop at the top, then thread them all on to a strip of elastic ( you can layre the elastic to create better coverage).

Then so long as your hair is long enough to get a pony tail in, you can tie it in

[starlight]

O/T but I would love to see pics of these!

[candikaboom]

Donated hair, or human hair sold for wigs ect.. goes through a process of harsh chemicals to be cleaned before getting used in another humans head. It use to be they didnt take chemically treated hair for donation but now a high percentage is chemically treated they got less strict. Human hair on the market, or good hair usually comes from Europe/india and is pretty pure and remy quality (cuticles going same direction, what people pay big bucks for) and dreaded hair is all cuticle directins thats how it dreads accually.. Also dread hair wouldnt be able to be cleaned properly to be reused, sure theres some people who want change, cut theres off and save them and then end up sewing them back in, or bf and gf i seen do this but still its personal. theres always somethign for everyone.

[PirateQueen]

As said, I don't think there is much of a market for them...as well as the stigma attached ther eis the truth that no matter how clean and well you look after them, there will be a build up of skin and oils in the core of them (don't get me wrong I like natural dreads!)

Agreed - when I cut off my own 20 year old dreads, of a similar length as you describe, there was a fair amount of lint, fluff and 'stuff' in the centre of the dread that no amount of washing by a buyer would remove - no-one really want's to buy something with someone else's dead skin cells and scalp oils in it.
The stuff in my dreads was there despite the fact I used to wash and deep clean mine on a regular basis, although not as often as I would have liked, as with that volume of hair it just got too difficult - plus they used to give me wicked neck ache due to the weight, so they had to go.
When I cut them off I had half a bin-liner of them! Personally, though, I never thought about selling them off or giving them away, cutting them off for me was kind of cathartic as a lot of things in my life weren't right at the time and I wanted to rid myself of things that I felt were holding me back. So I built a big old fire in my yard, and burnt them.
Hasn't put me off dreads though! I'm on my second set since then!

[vibrata]

theres some people who want change, cut theres off and save them and then end up sewing them back in, or bf and gf i seen do this but still its personal. theres always somethign for everyone.

I've done that, in fact my reattached dreads are what i'm currently wearing. I wasn't able to completely commit to going dreadless so I cut them short and put the ends in a ziplock baggy in a drawer. A year or so later I sewed them back on.

I'm in the same boat as you, though. After 11 years of being dreadie I'd really like a change. This time it will be a comb out, and possibly never to dread again!

There are folks on the livejournal group get_up_dread_up that will accept donated dread cuttings from people so if you find that easier than throwing them away you should be in luck over there. I don't think people are too keen to pay cash, though.

[Moody108]

you could always do a sponsored shave?

maybe have your dreads cut short of shaved off for charity, then auction the actual hair off for charity?

one of my friends did this with his bum length hair a few months and and raised thousands

[Gracey]

Hi Colin,

Is there any chance (2 years later!) that you still have your dreads and want to sell them?

Caroline in Australia

Two years on since the post, and this user has never posted again. I'd say it's unlikely.
Also, you would not be able to buy on this forum until you had met the 50 post/30 day rule. It's all in the rules.
Happy reading and welcome to the forum.