15 year old wants dreads, can anyone share any info?

Dreads are cool and if he wants them, that should matter way more than what other people think. He can get his hair treated so each strand will catch all the other strands; that is what makes them form into dreadlocks. Dreadlocked hair is just as easy to clean as any other type of hair style. If he gets tired of it later, he can just cut it off and grow it out non-dreaded again. But once it’s dreaded it cannot be put back.

That’s really helpful to know and maybe helpful towards him getting his new style. What happens as his hair grows out? Do you know if it is expensive?

Sometimes the surest way to prevent a thing is to allow it to happen.

Check out this site. It should give you the information you want. He needs to know that his hair will dread better if kept scrupulously clean, and if he skips using conditioners.

He can do it himself for free, get a friend to help him, or pay a stylist to do it for about $30 an hour. It will take several hours.

If he really wants the dreads, I think you should support his decision.
Be careful when choosing the shop/stylist, friend who will make the dreads. It is important to have a skilled person doing it, because you will be stuck with these dreads till you cut your hair. Hygiene is probably the most important thing. He should also realize that when he will get the dreads, it will take him one to two hours to wash and dry them. It is a lot of work, but they look great if you take good care of them.
Also don’t worry about his reputation. If he is a friendly and honest person the dreads won’t be bothering the people so much.

the good thing about hair, is that it grows back.
so let him do it, and if he doesn’t like it, or when he gets tired of it, he can just cut them off and grow it out again. i’m not sure about the technicalities of it – cleaning, how to do it, etc. but the site @Darwin recommended looks pretty telling. (:

i think dreads are awesome!

Wow, lots of great answers, I’ll check the site out. I told him last night that I was trying to get information on it and he just smiled. He’s a good kid.

Kudos to you for doing reasearch and weighing the options. A lot of parents just say no and that’s that, so the kid does what he wants anyway and no one’s happy.
But yeah, if he really wants them and everything works out then go for it. After all, hair is just hair. (watch out when he starts wanting tattoos)

Okay, looked at the site, read everything so we know what we’re getting into. No I just have to find a reputable place to do the style. By the way, the other one (17) already wants tattoos.

Tell your kids that tattoos have to wait until they are paying their own rent.

I had dreads for 3 years. I put them in myself, and it took about 15 hours. @Makstarn, @N0name: I took mine out without cutting my hair at all, after the 3 years. It took about as long to pick apart the roots as it took to lock the hair up in the first place. Some people have this option, other’s don’t – it depends on how tight your roots are.

General words of advise: they are easy to tie back and make a very neat, presentable look if the hair is curly and locks up well. People did not know I had them if they were looking at me face-to-face. I once got hired for a job before I turned my head sideways, and my manager said afterward that he didn’t even realize I had dreads.

Tell him not to use dreading wax except as an assist with the locking at the beginning of the process: it is sticky, a bit dirty, hard to get out, and if it is a humid climate there is a risk of moisture being trapped in the center of the dreads and mildew forming.

Cleanliness is important, but it is best to wash them slightly less often than regular hair – twice or three times a week was good for mine.

Watch out for chlorine the first month or so; it can dry out new dreads and make them brittle enough to part in the middle or at the root, and that looks awful. Also, tell him not to let them swing out over your forehead while hitting a bong – this will cause a spectacular flare-up right in front of your nose, and short little antenna dreads. I know you said he’s not a pothead, and I don’t mean to be snarky, just silly :)