You don’t have to have short hair to start your dreadlocks. You can start it at whatever length your hair is, as long as it’s natural. Growing dreads on long hair is even better for you, since you’ll get a good head start on the growth.
I had dreadlocks in for 6 years and then decided that I wanted to comb out my locs. I combed them out, which took a good time to do so, but I was happy to see my loose natural hair again.
Now I’m starting to miss my dreads and thinking about maybe growing a second set of dreads or just keep doing my two-strand twists for the time being until I make up my mind.
I am glad I combed them out instead of cutting my hair because my hair would be really short and then I would have to start all over again, and having to deal with super short hair like the first time. Also, combing out my dreads allowed me to see my hair in its natural state and to have a lot of fun with a variety of styles.
A lot of people who are thinking about growing dreadlocks are worried about having to cut their hair off if they do decide to get rid of their dreads sometime in the near future, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can do like me and comb them out, although it is time consuming and requires a lot of conditioner to soften the texture of the hair.
Based on my experience from growing my dreads for 6 years, in the starting phase, it will take a couple months before it starts to look matted and look like actual dreads. Just keep in mind that the texture of your hair will determine how fast your hair will lock.
If you are undecided about growing dreadlocks, try palm-rolling your hair or doing two-strand twists and wear it for a while to see how you feel about dreads. This will only give an idea but growing dreadlocks is more deeper than that for some people and also, your hair will change in so many ways during the transition process.