Children with dreadlocks, any opinions please?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

My friends children are 1/2 swedish 1/2 irish and they have washed but never brushed or shampooed their hair, so they have naturally formed curly dreadlocks.
My friends do the same, and their DC's hair looks really cute, but one is about to start school and I worry he may be picked on for it.
I also worry what they would do about nits (hot topic as we have them at the moment)
My friends seem very relaxed about it and aren't worried at all, but I know how mean children can be.

Would you judge a child/ his parents at your school if they were the same?

they have never washes or brushed their kids hair - um sorry but why would you do this? is this from birth?
How totally unhealthy - not exactly their choice then hey?

CWE it's hardly neglect, they are very happy cildren and this is their parents choice, and very much intinsic to their lifestyle.

they may get called crustys.

I wouldn;t worry - it they get picked on at school DC's will pretty sharpish demand for it to be chopped off.

Several children at my children's school with dreadlocks, no one ever says anything, its just accepted but I do live in a weirdy hippy village, and have them myself, so I'm biased
I wash mine with with lush shampoo bar 3 times a week, and they do get comments sometimes, but always nice ones! The weirdest one being, can I smell them?, and having a woman stick her face into my hair for about 10 seconds!!

I think it would look cool but as you can tell from MN there are plenty of judgey people that might have a few words to say. I suppose it depends on where you live.

er it's not the dreads it's the fact that they don't wash their childrens hair that I personally find a bit extreme.
One of my ExBoyf had dreds and continued to wash them as normal. I honestly don't get how not washing can be a "lifestyle" choice for kids that's all...

I can't think of a reason why anybody would want to keep their kids from shampoo.

And sorry, I'm not buying that story about hair keeping itself clean. What, with tiny little tongues, the way cats clean themselves?

"tiny little tongues like cats"!!!!

ROFL

i think its lovely.

"My friends children are 1/2 swedish 1/2 irish and they have washed but never brushed or shampooed their hair..."

washed with plain water then?

serious question

If they get nits I can't for the life of me see how they could be shifted from the dreadlocks. Trying to wet comb the lice out would take forever, and would be very, very uncomfortable for the kids

The oils thing repelling lice is cobblers BTW

'natural pils' in the hair will oil it naturally, but do smell rather like lanolin.....ie sheep's wool. Which isn't to my personal taste, but there you go.

My dd has mini-dreads.

Very cute little sticky out ones at the back.

It's more about her hating me brushing her hair than my aspirations to mother a Boden model, but I do think they look cute.

We wash her hair. It smells lovely and is clean.

Couldn't care less!Kids/grownups will always be picked on by stupid kids/grownups for one reason or another. Also like the name Merlin.Must be terrible living your life caring what strangers etc think of you.

Oh and ds1 went through a phase of not washing his hair and it was fab.The natural oils weren't stripped by crap chemicals and thankfully he dosen't wash it too often,and usually in warm water.

I wouldn't judge, but then I like to see a bit of non-conformist behaviour every now and then!

I also wouldn't decide what to do or not to do depending on whether people where likely to judge me.

Would wou get lice infestastions on dreaded hair? Maybe they don't like it?

Well put DloeufyDoo

How do you get away with it? If I had not washed or brushed my toddlers' hair, my health visitor would have me reported to the SS for neglect. I've known parents hauled up in front of social services for less.

My first thought is that you must live down south in an urban area - yep. I just checked your profile; you live in London. You'll be OK - just don't move up to the North Midlands. You'll be on first name terms with the health visitors and social workers within weeks of your arrival!

In response to your original question: I'm not bothered either way and I doubt if anyone else at school really cares. Presumably the parents have more important things to worry about!