There is life after dreads, if you ever fall out of love with them. you will have cut some of the dread off, but you can usually keep about a bobs length of hair that will need to be combed and conditioned out extensively. There are several websites that describe how to make dreads, and how to comb them out with some success.

I have been researching info on dreadlocks for some years now. Before I made the commitment to dread my hair, I wore synthetic dreads to get an idea of what it would be like. I have had natural dreads for 2+ years & love them! My hair is naturally wavy, which is actually a helping factor in dreading. I can give you some helpful tips if you decide to dread your hair, and/or can make you some synthetic dreads if you are interested in going that route.

Also, it is possible to undo dreads if you change your mind, but the longer you wait the harder it is to undo them. There are many products made for this purpose. It is not necessary to shave your dreads entirely off. I would recommend not dreading them so close to the scalp, at least an inch away, when you are getting ready to chop them off. Your hair will be short, but not Sinead O'Connor short.

Hope this helped. Good luck!

This reminds me of a Maggie Estep poem:

plagiarist.com/poetry/822/

It's hilarious to listen to, but I couldn't find a free MP3 to link.

I just cut mine off, 3 weeks ago, after about 3&1/2 years. I haven't written about this yet, so here's my story.
They were nearly as long as my lower back. I had a dread-perm initially, since my natural hair was so fine and straight, but then I rolled and maintained them extensively after that. Every few months, I had a friend (pro hair artist) tighten them. That is, she would tie a special kind of string tightly around the base of each one so the growth would dread.
I had many of my own dreads, and also various colors of synthetic braids and dreads tied in. I had multi-colored threads, paint, etc in there. For a while I had special beads from a friend who had died. My hair was an evolving work of art.
I loved my dreads...and it took me several months to make the commitment to cut them. They were heavy, physically, but emotionally very heavy. It was a personal decision...just like it was to have them in the first place. I had dreams for a long time that I had them, which convinced me to dread. This summer, I started having dreams of cutting them, of having soft hair and running fingers through it. I imagined a great weight was lifted...so I waited until the roots grew out some without tying them off...and one night I cut them. It felt amazing, in every sense of the word.

Having dreads was beautiful. I really loved that sense of connection, and the attention, and the family-love, and the smell of my head. I had antennae, roots, that were extra sensitive and reached out to the universe. Extra sensitive to vibrations around me. It was very spiritual...and sometimes exhausting, to filter out the excess energy. If any dready is reading this, you might know what I mean.

I also realized that I was letting myself be defined by my hair. I looked really awesome with dreads, but I am really awesome without. It may be coincidental, this rediscovery of power and self-worth. I have been experiencing profound life transformation this past year.
But I feel really liberated after cutting off my hair.

Dread your hair if you are really feeling drawn to do so for more than just the looks. It should be a soul-calling, you know? And if you dread, you are transforming...so if you have to shave it later, it just another transformation. Hair grows, and so do you.
Blessed be.