Dreadlocks maybe...

[LacieBlue]

I had dreadlocks up until a year ago and mine grew just past my shoulders. It took me an entire day sitting in the bathtub but I actually combed out four years' worth of dreads and had shoulder length hair left! They were very tight locks so I was extremely surprised. Just got a bit more chopped off to make it tidy.
Anyway, point is, if you have thick hair with lots of volume then you should be fine when you've decided you've had enough of the dreads. Just buy a couple of bottles of cheap conditioner and a metal comb.
All the best!

I should also add that one of the main reasons that I got rid of them in the end is that they took 6 hours to dry when I'd washed them, and I would wash every day or every other day as you may find that your fringe will get greasy quickly as your scalp is more exposed. My advice to others would be not to dread your fringe so that you can wash separately!
Everyone is different of course!