If you have a strong stomach, check out YouTube for cleaning dreadlock videos, some of them are downright disgusting. You have to take proper care of them, not leave them unchecked for years on end. Ultimately it boils down to personal choice. Some people go crazy for the bald look, others spend huge money trying to hold on to or replace their hair. Some folks hate beards, others spend years on them.
I am usually a big fan of live and let live. Many years ago, I worked with a very spoiled/privileged white woman who wore dreads purely for the look. She did not take good care of them and you could smell her from 8 to 10 feet away. Thankfully, I was on the other side of the building, but there were a ton of complaints about her personal hygiene from her co-workers in her area. She tried to claim discrimination, but the hairstyle was just a hairstyle in her case, not a part of her religion or identity, she lost her case and quit the company. I have also known others during my life who kept their dreads immaculate, so it absolutely can be done.