So I've been gradually giving myself dreads over a couple of weeks. I have seven so far (I've been doing it very gradually...) and I haven't combed the rest of my hair since I started, so today I sectioned it out where it was starting to naturally separate. They were a bit big, then, so I split some apart. I didn't go with a scheme like "one inch sections" because when I did my first ones I was shocked at how tiny small sections came out (twist and rip method, btw). My hair looks thick but it's just volume, not actual hair mass. I have 18 sections right now, including the 7 dreads I already did. I'm not looking to have big fat dreads in the end, but I'm also not trying to have dreads like the teeth of a comb. I've read around and 18 is hardly anything compared to most people. Should I split them up more even though they'll be tiny?
It all depends on your personal preference. They can be as fat or as skinny as you want. They are however YOUR dreads so do whatever you want with them. Don't think that just because you only have 18 dreads means you don't have enough.
If I don't want fat dreads, do I need to have more than 18? Even with 18 sections they're not bigger than my pinkie finger or so (when compressed so it's actual hair not volume).
Don't worry about the sectioning or the number of dreads. Your hair will figure it out, just let it do its thing. Just leave your hair alone except for washing it of course.
I also champion the 'let nature take its course' (more or less) method. Your hair will indeed figure it out eventually. Just take any mats that look too huge and rip em in half. Remember that things with tighten, compress, and shrink over time before they fully mature and become a more static shape. I certainly have more than 18 locks, b last count was somewhere around 30, but I may just have more hair than you in general, who knows. I've got plenty of fatties as well as some that are skinnier than pencils. The 'fat' ones aren't that much larger than my pinky. For reference:
Given I'm using the twist and rip method, would it be better/easier for me to just go with 18 and rip them apart if they're too thick down the road, or try to get a more "normal" number and combine them if they don't fatten up enough? I'm leaning towards just doing the 18 dreads. Fuck it. I simply don't think I have enough hair for more.
There is no "normal" number. Like aFoolOnaHill said just let your hair do it's thing and rip apart the ones that are too big. Just leave them do there thing right now!!!
I have 40, and some of mine are pretty fat, but i also have some teeny ones. your hair will do what's best for it, basically
So what I've decided to do is leave the seven dreads I already have (obviously, they're not going anywhere!) and just kind of let the rest of my hair section up on its own. I already have one baby dread that formed completely on its own, and a big part of the reason I wanted to get dreadlocks in the first place is that my hair has made it clear to me that it WANTS to be knotted. It's all about listening to my hair in the first place, so I decided to listen to my hair on this part, too.
