Well I think I've hit roughly six years. I might be a few days out either side I'm not really sure anymore, I've been trying to work it out and I can't! Anyway just to give you all a bit of background information on my dreads (for those of you who know just ignore), I started out sometime in Feb 2003 going with the "neglect/natural" method, that was the only way I knew then. I left them for well over a year and I didn't have single knot, I'm not kidding and my hair wasn't that short either. If I'd seen at least some signs of progress I'm pretty sure I would have continued. Maybe I got impatient I don't know, but I've never really though of myself as being an impatient person. Looking back then I didn't really know what I was doing at the time, and as to the reasons why I didn't see any progress I think certainly at least two reasons were: A) I fiddled far too much with them, and B) I wasn't using a residue free shampoo. At least I don't think it was. For those that are interested it was a soap bar called "simple soap" I think or "pure soap" Anyway I think it was probably pretty conditioning. Anyway after about maybe 1 1/2 years I turned to the internet, naturally I ran straight into dreadhead and believed everything they said Could I have been anymore stupid! Well yes in that I might still believe in all that they say. Of course after a while I realised that I didn't actually need the wax and stopped using it. About four years later I then came across the problem that they were starting to smell when they were wet, I think it was somewhere around that point that I started to look more on the net questioning the use of wax, what it actually does to hair when you back comb it etc. Anyway I did do series of deep cleaning with boiling water and various ingredients. It didn't really work so I cut of the few inches that had wax in them and the problem was solved. I have this site to thank for finding out about the use of baking soda/bicarb and ACV, those two things have definitely been very useful, so thanks! Anyway back to the plot, this thread was all about posting pics to mark the six years! So here they are. Sorry for the length of the thread, I seem hopeless at writing short posts! I've even inclosed a few which include my face, just to prove I have one! Enjoy...... Oh yeah I should point out, not all these are completely up to date, some are maybe a few months old, though I don't suppose they've changed that much though since then. Edit: I should add, even though I said my hair wasn't that short, I still don't think it was long enough for going natural with my hair type.
very nice ive seen you somewhere befiore havent i? where ya from? when i started mine thge 1st time well both times really i didnt know anything abgiout residue feree ..i only knew to stop combing 1st set thoughh i felt i needed to dry it out some so use3d ivory hand soap..worked fine this set i thyink i just avoided conditioners till they were mature i only switvched to dr b aftyer finding thisd forum b4 that i used head and shoulderrs alot or anything really but if the soaop u used was conditioning that probly was the prob mine locked fast usin just whatever i had..residue free just helps it and keeps thye gunk level low
Thanks. I posted a picture sometime ago comparing my dreads with wax and without wax so maybe that's where you saw me. Other than that I'm on the other side of the Atlantic, so I don't think we've met yet!
I'll take that as a compliment! I had actually been rock climbing all day so maybe just really sleepy.
lol,,why would it be construed as anything other than a compliment? rock climbing aye? ive done a bit of that when i was younger. last time was on a dare over at sand rock alabama a few years back.. climbers are a great group of folks.. a buncha kids camping next to us talked me into it,loaned me the gear and belayed me.. was a blast,but im not as young as i used to be..lol you familiar with the place?? awesome spot.. http://www.southeastclimbing.com/gallery/gallery_al_sandrock.htm
Yeah I got that impression, climbers seem like a really good bunch of people. I've only done it that one time here where I live (Germany) but I really enjoyed it. No I'm not familiar with that place, looks good though. I'm a bit vague about the states, I've only been once or twice and that was to the bay area. I really liked that region though.
Wow your dreads look really good! They're very shiny in the second pic lol they almost look like Barbie hair So at six years...besides washing, do you put any effort into them now? Do you ever have to do anything with the roots or are they completely self-managing now? ...also, I don't know about rock climbing but I have a friend here in Norway who does base jumping, which many people consider to be completely insane lol
I dunno about shiny, they're really dry hence the aloe thread. I think the camera flash just reflected a bit off the mirror which is why the look shiny. And maintinence, no I haven't really done anything other than washing. Maybe I wash them a little more regularly than I should. I've got myself into a too frequent routine with washing and I can't seem to snap out of it. Anyway I think that keeps the loose hair down, and sometimes I add sea salt to bicarb and tea tree oil when I wash them which probably helps the roots as well.
they look great. wash when you feel like you should. you look like a person who trusts his own instinct.
well if your ever over in the states again and in this area (north georgia)holler at us. would be more than happy to take ya over that way and spend a weekend climbing.