**READ ME** - Dread Newbies FAQ/ PLUS Basic Care and maintenance Guide

Thanks for the advice! I wasn't planning to go to a salon to get them done. In fact, I'm going to use the backcombing technique. I had started to dread my hair when I was younger, but my school corporation made me take them out. I just wanted to do a bit of research this time; and it seemed like wax was the new big thing for dreads. Again, thanks for the help.

 

Hey Everybody, Short Question.

My dready's are about one and a half months old.
I know that you have to expect loose hairs with dreads, but my parents are getting on to me about them a little.

So my question is, is it safe to start getting loose hairs back into the dreads by dread balling and stuff, even if they are still this young and not quite really mature yet. Or is just better to wait until at least the body's start to really lock up, and then start dealing with the little stuff like loose hairs.

Sorry if the questions been asked already, I keep telling my folks loose hairs are a part of the dread proccess but they don't seem to belive me.
Any advice would be great!

Peace

 

Hello I have a quick question. I just got my dreads yesterday, I've got an elastic on the tip of each one to hold the loose ends, how long should i keep them on? Also, should I wait a while to wash them?

 

dont rubberband themhem from knotting..the only thing an elastic does is if you leave it on for 1 dy it will help you to knot the ends..but not for more than 1 day.

 

in my own opinion there is no dreads. waxing them conditions them...and if your not a vegan using whole beeswax is an awesome idea...it has properties in it that will help it keep conditioned, dreads wont break off, and the whole process works better...i tried to dread without wax and it all fell out, my own hair is pretty oily so the knots just came out...then i backcombed and put beeswax in with an upwards twisting kind of motion and now they are all sorts of knotted...it all depends on the individual.

 

Seriously, if you put wax in your hair it just goops the hair together and doesn't actually allow them to knot up. It might LOOK nicer, but in the end it will make your hair moldy and the wax actually attracts a lot of dirt and grime.

It's not just MY OPINION, it's a fact.

 

soooo...i'm gonna preface this by saying that i've been drinking vodka and i'm a little beligerent, so you've been warned. moving on....you do not "get" dreads. yeah, maybe you backcomb them and you "start" them, but you don't "get" them. in fact, they never end. they will probably never be exactly what you want them to be. you will only notice their beauty on the day that you stop caring and leave them alone for a year, or even better, leave them alone for a few. and all this shit about wax and rubber bands...don't do it. it's that simple. it's a bad idea. and i don't care what your buddy who has "had dreads" for a whole TWO months tells you...wax blows and so do rubber bands and perhaps folks will only understand this a few years down the line after they've made that mistake. everyone who knows anything will tell you the same thing...leave you're hair alone. and most people who read this will probably not listen to the advice, but you've been told. eventually, people realize it when a year or two down the line they look at the wax encrusted, rubber mess on their head and go..."fuck, wish i'd left 'em alone." so, yeah, i'm beligerent and sick of the wax debate. stop trying to rationalize the wax. it's BAD. people at two months may say "oh, yes...wax saved my dreadies!" talk to them in a few years when they cut their hair and wish they'd never done it.

 

I listened... At first i was going to backcomb and use wax. But I seen the pictures and learnet that the dreads would come out after a week or so. So I took the "easy" way and just combing my hair when i learned you can do that...

 

I saw somewhere that 4 inches should be long enough to start dreads, but I have a question about my own hair...
I have thick curly hair that sticks close to my head, it's not long enough to tie back with one ponytail. This is my concern, will my hair dread at all? Or should I wait until it's two inches longer or more? I want to do it the natural way, washing, and letting it go, so how long do you think it will take before I start seeing something?
I appreciate this forum and any advice you guys can give me.

 

My boyfriend cut all of his hair off...like to an inch...and began the dreading process from there...meaning he didn't do a damn thing with it...except twist the little hair he had when he was bored. He's got perfectly round, even dreads.

I started mine when my hair was past my shoulders...I love my hair, but it's got loopies and kinks in it...some people don't like that. Personally, it gives my hair it's own personality...

So basically, what I'm saying..is you can dread your hair at any length.

 

hmmm...i used wax and my hair isknotted up so much that theres no way i could get a comb through it..i think if you want to clean up your dreads and have them look nice wax is a good thing to use to get them together...also the wax makes your hair less brittle...ask any african american with dreads and they will tell you no matter what kind of hair you have you need to give your dreads conditioner and the beeswax and dread conditioners(like lock down) will do that.

 

ewwww!

 

African AMerican hair is A LOT different than caucasian hair. They use wax to keep their hair from breaking and drying out. Caucasian hair produces different kinds of oil where we don't need to worry about that problem.

 

mine is really dry though. its very thick and coarse and dry..i dont think i could handle not having some sort of conditioner for it or it would start breaqking off. any other sort of product i could use to keep this from happening?

 

Aloe or tea tree oil.

Do you have a pic of what your hair looks like? Maybe at looking at what kind of hair you have, I can help out a little more.

 

unfortunatly my scanner burnt up and is no longer working(thanks to my icky SIL) but i can describe it if that helps...my hair is very thick, very straight, blonde (well dyed black..lol) very heavy and if i wash it too much it gets very oily, but if i dont wash it very much it gets very dry and brittle...i know it doesnt make sense but i dunno..i guess everything about me has to be weird..lol

 

I have a question (if the floor is clear)... Would conditioner be alright to give dreads its shine... You know if the hair is all knotted up and locked. Like tight dreads, would be alright then to use some conditioner to give it a shine or whatever conditioner dose...?

 

i think a little bit wouldnt hurt, but who knows. And who cares if a little bit comes unraveled?? and ive washed my dreads with a 2 in 1 shamp/cond. and nothing BAD happened. so go for it!!

 

I'd be concerned about the residue buildup of conditioner...Using it may cause some build up inside your dreads which means smelly, stinky, and may attract bugs.

 

Yeah, I agree with Annie. I wouldn't be as worried about it coming unraveled as I would be about the buildup issue. Conditioner has some funky shit in it that doesn't rinse out - almost like it's coating your hair with wax or something gross... (and I would know - my whole life up till five years ago, I had to condition my hair EVERY DAY in order to KEEP it from dreading)

And sweetdreadlover - I recommend making an ACV rinse for your hair, and adding extra Vit. E oil plus aloe vera. I basically have "African American" (why we use this term in an international forum, I have no idea!) hair - in fact when I was a kid and went to salons and such to get my hair cut, people always assumed because of my hair that I had African ancestry, when in fact I'm as white as they come. Norwegian in fact. Just a freak. Anyway, back to the point: I have very thick, curly, kinky, nappy hair. It also has a tendency toward being brittle.

I NEVER use wax, and have very healthy dreads, more than 5 years old now. I wash with Bronner's liquid tea tree soap - in summer when it dries quick I wash about 3 times a week, and in winter I keep it down to once every 1-2 weeks (I know this sounds like it's not enough, but it's what works on my head!). I make a rinse with rosemary tea (adding stinging nettle is good too if you have a good source - promotes hair growth, but I can never find it anymore), and while it's still warm I add vitamin E oil, and aloe is good too if you've got it. Then I add apple cider vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil, and dilute with water. Adding the oils helps to keep your scalp from getting dry and itchy, and simultaneously conditions your hair and helps keep it from getting brittle.

I hope that made sense, I kinda just lumped it in there. Part of this is just trial and error, and finding what works for your own head. The other part is about waiting for your scalp and your hair to adjust to the change, and eventually the oil production will settle back into a healthy pattern. The important thing is, you don't have to give up and use wax! Your head is like it's own little ecosystem. Eventually everything will settle down and fall into balance.