Hi all. I'm new here and only a month into my dreads but am getting pretty disheartened with it. I had them done a month ago at a salon by someone who used the backcombing and wax method. I have read so much about locks but it all seems very contradictory and confusing. I wash them with dreadhead shampoo every three to four days in an old pair of tights. I also sleep in a hat made of an old pair of tights, I'm forever rolling them in the evenings and today I did more backcombing only to find that they drop out or severely loosen in a very short amount of time. I love the look of them but am getting ever closer to shaving me head in a fit of temper, I was wondering if anyone can help or recommend a loctician in the London/Essex area. Cheers guys
lol, we got dreads by not combing our hair and wearing hats. Just leave your head along and it will get ratty. natural dreads are best.
Sounds like you've been reading the wrong advice. Look at our FAQ. In the meantime, my advice? Option 1) Brush them out (you've had them a month, it'll be a breeze to brush them out, will take a few hours max). Wash ALL the wax out. Read the FAQ to choose a new method to start over, you don't need them done at a salon. Option 2) Try to wash all the wax out. Leave them alone. Forget you have hair. Don't look in the mirror. They WILL sort themselves out!! Patience is the key to getting dreads. You won't see dread-ish things till 6-8 months at the earliest. Don't wash them in tights. Don't sleep in tights. Wash with shampoo once a week, you hair will get used to the new routine. Don't worry about rubbing them will wool. Chill about it.
Thank you very much for the advice. I have got most of the wax out apart from few small blobs, I still have bands in at the roots and a few on the tips. I have naturally pretty straight semi shiny hair. I'm glad you said forget about the tights cause it drives me bonkers but was paranoid about the hair elves coming in and undoing my dreads at night. Seems like they just come in the day but I can't see the little buggers
Get the bands out of there too, they restrict movement so they won't dread. Take everything out ! When I first wanted dreads I wanted them because they looked awesome, so I wanted them there and then. It wasn't until I got to 8 months when I started seeing progress when I started appreciating the patience I was learning. My reasons for having dreads changed- its now about waking up in the morning and not having to look in the mirror to check if my hair looks good. Cus dreads look awesome. Its a low maintenance style. No maintenance at all if you wish. That's what it's about for me. So Nelly, be patient and the dreads will sort themselves out ^^
Dreads take a long time, looking for quick dreads will always be disappointing, it takes lots of patience, and lots of time.
Just get yourself a bottle of Dr Bronner's and that's all you'll need, wash you're hair once a week. They will look crap for the first year so don't despair, perseverance is the key. Enjoy the journey and leave your hair alone !
yeah thought this was a basketball thread lol. um, you really really really need to read the thread "read this before posting", it contains an FAQ. sorry your hair is seriously fucked up, but it's not beyond saving.
I half thought you were a troll. You don't have to shave them off, just stop doing all that crap you were doing to them and try to get the wax out through continued washing. You may find you want to dilute the dhhq shampoo, it's highly concentrated and is a real pain to wash out. Also it'll last longer if you dilute it.
Thank you very much for all the advice. The bands are coming out and I have ordered a bottle of dr bronners, the home made tights hats are in the bin and nearly all the wax is out. So here goes with a little patience and see what happens over the coming months
See how you get on with the bronners. Some people like it, some don't. Residue wise the dhhq shampoo is probably more residue free. Most people don't use it though, because it's expensive and comes from a company that advises dodgy methods. Some people also take issue with it because it contains sls. And I suppose because at the end of the day it's not necessary to buy a "special dreadlock shampoo", there are other products that work just as well or better. Having said that, if you want to carry on using it, it won't harm your hair or progress as long as you rinse properly.
The bronners is lovely stuff and after a weekend on the water kitesurfing my dreads are feeling looser but are not coming apart too much. I will do some rolling this week n see how they look over the next few weeks
Thanks everyone, in just the last week after de waxing and removing the bands and using dr bronners twice I have a noticeable improvement already. Although my dreads are only six inches long they have tightened a bit n the only real loose parts are the roots. Thanks for the advice everyone
