White guy looking to start dreads

<Meh, double post>

 

Usually with shampoo although Scattered Leaves just washes her hair with water. 25 min showers a day shouldn't be a problem providing you allow your hair to dry completely or you'll get mould.

 

i personally think the natural route looks horrible, until your hair gets itself together and actually looks like dreads

i backcombed, because ive done it before and its worked, BUT alot of the looser sections have pretty much fallen out completely, and these have been twisted & ripped to try and knot them up more

i think twisted & ripped dreads look better from the start than backcombed.. im really thinking of chaos' and luxies locks here..


umm washing. i use knotty boy shampoo bar mainly, but im thinking about either changing, or just using water. what i do is wet my hair/scalp, and rub the bar along my scalp inbetween the dreads and it lathers up, and then i massage my head a bit, and rinse and rinse and rinse some more. i dont wash each individual dread, cause the soapy water will run through them anyway. i waited 5 days before my first wash, and i didnt wash them too good cause they were new and delicate and i didnt want them to all fall out (they got really loose and fluffy)

from my experience, rubber bands at the roots & tips are useless and unnecessary, but i know a coupla people have used them with no major issues.

re the wispy ends.. also depends. when my mate did mine, she backcombed some REALLY tight, and the sections were about 1/3rd the original length (not what i wanted tbh), but the tips, she rubbed them into the palm of her hand and it got tangled a bit... but that also fell out so its a waste of time really. the dreads that she didnt do tight at all are the ones that are giving me most grief now,, but theyre only 10 weeks old so i cant expect much.

this is the thread i made, and filled it with pics showing my progress..
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=351050&f=209

ummmm. dont use wax =] and dont expect them to be 'perfect' from the get go. they wont be

 

This.

The "best" method is the one that's right for you... :cheers2:

 

first you say the natural route looks horrible...


then you post this link:

LOL
:cheers2:

 

Natural I said in my opinion. Natural looks best I think. I backcombed and I think my hair will look more neat, but I really don't care if it looks neat. We weren't shoving natural method in his face or anything just saying what we thought. And I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he wanted. I went with backcombing because I don't have that well of patience for natural. He probably doesn't either so he should use backcombing. But if he does have good patience I think he should go natural.

 

k thanks

iggy:

 

sometimes i dont understand you, and thats when i ignore you =]

 

.

 

initially backcombed hair will stick out at all sorts of angles for at least a week.. itll settle once its been washed & slept on etc. could always wear a hat or bandana or summat

 

I have never seen twist and rip ever look bad at any stage to be honest

 

.

 

Obviously. Considering I am white and have dreads

It's way better than backcombed in my opinion. Mind you, I don't like back combed at all. Seems to me like t&r always turn out way tighter in the end and even immediately after being made they're quite tight

You could do it yourself but it would be advisable to have someone else do it. Even offer to pay them like 20 bucks or something.

 

I suggest you spend a little more time on here reading posts, and also more about growing dreadlocks...:cheers2:

...or were you just joking

 

my dreads are twist&rip. my hair never went though a shit phase, I love how twist and ripped worked. Also, it doesn't hurt at all (if it's done well and not too tight) I've heard backcombing hurts like a bitch. Also I never got the palm tree look backcombing can give. they can just stick up cuz they are so compact

 

you're going to summer camp all summer? I'd recommend twist&rip right before camp starts then forget about them all summer. Or just leave your comb at home and go natural.

 

You have to figure out what you want to do with YOUR hair. Lots of YOUs in there. And for good reason.
Your dreading process is not going to be the same as someone elses.
Natural, or neglect, or *patience* is not combing at all, letting your hair dread gradually into it's own sections. If aren't very patient this is not best for you. If you aren't very patient dreadlocks are probably not the best choice lol
If you want a specific look with controlled sections, back combing is easy, cheap, and speeds up this process. Maintenance is required and often grueling at the beginning, however you may choose to backcomb and then neglect, letting your hair dread as it will once you've started it. The spectrum is endless.
I am not entirely sure what 'twist n rip' is, but many people on here with fantastic dreads have gone that route so it would be wise to check out peoples' galleries and dread timelines to understand exactly what everyone has done and how they've turned out.
Just keep in mind that no one way is correct, but you will find a preferred method. You should research the fuck out of every aspect of dreading before taking the plunge.
There may be other methods online. Read, read, read, then go about your hairy business.

 

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dreads suit everyone man
No body dreads look the same (unless they are candlesticks) so yours will be unique to you

 

all dreads look ridiculous at some point, if you're that worried about how they are going to look maybe they aren't for you