....a few of these questions might have been answered so I apologise but I'm having a brain attack. I dreaded my hair up a couple of years ago but it was too emotional for me and I unlocked them. But I'm at a place where I think I can handle the emotional side of things. So....I have very fine hair (about boob length! Little longer maybe), am I going to lose alot of length do you think? Also will I have problems as my hair is fine? And, the great wax debate, is it ok to help give my dreads a jump start with dread wax? (eg: using a little of it to start with). And if you think wax is a no no, any other tips for getting my dread process going. Many thanks and good vibes
i'm new here, so take my advice with a grain of salt... you probably won't lose much length at first, or if you do, as the backcombing starts to come undone your hair will be longer again, but as the dreads mature, they will start shrinking up. don't use more wax than you can completely wash out of your hair (some people, most people, say not to use any wax at all) . Never leave it in your hair more than a day or two, it collects lint and grossness, and I hear it will start to stink. If you want to keep your dreads round and separate and evenly spaced, use beads instead of rubber bands. Beads also help to contain loose hairs until they start knotting up into the established dreads. If you don't want perfect dreads, don't worry, your hair will knot up no matter what you do to it... eventually (might take years, though, with fine, straight hair). and, if I might make one small suggestion... alter your shampoo routine *before* starting the dreads. Commercial shampoo will prevent your hair from locking up. There are lots of other reasons to switch to some other cleansing method. But no matter what you do, it will take at least three weeks for your scalp to adjust to the change. I'd also highly suggest you take the time to read through all the threads here, in particular the stickied ones.
thank you for the advice, your little mamas dreadies look beautiful! (going by the sig pic ). I've been using a natural soap bar for about a year now anyway, so hopefully that should mean there isn't too much build up on my hair. I do condition it with a handmade conditioner though, should I stop that so my hair dries out?
Ok my advice, from someone whos used wax in one set of lox and no in the second, stay well away from it. far far far away!! As for having fine hair, mines incredibly fine, start off with thinish dreds though because they WILL phatten up in time. LET THEM COMBINE! LET THEM UNRAVEL!! because this is how they actually knott up. And yes you may loose about a 3rd of your length. Maybe not at first but over time they will shrink before they grow.
Your best bet: no wax, no rubber bands. I did mine naturally. No wax, no gel, no backcombing, nothing. I did soak my hair in a salt water mixture twice a month to dry my hair out, so the dreading process was a little faster and started experimenting with shampoos to see what I liked the best. I now use Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree oil bar soap..it smells nice and keeps my scalp from being itchy. I lost a lot of length, but they do start to grow eventually.
also about the shrinking thing, after a while, you will notice your hair growing faster because your not combing it. I mean idk if this will happen with your hair, but i noticed it with mine. and when they shrink, i got a lot of loops in em. at least 1 or 2 per dread haha. so dont worry about them. some are starting to go away, but it gives em character so dont worry about ur dreads lookin bad with them in. peace~ good luck !!!!
