some questions about natural dreading

ok so, i was an idiot and cut my dreadies off almost a year ago. they would have been a year next month *sniffs*. BUT they were backcombed, and now i have the chance to do them right. so i have started the process of natural dreading now that my hair is long enough. how often do i wash? should i do rip and twist any? what kind of soap ( dr bronners is what i used before) if you have natural dreads and started from my length ( check out my gallery) how long did it take for yours to start locking. thanks you guys!

 

i started at like 4 inches i think, i use reg shampoo. and wash everyday...go check out MikeJH3 Timeline...

 

Depends on how oily your hair gets. At first, I had to wash mine every three or four days...Now...it's about every two weeks...sometimes more, depending on the activities I'm involved in (i.e. If I sweat a lot, I will tend to wash my hair more often). It differs for everyone...If I notice my scalp getting oily, I will wash.

If you want to. Personally, I don't do it very often...just because dreads, to me, aren't a fashion statement...they are more of a spiritual, humbling experience. I let them do what they want, how they want. Although I have been paying more attention to this huge dreadlock on the back of my head that likes to eat other dreads...he's getting awfully big and I don't really want a huge beaver tail, so I've been trying to tame that one.

You can use any kind of soap you want. It's most BENFICIAL if you use shampoos that do not leave any residue. If you cannot read the ingredients on the back (and don't know what they are) DON'T use it! That's the rule of thumb I normally follow. I use Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree oil shampoo...I started out with the bar soap, but my boyfriend uses this so after my bar was gone, I switched to the liquid and I like it much better.

I started mine when my hair was to my shoulders...it shrank...and two years later I'm at my original length as when I started. My boyfriend started his when his was super short...and it took about eight or so months before they started locking. He's had his now for almost 6 years...and they look much better than mine. Since he started his while they were short, they don't have those funky loops and things going on...they are nice and straight and uniform. Mine are loopy and crazy, but I love them just the same. My dreads are still forming...after 2 years...But I enjoy the process.

 

Hell yeah, mama! Me too!

 

yeah i thought it would take around 6 to 7 months before they actually started doing something that even remotly resembled dreads. im willing to wait and be patiant. my hair tangles very easily and im always having to rake my fingers through it several times a day to get the tangles out. it seems to be doing pretty well so far. i want to run mjy fingers through my hair so bad OH MAN. oh the price we pay.