How often should I wax?

Well, i got my dreads done yesterday (backcombing + bees/coconut wax). Now I woke up this morning, after sleeping with a towel on my head to keep them from rubbing against the pillows, and now am kind of worried. I looked into the mirror and saw alot of ... well I don't know how to call it, it's basically loose hair all over my scalp (it's not loose like normal hair, it just looks like a mini-afro or something covering my scalp and the same thing is over most of my dreads too.

Wax would probably pull the hair back to the dread, but I don't know if I should wax already, they were made like 24h ago and with wax. Though it seems not much wax was applied to the hair near the scalp so yesterdays moist weather (it had just rained and it was really..wet) screwed the scalphair (seriously, im making up words here o.o) up.

Conclusion: How often should I wax my dreads? I noticed there are tons of people here who don't approve waxing at all for some reason, but I don't see how do you expect backcombed hair to turn into dreads then, but anyway... How healthy is it to apply some wax every time you see the dreads "growing out a little"?

But anyway hello forum people, thanks in advance and bless ya'll.

 

do not ever use wax, you need to get every bit of that out

wax prevents dreading it causes dirt mold & is extremely dificult to remove

growing out alittle as u put it is part of the process, hair needs to move, tangle, come out, go in, wrap around eachother if everytime a hair comes out you wax it into place that hair will never move, never tangle with the 1 next to it it will only be glued into place

take out every bit of wax (not an easy job) allow your dreads to move (take off the towel, let them rub on the pillow, loosen up, tangle & retighten over time)
loose hairs at the roots & on the outsides is natural, they slowly tangle & become the dread or form new ones.
backcombing shouldnt be concidered part of the dreading process only a method to begin & tame the process if u chose that method it doesnt create dreads only time does backcombing only seperates the dreadlets (yes creating new words too) & begins the knotting process but shouldnt be mistaken as being the process.. time, hair movement & natural tangling is the true process
& wax hinders or prevents this entirely
as well it is extremely unhealthy to true dreads, causingf mold mildew & trapped dirt

search for threads on wax removal

 

Follow soaringeagle's advice, Wax is bad

 

Thanks alot for the quick answer, but It's getting really confusing now. I've read alot of threads and checked out a bunch of pictures of peoples dreads here and...I don't know, it sounds like you're talking about some average wax bought from the nearest grocery store which is meant for styling normal hair. I'm talking about an all-natural wax (usually made from beeswax, coconutsomething and hemp(oil)) which will help the loose hair get back to the dread and eventually stay there. The waxing is usually for only the first 6 months after your locks become "mature" and if you've taken care of them properly THEN now's the time you can neglect them since they should be ok by then.

I'm seriously just pointing out my views and opinions, not trying to be hostile or anything, but the neglect method doesn't seem to work that well on non-african hair.

The guy who made my dreads has 5yo locks that he used to wax every now and then and damn they look really healthy and full of 'lifeforce' (the length is like 10 inches below the waist).

The all-natural waxing came from rastafarians themselves, it's not used as much and not as often but there are tons of different types of waxes on sale at Jamaica which have been made there, right on the island, so how moderate use could be dangerous to your locks i dont understand. You just apply it to your hands and from there just play with your locks a little tad...not soak them in the wax.

I don't know about fully neglecting your hair into dreads, but backcombing and not waxing doesn't seem to go together that well.

This is the first place I've visited that doesn't support applying wax so sorry again if I sounded a little hostile, it wasn't meant to be like that, but looking at some of peoples locks here I can really hear the dreads screaming "help me!?", they don't seem to be that happy and it'll probably take a long time 'til they'll look good too, It's not just about the looks but dreads probably have the highest potential of looking good on absolutely everyone (the power and spirit of Lion of Judah just radiates from dreads) so why not use it.

 

Look, backcombing minus the wax works just as well, even all natural wax fucks things up....

Your hair locks better if it's clean. Just keep it clean and you should be alright. Take it from us.....WAX IS BAD!

 

Well ok, I hope people assume that from self experience atleast.

 

from experience... wax is bad... almost 6 months of hot showers and scrubbing and i still tend to find wax... get it out now, it will be easier than later... good luck

 

I used wax too. Took a bloody long time to get out. Yeah it makes them look smooth and nice.. but in the long run, all your gonna have are candles on your head.

Also theres nasty stuff associated with it, as soaringeagle said, It can make it difficult for your hair to completely dry which can lead to mould and other nasties. Not to mention smelling like a wet dog

I used to for about 2months before reading about it on here and immediataly spent weeks getting it all out. It's your choice and your hair at the end of the day.. But, it's something you will probably regret later. 99% of all the people on here who started off using wax regretted it and took it all out...

 

No wax.
I backcombed without wax..im a little over a month in..
check out my latest post and see my hair.its fine

 

Well, ok I wont wax anymore...for now, but wont the hair get really messy and loose like that? I know that's not bad either but I really like clean looking and nicely formed out locks.

Also, taking care of them, like working them over my scalp say an inch from the roots seems to make it worse without wax. Are you saying that I should completely leave them untouched and let them form on their own? That doesn't sound right so I'd appreciate advice on making them look better without wax.

Thanks for the comments so far

 

Well, you should have read through the forums/stickies a bit before posting this, and you'd have already known that nobody on these forums recommends wax.

It may seem like there are a lot of cons to not using wax, and there are (although I don't really consider them cons since I really don't care ). But if you want a head full of wax for the rest of your dread life, that's all on you.

Just speaking from what I've read, wax doesn't really speed the process up. It makes them look neat, yes. But think about it... dreadlocks are locks of what? Tangled hair. What would wax prevent the hair from doing? Tangling.

The only advice I can give you for making them look better is what I do.. Pull them back in a ponytail. That's all I really do when I want them to look a little neater.

 

Well, will there be "head full of wax for the rest of my dread life" if I stop waxing now will it come out since there's only one "layer" of it? (from the making) Or will I have to do something i wont like, like messing up my little locks and starting over? Fortunately my dreadies are really short so it probably isn't that bad (i got them made from around shoulderheight hair and pulled the loose tops in with a needle so i lost around 1/2 in width since i wanted them to be a little on the thicker side).

The method probably sounds weird here, but that's the road i chose since I've wanted dreads for a long time now and I finally kept my hair long enough.

I had no idea about the wax thing since people around here take using it really naturally and all I wanted to know was how to keep 'em "healthy" looking, but there's loads of fizzy hair(picked that word up from somewhere, don't even know if im using it right but it sounds right (english not my mothertongue etc..)).

I've been reading around alot but I can't really tell the difference between some phases yet. Basically theres like a small 'aura' of fizzy hair around my scalp and the locks and what I'm wondering is if it's natural and will everything be fine 'cause it's starting to look pretty freaky.

 

i had no idea wax was bad till i found this place... my dreads were a week old by then. you should be able to get the wax out... yes your dreads may fall out a bit but in no time they will begin to tighten and look amazing

as for the 'aura' and loose hairs, a bit of 100% aloe gel (straight from a plant is best) is good for holding some frizzy hair down plus it washes out so no trapping stuff in your hair which is always good... i've used aloe a few times... make my dreads feel nice!

and yes frizzy hair is natural with dreads... i've got some up by my roots... and my hair is naturally very strait so it is still a bit weird but it works

hope this advice helps a little.

 

when i started these 17 years ago, i never heard of wax backcombinmg or palmrolling, theyre 98% neglect 2% just playing with them
when my beard dreads 1st started some1 suggested wax, i put 1 tiny tiny pinch in...& spendt forever trying to get it out

every other site suggests wax because they sell wax
salons suggest "dread maintanance" because they sell dread maintanance

dreads happen if u let them
they require nothing but patience
being kept clean
& seperation

 

Well, point taken. No waxing then. Still makes me wonder why rastafarians have always used coconut oil (basically wax) on their dreads then, but oh well. And soaringeagle, wow, amazing dreads you got there .

 

coconut oil isnt wax its oil it rinces out clean
its used as a conditioner & softens mature dreads
it melts in at a low temp..body temp basicaly
& warm water will rince it right out
wax hardens & thickens, doesnt soften your hair requires a high temp to soften & clings & resists rincing out

 

Well that's pretty much what I have, it's not pure coconut oil i think tho, its a mixture with beeswax I guess which makes it bad. I guess being impatient will cost me in the future.

 

Dreadlocks test your patience. Which is a good thing.

If you desire neat, beautifully perfect locks... it can happen, but understand it'll take months of patience.

Look after your dreadies, and you'll get there in the end.

And from experience, ditch the wax.

 

Yeh that's one thing I'm trying to find out, how can I take care of my dreads. Every day I wake up the frizzy hair thing is getting worse, some other forums suggested a needle + piece of string with a knot to pull the loose hair back in the dread, I don't really get how to do that...yet, but i'll give it a shot later.

 

^they get worse before they get better... it's normal. From what I've seen, natural dreads take about 3 years to look good... backcombed dreads about a year to a year and a half.

Dreads will definitely test your patience. Most folks get annoyed and cut or bored and cut... they take time, time, patience, and time.