I'm a bit frustrated with them. They're heavy and they smell when they get wet. I'm thinking about cutting them. I'm going to try the baking soda and tea tree oil thing I read about while lurking in the forum but I don't know what else to do. It's at the point that I avoid washing them cause I don't want them to smell but then I get dandruff. They also take a very long time to dry even if I'm out in the sun. I can't blow dry them cause the blow dryer gets to hot and turns off and they also start to smell like they are burning if I blow them to long. I had a blow dryer with a cool air button but it broke and it didn't really work well either. I'm also frustrated with the weight of them, I can't really do anything with them, wearing them up is heavy and my head hurts after a few hours. I guess I just need some advice and ideas on what I can do to make these old dreads new again. I've created a photo album in my profile with a few pics for reference. I have since cut most of the blond from the tips of the dreads but they are still very long
well the weight and long drying time are just part of having long dreadlocks. I know some people who have cut because of the weight alone. And I hear from most people with super long dreads that it usually takes 24 hours+ to dry, and they will only wash them maybe every couple months. As for the smell, there is something you can do about that. It sounds like you could use a good deep cleaning. Lots of people recommend ACV (apple cider vinegar) for deep cleaning. I have tried it and it works very well. Considering how long your dreads are, you might have to get a big bucket or something and soak them in it for a little while. Get them totally soaked, let em sit for a little while, then rinse out really well. The ACV leaves a bit of a smell immediately afterword, but it dissapears after they are dry. good luck and hopefully you won't have to cut em off!
Yup i would definitely suggest a good deep cleaning concoction with the recipe from the forum. Did you used to use a lot of wax? That could for sure have built up over the years inside of your locks adding a ton to the weight and most likely created mold. Mold is most l likely the reason your dreads smell. I would do the deep cleaning concoction, people say it gets so much gunk out of their dreads its unbeleivable, and their head feels much lighter. And if you would like to, the ACV rinse aswell to kill any mold or bacteria that the deep clean doesnt remove. And if you used a lot of wax in the past, i dont know how much it will help after eight years, but soak your dreads in water as hot as you can bear to try to melt the wax. You will probably have to do it a few times. Be sure you do that prior to the deep cleaning and the avc. Then wash with some peppermint bronners No smell, mildew, mold, or any dread nuisance can withstand all that cleaning. If you do all this, you may save your dreadies.
I've heard that with time, your neck muscles will strengthen to support the weight, but I'm not sure what you could really do if that isn't working.
Try this deep cleaning recipie. It works great. http://dreadlocktruth.com/community/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=196 If they're too long why don't you cut some of the length off and felt the ends? Do what ever makes you happy. xx
8 years is some serious dedication.. Just do a few deep clense cycles and then hit you're scalp with some nice organic oatmeal and tea-tree soap..
Dont cut! maybe trim? your dreads look awesome! DO the deep clean thingy and then go from there i reckon, I would love dreads as long as yours
some people said that simply parfume helps againsted the smell too! but don't you use any shampoo? cuz my dreads always smell like my shampoo when i wash them.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm going to wake up Saturday morning and do a mega cleanse all day and see what happens. I'll let you all know how it goes!
My dreads are going on 6 years now and I have no problem with them smelling if I use some nice organic veg shampoo. Drying is starting to get annoying seeing it takes 24 hours. I think about cutting but got another, hmm, 10 years for this set.
Umm for the weight you could just do some neck excercises. I don't know of any ways to do it with free weights, but I know my gym has a neck-type machine that I use every so often. Just a suggestion
Alright so I didn't get to it till today. Here are the results. First of all I didn't have any tea tree oil so all I used was the baking soda and lemon juice (don't really need sea salt as my dreads are tight as it is) I filled the sink and stirred it up then I dunked my head in. My fiancé helped me with the back by pouring the water on the bits that couldn't be dunked in the sink. The water was noticeably dirtier after I did the soak for a few minutes. I then wrapped them up in a towel and watched an hour long TV show. Upon rinsing I couldn't really notice if the water was dirty or not as I live in a building that was built in the 70's and my bath tub is an ugly mint green. It's been about 6 hours and it's still in the process of drying. I can't really notice a weight change as they're still a bit heavy from water however the smell is not as bad! There is still a faint smell but nothing like before and this makes me happy! Also my scalp feels really clean, I think I got a lot of the build up off. All in all I'm greatfull for this forum as I wouldn't have found out how to do this without this place. I'll do it again next weekend and hopefully that will abolish the smell for good! Now I need advice on hats, I love wearing hats but can't find hats that fit right. I don't like tam's on myself so those are out. What kind of hats do you guys wear and were do you get them? Any good large hat web sites out there?
I should explain that it's not really my neck that hurts from the weight it's that I get a headache when I wear them up. I see so many photo's of people with dreads and they are tied back or piled on there head. If I do something like that about 3 or 4 hours into the style I have to take it down cause I start to get a headache. It's not an huge deal but I would love to be able to wear them up without the headache ya know?
my dreads are brand new and definitely a lot shorter than yours and i have the same exact problem! i dunno maybe some people just aren't meant for those kind of hair styles...?
well I think your neck muscles get used to it, but when it gets really heavy, there's not much you can do. Jillo, you could always just trim the length a little...
