afternoooon im a bit wary, as i posted this same blog on a different website, and they were a tad rude i guess this subjects a lil' touchy? but ive had a look through here, and you all seem helpful and friendly im getting dreads asap, but first i need some advice. my boyfriend did his completely naturally, no products at all and they look amazing! it took about 8 months for them to get that way. however he has/had extremely curly hair, whereas mines dead straight. SO i thought id definately have to use some form of product to give 'em a little push. ive been researching all sorts of products, dreadhead and knottyboy being the main two. however, i heard some bad stuff about using their products, well any products really. i really would love to be able to do it naturally but i dont think my hairs upto it. so i was just wondering if anyone here had any advice or experiences, whether you used dreadhead or knottyboy, any other products or just gone natural. thanks
you will never end up with dreads if you use knottyboy or dreadhead products. Their shit. The only thing that can dread your hair is time, movement, and friction. All these products do is add junk to your hair you can't get out. I had straight native american type hair(straight, thick, and silky) which dreaded great.. Follow your boyfriend, in a year I bet you couldn't be happier. But whatever you do, do NOT use products other than soap, which I recommend Dr. Bronners the liquid soap or something similar. I get it at the health food store.
oh good, i never really wanted to use the chemical commercial crap. i'll make sure to try out the Dr. Bronners. thanks so much for the advice!
shadygrov is right. Dr Bronner's is the best!! STAY AWAY from DreadheadHQ and KB at all costs, they nearly ruined my dreads but thankfully I realised the damage they were doing before it was too late. If your hair isn't naturally curly I guess you could backcomb. People here seem to have a lot of negative things to say about backcombing (since it isn't natural "per se"), but I think backcombed dreads look just as great as non-backcombed ones. Wool tams or beanies are terrific in the first few months for helping your hair to lock up. Other than that, it's just time and patience really. LOTS AND LOTS of patience!
yea u definately dont need crap.. do just as he did..if you doint have signicficxant prigress in 8 months then backcomb only dont expect the exact same progress but you should have a good bit still glad ya found us b4 making any moistakes
what did/does the chemical crap do to your hair then? like, how did it almost ruin your dreads Toejam? (if you dont mind me asking that is) + im glad to have got this advice before i went through with it! i really appreciate it
i used KBoy dread kits twice and they fucked my dreads up twice. i used so much wax/the tightenin gell stuff, and the hair just cant move - ive combed out 2 lots of dreads because of it. i found that it made my hair quite gloopy, and after 8 and 6 months respectively, i was nowhere near gettin the dreads i wanted.. defo steer clear of it. my hairs pretty straight, white people hair, but i used wax and i defo wouldnt recommend it. next time im ready for dreads, im ganna backcomb and just leave it, no products at all.
OK, I'll admit that the DHHQ shampoo is probably not that bad overall (Bronner's is way better) , their locking accelerator is probably ok too (its just sea salt and some other natural ingredients) My main problem with these companies is the way they promote the use of wax and elastic bands. My dreads were nearly ruined because the wax got stuck in there and refused to rinse out. Also, they recommend using elastics - BAD IDEA. Elastic bands get stuck on the inside of the dread and cause them to become brittle over time and mouldy as well. A couple of months ago I had to remove all the bands, and they were gross. They had completely disintegrated and became a black, messy smear. Never want to go through that again, urgh.
i have the same type of hair as you, and i've gone natural besides backcombing some on the sides and top, and i'm happy with my progress and results
i backcombed mine, and am really happy with the results. fortunately i found out soon after i started mine w/ dhhq that wax is bad. i put it in the first 6 dreads and washed it right out because it was so gross. combed the dreads out, and started those 6 over. but yeah... backcombing is fine if you want to look like you have dreads before they really lock up, instead of just having wildly crazy hair, lol!
the wax wax is gross its sticky it traps every bit of dirt u come in contact with so u can never really get your frewads cliewan,,it hardens this glues hair together but refuses to let it move..knots need movement to form so u never really get dreads it trapas water trapped water..combines with trapped dirt and makes a breedingground for mold it never comes out either acceperator well if its sea salt then its ok to use just exxxxxxxxxxxtremely expensive for 2 cents worth of salt lock peppa is only flakes..sticky icky flakes that makt the knots stick to em but 1st rince the knots are gine till then thoiugh yoiur headscovered in gross flakes elastics already cobvered dread kits 70 dollars and the only useful but still totaly unnesacarily thing in it is a 3 diollar comb oh yea but then theyre nice enough to also unclude directuins and etra crap thats bad for dreads to totaly screw u up so u cyur em and start over and try theyre crap again they completely spam the net with thousandfs of sites saying that theyre way is the only way too so more and more dreadheads ruin theyre dreads and but into theyre scams
To the OP: Yeah backcombing is fine. If that's what will work. I don't think it makes the end result come faster. It's just a different stage of goofiness with your hair. It will resemble dreads but won't look a thing like you want them to for a long time. This why I say natural over time is the way to go. It's because it natural, just because backcombing is kinda an exhaustive procedure that can be avoided. But if you do back its not bad other than damaging your hair. It will just instant make your hair wild and crazy and looks like a rats nest for a while.
Firstly I'd just like to say that i couldn't understand that anyone could be provoked to be rude from your questions! / got me befuddled. I work for the National health service on the reception. I'd already been in post when i decided to live a dreaded life but knew that i couldn't just start going into work with unbrushed hair! Plus i had an awful lot of it. The backcombing method was used on my hair. My hair was past my bottom before hand, after it was just below my chin! So i ended up with massive luther looking things. They're over a year old now and the dreads that have grown naturally are beautiful (and a lot thinner), i can't wait to cut the backcombed dreads off. I lost a lot of length off mine through backcombing but at least i didn't get the 'It's not the imagine we like to portray' speech from my boss hehe.
with hair past your butt it woulda dreaded so fast if u went natural you sho9ulda went ona 2 week vacation and come back all dreazdy ofcourse in 2 weeks it wouldnrt be mature dreads buit with that length i betya youd have baby dreads forming all over
my hair is stick straight, and while it definitely took longer than someone with curly hair, it dreaded naturally just fine
Believe me a couple of days at a festival and i was sure i was on my way to dreads hehe. I did stop and think what my dreads might have looked like without the backcombing and wish i would have done them naturally sometimes but it's having the confidence. They've grown a load now so i'm not as upset about losing the length because i know i'll get it back but i prefer the feel and the individuality of the natural dreads. I think it's always dependent on which look you're going for, i have a friend who crotchets her dreads on a regular basis and i think her's look just as beautiful as natural but just in a different way.
Me too! But they said things like: "That's fucked up. Tell me this is a fucking joke" "You look like shit with dreads, like a fucking punk" and "When you cut them off and look inside, you will be disgusted for life" ^^ Obviously someones a bit bitter that they couldn't look after their own dreads properly... haha Thanks for all the advice guys!
@Samee I would try to grow them naturaly first if they don't take then try backcombing or using rip and twist but i would suggest natural before you start anything else
Dread head hq poo does NOT kill odor causing bacteria... It almost does nothing at all but have some aloe in it... You are looking for residue free shampoo I wouldn't recommend dreadhead hq
