Hi guys, newbie and non dready here, some questions :D

Hey everyone! Nice to see there's such a lively little community here for dreadlocks.


I've been thinking of dreading my hair for about 5 years now (yes very long time) but I think I've finally come to the stage where I feel I'm mature enough to carry the commitment and responsibility forward.

I've done a lot of reading into their creation and a few questions have entered my head....

One. What's with the wax? I thought using wax in dreadlocks was pretty standard until I heard people moaning about it and saying it was just a moneymaking scheme. I've seen instances of people using it, and some people who just get their dreads naturally through backcombing and not using conditioner.

Two. What are the advantages/disadvantages of getting salon-created dreads (apart from the serious price issue). The impression I get is that they aim to dread the whole head in a session. So is this treated as a starting point (similar to having your friends backcombing your hair for a few hours) or do they aim to get a very developed and slick looking dreads straight away?

And finally (sorry if this seems like a flood of questions)...I love the look of thin dreadlocks and would want mine to be quite thin (inch and a quarter diameter) and as neat as possible. Is there are a particular method that works best? I hear Crochet hooks work well for this and are quite a fast creation method. I also hear that naturally creating thin dreads is quite a tricky process with a lot of maintenance...


Well if anyone wants to answer my questions I would be most grateful If anyone from the UK knows anywhere in the South (Oxford/London area) that is good to get dreads done that would be a help too!

 

well, it is true that wax is unnecessary and can cause issues (slow locking, mold, grossness). many people agree that it is fine in small amounts to tame frizzies.

salon dreads really are just silly. its perfectly possible to make a head of locks at home in one sitting, and salons dont necessarily know what theyre doing. they tend to cake your hair in product, which is counterproductive to locking.

for thin locks, twist and rip works really well (i like to combine that with backcombing) and is pretty fast too.
the crocheting method works really well for having really tight, neat looking locks right from the start. if you dont want individuality and fun random locks (which are really awesome btw) then crocheting is probably your best bet. but, you will probably have to find someone who uses this method to make your locks and i dont know how easy that will be. im not sure if you could do it yourself.

good luck

 

wax IS a money makin scheme
dont use wax
thats the exact reason im cuttin mine
then im doin the neglect route
Well wax is water repelent
therefore is will not come out that easy
another thing is dont just not use conditioner
you need to use some kind of *residue free* shampoo
also no conditioner
well i dont know alot about salon dreads but what the heck ill put in my two cents
i think the advantage of getting salon dreads is that you will get dread LOOKING hair in the beginning and then with time it will dread
same thing with backcombing except with the salon route you will have chemicals probably in your hair
chemicals are bad
sorry im not exactly in the uk so cant answer that one
but go around to salons and ask or look online:hat:
so if your looking for neat then just use aloe vera gel to smooth out those thin nattys
if possible from the actual plant
works wonders

 

First, hello and welcome

If you've been lurking on this forum and elsewhere then you probably already know wax is a pretty contentious issue. If you don't then you will very soon! All I can say is I used wax and it ended up causing me problems (years later). As to whether I overused it is a debateable matter and probably difficult to prove either way now. All I can say is if I was to dread again I would not use wax, definitely not.

As far as salons go they are really not necessary. If you want to twist+rip backcomb, crotchet whatever you can do it yourself, or much easier with a friend, the results will probably work much better that way and be more rewarding.

If you want thin dreads then it doesn't necessarilly mean you need to backcomb or crotchet, twist+rip. If you go natural you would just have to be very thorough with pulling apart to keep them thin.

All in all the best advice which I've often given, is to read around from many people's experiences, and then decide what fits best for you. That will be the most important decision you will make. Whatever you do good luck and enjoy....

 

merrivales post should be copy-pasted into every noob thread!

 

hello there!
well wax is ok if used sparingly... a little goes a long way..
and to wat pppl say wax is water resistant and wont come out yes thats true but dread wax is made of microcristaline wax will wash out in a wash or 2.. only wax when u need it!!not right after a wash or b4 ur hair must be completely dry..
i havent used wax but i did some crocheting to keep em neat for my uncles wedding..
i croched a friends locks to get them started n they came out amazing!!!
id totally have mine croched if i ever started over!!

 

Some people find wax can be very useful, i tried it at the start and made mine look crap so i took it out and they are doing well. 5 weeks along and there getting really tight at the back already, A friend of mine did use wax for about three months then took it all out and his locks are awesome. Its up to you what you do, i also do a small bit of crocheting just to get the many loose hairs at the front to go into the dreads but nothing to crazy. good luck with whatever you choose

 

wax -- not necessary. its good/useful for taming loose hairs and making dreads look more mature, together and generally neater.. but in the long run it can cause problems. like merrivale, if i were to ever start dreads again, i wouldnt use wax (and i havent used it this time round). i personally wouldnt recommend it, nor the use of any dread 'products'

salon locks -- errrrm. i havent had them done, but i know/knew a lady who lived in the north midlands area, she does crochet locks and they look amazing from the get go. this kinda answers your other Q too, google around and ask people. i know there are people who do dreads in Camden, but ive also heard that they were a ripoff etcetc. im sure youll find someone who can do them for a price.

sizing -- backcombing or twist & rip allows you to get the size and amount you want. im presuming that the natural route will just do what it wants, size-wise. crocheting will also work, but i have no experience so i cant really offer advice.. oh,, alot of my thinner sections have fallen out [backcombed]

 

dreads need no products or nothing to start them the size is easily controlled through ripping (1 inch is thick, not thin, thin is 1/4 or so, i would never advise going over 1 inch thick)

wax ..well its bad.. it has a usefulless if u believe the lies, but in the long run its nothing but bad

salons
\]90% of salons do whats known as the salon dread scam
knotty boy anfdd dreadheadhq are well known scammers and even they warn against salon dreead scams
they charge 700 up to gunk up the haior in wax and crap then schedule weekly retightening sessions at 200 each always messing u up more taking u firther away from dreads dragginjhg it out they also tell u not to wash for 6 moinths (ick) the goal isnt to get u dreads but keep u dependent on them make u sickened by dreads so u will go back to them to maintain yoiur straight hair
and to charge ya well over 1,000 just in case u refuse the added screwupsd and somehow eventualy result in dreads.
almost always salon dreads end up being undone in weeks to months
and never really become actual dreads
\

methods read the methods thread in the help desk sticky

i would never go any way but natural mmyself, but twist n rip is certainly a option wortyh lo9oking into..
i would nhot recommend backcombingt or crochetting though..

in gebnerral tye less u put into them the mopre satisfied u are with the results.. the more effort (or money) u putr into em the more frustrated u become with every tiny detail

 

I've seen "salon dreads" and the results depend entirely on where you go and what methods are used. If they try giving you a "dread perm" I would suggest you stay away from that as I've never heard of good results. Prices also depend on method and salon. I wouldn't bother with a salon, just find a willing friend to help. Backcombing works well, crocheted locks (as a method of starting locks) give near instantaneous results but its tough to find someone who knows what they are doing. For thin locks, twist and rip works really well. If you want neat, thin locks I would be weary of neglect as it is near impossible to have any control on the size and shape of your locks.

I'll go ahead and lie to you now because it's what I do . I used wax and had absolutely no problems with it. If you do take the wax route use it very sparingly and make sure you don't do something silly like melt pure beeswax into your hair. I used dreadheadhq brand and it worked great for me. Controlled the frizzies and helped to hold them together. And in case your wondering, I was only lying when I said "I'll go ahead and lie to you now"

 

misinformation is the same as a lie wax holding things togethger is the very last thing youd want in order to dread hair needs to move not be held together so wax prevents dreading ..or at least greatly slows it but your hair gklued together looks like as dread from a distance again lies about the natural process..its veryu very very easy to contreol the size of the dread when u go natural i bartely tried to control mine and most came out very thin, only 3 came out near an inch, all the rest were well below an inch your always pushing the most harnmful methods and yikes wax and discouraginbg the most gentle easy ones that do the least harm im noyt badmouthing anyone who cjhose to backcomb i just said i wouldnt recomend it twist n rip i wouldnt do myself but would recomend it over backcombiung and certainly over crochetting any day but to lie and say you have no control over going neglect? thats just childish and to say that if you want thin dreads you shouldnt go neglectr when i went neglect and most of mine are incredibly thin is just dumb neglect u have just as much or as lil control over it ase u choose.. the advantages are u dont have to excersize as much contyrolif u dont want to obsess ovrr every detail if u dont use much control u get a variety of sizes that blend for a more normal natural look instead of thye rediculouse look of every dread thye exact same size.. and finaly.. the average neglect dread is somewhat thin while backcombers tend to be obseewssed with size anbd wanting them thicker

 

Thank you for calling my experiences misinformation and lies.
:cheers2:

As for neglect dreads if you are truly neglecting its going to be tough to have control over the size of your locks. When you start ripping your hair apart you are no longer being gentle and completely natural. Ripping hair means what it sounds like. Ripping hair=damage. I'm surprised you would recommend ripping SE when you are so paranoid about the "D" word.

 

i dont like the word rippinfg either i preffer seperating and if u seprerate often enough no ripping is needed, omjly when u forgetto seperate do u have to break a few connecting hairs, and that is just a fcouple hairs on thre outside of the dread xconnecting the 2 together
its not dammaging the internal structure, its not ripping hairs out at the roots and its not weakening the dread
its just preventing 2 dreads from becomming 1 thats all

 

I think if I wanted lots of quite narrow dreads, I'd find it a real pain going the neglect route.

 

yeah. thinner locks are prolly more suited to backcombing, twist & rip or crocheting.

google 'dreads n hoops'.. shes the girl/lady i was on about, she might be able to travel to you =]

 

Wow I'm blown away by how quickly you guys replied, and how informative you are. Many many thanks.

I can see there are still conflicting views in some topics but I think you've helped convince me not to go to a salon. I think I'll do some looking around in the London area for help, but will ask my friends if they're willing too.

I'll keep everyone updated on how this goes. Everyones supporting me with this, even my university tutor! (and they're supposed to be telling us how messy and unproffessional I'm supposedly going to look )

Here's what I look like (mid-gig har har), my hair is straight -ish but gets matted quite easily and tends to be quite rebellious. Sorry for the cheesy pic, but it shows it well.
I didn't know that an inch was considered quite thick, hmm well I guess I could go thinner than that. I'm still set on thin, but for fun, what do you guys think? Thick or thin?

 

u should do fat dreads.



those are my favorite locks.
thin locks are to common i think.

 

^^Hey who's are those dreads?

 

some person off of KnottyLocks.
i saw their timeline and saved the picture.
he cut appearntly.

Timeline
http://com3.runboard.com/bknottydreadlockforum.f4.t14898

Cut
http://com3.runboard.com/bknottydreadlockforum.f4.t19203

 

yeah those are freakin sick, seth :O

well, spacebase... i love the fat locks as well, buut... if you make them skinny, you can always make them fat later. it doesnt work so well the other way as you can imagine.
but ive seen several people combine their thin locks to make thick ones by congoing: either letting the dreads join together naturally or sewing/wrapping/beading them together.
so if youre leaning toward thin locks but interested in fat ones, maybe you should consider just going with thin ones, and if you change your mind later you can do something about it