so i am seriously considering dreading. i have tried everything with my hair, straight, short, colored, curly, wavy.. just everything and now at this junction in my life with burning man 5 months away and the spiritual, mental and physical journey that that will be i want to start the journey with my hair as well. i have done a lot of research, i've read posts here and talked to stylists here in seattle about their designs and love of the art form. i even found a website that has a letter designed for your management team at your place of work to help the transition in the business world. http://www.dreadheadhq.com/lore/idx...to_Employers_Dreadlocks_in_the_workplace.html i'm not planning on using wax, and i think i am going to have a dread party seeing as how i have friends who have experience.. i'm still in the air about that though, cause i do have a friend who has a salon and she does great work. but i think i might just go to her to have finishing touches done in preparation for burning man itself. the thing is that my hair is very short. and its baby fine. the front of my head is like 4 inches long til about half way down where i had it shaved, which is now about an inch long. but i don't want to put it off til the last minute with burning man coming up in just a few months. so i'm wondering: Has anyone had experience with really short dreading?? How did it turn out?? And are there any tips about caring for your dreads in the desert? this is my hair now.. sorry not sure how to post pics on the forum yet. http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...dID=81480729&albumID=2795480&imageID=45332854 i'm also really interested in hearing about how dreads impacted your life. i've heard that its really a journey, much like owning a pet. hope to hear from you all soon peace, love and blessed be, mosschild
With regards to really short dreading... I only have 2 dreadlocks' worth of experience on this one but I'll tell you anyway lol. I tried dreading some of the random tufty bits of hair between my dreads. There were two very small short clumps of fine baby hair. I backcombed one and twisted&ripped the other. The backcombed one disappeared after one wash, and the one I used the twist and rip method on has stayed. It's very thin and pathetic obviously, but there are knots and it never fell out. This was several weeks ago.
i've been contemplating just doing the top of my head first, you know and hold out on the bottom til its like a couple inches longer, but i'm wondering how ridiculous i would look lol. your dreads are beautiful!!
i think that would look cool, with half dreads and randomness twist and rip is a great way to go, but in my experience, works best with thin sections. your hair doesnt look too short to start and fine or thin hair seems to dread quite quickly. short dreads usually look a little silly, especially at first (though i think theyre cute) and you could experience lots of knots falling out when you wash, but it can certainly be done.
You should dread up, we here in the Pacific Northwest are very fortunate to be able to live normally and care free with dreads.... Plus, you will acually love them quite a bit once you get used to them. They are one of the best things ive ever done for myself. Its sort of hard to put that into words at the moment....lol
What you could do actually, is start by twisting and ripping really quite thin sections, then once they've got going, you could join them together. That would probably actually work better than trying to get wider, or even just "average" sized sections to knot up when your hair is so short. Maybe do a few experimental dreads to get a feel for how your hair will respond?
yea i totally love living in the NW!!! its the greatest place on earth! i think i will try just a couple to start. and until they get under control for work, since i do work in fashion, i can just get by with a cute hat. i'm really stoked!! i wish i could have like a huge dread party. =D
ok so now i have decided that i am going to do it.. i need to know what i need to start. and i want this from the people who know what they are really doing, not from the websites that tell me i have to have wax and bs.. i was just posting to that poor guy that has the wax after 2.5 years. wish i were there to help him out.. but tell me what i need. i don't understand the twist and rip method. but i understand back combing.
If any of my employees handed me THAT letter by JohnnyClean I'd fire them on the spot on account of them not being able to ask themselves for dreads I wonder how many joblosses he's caused because someone wanted to go natural and he's f'kn saying it's nasty and unhygenic. On another note if you wanna back comb then do it:cheers2:
^^Well said. The first paragraph was enough for me... My name is Jonny Clean and I'm writing this letter to the mutual benefit of your employee, who would like your approval to get dreadlocks, and myself, who has given him or her the information on how to start dreadlocks correctly WTF?!
Teehee Merrivale that's the closest I've seen you get to a rant And you didn't even apologise or claim to be rambling or anything!
you neeeeeeed time, hair, and patience ^-^ if youre ganna backcomb, get a fine toothed comb... i used a 'dreadcomb' but ive also used a new, clean flea comb before =] twist n rip.. does that make any sense? wax isnt necessary to start dreads - its good for keeping the sections, and keeping the hair together, and keeping a tidy appearance,, but generally it hinders the locking process more than it helps. when i was backcombed 8 weeks ago, i got a few shorty ones at the nape of my neck. theres gazillions of loose hairs, and quite a few knots came out tbh. its like.. loose root, inch of tangle, 3 inches of perfect, normal hair. no biggy, it wont get me down (much). its just part of the process
ha i like the responses about the letter. it makes me laugh =D i don't think i would actually had that to my boss, who is btw a gay, conservative, republican, christian, man who wears womens clothing.. i've already talked to him about dreads and being that i work at lane bryant where our primary customer base in issaquah wa is kind of uppity i really don't think he is going to fly for it. mainly cause i wasn't hired with dreads. now had i had dreads before i started he wouldn't have said anything. but i do believe that i am going to talk to him again about it. but mostly because now i am more educated. when i posted the link about the letter i was basing most of my knowledge from the hq website but i see now through reading more in depth on this site the great disgust of most everything supported there. =P i however don't think i could go the natural way, i think without something like physically stopping me from brushing my hair i don't think i could keep my self from doing it.. that and i really want to have a significant amount of progress by burning man. i wish that i had know i was going to go alot sooner. then perhaps i could have started my dreads along time ago.. but i am a firm believer that everything happens in its own time. thank you smelly d for your illistration =D you all are so supportive even when you don't like what i have posted. i love this community and i'm really glad that i found you all!!
my drawing skills are the best, right? =p im neither pro or against DHHQ.. its a business, to make profit. i was suckered in by knotty boy twice, so i know about the wax issues and all that. i know that i alone fucked up my locks, but at the time i had no idea what i was doing =] and same with the natural thing, i couldnt do it. i mess with my hair WAAYY too much. i never brushed it pre-dreads, but cause i was always playing with it or whatever, it never knotted
