this sucks (dread disaster!)

So..I'm having a dread crisis! First of all, I fucked up my hair by using t-gel anti-dandruff shampoo, it left it all shiny and smooth and non-knotted.
I have about 3 or 4 dreads on each side of my head and the rest of my hair looks like I've been brushing all along

I am considering going to a salon to get them redone, I talked to a girl who does them natural using no wax or anything and only charges 40 or 50 bucks
She'll probably only backcomb them or twist and rip them, but I don't have anyone who will do that for me and I don't want to redo them myself, it was a pain in the ass last time

Even though I regret using that shampoo my hair does feel truly clean for the first time since I started dreading
I've been using various combinations of baking soda, sea salt and tea tree and rosemary oil to wash my hair since i started and they always left my hair feeling gummy

I am so discouraged right now
argh

 

cant tell you anything you dont know, except why wash?

 

I would suggest playing with the shampoo prior to dreading. That way you know you have a winning combination prior to dreads. After you find something that works, then pay the girl $50 to do them. My two cents.

 

I washed because my head was getting so itchy I couldn't stand it, and I knew that this shampoo worked the best in the past, plus I didn't think it would be as bad as it was

 

use the peppermeint dr bronners to wash cuz i think u want a deep wash that help ur scalp

 

try not to get discouraged, i know its a pain in the ass but it will make you appreciate them even more once their done.

first off go and ask how the girl does it, most salons that dont use wax, i believe use crochet method to do dreads. if its 50 its good value. i paid my friend who did it 50 just cause it took so damm long. so its worth it. anywhoo then start learning about your head. there are products out there that will work for you so do a little research as to what cleans your hair and then try a few different combinations for a week or two and find what works best. in the mean time get your ass over to the inspiration thread and take a look it will make you feel better

 

sorry to hear your dreads fell out greenearthgirl
Im not sure if anything will really get your scalp super clean other than the things mentioned above. But 'real' shampoo prob feels clean as its actually stripping your scalp/hair of natural oils which are infact healthy so i kinda think its best to stay away from that stuff,also there are a load of other chemicals in shampoo too which dont really do you any good.
I think that if you have no-one else to do your dreads that you should pay for them if you can afford to,just make sure you know what method she'l be using 1st so you know what to expect. Guess im lucky my friend did mine for me.

 

Sorry for your disapointment but stay strong and follow the path that you desire , i wish you only the best

 

This is what I was thinking. You need to get your heads your oil production under control. I haven't used any soap in my hair for almost 3 months now after years of using baking soda and bronners. Even the finest soaps stripped my oils and left me with dry flaky itchy scalp. Since I switched to water and got my natural balance of oils, everything works out better.

 

I think you may have just been washing your hair too much. When your scalp gets dry & itchy just make a tea tree oil & water mist and spray it on the irritated spots. In the beginning it's always best to wait as long as you can before your first wash just to give your locks a fighting chance. It seems the people that talk about their locks falling apart are usually the ones washing every few days.

Hopefully w.e you do works out this time:cheers2:

 

lolz

 

^ ha ha natural

 

Hang on...haven't you had your dreads for almost no time at all? And you hair is quite short isn't it? I think you should worry less about any coming-undone that's going on. Re shampoo...if all else fails, I can pretty much guarantee that DHHQ shampoo will remove every last molecule of grease and dirt and definitely will not add any slippery conditioningness.

 

YIS yay for dhhq ^^

Defo recommend DHHQ or Dr B's

 

my dreadies fell out so I basically said fuck it and didn't touch em, they dreaded anyway

 

DHHQ anything is junk. I rememeber reading that the shampoo has all the same ingredients as canine ear medicine or something like that.

Read the ingredients in that shit. It's all hardcore chemicals

 

Its true (although I still use it because I still have some). Maybe it helps your hair, but its death to the planet that junk!

 

My hair was really short when I started dreading...It wasnt even at my shoulders yet...I think it was probablly about your length maybe a bit longer....anywho....the ones I backcombed all fell out too and I just let them do their thing. They are now finally starting to dread on their own.... 7 1/2 months later! So...perhaps your just freaking a bit and should relax? Post some pix...lets see whats going on there before you go to a salon. Dreads...especially on short hair... will go through a horrible phase where they look like complete shit regardless of the method chosen...it just takes time for your hair to get it all sorted out. Perhaps your just going through a shit phase and it will pass.

 

thanks everyone,
I was freaking out when I posted, I feel better about them today...

I think it might have been a combo of washing too soon and the length, it's pretty short in the back
anyway here's some pics of what's going on
sides seem to be holding up okay:



but the back

 

yea that definitely doesn't look like "normal" brushed hair. I would try to get the oild production under control. They look waxy or greasy, not saying the are, but it's that or just the lighting and camera. But they are definitely knotting up faster than you think.