Anyone else experienced "crispy" dreadlocks?

I think it has a lot to do with the crocheting, after you let them loosen a bit it goes away...

 

Everyone who crochets their hair looks like that.... So bland.

They look sick and all but just too normal for me lol.

 

that is true ^^^^

 

So not True... I crochet my lose hairs, and my dreads look far from bland.. They are loopy, swirly, and wild. I even got some Flat dreads going on in the back, i think my dreads have character.

So not everyone...

 

yeah but most people (not you and some others) will palm roll and work their dreads to death if they crochet

 

Yeah I was watching some videos on that, cause I was curious about what crocheting does... and I saw a bunch of people with their crocheted dreads and I was like .... Oh my god those look horrible! ... They looked so nasty, lol. But there are some like you said who don't over-do it and theirs look fine.

Glad I didn't do any of that crap.

 

Very true.. but they want insta-dreads DUH

me, i don't care what they look like anymore its September and getting chilly so i get to wear my hat..

 

I think the crispyness your feeling is from all the crocheting. If done aggressively it can break many hairs. I think the short broken hairs sticking out the dreads is probably what your feeling.

This will eventually go away with time....if you dont crochet again.

 

They will probably remain quite crispy as long as you're using the DHHQ shampoo....it's good in that it's very thorough, but it's also ruthless. For now though, it'll be helping knots to form by increasing friction, so you may as well use it up, then switch to something milder or just use water on its own.

I've still got some of the DHHQ shampoo left. I only wash my dreads with water now and they're pretty soft (for bundles of knotted hair), but I still use a little bit of it before dying them to strip off anything that could stop the dye getting in - and it still makes them dry and kinda crispy.

 

My dreads feel prickly, never heard of "crispy dreads" though

 

Ok yeah maybe "prickley" is a much better word to use!

I don't know about over working, we spent alot of time on them on the first day they were made (ALOT of time, and work) I agree, but since then I've done nothing to them save for washing.

Thank you to everyone who replied, and likes my dreads I love them to pieces and think they are anything but bland, (I don't think ANY dreads are bland!) and I shall try changing my shampoo as soon as this one runs out (it's running out pretty quickly)


p.s what exactly is an AVC soak?

 

Older dreads get harder and more straw like. At 3 weeks your dreads are probably going to be the softest they will ever be lol. Mine get straw-like (according to the bf) when I use Dr.B's bar soap, but when I use DHHQ shampoo they go all soft and grope-able ^^

It is probably just your hair type. And 3 or 4 times a week with the DHHQ gave me dandruff, so beware of the dreaded snowstorm ^^

Oh and AVC wash is Apple Vinegar Cider ^^

 

apple vinegar cider? sounds smellyy! haha I'll check it out though, thank you

 

i still have crispy sounds come from my locks and i'm 9 months in. i think what you mean buy rough or spikey, is just loose hairs sticking out from backcombing. that'll go away after the first few months.

 

I think I used the wrong term when I said crispy, I just didn't quite know how to put it. I did mean rough, spikey, prickley, sharp. bristley. They go CHRRR when they rub against fabric and I think you are right about the loose hairs, I'll let it do it's thing and this time next year I'll see how it is.

that's the thing with dreads I suppose, it's all about patience and waiting. I think perhaps I am just being too impatient.

 

:cheers2:

 

You've cracked it Those words will be all you need

 

Ahoy ... Spot on dreadedsunflower … One Time

Nijisarr, cool for the work that you have done on your locks, but time to hang ten, completely, for a few months at least … umm, well, that’s what I reckon.

I suspect that besides the aspect of damage done to your hair by intensive backcombing, crocheting and rubbing / rolling, the crispiness that you have described is that your hair is very dry. I can’t see your hair’s natural oils adjusting quickly enough in such a short period to penetrate the full length of your locks … and natural oils are vital to strengthening the hair, and washing with any shampoo strips the natural oils … and that’s not a good thing … especially shampoos suitable for locks, as they do not have any replacements for the natural oils … catch 22

I really do suggest that you get hemp seed oil for locks and rub a bit into your locks … otherwise any other natural oil that is for locks. If you really can’t find any, then an alternative is to use a ‘natural’ skin moisturiser on you locks … don’t over do it though, just until the locks are no longer dry.

NB. Dry hair breaks easily

Also, try to wear a tam / beanie as much as possible for a good few months … it will keep your locks warm … cold and /or wind will add to the dryness of your locks. The other benefit is that by not having your locks hanging down at all times you can relieve what will be quite a bit of strain on the bass of your locks … locks that haven't evolved over time can have a way of not distributing the weight load throughout the entire length.

Anyway, not to insult any of the work that you have done, they do look awesome, but I think it’s time to reward your hair for the shock that it’s undergone by nourishing it and not putting anymore strain on it for a while. After a few months you may want to do a bit of maintenance, but for now I think you should let whatever hair that got broken through backcombing, crocheting and rubbing / rolling, have some time to grow again.

If you do continue to crochet regularly, I can most certainly promise you that you will end up with loads of very short remains of broken hair all over your head … and that will be a pain to try to get back into the locks … and the end solution will be to use wax to work the short hairs into the base of the locks … yup, a very vicious cycle could start. If loose hairs bother you a lot, and someone mentioned this somewhere else too, use a needle with a big eye, and a needle threader to feed loose hair into the lock … it won’t cause hair in the lock to break like crochet hooks do.

Otherwise, if you do really want to use a crochet hook in the weeks to come, definitely don’t use steel ones, rather use graphite ones. Steel ones are generally the heaviest and require more muscle to use and ultimately more pressure on the hair leading to hairs breaking more easily.

 

DonBK has plenty of valuable advice. I think I, too, would call "crispy" very, very DRY hair. Mine is (always was, dreads or no). Occasionally I put a bit of conditioner and work it through my dreads before washing my hair, just to soften them a bit so they don't scratch & irritate my skin or scalp. Also, yes, I have on occasion used just a tiny bit of beeswax and worked it into (I do mean a tiny bit) the SUPER dry dreads, which (for some reason) tend to be the dreads around my face.

 

Mine have their days...

Some days they're softer, and some days they're...well, a bit more coarse. Most of the time they stay pretty soft, though I'm just a month in, so I have very little dready experience to speak of.

The way I see it, be them crispy or not, just love them and leave them be. That's really about all you need to know to keep dreads happy...just love them, clean them, and leave them be!