Needing Experienced Dread Advice :)

Hi Everyone!

I'm new here to the hip forums - and I came across the site while looking for information on dreads

See, I used to have gorgeous long hair that was a little wavy, but had a lot of body - I never had to do anything but wash and go!
Over the last few years I have been very sick.. and unfortunately have lost most of my hair. Although some has grown back at this point, it is very thin, only down to my shoulders - and those are the long pieces, some are only about 4 inches long, and also has no idea what it wants (be it curly, wavy, straight or just frizzy.. mostly a mixture of them all)

Its very depressing to have to spend an hour every day on my hair to make it look presentable... And I have been going through many different avenues to try to remedy the issue. I've tried extension wefts (still show through or I need 2 sets, very pricey) half wigs, and micro links (become tangled at the base so very easily and almost start to dread)

So that gave me an idea!

I have wanted dreads for years and years - but over the years I have always been convinced otherwise by either an employer, or friends ( no! dont get dreads! they look disgusting! )
And at this point, after all that I've been through, I've decided to go ahead and start my journey

BUT!

(and getting to my question... lol) although I am a very big fan of the natural neglect method, after the years i have been through, i would really like to just get it over with. Which is why I have opted for the synthetic route. I have purchased 13 pkgs of Kanekalon hair and will be starting my DE dreads very soon
I would like to be able to grow my hair out, with the synthetic dreads installed, and continue to dread my hair at the base.

Has anyone ever tried this before? is it possible? Or will doin them this route be a waste of time and they'll look bad?

In about a year or so when my hair is longer I will probably stop reinstalling the synthetic dreads, and just go natural, but i'd like to have some nice mature dreads started by that point

if anyone has used this route, or experienced similar circumstances, I would love to hear what you have to say!

(and i know there are a lot of people that HATE synthetic dreads - but please, i know your points of view, but i have my reasons (and to me they are very good reasons) so please do not be mean here, im only asking for experienced answers!)

thanks!

 

I know people that have started their dreads and stuck extensions onto the end to give the impression of longer dreads - because new dreads shrink, so even with chest length hair you can end up with less than shoulder length dreads.

The extensions do what you'd expect them to. They look like dreads from afar, but can work pretty well if the colour is a good match. The problem with it is that the extensions can be quite heavy, obviously it depends how long they are. But they can get really heavy when they get wet and then tend to fall out. Heavy extensions + weak hair + the slightly aggressive way in which dreads need to be treated in order to shake all the water out.

I guess if you're maintaining them yourself then it doesn't matter if they fall out, but just be aware they might stress your hair and scalp. Also they need to be dried properly so they don't start smelling like a pile of damp towels.

I'm not so sure that you'd get a whole lot of dreading going on under the extensions though. But maybe someone knows more about this. It's just that many people wear synthetic dreads and they don't seem to end up with real dreads growing from them.

 

i read about people saying that you have to take them out after 3 months or so because the roots will start to dread - Im just wondering if i keep them in, if theres a way that I can keep them dreading straight to follow the synthetics, instead of just becoming a matted mess lol

i thought about just going straight for dreads and then extending them with synthetics, but i worry about the synthetics coming out, and also if i dont like it, then i'll have these dreads to comb out (yikes) and may lose most of the hair i've grown back!

 

You could always go for real human hair dreadlock extensions, there is a lady on here that makes them and they look just like your hair.. I'm sure I read that she takes custom orders too for specific colours etc..

Here is the link to her thread with her shop
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=461655&f=209

 

yeah - talk to chaos, she knows her stuff

 

You shouldn't use synthetic hair if you're planning on dreading your actual hair, not in the way you described anyways. You could dread your hair...and attach the synths...but if your hair starts to try and dread to the plastic hair, you may have issues with plastic residue in your actual dreads later on. You'll also have to rip the ends of your dreads every time to try to take them out (since synths need to be switched out every few weeks). Young dreads are wild and crazy and will get caught in everything.

If you want 100% HUMAN HAIR extensions, that is defnitely an option. They can be made to suit whatever you need, and wont be noticeable up close at all (ahem) if installed properly. They can be matched your hair colour, sized accordingly, and if you can find someone experience to install them, then you're all set. They can will take a few months to dread up into your hair until they are completely fluid with your own locks but it will happen. You can wash, colour, and anything else you would do to your normal hair. (Though colouring should wait until after the first 3 months) Everyone thinks that the weight of extensions is going to be so bad, but it's barely noticeable for the most part. I have 20" human hair extensions in my dreads and the only time I feel the weight is in the shower. 14" is a more common length to start with and will be even less noticeable if that is something you're worried about.

Feel free to message me anytime if you have any extension questions

 

I'm thinking that some sort of start should be made on the dreadlocks before the extensions go in though just for the sectioning. I think that you would want to section the hair so that the dreads that grow will be roughly the same size as the extensions your adding and so that the roots don't go all over the place like they would if you left them neglect.

But you shouldn't expect real dreadlocks to start forming out of year head and matching up with the extensions. It's still going to take months and months and months before your own hair starts to mature. So that's another reason I think it would be better for you to actually start the dreadlocks first, so that your hair is atleast in matted lumps already.

 

I make dreads for people and install extensions (usually about a week after) and attach them no problem all the time. The young dreads and extensions fuse together better & faster when they're both soft and fuzzy, rather then attaching a new extensions to older mature dread. This way they fuse together better and they are not noticeable. They obviously need time to mature just as dreadlocks without extensions do, but they can do that together as well. If they are installed properly, then there shouldn't be many issues down the line. You do need to be gentle with newly installed extensions, ie. do not soak them for at least 2 weeks, no dying until after 3 months, try to leave them down as much as possible.

It is better to have longer hair then shorter before attaching extensions though. The more hair the extension has to hold on to, the better & faster they will bond together. Shorter hair does need some extra care & maintenance to get them going.

 

i went ahead and made my own synthetic ones and I'm going to try to get my hair to grow a little longer first before i start dreading my own hair unfortunately as well, there isnt anyone in my area that is experienced with dreads, and I would rather experiment myself then have someone i dont know 'practice' on my head

i really appreciate all of your feed back though, guys! my head feels very heavy right now lol im not used to the extra weight. but i may even take out two or 3 so that when i knot them back into a bun it isnt as big... we'll see though

 

wait a tick! you're from london?! i'm about an hour from you!!!... weirrrrrd!
looks like i know who i'll be contacting when i dread my own hair! hooray!!!

 

KW or Sarnia?

There a few of us Londonites kicking about.

 

hahaha! sarnia!
small world!

 

haha weird! That's awesome though Most of my clientele is from out of town it seems.