First days of dreads, help, they are falling out.

I am on day seven of my dreads, I have very straight hair, and they are falling out. I haven't used wax, and don't want to. I hear a lot of give it time, well last time I gave it time they fell out. I did twist and tear, no back combing. Any Advice, I would be grateful!

P.s how do I upload a photo? I am new to this forum.

 

Holy crap, do you mean literally falling out, or are the locks loosing up?

How much time did you give them last time? How often do you wash it?

 

I haven't washed them, and I mean loosening up and falling out.

 

You should wash them and leave them alone for like eight months.

 

What should I wash them with, baking soda??

 

It depends on your water where you live. If you have hard water I would go with a the deep cleanse one a week but if you have soft water you can get away with dr bronners or other types of shampoos that are residue free.

 

Dr. Bronner's tea tree liquid soap is my personal favorite. I wouldn't recommend the peppermint for your hair, it dries you out quickly.

 

To help them from falling out it is a good idea at first to sleep with a cap or stocking on.

For very straight hair and locking without wax it is best to have your hair braided in a bunch of small braids, wet it (or braid it wet) then let it dry.
After that there is more temporary body to help tangle it better when you first backcomb it.

 

Naaaaaaah don't bother with a cap. You rolling around on your pillow will be good for em. Seriously, Karthika is right, ignore them for 8 months. Maybe 6. Forget you have them.

They will fall out. That is the dread life cycle. Or some bollocks like that.

 

Lol no, you want it to move all you can.

A wool cover on your pillow will help, but I can tell you from experience, when you cut, you may find the cores of your locks are totally stuffed with wool. You'll also find that even residue free shampoos are NOT residue free - again, especially with hard water, IMO. Bronners makes a heavy soap scum with hard water, I don't really know but I get thee idea that with soft water, if you could actually get it to wash out (soft water is so fucking annoying) it would be pretty residue free.

Stop fucking worrying about it. I think there are rather few cases where your "method" does anything but slow down the actual formation of locks. It's a fact, and holding them in better or tighter or longer will only make it take longer, since they ARE going to come out, they HAVE to, because your hair locks a certain way, and that way is not started by these various methods - though it's hard to describe to someone who has not seen hair lock and how it happens.

IMO if you want it to lock, comb out whatever you did, and start over -- by waiting.

I can't wash my hair, or towel dry it, without cursing and spending half an hour alternately coaxing apart, and ripping apart in fury, various tangles..... why is getting tangles in your hair such a difficult concept for so many people? If you own a hairbrush or run your fingers through your hair, your hair obviously will lock on it's own.

 

This man speaks the truth. Friction is what causes your hair to lock up, drying it with a towel will help quite a bit (that's actually what made me stop washing my hair as often, as I have to rip the roots apart every time).


Dreadlocks are a symbol of patience. They are not done in a day. Or a week. Or a month.


What you have right now on your head are not locks, it's just braided hair. It's purpose is to have a bit more control on how they are sectioned. Not make instant locks. The only way to instantly make them is with a crochet needle, but if you're not gentle it'll fuck up your hair (plus, at the start it looks rather different from the other methods. Might be a bad or a good thing depending on what you're into).



Just let the hair take over and do it's own thing. Let it breath. Like the plant that slowly grows and takes over the wall. Patience my friend, patience. You don't make locks, you let them grow.

 

So I already use Dr. bronners. I have to dilute it though, or else it dries my hair out. But around the stage this weekend, someone said, it's my oily hair that is causing them to loosen up, and if I was them once every week or so it will help the locking process. I just don't want them to go away again. I had them for about a year last time, and I am not kidding they fell apart from the tips, and I was using wax. Which I have seen the bad effects from. I just want them to stay this time <3

 

to upload a photo click on this in the header of the reply box

if the photo is a private one on your system you will have to start an album in your profile first

 

i found bicarbonate of soda to soften my hair too much and wash out knots.
i now use a solid shampoo bar from lush

when you wash your hair try and use the palm of you hand and rub in circles. helps to massage the scalp and loosen crap and also create knots at the roots

dont wear a sleeping cap or anything. you need the friction to help make knots

my dreads pretty much completely fell out before they locked up again. i just left them to their own thing and they sorted themselves out! it wasnt until about 8 months that they started to resemble dreads

if you still have loose dreads after 9 months then you can come and ask us! its really nothing to worry about after only 7 days..

 

They will not stay, can't you read?

Also, drying out your hair is the whole point, that's what makes it lock. BUT bear in mind that part of the dry feeling from bronners is a tiny bit of residue, you can't use it all the time and may need to occasionally do something to get it out, or it will cause buildup in the middle of the locks eventually.

 

I have very thin hair, and I used Dr. bronners before I dreaded them, and it made my hair break, untill I diluted it. I haven't washed them since. Also, I did the whole, dont wash, dont brush and let them be natural, and that didn't work. And comping them out and waiting to me might not work with my hair type. I have seen hair lock up, on it's own. Her hair was girly, they called her ring pop. That's not the point. My hair is going to need some patience, yes, but the last time I tried free form dreads, it didn't work. I am just looking for some straight hair advice, so it's not another epic fail. I guess if it goes another year and doesn't work like last time, synthetic here I come.

 

You tried to lock your hair by not washing it?

Again, can't you read?

You probably didn't wash your hair for a week, and then declared that your hair is too thin (or some other such stupid shit) for neglect.

Thin hair locks fine. Thin dry hair.

What do you mean "girly hair". You mean you saw someone with long hair, that locked? Because you need "girly" hair to have locks, the longer the better, in general. I think by "girly" you mean "black", because of what you say about "ringpop", but then no.... go fuck yourself, for whatever you're trying to say with "ringpop", and for going back to the traditional stupid "white people can't neglect" stuff.

 

I Can Vouch For That, I Have Very Fine Hair And I Washed Daily

With Baking Soda, And Just Patting My Hair Rather Than Running Fingers

Through It, Then When It Came To Drying I Just Patted It So As Not

To Disturb Any Little Dreadlings That Were Trying To Form.

Placed A Pure Wool Sweater Over My Pillow And Within One Month

People Were Making Comments Re My Progress...:2thumbsup:



Cheers Glen.


PS. I Suggest You Read The Sticky At The Top Of The Dreadlocks

Home Page Entitled......"NP's Comprehensive FAQ" Most Of Your

Questions Will Be Answered There...

 

I don't understand why you are freaking out so much. It is just hair. I mean yeah you are a week in, you ARE NOT going to have dreads overnight. I am almost a year in and still have loose hair. IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, no matter what you will have loose hair. Your hair isn't used to being knotted up so it is trying to revert back to what it is used to. If you leave it alone and wash it once a week and properly dry it, you will achieve something that is similar to locks. It will take time for them to mature and fully become locked. You will always have loose hairs unless you do maintenance on it every day or what not. So quit fretting and please read the stickies or at least peoples response to your question instead of just repeating yourself. Just don't touch your hair except for washing it and you will get locks all in due time.

 

over 4 years and i still have loose hair!