Finally got around to starting my dreads

So I finally got around to starting my dreads last weekend, haven't taken any pics yet, but I'll post some on this thread when I do. Got my elastics in and using plenty of wax.

 

They should turn out real nice and water tight.

 

Nice homey!!! I got my wax @ Yankee Candle. They have really great prices and lotsa variety!

Check yo'selfiggy:

 

It's hard to tell if this guy is being sarcastic or not, since he only has this one post. Unfortunately I don't think he is though.

 

huh? what do you mean sarcastic?

 

'memba, if the wax isn't dripping down your face you don't have enough on:cheers2:

 

Diton, once upon a time each of you started with a first post.

What if you assume there's no bad intent at all ... and maybe a friendly welcome does better for this community, in specific and in general ... at least as friendly as you'd had wished to be welcomed yourself, bear with me for the long winding sentence.

Welcome, stranger

 

So howcome wax is something you think you need to use "plenty" of? What do you think will happen if you don't use enough?

 

Uhm welcome. Hope you stay around

 

I'm guessing he probably figures they won't hold together and bond.



He hasn't been living in the dread forum for the last three months, unlike some of you, so you don't need to be so hard on him. He's most likely just a beginner, and trying to get started.

 

I was not being hard on anyone, I was asking genuinely and giving the person a chance to tell us a bit more.

 

Difference is, my first post was before I started my dreads, back when I was researching the shit out of them to make sure I didn't do anything stupid, like "using plenty of wax". And I didn't have bad intent, I was just hoping for his own sake that he's not actually using crazy amounts of wax.

 

Well, newcomer, we here at the dread forum are a bunch of smart asses, and we get a bit carried away from time to time. Welcome. You should know that wax, among us in the know, is seen as being very bad for your dreads. Read the stickies and get back to us with any unanswered questions you may have...

 

wax is evil, it is involved in a a conspiracy with the shampoo companies so that it will ruin dreads and split the earnings of shampoo sold to people who have given up on dreads. also it causes baldness and in rare cases erectile dysfunction


.... but seriously wax is not good for dreads, except if you only want dreads for a month

 

I can see the great wax debate comming again...

Anyway op, good luck with growing dreads :cheers2:

 

haha, actually, no wax, no rubberbands... I've been following this forum for a while and thought I'd see how long it took before someone went on an anti<insert item here> rant. I know, mean joke, don't hold it against me please

But I really did start my dreads last weekend. Fresh wash and air-dried, sectioned, backcombed and here I am. And I'll post pics as promised. They're actually coming along nicely... been two showers and they've held up without any problems. I have one on the side of my head (the side I sleep on most coincidentally) that's pretty hard for a new little dread. The only thing I miss is length, which I know will come with time. I have really fine super straight hair (see pics in my album) so I lost a LOT of length after backcombing. On the plus side, because my hair is so fine, it tends to tangle really easily... usually annoying, but a good "problem" to have in relation to dreads.

Thanks for the welcome Moving Cloud

And don't worry about Amy's reply, I didn't take it harshly... I actually came across her blog sometime last week (LJ maybe?)and read about her progress and saw all the pics she'd posted from the time she started her dreads. She seems like a very sweet person and I think her dreads have come a long way and look damn good on her.

In short, its nice to finally step out of the dark and thanks for the welcome everyone =) I'm a bit of a smart-ass too (if you hadn't guessed yet), so hopefully I'll fit in well here lol

 

Yep... You're a freak. You'll fit in fine!

 

understatement of the year haha.

 

oh yeah were are my manners welcome!

 

oh and just to clarify a bit, I know that all of you were wondering about what people come across when searching for info on the net. While there are quite a lot of hits to sites promoting the use of wax and even making it seem like its a necessity, these forums come up more than you'd think as well, so at least its not 'solely' misleading info.

As far as my stance on things go, just to set a base on things. I think backcombing is fine if done properly. I had plenty of practice making dreadfalls and extensions for years, both synthetic and human hair. While all hair will dread with time, some textures of hair dreads quicker and easier than others, backcombing is useful for people whose hair is a little tougher to begin dreading itself. It didn't hurt, my hair didn't fall out and my head didn't explode... I think its a useful way to speed up the beginning process and I'm glad that I did it.

As for wax. I don't think its the devil, but I don't choose to use it either. I think the main problem with wax horror stories is that people go overboard with the application. You shouldn't even be able to feel it if its applied properly. At the same time, I find it completely unnecessary to use. Seems like the only use for the stuff is making dreads a little tidier in which case I find aloe vera gel far superior anyways, better smelling, and easier to clean out.

As for rubber bands, I didn't see a point in them at all. I can see why people would think they need them to hold things together though. But, If you back-combed, they should hold together anyways and if you didn't backcomb, then the loose hair doesn't even matter, it will eventually get drawn up by one dread or another if you just have patience.
They just mainly restrict movement and are counter-intuitive to the portion of hair they're placed on.

And as for dreads themselves, I don't view them in a spiritual sense. I'm neither religious nor spiritual, so dreads to me are just hair. I understand if they're spiritual to you in a way and can see how they can represent some of the best virtues of man, but if you're a spiritual person, then my opinion shouldn't matter to you anyways.
To me, dreads are like wine. And while wine may be very spiritual to one person (such as the representation of christ's blood during communion for example), some people just like drinking wine because they like the taste of it. One perspective isn't any more valid than the other. But no matter how you look at it, wine is just wine. Its your own personal views and beliefs that are important and that you should hold dear.