Been dreading for 6 months. They won't stay dreaded!

Hello! 6 months ago I have been researching dreads for maaaaaaany hours (read almost all the discussions on this site, and many other sites aswell) Found out Twist N Rip was good because it made my hair dread faster, they said.

No products. Twist n Rip only. Washed every 2-3 days. with dreadHQ non-residue soap. No combing of course. I've tried the "stocking over head" and "baking soda shampoo". Have tried the TnR like 7 times (im losing count), with no luck.They ALWAYS go back to normal straight hair after some showers for 2-3 weeks. (like every 4-8th showers is the lifetime of my dreads)

Tried different sizing. Some a bit thin, some thick, some medium.
After about 2-3 weeks the dreads are dreads no more. I know they will unknot themselves, and then stay together, but THEY DON'T STAY TOGETHER. not retwisting them (I did it the first time, but stopped.) They say "if they loosen up completely, then you should twist it up again." Well, it doesn't work, because it never holds together after they loosen up the first 3 weeks!

I started up with 15cm (almost 6inch) long hair, and now it's 20cm (about 8inch).

Well I shouldn't say I have ended up with no dreads. I have 2 ugly, thin dreads that are so thin it's sad, and embarassing. (you know the long, thin ink-container inside a normal pen? That's the thickness, I mean thinness.) I think those will never loosen up, but I hope they do because they are too thin. I want the thickness of my pinky finger or thumb, not a match-stick.

Im beginning to lose hope... and hairs on my head, because I have twisted them up again so many times.

I'm beginning to think there's a FUCKING GOOD REASON to go to a hair salon to dread my head and pay the price. That's what all my friends are saying after all.

I will try to give you some pictures of the current situation very soon.

updated by @thor: 01/13/15 09:14:49PM

ok stop putting a stocking on stop twisting let thenm dread dont make them dread let them

put a bead on and it will dread

when u wash or dry dont mess with o=it if u use the backing soda pour on soak rinse without touching at all

if it comes loose ..let it..it will dread when u tnr again you set yourself back to square 1

now

pics

and the condition of the hair is o=]it oily?

do u use sea salt what type hair if your twisting i guess africahn hair?

if yoir not african then dont be twisting even if u are only the 1 type hair responds to twists

1 thing u must ,earn and that is to let go of control they fall apart sometimes thats ok they will dread anyway they never had to be twisted at all

but if they fall apart every 2 weeks and u rtnr every 2 weeks u make zero progress for 6 months

but if u let them fall apaert then let them dread themselves u move forward..at the pace your hair wants to take

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Yea listen to SE. dont towel dry,

dont even wash your hair for a week or two. just get it really wet and allow the water to section your hair and those thin hairs you have will just dance around eachother.

best way is neglect man. dont try to make dreads, youll only be vexed.

"but if they fall apart every 2 weeks and u rtnr every 2 weeks u make zero progress for 6 months

but if u let them fall apaert then let them dread themselves u move forward..at the pace your hair wants to take"

Exactly. Just leave your hair alone. My hair's knotted up so much quicker after I stopped trying to make my dreads all perfect and everything. Let nature take its course!

Alright. So. I'm not African. I have brown/blond with a hint of red (lol). Norwegian hair. Blond/red in summer time and brown/red in winter time.

No towel drying. (ok, I have been towel drying), What do you say I should do? Shower in the morning. Go outside with or without a hat with wet hair, and let it mold? Should I use a hair dryer? I have used a towel and "pressed" out the worst, carefully. Then I have dried it with a hair dryer. Is that wrong now?

I work outside every day, in a moving company, often in the cold weather, often with a beanie hat on. Often getting sweaty every day, often wet many hours. Often oily, in need of wash, since I've heard about the oil working like balsam/conditioner to your hair. = BAD FOR DREADS TO LOCK.) (Should I wash more often?) (Should I quit my job?)

My hair becomes oily quite fast. (24 hours after wash) But after washing my hair wih soap, rubbing my palms in a circular motion, it gets good and clean!

I must have a hat, because it's cold. I have a beanie hat. Is that ok? Does it "rough up" my hair and steal all the precious loose hairs from my dreads?

So you're saying I should rinse with water? Alright, Should the water stream be very weak? So I'll do it a long time instead? rinse for 10min with a weak stream?

I don't use salt, but I did before. Didn't make any difference for me.

Ok my questions:

- How shall I put a bead on a dread I don't have? Are you saying I should twist N rip it again?

- Why do you say in another discussion that TnR works, and if it loosens up completely, twist it up again? (Now you're saying the opposite.) What's the point of doing Twist N rip if the only way to get dreads is to neglect? It goes like this: Straight hair... Twist n Rip -> Dreaded hair, and then suddenly back to straight hair after a few weeks.

- Why haven't I had the joy of being able to get any congos or dreads to be seperated, that I hear everyone talk about?

- Is it possible to decide the size of my dreads? Since you're saying I can't twist N rip, how shall I "design" the size? (that is very essential for me. If suddenly my dreads "decide" to be many and very thin and I can't go back, then I will be very angry about the lost time and work.)

And Kare T. You are contradicting Soaring Eagle: "Dreads must be clean to dread". It will work anyways?

I get so frustrated by all the contradictory information I'm served!

Help me
I don't want to spend another half year doing something I think is right, but isn't.


I will give pictures as long as I find my camera charger.

washing too often increases oiliness

so it needs to be clean but not oily

']do not wash every day that wikl make u oily in 24 hours instead wash evrry other day then every 3 days u will slowly get less oily try to get to every 3 to 4 days

and do use sea salt it will help

twist a section ohf hair and slip on a bead jam it up till it sticks

when you wash shake it out then drip/air dry or stand in front of a fan

if u blow dry do it slow and gently

if u do the bs/acv use very lil acv till they are more dry less oily

nobody ever suggested twist and rip again youir confused that discussion was on twisting not twist and rip and it saisd to never retwist unless they did fall apaert completely many twusty as maintenance and i was saying that you shouldnt and the only time u should even consider retwisting is if they fall apart its not needed then or recomended but thats the only time its okm to till the twists..not twists and rips staty in

with neglect u can define the sections sizes by ripping otr not ripping

change how u wash so u get less oily (spray the scalp with thyme tea between washings helps and hot wash but freezing cold rinses help

and stop twist n ripping and add beads and it will help

if u must do 1 m]last tnr and add beads to em after adjusting the washing the next 2 weeks so u get lil lress ouly then when u add the beads they wont fall apaert and will dread

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Wu wei...

I feel you.. My 2 dreads in the front ain't wanna dread I'm goin on 6months. I was fina say yo hair get oily quick only if you wash too often. I ain't gon give you no BS advice, but I feel you mufucas say do this then no do that lol, just do whatever you think is right.. & if it's wrong, you gon learn from it. We all playin this game called Life.

Hey Torgeier!

my advice would be not to wear a beanie all working day long, cause your hair isn't able to

move at all and movement produces knots.

Switch to a Tam while working, cause your hair can move and the sweat on your scalp is able

to dry.

I work in the cold weather outside a lot, too and i made good progress by wearing a Tam!

Jah bless!

I've had my dreads for about 11 months now, and i got one in the back that's just starting to dread up...

Mayb cuz i used wax but still..