So I took my first shower and a lot of my locs loosened and a couple of them even unraveled all the way. Should I T&R them again? And what should I do so this doesn't happen again. I have a lot of baby dreads and my hair isnt too long. And I here different theories from everyone on drying. How should I dry them maybe I did it wrong?
Hi ZiggityZack. You are only two weeks into your journey, boy will you see changes. Believe it or not, the T&R sections are not dreads at all, they are the roadmap to your future mature dreads. They will loosen, some will fall completely out. Do not retwist, everytime you do, you will cause slight damage to the hairs and will tighten them too much that they will not dread properly. For a dread to mature, it need to loop, zig zag and shrink to become the thickness of where the hair meets the scalp. You will even look wild for a while and have the frizzies. You want this to happen, so don't try to stop it or you will set back your mature dread journey each time.
I did about 5 thin T&R sections too tight, they never loosened and are not dreading the same as the other sections, so yeah, you really want them to loosen for awesome dreads.
For drying, invest in a towel the same color as your hair, dreads love towel link and you can't get away from that, so a brown towel will leave brown lint. When you shower is finished, sit on the tub and hang your head down, plenty of water will drip off, you can even sway you head back and forth to watch the water fly off. Just pat it dry with a towel, no wrapping the head like a turban. I also use a micro fiber towel like a shamwow to suck out plenty of water to cut down on the drying time dramatically, again, just pat it and it will suck it out.
If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.....Peace
Thanks. Im very skeptical on how this process works. I have bought sea salt and I used that for the first time yesterday. How often do you recommend I use it? I hope to see some type of improvement after a month or two. I have 170 total T&R dreads so odds are a few of them will get screwed up. I just cant fathom the process of them growing into real dreads since my hair grows straight. My tips look goofy too but thats cool for now.
Weekly is good as you don't want to dry out your hair by doing it often. You can use it as a spray, use it as a soak, but with these two wash it out within 2 hours. Or you can add it to your baking soda wash. Whichever method is more convenient for you. All your dreads will be fine. Soaring eagle has them all different widths, some he said as thin as the letter L and it is strong and 5 feet long. The process will amaze you as it happens. My hair was perfectly straight and almost down to my waist. The amazing process shrunk it up to my shoulders in 11 months. The tips will change in time. I have some loose ones and some blunted ones. However they end up going just let them be. In a couple of months you will see crazy changes. Just to let you know, with the twist & rip method, you will eventually go through a frizzy stage, the worse part. When it bothers you, just wear a loose tam if going out. If you need to go out for a special occasion during this stage, 100% Aloe Vera will tame it down for a couple of hours or so, if you have a plant, that is best to use.....Enjoy your amazing journey.....Peace
ZiggityZack said:
Thanks. Im very skeptical on how this process works. I have bought sea salt and I used that for the first time yesterday. How often do you recommend I use it? I hope to see some type of improvement after a month or two. I have 170 total T&R dreads so odds are a few of them will get screwed up. I just cant fathom the process of them growing into real dreads since my hair grows straight. My tips look goofy too but thats cool for now.
Ok. Thanks that makes me feel better. Out of the 170 I have about 10 of them that have completley unraveled and its just straight hair in those spots now? Should I just let them be? I just figured that I didnt T&R them tight enough so I was thinking of re-T&R'ing them? What do you think, I dont really want that loose hair to tie into one of my good dreads creating one huge dread in that area. Id like to keep them all roughly the same size?
By the way thanks for answering my questions. Im sure youve answered these questions 100 times or more haha but your really nice and I thank you for your patience with me!!!
170 dreads!!? dang thats a lot.
Im surprised SE hasn't ripped you a new one for doing the T&R method and being skeptical. Im doing the natural method and my hair is dreading beautifully. But hey, its your hair and you can do what ever you want with them. Have some faith and be patient, good luck!
Don't re-twist, they need to loosen. Re-twisting can damage some of the hairs and will only set back your mature dread journey.
ZiggityZack said:
Ok. Thanks that makes me feel better. Out of the 170 I have about 10 of them that have completley unraveled and its just straight hair in those spots now? Should I just let them be? I just figured that I didnt T&R them tight enough so I was thinking of re-T&R'ing them? What do you think, I dont really want that loose hair to tie into one of my good dreads creating one huge dread in that area. Id like to keep them all roughly the same size?
Many of us are skeptical when we are new to dreading, that's why other members help out and give experienced advice. When we rode our first bike, we were skeptical we could do it, when guys have their first sexual encounter, they are skeptical they can last, (okay, they can't but really think they can), many things we first attempt can make us skeptical, including that our hair can actually dread if left alone. Until we actually start seeing the progress happening, we are worried, we are skeptical, so what's wrong with that?
T&R is the next best method to free form/neglect dreads. Many/thousands on this site have used this method, including me. Wonder why she thinks Soaring Eagle would rip you a new one for using this method? Another member on this site, Ixchel (soon to be new mom), also has the same amount of sections, she started hers Feb 2012, the neglect method. Hers and yours will look like a lion's mane when they are mature. Dreads are awesome, whether they are done by neglect or t&r. You enjoy the ride my friend, it is a wild experience. ...Peace
Reggae lover said:
170 dreads!!? dang thats a lot.
Im surprised SE hasn't ripped you a new one for doing the T&R method and being skeptical. Im doing the natural method and my hair is dreading beautifully. But hey, its your hair and you can do what ever you want with them. Have some faith and be patient, good luck!
