Need advice for totaly new dreadlocks dude!

Hello all!!! So 2 days back got dreads made by crochet. Im not very happy of that, because i only today found this forum and read that crochet hook is very bad for hairs. BUT im very happy that i found out about that now, just in beggining of my journey to new dreads! So i have few questions about my dreads maintanance (:

So first of i would like to know, how often from now i should wash my dreads? A guy who made my dreads told me i should do once every week, is it okey?

Second, i would like to know how to make them more soft and nice? (i know that from now i shouldn't touch them and let me be messy and after some time they will become nice natural dreads, but i live not in the right place and not with the right ppls that i could be with messy hairs at the moment)

Also i would rely love to maintanance them somehow...i know i can't use crochet, because it damage my hairs, but maybe there is any other way to help them not to be very messy? (my hairs are very straight, so i know that after 1month of doing nothing half of dreads will be lost and other half will be rely messy)

And i should mention that my hairs are almost straight, so is it still possible they will become natural dreads after some times? Because i didn't used comb for 2 yaers, and washed my hairs about 2 time every week and they didn't become even close to anything like dreads, so maybe my hairs isn't good for dreads and i will never have them?

Im rely sorry for my terrible english, if you dont understand something, just ask me, and i will try explain in other way, peace (:

updated by @jokubas-bauza: 01/13/15 09:49:18PM

Lucky you did find us. First off, please read the dreaducation pages, most of your answers are all there. It is recommended to wash 2-3 times a weeks as hair needs to be kept clean.

You did the crochet method, so you have hundreds of broken hairs in the dreads, that is the roughness that you feel.

You did not comb for 2 years, but what were you washing with? Almost all shampoos bought from stores do not allow hair to dread, also if you used conditioners it would have caused knots to slip out during every wash. What you wash with plays a huge roll in the dreading process.

There are two ways to wash your hair. Dreadlock Shampoo on this site is made specifically for dreads, they sell shampoos and soaps for them. The other way is to wash using baking soda and an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse.

How this works is you mix 1/2 cup (.24 liters) of baking soda into to 5 cups (1.18 liter) of water and pour on head. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes without scrubbing, it will exfoliate the scalp all on its own. Rinse well and then add 1-2 capfuls of Apple Cider Vinegar into 5 cups (1.18 liter) of water, pour on hair and leave on for no more than a minute. The ACV conditions the hair and balances the hairs PH from using the baking soda. It will feel softer to the touch.

You will be on a road to recovery by crocheting, but be patient, never use it again, and you will get the healthy locks you always wanted.

you will get there, Peace

its gonna be kinda messy but you can put it up or use aloe vera sometimes to neaten it up. being messy and bold is part of the process though. so just let it be sometimes. i used to find creative cute ways to put it up in the early stages. a bun is always nice. the aloe and putting it up might slow progress a little

u maybe were conditioning or finger combing those prevent dreads

just let em get messy they wiill get softer as u recover from crochet

alowe will help them soften

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

thanks everyone for replays! Ill try to find more info by self, but before that, can someone tell me how to use aloe vera? Or maybe there is any kind of guy in this site where is it explained how/when/and where to use it? Thanks again all!

Ok, so now i got my dreads for 3 days, and my head is very very itchy! and i fraid to wash my head, because my dreads are so now, and they may not be good after wash...because everywhere is sayd that you msut not wash atleast 1week after making dreads...so maybe if i use baking soda methot i could wash y head..???

use fresh aloe from aplant. youcan get oneat lowesor a natural food store or something like that. i got a giant aloe 'leaf' thing at the flea market for $1.50. and you need to wash your hair for it to dread. please look up the baking soda/apple cider vinegar ratios and look at the dreaducation section of the site.it will answer so many questions.your hair will undread and redread so dont fret if it loosens up. its supposed to. try to invest in some of the dreadlock shampoo. i actually put aloe on my hair today and it felt really nice. not too conditioning but made my hair soft and healty feeling.

jokubas bauza said:

thanks everyone for replays! Ill try to find more info by self, but before that, can someone tell me how to use aloe vera ? Or maybe there is any kind of guy in this site where is it explained how/when/and where to use it? Thanks again all!