Greasy scalp, dry, scratchy dreads, lint... feeling self-conscious and anxious HELP PLEASE!!!!

I'm about nine months into the natural process and I feel like I have stopped having progress for the past 2 months

My scalp is greasy so my loose hair is greasy too. It doesn't want to dread.

My dreads are dry. I have tried ACV a couple times and it doesn't seem to work. I use about 1/4th of a cup to 2 cups of water. I don't know if I am using enough, but I don't know if more will help me anyway. Also, it smells horrible and I don't know what to do about the smell.

When my dreads would start, it would be because tiny little white fibers from random things would get stuck in my hair and help the dreading process. Now these fibers are really obvious and I've had a lot of people say "Oh wow, you have a lot of lint..." it's in there forever now and I want to cut my dreads down so people will stop saying that.

I also damaged my hair from brushing it a lot over the past several years. Because of this, a lot of the hair stopped growing back and it thinned out. Now that hair is returning but it isn't dreading up with the rest of my dreads because it is so greasy.

It's 9 months in and while all of my hair has basically dreaded, I don't feel like it looks like dreads. I think it just looks like a mess somewhat resembling dreads. Because of all the loose hair both undreaded and the loose hair that is just hanging off some of my dreads, I don't look like I have dreads. Just really gross hair.

I am feeling extremely self-conscious about my hair and basically want to comb it out or cut it all off right now. It's short and gross and AHHHH. I wish I could just fix it.

Here you can see (me on the left, obviously). It doesn't look like dreads. but it's definitely really messy. This is from a couple months ago but it really hasn't changed that much since then.

Someone please help me or something ugh.

updated by @kass: 02/14/15 05:41:13AM

are u doing acv wothout baking soda thats why your greasy

baking soda cleans but changes the ph acv resets the ph

if your sdoing acv alone your making it more acidsic then it should be which makes u more oily doing bs without aqcv or with extra weak acv will tilt the scales towards the alkaline side and resduce oiliness

lint..i got alot too but i dont worry bout it i think it adds color till its too much haha sop options pluck it oi]=ut with tweezers..or

and the or will be very temporary if u use baking soda more permenant if u switch to shampoo spray the dreads with black tea or cofeee to stain the lkint to match the hair

bs will strip the color in a hurrty tho

when its less greasy the loose hairs will resioklve themselves

if u use sea salt that will also dry them out so they dread faster

they look great just need more time

but the greasiness maybe an issue

u can also try the dreadlockshampoo.com bars or liquid that may work better for u then bs/acv

acv smell disapears after u rinse so nothing to do about that its extremely temporary and gone by the time yoir out of the shower

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Sorry, I should have specified. I have done the BS/ACV wash a couple times. It didn't make me feel any cleaner, really and maybe a little greasier? I usually use this soap : http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nubian+heritage+african+black+soap&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4976907679113305633&sa=X&ei=Oc0FT4mPHIaJtwfb_eHSBg&ved=0CIYBEPMCMAE

I just rub the bar into my scalp and rinse it ever 4 days or so.

Also the ACV doesn't go away when I rinse, I can still smell it in my hair after I'm done. Am I not rinsing enough? I have no idea how to rinse these things. I just want my dreads to be soft. I might try the dreadlock shampoo bars...

i would totaly recomend them your dreads will feel cklean healtyhy and soft in any water type and smell yummilisouse and wonderfull

even if i do acv and dont rinse at all the smell fades after an hour or so

but some ppl are hyper sensative to smells and can smell when someone lights a cig a mile away

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

if i were you i would stay far away from that soap. the second ingredient is shea butter. i'm sure its great for your skin but it will most definitely leave a coating on your hair. thats why your dealing with the greasies. switch to bs washes or an organic clarifying shampoo. do a sea salt rinse after you wash. it will help to remove any residues left behind.

btw, i think your hair looks great! i'm at 15 months now and my hair went though a stagnant phase and then it started to lock up more within the last two months. i think natural dreads have an ebb and flow and we just need to roll with it:)

Heather--I never thought about that!! You're right! I'm such a fool! Lol. I'm going to switch over to the dreadlockshampoo liquid shampoo and then try the bars. Ah! Can't believe I never thought about it.

How do you make your sea salt rinse and how do you do it? I need to start this because I definitely need to get the residues out of my hair!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Your hair looks freaking gorgeous by the way.

I use the BS with the oils and after I rinse that out I add 2 capfuls of acv into an old milk jug that i cut the top off of. I add a few drops of lavendar and rosemary to the acv rinse to knock the smell out, and it works. Then i just fill the milk jug to the top. I only leave that in long enough to brush my teeth. Then I rinse it out.

A sea salt rinse should help too. Just be careful how much salt you use. When I was still dreading, i mixed an all natural sea salt with some water. I got the salt at a health foods store and it was only around 8 dollars. The oils are the ones that are a bit expensive. Depending on where you go.

I hope you can figure something out. Would taking them out and starting again doing the twist & rip be an option? You will still have loose hairs, but it would look like dreads right away.

Has greasiness always been an issue with your hair or is it just since you've dreaded?

Thanks for the tips. I honestly would never take them out and start all over. I would only take them out to be done with it forever. Plus I do love them the way they are, I just kind of wish they looked more like dreads and less like... random hair.

No, I have always had greasiness issues. Way less now, but my hair would be greasy by the end of the day before I dreaded--and I washed it every day. Now, my scalp is probably greasy by the 3rd or 4th day.

I also wonder if you are not having so much lint as you are white, skin tags from the follicle. Usually, you will get alot of those and you can't pick those out because they are a part of the dread. If your "lint" is tiny and white and when you really look...it is on the end of a piece of hair, that is from the follicle and it is just the way it is.That white bit was what was sticking in your scalp

thanks, kass:)

for the rinse, your going to want to make it as close to the salinity of the ocean. after months of trial and error, i found that 4Tbs of sea salt to 2qts. water is perfect. adds enough dryness for grip but doesn't leave my hair brittle. just pour it on your wet, just washed hair and let it sit for about 5 minutes and then rinse really good with cold water. it works like a charm;)

Kass said:

Heather--I never thought about that!! You're right! I'm such a fool! Lol. I'm going to switch over to the dreadlockshampoo liquid shampoo and then try the bars. Ah! Can't believe I never thought about it.

How do you make your sea salt rinse and how do you do it? I need to start this because I definitely need to get the residues out of my hair!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Your hair looks freaking gorgeous by the way.