Rantings of a newbie

I'm digging it so far, but I wish my dreads were tight all the way to the roots. Some go 3 and even 4 inches of loose roots. I want dreads that look neat and fill my head, but I know that's a process. I had super thin hair to start, so it will probably take at least a year, if not two. As impatient of a person as I am, I'm ready for the journey. Hell, maybe this will MAKE me more patient. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

Anyways, a friend of mine had her dreads done professionally a few months back. Not like the horror stories that I've read in this forum, but probably not good or natural either. I know the lady that did them backcombed like a mofo. So much so, that my friend said her scalp hurt for days. I didn't do any backcombing, but I have to admit, her dreads look much cleaner and more completely right away than mine do. But I also know they used tons of wax and crap in her hair and I didn't want that in mine. I'll admit, I'm a little jealous of the complete look, but I'll eventually get there, right? Hoping so.

So here are my dreads, 5 days in, one baking soda 'wash', and dreadly love. They are thin and flat, crazy at the roots, and feel like rope, but all is well. This is just a phase, the first phase and there will be many more to come.

And sorry for the sideways pictures. I have no idea how to alter them in here.

YearningforPeace . Your twist & rip journey is only 5 days old! You should count your lucky stars that you did not get dreads the way your friend did. If you want your dreads to last you a lifetime or for many years to come, then stay maintenance free, don't give in. Hers are not real dreads at all, they are hairs glued together with wax to look like dreads. You on the other hand are growing dreads. Hers will grow mold in the wax, yours will not...hers will smell from all the pollutions and aromas that stick in the wax, yours will smell fresh...Hers can catch fire easily, your won't....Hers hang down, yours will dance with the breeze....Hers will never ever turn into mature dreads, yours will and they will be beautiful.

The one or two years it takes will be well worth the wait, please don't ever let anyone talk you into tidying them up. Here is a member Princenoobsauce, his are only 13 years old. This is what you get if your don't do dreads your friends way.

When you feel weak and feel temptation, just envision you dreads 3 years from now !! ...Peace

Here is a photo of another member Taye, hers are 3 years old here. She takes Biotin to help speed up hair growth. Beautiful!

How do I get to the timelines? I saw them the other day, but now I lost 'em!

k8ekate said:

It definitely is a process. It's helped me to be waaaaay more patient that's for sure. Once yours start shrinking they will begin to feel a lot thicker. Also once they're mature you'll have less loose hair. Some of mine that are still maturing have 3-4 inches of loose hair; the mature guys have about a half inch to an inch and that's normal. Unfortunately I didn't take too may pics of my timeline but a lot of members on here have. Check um out! You'll get a better idea what you're "in for". Congrats!!!

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement! I do have a question though. If wax is so terrible, how do you get it out? My husband recently asked me to do his and requested that I use wax, so I did, against my better judgment. His hair is only 4 or so inches long and it's really healthy so he didn't think it would knot up well enough. I suppose I can do dig around and see what I come up with. I'm sure some that problem is on here a bajillion times!

the Barrellady said:

YearningforPeace . Your twist & rip journey is only 5 days old! You should count your lucky stars that you did not get dreads the way your friend did. If you want your dreads to last you a lifetime or for many years to come, then stay maintenance free, don't give in. Hers are not real dreads at all, they are hairs glued together with wax to look like dreads. You on the other hand are growing dreads. Hers will grow mold in the wax, yours will not...hers will smell from all the pollutions and aromas that stick in the wax, yours will smell fresh...Hers can catch fire easily, your won't....Hers hang down, yours will dance with the breeze....Hers will never ever turn into mature dreads, yours will and they will be beautiful.

The one or two years it takes will be well worth the wait, please don't ever let anyone talk you into tidying them up. Here is a member Princenoobsauce, his are only 13 years old. This is what you get if your don't do dreads your friends way.

When you feel weak and feel temptation, just envision you dreads 3 years from now !! ...Peace

How old are your husbands dreads? If less than a month, it is best to start over. Otherwise, the best product was created by a member here, her products are on DreadlockShampoo.com The Wax B Gone is $15.

http://shop.dreadlockshampoo.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14

Here is a review of it from another member, I have never needed to use it so I can't say anything about it firsthand. : http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/wax-b-gone-review

So how do you find timelines? You can find anything by using the search bar near the top left, just under where it says "this site works best in firefox" Type in any key words, like...4 month timeline...or....7 month timeline....or....WaxBGone....or....essential oils. You get the picture, type in any words to get pages from other members postings. Hit the search button and off you go, info at your fingertips. You can even type in a members name and hit search...Endless informationAnythings else just ask away...

To get instant answers from a particular member who is online, if you look at the dreads online box at the bottom right & click on their picture, a small box will appear, you can ask them questions live......

Peace

.

Okay, another question guys/gals. Since doing the baking soda 'wash', my hair is extremely dry and brittle. I know greasy dreads is a no-no, but wouldn't straw hair be a no-no too? I already had super damaged hair from tons of bleachings, so it dreaded really nice, but I'm thinking the baking soda put it over the edge, in a bad way. It's so brittle, hairs will snap very easily. I have tons of essential oils, so I could mix some in a bottle of water and spray my head. Would that work?

Baking soda ratio: 1/2 cup BS to 5 cups water...pour over wet hair & scalp & leave on for 10 minutes without scrubbing, it will exfoliate the scalp on its own...rinse out well...now you must balance the hairs PH from using BS, so you will do an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse....mix 1 capful of ACV to 5 cups water...pour on head and leave on for no more than one minute, you can even rinse it out right away. This is also a healthy conditioner for dreads...Were you missing using the ACV?

I did not use it every time and I ended up frying out my hair, it took months to get it soft again and the dry hair slowed down my journey. ACV keeps the hair soft to the touch.

To help repair my dry hair, I used a spray bottle filled with water & added essential oils to it. Sprayed my hair 3 or 4 times a day. It worked fantastic for me. The essential oils I chose to use, but you can pick your own, were: tea tree, lavender, rosemary, & peppermint.

Tea tree oil is great to keep bugs away from dreads. ...Peace

cheap way to remove wax = hot water and regular dawn dishwashing liquid. i agree with barrellady, if your husbands dreads are new than it would be easier to comb them out and start over wax free.

baking soda will totally wreck your hair if you don't do an acv rinse after. 1 capfull of acv in a cup of water after bs wash.