So I decided to document my loc journey to be able to look back through my progress and as a sort of memory capsule. Here I am before I started:
I started my dreadlocks on May 7, 2016 using the twist and rip starter method. It took my husband and I about 4 hours to do the 49 dreadlocks (after sectioning it off which took another hour). This is the next day:
I am now 1 1/2 weeks into my journey. I am washing on a 3-4 day cycle using Vicki's Lockin Up Shampoo (Liquid). I can not say enough how much I love the product. It really does help with the locking process and leaves my hair feeling fresh.
So far the baby dreads, or knots with style, are holding up pretty well. I have the expected "puffiness" that comes with the dreads loosening and re-tightening. I have a few new knots as well as the beginnings of some looping. I also have a few that completely came out and I am just letting those go free form and lock how they choose. There are days that my hair looks good, and other days that it looks like a cat used my head for a scratching post.
Luckily on days like that I can throw it up into a ponytail and move on.
I am trying to keep my hair down about 95% of the time as I know that helps the dreading process, as well as just leaving it alone, though I do like to run my hands through my hair frequently. Here are a few close ups of some dreads so you can see what they are looking like and doing:
I am really enjoying the journey so far and am excited to continue. It really is a truly freeing experience to just let go and let your hair go wild.
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1 MONTH UPDATE: 6/7/16
I can't believe my little babies are now a month old! It has been so great just dropping the brush and letting my hair go. So far A lot of my dreads that I started are still there so that is good. I have had probably 7-10 that have fallen out completely, mostly around my face and hairline, but I am honestly ok with that and many of them are finding their own way and forming how they want to, often splitting into 2 smaller dreads. Here are a couple photos I took through the last few weeks:
I have noticed a few dreads that are really taking on a life of their own with some little loopies and zigzags and that is so great to see. It is also finally warm enough to go out into the ocean and so I have been swimming about once a week and letting them soak up the water, which they have been loving!
I am thinking of doing a criss cross wrap on some of the looser dreads, or ones that have fallen out, in an attempt to get them going but haven't fully decided on that. I had also considered trying to backcomb them to restart them but I think it might be a vicious cycle of it constantly coming out and an added headache. My issue is that I keep touching the loose part in the back and maybe if they were wrapped I wouldn't be fussing over them so much? Here is a pic so you can see the loose area. This is the main area I am worried about since everything else is overall moving in a positive direction or is just buried under all the other dreads that are still intact:
I am excited to continue on the journey and see how it improves in the following months. I will be back to update at 2 months. I also post a lot of photos of my dreadlock journey on Instagram so if you want to follow me there you can! @3_little_birds2316.
Much love!
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2 MONTH UPDATE 7/7/16
So much has happened (and not happened) in the last month. I went through a frustrated period last week where it felt like my hair was rebelling against being dreaded in a certain section in back. This section of haor has always given me a hard time, even without dreads so I should have known it was going to still be difficult now. I wrote a post about it and had a lot of feedback from people telling me to be patient and good things will come so I am trying to do that. Ironically, after I posted that a little baby dread finally started forming in that section. I guess thats the thing, if you step back and stop worrying you realize your hair will eventually do what you want.
I have a ton of new little dreadies starting throughout my hair. I start with a little knot right at the tip and within a few days/a week, i have a looping, zigzagging, out of control baby dread working its way up to the root. On my more established dreads in front I am starting to see dreading throughout the loose root area and can feel it tightening up there. So it seems like I may be going through my first mini shrinkage! It is good to see my hair doing that even if it makes for super bumpy/loopy roots! Progress!!!
It seems like I am going to have a pretty nice variety of dread sections ranging from 1/4" to 1 in". Most of my newly formed baby dreads seem to be on the smaller size, but they are firm when they finally get going.
Here are some pics from the last few weeks. I will post more in the gallery on my page. I try to take at least one picture a day and post it on Instagram so I can look back on my progress.
3 MONTHS- 8/25/16
So I never got around to posting my 3 month update. It was my birthday and I got busy and I guess that's life.
Since my last post a lot has happenned. That trouble spot in the back has started to form dreads really well. Some are super knotty, some are just dreaded at the tip but they are all doing something. I only have a small handful of loose hairs now.
When I started my dread journey I had 49 dreads. Since counting yesterday I am now at 55. So there has definitely been some sectioninggoing on this month.
The long wispy tips are continuing to form together into tighter sections, so while it sometimes looks just like loose hair it is forming knots from the inside out. I now have one super long dread that is in the front from where some hair shed and got stuck but I'm just letting it do its thing.
I'd say my most mature section in the upper back area. It is really starting to feel like dreads.
I will try and update again at the 4 month mark. I have posted some more images on my timeline and also will post a few here so you can see the progress.
================================================================================6 Months Update 11/7/16
Happy 6 months to my little dreadies!! It is crazy how much they have been progressing in the last few months. I feel like most of my dreads are now in the teen/adolescent stage which is super exciting. All my trouble spots have resolved themselves and there are solid dreads throughout my entire head. There are some that are still loose or that have 4-6 inches of loose root but they are progressing and that is good.
Total I have about 56 dreads now and there are a few new ones forming from other loose hair. I love looking at my hair. There are so many knots, loops, and zigzags. I think I have 6 dreads that are still just straight towards the top/front of my hair. These were the ones I twist and ripped that stayed in.n I think they were a little too tight when I first did them so their progress has been slower than the ones that were left to reform on their own.
I have had a fair amount of shrinkage in the past month. You sometimes can't see it when my hair is down but the under layer is getting short. My hair started at about bra strap length and most are dusting my shoulder or are between chin and shoulder length. When mature I think they will be around chin/jaw length throughout. I also have a super shorty which is about 3 inches long total, but its a cutie. The ones that haven't shrunk are driving me crazy or the loose strays that haven't blunted into the dread. Did I mention I got my first really blunted, cylindrical dread. That was exciting. Here is a picture of my hair at 2 months vs about a week ago. The second picture is from about 3 weeks ago.
I have started to make some videos for updates and so will be posting my 6 month video shortly. I also posted some more pictures of individual dreadies on my profile, so check them out!
Here is to the next 6 months and the progress!
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10 MONTH UPDATE
So I have been gone for a little while. I took a break from social media and the internet for about the last 6 weeks so I have not been keeping the best record of my dread journey. I did take a video that should be up on my profile some time today and I also posted some new pics that I will also include here. I think my husband and I will try to get some nicer pics of both of our sets and will post those later.
In the 3-4 months since updating my dreadlocks have gone through a lot of change. My tightest and longest dreads that I twist and ripped finally loosened a little bit and have started to get all loopy and zig zaggy so that has been a lot of fun to watch. I had a lot of dreads that were little dread balls onteh end and then straight but those have matured nicely and are compacting in on themselves so they don't look so goofy. My hair at its longest is right about shoulder length but the majority of them are up to my chin and jaw length. The shrinkage is real!! I think after a summer at the beach my dreads will be pretty much mature (about to hit my 1 year mark!!!) but I know they will continue to evolve (and finally grow) from there.
I have left them to their own devices these past few months and am starting to see some of my smaller ones congo together. I think I have about 3 or 4 congos currently. I maybe seperate once every few weeks, but they stay pretty well sectioned on their own
I still have 2 small sections that have not dreaded at all but I am ok with some loose hair here and there. I can't wait until they are a little more manageable to style but I can feel a definite difference in the way they feel. Excited to hit my 1 year mark in May and see how they continue to mature.
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Livin' wild and free in NC
Follow my dreadlock journey on instagram: @3_little_birds2316
updated by @carolbrennan: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM
