dude i met a guy who had such awesome, tightly locked dreads i asked him how he did it he said he used small amounts of wax on his dreads kept em on for three days
washed em out and put it back on and did that for 6 weeks to start with he's had his dreads for 5 years and they are super tight and neat and he said all the wax came out
i've put wax in my hair and when i wash with clarifying shampoo it all comes out. i've been told by many ppl not to use wax and when i investigate them further they have never used wax themselves
i'm sure some ppl used bad wax / put way too much on/ didn't wash with clarifying shampoo and have ruined their dreads but my dreads personally are very good
it should be noted that the amount of wax i use per dread is a very very very small amout, about the size of half the area of an eraser head on a pencil.
And another important thing is to use clarifying shampoo bought at a salon supply store that strips out all chemicals and oils and leaves behind no residue. to wash the wax out about every three days
i don't think wax is crucial to having dreads but for ppl who have thin straight hair like me it def helps keep a neater tighter form, For Me At Least