dreads progress & shrinkage
Introduce Yourself
Your dreads will be beautiful!
Forum Activity for @maria-tyler
dreads progress & shrinkage
Introduce Yourself
It shrinks!!!!
Here is my hair's length when I started (it's hard to see, but my hair is down past my waist over my butt at the longest point): 
Here is the length after 12 months:
And it is even shorter now at the 15 month mark!
I would say it is now about half as long as it was, and considering my hair grows 6-8" a year -- that is a LOT of dreading!!! But I love all of the curls and loops and knots.
I will say one thing, if I want to pull my hair back, I can barely put an elastic tie around it because it is so thick. I used to be able to double and even triple loop one of those things before dreads!
updated by @maria-tyler: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM
Second thoughts
Introduce Yourself
Hang in there!My hair has also shrunk quite a bit. I started with waist-length hair. That was 10 months ago. My hair is now just past my shoulders.-- about HALF the length that it was! And it is lumpy and bumpy and I LOVE it that way. It has so much personality. Don't worry about the looks. 'Letting go' is not just about not brushing your hair... it is also about releasing the hold that other people, places and things have on you. I am sure your hair is wonderful -- the fact that it is shrinking tells me so.Post some pics! Peace.
Washing forming dreads
General Questions
Prior to dreading, my hair always seemed 'oily'. I have since learned it was because of my shampoo! Since dreading, my hair is NEVER oily or greasy, and I only use soap and periodically do a BS/ACV rinse (maybe once a week or once every other week).
In the beginning, I washed my hair everyday with BS/ACV, because I didn't know better. After about three weeks, my hair started to get too dry and brittle and began breaking. That is when I switched to soap. For the first time in a LONG time, I love love love the way my hair feels. Not too dry, not too oily. It's healthy. I am so happy with my hair, and I owe it to dreading! I would never have stopped shampooing if I didn't come to this site.
I may not have helped you, but I am just telling you my experience. FYI, I have been dreading about 6 months. Here is a pic of what my dreads look like.
Being too rough on my hair.
General Questions
I am a few weeks into "neglecting" my hair. Before trying to get dreads, my hair was matted ALL of the time. Now that I want dreads...let's just say I feel like the universe is REALLY helping me to understand what it means to be patient 
My question is this: I have read on here that it is not good for your hair to do anything to "force" the dreading process because it is not good for your dreads. It makes them weak. But I was also told that I need to keep a watch for the matting that will happen, especially in the back of my head, and to make sure I separate the matting.
So, I am really loving the way my hair is showing signs of dreading by separating itself, and I am doing nothing other than washing it with Dr, Bronner's. However, I noticed tonight that some of the tendencies for the back of my head to become matted are starting up again, but I am being diligent here at the beginning of this process to be sure that the pieces stay separated. In watching the videos and reading the forums about separating my hair, I feel like I am really being rough on the hair when it comes to pulling the pieces apart. I mean, I can hear the RIPPING when trying to get two pieces apart.
Is this bad for my hair? Should I be ripping from the roots down or from the ends up? If I am doing something wrong, please let me know. By the way, my hair is down to my waist at this time.
Thanks!
updated by @maria-tyler: 01/13/15 09:53:57PM