combing out year and a half old natural locks
Dread Maintenance
Lol! I hope it's not over some guy! Boys are stupid and a lot of them have a perturbed sense of beauty ;P
Forum Activity for @valrie
combing out year and a half old natural locks
Dread Maintenance
I'm so sorry to read this!
to answer your questions, you would treat the hair as you would any tangles: Use either jojoba or olive oil and then with a wide tooth comb start working from the bottoms upward. Also, it has been known to take people a few days to complete the comb-out so start with an area that will be easier to hide if you need to work or go to an event.
Someday the time will be right for you... who knows, you may feel the loss mid-comb-out. Good luck.
thin dreads
dreadlockssite appreciation
Now these sections look great! Keep in mind though that as they lock up they will be much thicker than that because the hair tumbles and kinks up upon itself. Later on, if you think there are some that are far too thin, you can always get them to congo. 
washing
Introduce Yourself
The cleaner the hair, the dreadier they dare!
Most people wash every 2 - 3 days and as the dreads mature go as long as a week! Focus cleaning solely on the scalp and let the run off clean the rest.
soaring eagle said:
wash them whenever u want to 4 days is plenty id wash em today
Cigarette smoke and dreads
Dreads Hair and Scalp Health
Try to smoke in a more ventilated area and tie your dreads away from your face when you do. That will help keep the smoke from "clinging" as hard. You can use your dreads to tie back your dreads.
As far as washing goes, wash when you think it's necessary but I wouldn't recommend every day.
I sometimes put some oils on my fingertips and tousle the locks for an added smell bonus.
Quitting is hard and you have to really, really want it and work for it. I know a TON of people who have had success with Wellbutrin and some medical insurances will cover all methods available if you take smoking cessation class. But, like I said, you really need to want it or any and all methods will fail.
A lot of people who smoke or live in highly smokey environments don't really realize how smokey they smell. I once lived with indoor smokers and never thought that the smell was particularly gnarly but when I moved out into a smoke-free environment I absolutely wanted to gag. I had to wash everything and steam clean my bed. I personally smoke cloves which smell like incense and am not an advocate for smoking in the home. I've never had complaints about my smell rather, compliments.
twist and rip vs back comb
Dreading Methods
I have personally used both. TnR is gentler on the hair than backcombing/ratting. Also, TnR gives you a more cylindrical appearance at first where sometimes backcombing can make your dreads look like bristles on a bottle brush. Both will loosen up and some, if not all, will come undone completely. I only had about 3- 5 of my TnR come undone while the rest just loosened up and then re-tightened on their own.
I think the zig-zags on the backcombing depend on how you do it. Some people backcomb tightly while others do it in broader stroks. This can also change the bristliness.
happy birthday dreadlockssite and new dreaducation
General Talk
Thanks all! Feedback is warmly welcome and appreciated. I essentially copied most of the previous info, added what was missing, organized it and anchored it for easier info access.
However, I did it without the site formatting so the page I initially made looks different from it's current state in the skinnier column.
Please, let us know if there is anything that was missed/needs added or if there are weird formatting glitches so that we can work together to make the information that we stand for more comprehensive, easier to access, and understand for EVERYONE.
BB!
Finally joined the group!!
Introduce Yourself
TJ, when I did my waxed dreads about a decade ago I got hives on my neck and face as well. I don't think I was allergic to it but I do have sensitive skin that gets irritated at the drop of a hat.
I can't even imagine what would have happened if I had kept it up.
Finally joined the group!!
Introduce Yourself
Welcome aboard and hopefully you can add pictures and stories of your own that we can look forward to.