Forum Activity for @valrie

Losing length?

General Questions

I did TnR and at 4 months I have about 6" of length gone. I'm not too stressed about it because I would rather they shrink in the summer than in the winter (brrr....)

Anyhoo, from what I hear around the dreadvine is that when you go au naturale it takes longer for the knotting to happen; it's more gradual so you don't notice a ton of shrinkage. Also, everyone has different types and length of hair so where some people lose a couple inches, others loose half their length/

Houdini Dreads?

General Questions

Totally normal. I have lost an average of 6" of my length and I have loopy and tentacle dreads. They will eventually matte together and round out though so, I wouldn't worry about it.

Unless you have improved or destroyed the conditions your hair needs to grow (ie. scalp conditions, etc.) then it should be growing at the same rate regardless of the knotting. It just seems like it isn't because of the tangling and knotting. Once they have compacted enough to not loop in on themselves anymore then they will start to show length because they will be dreading at the root area as they grow and not throughout.

baking soda

Dread Maintenance

Or you can get the locking up liquid from Bucks County Soap or boil the water, nay? :P

DREAD! Just one of them...

Help! Save My Dreads

Yeah, I would just leave it. If it doesn't fall off then maybe the new growth will help to strengthen it up over time...?

Starting my dread journey!

Introduce Yourself

They are totally right about your hair. If you were thinking you would need to wait to use a starter method then you might as well prep yourself and go neglect now... by the time your hair is that much longer it will probably already be dreaded.

The dreaducation page can direct you to the BS/ACV recipe and how to wash with it. That alone will take care of your oiliness. Also, check out some of the essential oils because they can also help control oiliness, itchiness, dandruff, and other things.

Once your hair starts sectioning itself out all you have to do is separate the sections regularly.

Curious about a potentially "outrageous" method of thinning dreadlocks..

General Questions

Baba Fats: http://www.dreadlockssite.com/profile/EvanBaum?xg_source=activity

Also, using a hair dryer will just help dry the hair faster. It's best to use a diffuser or in short bursts.

I've used a hair dryer in my earlier months and it never loosened my dreads so that probably has a lot to do with how you use it.

Curious about a potentially "outrageous" method of thinning dreadlocks..

General Questions

Have you tried blasting the really thick ones with a hair dryer? Hit up Baba because he has some tricks and tips for handling fat dreads.

My zig zags and loopy loops!!

Dread Maintenance

The loops and zig-zags are your hair bundling up into knots and pulling them straight is essentially unknotting them. If you put up with the loops for a couple of months a lot of them will round out on their own.

I get why people use wax now...

Dread Maintenance

Wonderfully put KnotLady! The lack of inhibition/confidence in dreadies that take the more natural route I find makes up for the messy loose hair flying everywhere; like an inner glow.

how to know if the dread process is working

General Questions

Hi Jacob and welcome to the dreadie-life!

Anyhoo, here is a little reiteration with some redirection:

The Nutrogena Anti-Residue should only be used to remove gunky buildup, like a clarifying shampoo, it should not be used as a regular shampoo.

There are various alternatives that are great for keeping the scalp clean such as the BS/ACV (baking soda/acv otherwise known as "no poo") which you can find a recipe for in the dreaducation pages, Dr. Bronners, and the dreadlock shampoos from Bucks County Soap (these are the most popular but, by far, not the only available.) With the first 2 it's good to add essential oils for certain effects.

When you wash, only wash the scalp with the fingertips (no need to lather the entire head up or scrub at the hair itself) and the water will rinse the shampoo through your hair, in turn, cleaning it without disrupting the process. With the BS/ACV option, you don't have to do any rubbing because it's a "no-touch" way of cleaning.

With drying, gently squeeze excess water and/or flip the hair about while still in the shower. I even use a towel to squeeze and soak up the water since my hair holds a lot of excess but no rubbing.

The first sign of progress will be your hair starting to form it's own sections. Over time, these sections will start to get fuzzy and then knot up in places. Once this starts, it's your job to pull the sections apart so that they don't get out of control and start to dread together. The all-natural process could take months to years to dread, depending on your hair type.

As for the beanie, it's going to be too tight to allow your hair to move to form knots. IF you do want to keep your hair covered or out of your face, replace the beanie with a tam. Tams are essentially saggy beanies. They are big enough to allow the hair some movement when worn.