Forum Activity for @sissemor

I've updated my timeline now

Great! Where can I see pics?

I understand your concern. Do they smell? If there's mold, you might be able to smell it. What also helped for me, I think, was using real acv instead of white vinegar and then leaving it in for half an hour before rinsing, and also using a blow dryer - this was of course after I had cut the bad lumps, I don't think it would have helped much with the really big ones that were already moldy. If you're really nervous, you could just check the biggest one, maybe+

Hi Heather,

I do! Beautiful ones Chopping was the best decision ever, I've had no problems since. I don't have any recent photos but will try to make hubby take some later

What about you, how are yours coming along? Hope you are also doing well

Yes, that's what really freaked me out too - the thought that it could be in there with no signs, smell or anything

I have psoriasis too, and what really helped me after years of experimenting was shifting from shampoo to bs/vinegar AND salt water, which I make using 2 heaping teaspoons of sea salt to 4 cups of water and pour in and leave after every wash.

Panterra Caraway said:

I have been keeping an eye on this thread because I think it is a very good discussion and of interest to ALOT of members. I have been curious about these dread lumps as well. I am at the 14 mo. mark soon and have quite a few enormous, hard lumps hanging from the end of my dreads. They take much longer to dry and do cause painful weight and pulling at the scalp. I have gone neglect, so I don't believe any one method is to blame. I also used BS and ACV in the beginning, but switched to a dread bar. At 8 mos. my hair was absolutely knot free, so I started trying different things. I did use alot of sea spray. I collected water from the ocean and used it after every shampoo. I usually shampoo every 2-3 day, because my scalp can get itchy from mild psoriasis. I am very careful not to wear tams, put my hair up or sleep when it is wet...but this thread has put a very valid concern into my mind. My hair smells clean and fresh...but who knows what is lurking under these knotted folds that created the lumps...?????

I'm sorry you have this too

I read your thread just now - do you think that the lumps are the reason your hair takes so long to dry? I mean, if they are skinny above the lumps, they should dry rather fast. Mine are now skinny to medium and dry within 6-10 hours, depending on temp. here, perhaps longer during the winter. I now use a dryer before bed if they are not bone dry, but this has only been necessary a few times during these past 2-3 months.

However, I'm sure this would not have been enough for me, if I had not cut the lumps. I would have had to dry after every washing.

If your lumps are not as dense as mine, perhaps you can get rid of the mildew and avoid cutting, using vinegar rinses and sun.

Mama Harrison said:

hmmm...i have these lumps on every dreadlock. they are startig to get musky/moldy. I want to join in and will be back to do so when I have some time. I posted a thread about this though called 'stinky dreadlocks'. I am concerned I will have to cut those parts off to solve this problem. I like the way they look and don't want to have to do this, but I do think I am getting mold. These lumps are really large and dense and folded layers of hair {not really dreaded I don't think}. My hair is SUPER short right now because of the way they folded over on each other again and again and I would be really sad to have to cut them and have almost no length, but I don't see the option not to at this point. I am going to cut some of them and see what I find inside and report back. I will also post a pic of what these 'lumps' look like in my hair.

i started my dreads with backcoming, but i have several dreads that have tigher and looser spots, like super dreaded, then super loose just below it, then super dreaded below the loose stuff...could this cause me to get these giant lumps you're talking about and is there anything i can do to tighten up the loose stuff? i've noticed here in the last month or so alot of my undreaded loose stuff in the middle of my dreads is gettin the natural, good loops. i figured even though there's a lot of loose hair in the middle of my dreads, that eventually they would do the natural, good looping and form themselves. am i wayoff with that assumptions?

Well, if I told you I had those giant ones on most of my dreads, perhaps you would not be quick to judge me I don't want uniform dreads - what I want is mold-free dreads that I can sleep on comfortably, and I didn't have that. I do now, after I cut the moldy lumps, though So now I have short, zigzaggy, bumpy dreads. Just what I always wanted Well, apart from the short part, anyway LOL

I knew this would be a difficult topic on this forum but I hope there is room for those of us who do not feel that whatever happens during the dreading process is "all good". I just thought that there might be others like me who have had problems with giant lumps they weren't crazy about, and perhaps also mold.

Good idea to be particularly thorough about drying that part!

Crystal O. said:

I have one of those I think. On one of my straight dreads, right in the middle two loops popped out and are starting to fold over, I can't fit a bead over. He he it kind of looks like my dread has wings! (I should post a picture). I'm ok with it though, the spot does hold water, but I think since I am conscious of it and hold the dryer to it or squish it a lot after washing, it'll be fine

I know you do And I also know that not everyone does.

Perhaps a definition of "lumps" is missing from my first post. I'm not talking about bumps and zigzags, which should be obvious. I'm talking about real lumps - areas on the dreads that are at least 3 or 4 times the width of the rest of the dreads.These are indeed huge lumps, to me at least. And they're not really dreads at all - at least mine weren't, they were just hard and made up of overlapping loops with minimal knotting, extremely different from the rest of the dread.

Yes, tighter and looser spots on TnR is exactly what I thought might be able to cause the types of lumps I mention.

Rain Bow and I've been discussing mold risks lately and would like to hear your thoughts on this. We were rather shocked when my personal experience with mold showed us there might not be any odour at all, until the dread is cut off. This means that one could have mold and not even be aware of it. So what are the chances of getting problems with mold?

Obvious risks are of course:

Washing too frequently
Not letting hair dry completely between washing
Wearing tams when hair is wet
Washing before bedtime because hair dries too slowly (unless using a fan)
Product build-up (wax and residue)

But then there are others - dreads with big lumps and naturally rounded tips, to name one we have encountered Now, it's rather simple to avoid the risk factors above if you plan washings and
perhaps use a blow dryer. But what if your dreads naturally form massive lumpy parts that take forever to dry and are perhaps extremely difficult to rinse properly after washing?

Our experience with TnR has been that the dreads may develop massive loops that aren't necessarily sucked evenly into the dread as it matures, but rather overlap and knot to some extent. The result may be
hard, lumpy parts that drain poorly, leading to mold. This means that the lumps are not "just" aesthetically displeasing but also potentially a health hazard and increase the risk of giving up on dreads altogether.

What we'd like to know is whether the risk of having lumps is related to washing, dreading method or something else. We've worked on some theories:

Tight TnR - perhaps this hinders movement of the hair in the dread causing giant loops to just cling to the surface of the rest of the dread, rather than being sucked in.

Frequent washing on the early months - perhaps this draws out loops too fast and does not allow time between washing for them to be sucked into the dread.

Washing with shampoo - there is more rubbing when washing with shampoo than with bs/vinegar rinses, and perhaps this draws out more loops.

Is natural/neglect perhaps less likely to lead to lumps?

We should stress that we know that loops are a natural part of the dreading process We're not talking about normal looping. We refer to the loops that just sort of glue together in layers forming big
lumps that aren't really knotted dreads at all.

We'd like to know what you think, from your personal experience, if you've had problems with either mold or lumps, and what your dreading method was.

Also, we'd like to hear if anyone has had any luck stopping the formation of lumps using wraps, beads or something similar.

You're welcome, and thanks Mini squares sound great!