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dread gurusPermalink Reply by Baba Fats on February 13, 2012 at 11:09pm

How old are those 12?  Cause, unfortunately, if you go neglect, especially, you will probably lose a lot of length.  We've all been there.  Any method loses length, but neglect can lose up to 1/2 before they start growing longer again.  It's ok.  We'll be here to support you and make sure you feel good about your progress. But just so you know, usually you'll lose anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 the original length.  Someone even lost 3/4 not too long ago.  But when they start to grow again, man, be ready.  5 years ago, one of my shortest ones was 1.5 inches long.  Now it's over 12.  And my hair use to grow maybe 2-3 inches a year

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Permalink Reply by Paige on February 13, 2012 at 11:12pm

3 of them are 3 weeks, 3 are 2 weeks, and the rest are 1 week. Man, really! I thought that neglect had less shrinkage. I might still do neglect anyway, but now I have more thinking to do! Thanks for the help.

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dread gurusPermalink Reply by ☮ soaring eagle ॐ on February 13, 2012 at 11:15pm

Couldn't look awful if you tried. The dreads will look great on you. You're off to a good start but I would definitely consider going natural the rest of the way

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dread gurusPermalink Reply by ☮ soaring eagle ॐ on February 13, 2012 at 11:17pm

Neglect doesn't have less shrinkage but is less noticeable because the dreading and this shrinking  are gradual, So less noticeable

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Permalink Reply by Paige on February 13, 2012 at 11:32pm

Thanks! I think I will go natural. A lot less work too! I feel a lot better about it now! You guys are great :)

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dread gurusPermalink Reply by ☮ soaring eagle ॐ on February 13, 2012 at 11:35pm

Start a timeline and updated very often because yours are going to dread fast

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Permalink Reply by Paige on February 13, 2012 at 11:38pm

will do!

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shampoo ingredients expertsPermalink Reply by Heather on February 14, 2012 at 1:41am

my hair is just now starting to shrink at 16 month neglect. nice thing about going natural is that your hair keeps growing while knotting from the bottom up. when i stated my hair was just past my shoulders and now even with shrinkage its at my waist. now my journey has been incredibly slow so it might be different for you if yours knots up fast. don't worry too much though. your going to look beautiful no matter what:)

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crafty craftersPermalink Reply by Angel Frye on February 14, 2012 at 3:31am

I dont' know, Heather. Mine shrank up 2 inches on the sides and THREE around the nape of my neck last month and that was at month #2. Now all my hair is evening out and longer. I don't look so out of wack, thankfully. But I'll bet you that if I brushed my hair out it'd be down to my collar bone and when I started locking up three months ago my hair was just past my chin! My hair is growing like a weed. Er. weedsssss. Plural. Definitely feels heavier on my head.

I can tell anyone out there who has layers cut into their hair definitively--- give up seeing those layers after you've committed to the dread journey. Seriously. (Neglect or backcombing, doesn't matter) Because they're going to merge together and disappear forever unless you cut them back in after your locks are solid and mature. It's been a crazy thing to watch on my own head. I thought for sure certain locks I saw in the first month would keep and.. nope. hell no. They merged with others and gave me and my wishes the middle finger. So I guess the best newbie advice I could give, Paige, is this: get used to waking up with a different head of hair every day. LOL It's a riot.

Congratulations. Your babies look beautiful. Love them and keep them happy and clean and they will mature into beautiful strong locks.

Oh, also: give your locks a morning "shake" to brush them out. It'll wake you up and after your done shaking everything will be nicely settled. And I highly recommend driving with the window down. Dreads love the wind!

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Permalink Reply by Paige on February 14, 2012 at 8:44pm

thanks! that's what really pushed me to go natural, how it still grows while knotting. i haven't brushed my hair since yesterday and most of my right and half of my left has separated itself into little sections. so it's gonna be fast :)

Heather said:

my hair is just now starting to shrink at 16 month neglect. nice thing about going natural is that your hair keeps growing while knotting from the bottom up. when i stated my hair was just past my shoulders and now even with shrinkage its at my waist. now my journey has been incredibly slow so it might be different for you if yours knots up fast. don't worry too much though. your going to look beautiful no matter what:)

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Permalink Reply by Paige on February 14, 2012 at 8:46pm

Thanks for the tips! I'll shake it out tomorrow. today was nice and windy! so i was happy they got blown around

Angel Frye said:

I dont' know, Heather. Mine shrank up 2 inches on the sides and THREE around the nape of my neck last month and that was at month #2. Now all my hair is evening out and longer. I don't look so out of wack, thankfully. But I'll bet you that if I brushed my hair out it'd be down to my collar bone and when I started locking up three months ago my hair was just past my chin! My hair is growing like a weed. Er. weedsssss. Plural. Definitely feels heavier on my head.

I can tell anyone out there who has layers cut into their hair definitively--- give up seeing those layers after you've committed to the dread journey. Seriously. (Neglect or backcombing, doesn't matter) Because they're going to merge together and disappear forever unless you cut them back in after your locks are solid and mature. It's been a crazy thing to watch on my own head. I thought for sure certain locks I saw in the first month would keep and.. nope. hell no. They merged with others and gave me and my wishes the middle finger. So I guess the best newbie advice I could give, Paige, is this: get used to waking up with a different head of hair every day. LOL It's a riot.

Congratulations. Your babies look beautiful. Love them and keep them happy and clean and they will mature into beautiful strong locks.

Oh, also: give your locks a morning "shake" to brush them out. It'll wake you up and after your done shaking everything will be nicely settled. And I highly recommend driving with the window down. Dreads love the wind!

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on February 15, 2012 at 10:27am

If you braid your hairs that are left into small briads, they will eventually start to dread on their own and it won't cost you any length.  It may take up to a year for them to completely transform into dreads if your hair is straight and oily, but they will be a lot more uniform and you can choose the size.  I think it will look a lot better to have half braids and half dreads than what is likely to happen if you just let the hair try to dread it'self.  My hair is also straight and oily, so I also know that the oil will destroy the rubber bands after a while, but you can replace them, or use thin soft wire after they have started to set.  You will still have to rip the braid/dreads to keep them separated, but you will have beautiful dreads when you are done.

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