Not sure what to do.

to start, i am a complete noob, i've done some research but not as much as i should have. yesterday i went to a salon (actually it was some ladys house) to get dreadlocks and she used a method which seemed like a mix of backcombing and twist and rip. i couldn't really tell because there was no mirror and she just said her method was called "locking with a tool". this process took 3 1/2 to 4 hours and was incredibly painful. this is where i'm a little sketchy. she told me to come back every 6 weeks to get them retightened which costs $60 each time ($80 if they grow an inch) and that i should not shampoo or even get them wet for the first 6 weeks. so i guess my question is, does this sound right? or did i just get myself sucked into a money grabbing scheme? she didn't use any wax or anything, just some hairspray. let me know if you need more details or a picture. thanks for reading.
updated by @cameron-m: 11/14/21 01:30:10AM

Hi and welcome to the forum!if you could just put a picture it will help to answer you...You should not return to the salon every 6 weeks that sound, as you said, like a money grabbing scheme. The new growth will dread on its own.Dreads happens on their own and you don't have to go to a salon to get them... all you need is time.and I don't think you should wait 6 weeks before washing your hair. (I recommend you Dr bronner soap or baking soda.)The good news is that she didn't use any wax!Good luck

Welcome to the dreadspace, man!That's sucks. Yeah, you shouldn't go back. There's no reason to spend the cash when your hair will do all of those things on its own. And amen for her not using any wax. That's how you get some pretty gnarly mildew problems.As for washing, I wash every 3 or 4 days, and I use Dove bar soap. Gets it really clean and strips the hair of all of the oils to ensure better gripping of the loose hairs to the formed locks. 6 weeks without washing sounds like torture (your scalp is going to itch like a mo-fo). You'll want to wash tomorrow, I bet, but it's better to wait a few days anyways.Good luck!~Peace~Jaimee

thank you both for your responses. i'm definitely not going back to her. here's a few pictures of what she did.

so since they're already like this, should i just leave them be as they are and let them dread on there own? (with the exception of washing every few days) or should i start all over?
updated by @cameron-m: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

I will not tell you to start over...I think you should let them be and they will dread on their own for sureBut its up to you if you think you shoud have gone natural way you can start overIt's not so bad man, there is a lot of salon that makes really more damage than thisI recommend you to let them be for a couple of months to see how it goes.patience is the keyand for rubber band, you can keep them if you want (not more than a couple of weeks) but I don't think they make a difference at all.peace

Happy to help, brotha. They do look good so far, but I agree with Maegan, take those bands out! I really dig the look of the loose ends instead of the rounded ends. they tips of your locks will probably look like a loose curl, but they'll be gorgeous, for real. Maegan said:

first and foremost, welcome!
now what to do...if I were you I would not go back there, your dreads do not need to be "tightened" they will dread on their own (hair may grow out a little but it will dread eventually). It is good she did not put wax in there....I did, very bad idea. Your dreads should be fine if you just let them be. One last thing I would do is take out the rubberbands, you definetley don't need them and they will do far more trouble then help. Good luck on the rest of your dread journey my friend!
Bless.

cameron m said:

thank you both for your responses. i'm definitely not going back to her. here's a few pictures of what she did.

so since they're already like this, should i just leave them be as they are and let them dread on there own? (with the exception of washing every few days) or should i start all over?

updated by @jammin-jay: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

Don't go back. It shouldn't have hurt in the first place and you sure as hell don't need to be "re-tightened". Just leave em be and let them do their thing, and really try to enjoy the process instead of worrying about it and trying to "fix" every loop or a zigzag.Leave the rubber bands if you want but don't leave them in for longer then a month, they can melt and get stuck in there and are near impossible to get out. I did rubber bands with my first set and waited 2 months to remove them, some of them had melted and fused with the hair and there they stayed for a whole year. shit was so not cash cameron m said:

thank you both for your responses. i'm definitely not going back to her. here's a few pictures of what she did.

so since they're already like this, should i just leave them be as they are and let them dread on there own? (with the exception of washing every few days) or should i start all over?

updated by @vinny: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

I didn't realize you could get dreads, i thought you grew dreadsSorry i can't help, newbie here aswell...

^ true that, they aren't really locks for quite some time to come,seems everyone starting isn't under that impression, a year ago today, neither was I,omg 60$ for you to go back there? jesus christ,even imaging what she would be doing so simply, if you really wanted to spend that money you could do it for the gas money it takes to drive to get a 2$ needle and do it yourself,which seems like just a bad idea to especially crochet matted hair so young,leave em be (imo) it does look like she did a good job initially, and im surprised they aren't poking out all over the place which is also good,and I think in time you will be happy with them.

i actually got sucked into the same exact scheme as a matter of fact. i started itching like crazy within the first week so I did my research and took those twists out asap and started using the backcomb method after washing them first. the rubberbands and hairspray are NOT a good mix at all. they left a lot of nasty stuff in between the rubberbands and it didn't smell good either. make sure you take these out and try another method and wash your hair man. i wasted $75 but you live and learn, good luck on your journey and you can ask me any questions since i was in the same boat.