Natural/Neglect Method Issues

I currently have several dreads amongst my hair. Although I'd love to have a full head of dreadlocks, I struggle to commit to it. I've tried the natural/neglect method a couple times, but it seems like after only a week or two my hair is a huge tangled mess! Big chunks of my hair get all tangled up (especially the underneath). It doesn't knot up in nice, small sections... and separating it is nearly impossible. Based on the way it knots up, it looks like eventually i'll end up with only a few giant dreadlocks. So whenever I try the neglect method, I end up brushing it all out after a few weeks. I just have a few questions about how I should approach this issue. Any input would be much appreciated(:

updated by @grace-nostab: 01/13/15 09:57:31PM

Why is it so hard to separate? You have to do it as often as you need to. For some people it's once a week, for others it's five times a day. You have to keep on top of it, and as the dreads mature, you won't have to separate as often. But you can section the hair and twist and rip them if you really feel like the natural method isn't for you. Many people on here have, and with excellent results

Thats the thing, I'm not sure why it's so difficult to separate. The underneath of it just gets so tangly that I cant even pull it apart! So I end up brushing it out . I was just really wanting to do it the natural way... but I may end up doing twist and rip if all else fails. I have naturally wavy/curly hair, and I'm worried that if I do twist and rip I'll loose that aspect of my hair. So I was thinking if I do it the natural way.. my dreads will still have the curls and waves (correct me if I'm wrong).

it sounds like i8t will dread real fast so just seperatre when wet very often some have to daily but a min weekly or a couple times a week

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

My hair is curly and wavy, and my dreads are straight. Bumpy and cool, but straight. The loose hair is its usual curly self though. So no, you won't keep that aspect, I'm afraid. But agree with Soaring Eagle, give it another try and just separate them as often as you need to. Even if it's a couple of times a day.

I started with twist n rip and I have wavy/curly hair. I'm almost done with my 4th month and have some tight dreads as well as some straight hair (no knots) still but I have actually kept a lot of curl so far. Remember that even when you start with the t n r they pretty much undo before knotting up naturally. Good luck!!!