shortest length to start dreads??

I cut my dreads off about 4 months ago because i didnt like the way they came out and i knew id eventually get tired of them so i figured i better restart now rather than later. my hair is about 3.5 inches long now. i want to start my dreads as soon as possible! i cant stand not having them! i know they shrink up a bit, so what length do you think my hair should be before i start them?

and how long was your hair when you first started yours?

the pictures are how long my hair is now, and the first day of my old dreadlocks

updated by @lacey-koll: 01/13/15 08:30:43PM

Howdy Lacey, i'm not exactly an authority on the subject... I started my second set at about 18 inches, which seems to just provoke a lotta loose hair/baby dreads from forming independently. From my experience 6-8 inches is the most resonable distance to just "let em go at." Your not far from that length, but inquire with others for more info cause i've only done the backcomb method on both occasions. tty soon!

ive only dont natural bot times started short\typicaly 3 inch backcomb 4 twist n rip 6 naturalbut, mine naturaly started at 2-3 so typical isnt absoluteid just let it dread as it grows..easiest ting to do


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i started mine at about 3-4 inches.. pending on where on my head. the shorter ones i had to interlock - and really had a hard time keeping them together, and had to crochet the tips when the dreads themselves got to about 3 inches to keep them from falling out.. this took out about any growth i had accumulated at the time.. and they pretty much stuck straight out (like pinhead). i wore a beanie for about 6 months to try to keep them laying flatter and had to keep a lot of the roots banded to keep them together.the longer sections i was able to backcomb and band - they are locked much better now.only real problem i am having now is the shifting weight from the sectioning is pulling a bit irregularly. i agree with SE on having them dread naturally.. would have me feeling much more comfortable at this point - but i was also very impatient =/i hadnt dreaded before - and my hair doesnt really like to lock up .. so i assume having had dreads before - it might be a bit easier since you prob know much better what you are doing etc.dont know if thats any help - but if it makes any difference - i dont regret locking up short or using odd method even if i did end up having to take a few steps backwards along the way:)good luck

I think it depends on what your willing to go through. The longer your hair is the longer T&R and Backcombing will take, but they'll stay together better then shorter hair. If you go for those methods in short hair (3"-4") I don't think it'll do you much good, unless your willing to do the extensive maintenance to keep them in that "baby dread" state.Personally I know what my patience level is and I'm not gonna do work on my head until my hair is at least six inches long. That way I can just "set em and forget em"Btw that picture of your old dreads is one of my favorite pictures of locks ever.

when i started my dreads, i had a "bob' haircut, where my hair in the back is significantly shorter (2 in) and gradually gets longer as it gets to the front (about 7 in?)from what i can see so far, the hairs in the back arent locking at all, but the longer dreads are definitely knotty.just my 2 cents.

somewhere from 4-6 inches was ok for me, cause by the time they started really shrinking, my hair had grown out a bit more

Well, I have 3 inch of hair and I am going to have someone section and braid my hair and wait a month or two. Then pull out the braids and T&R one by one. I will let you know the outcome.

Lacey, PLEASE tell me that you plan on goin natural? you might as well! I mean you have to wait for your hair to grow anyway right? Let it dread on its own! Right now, you are about at the length that I was when I decided to dread my hair. When my hair got to be around the six inch mark I threw away my comb, and have a picture two days after you can already begin to see separating! The point is that you are not only going to be in love with your dreads 1,000000000000x more but yourself as well! I know!!! <3 Namaste~