Moving Forward With Nature: My Dreadlock Journal

As my introduction thread discusses, I started my dreads with a harmful technique, interlocking. This journal, at least at the moment will be focused on my dreadlock updates, hopefully on a month to month basis. As of today, they are 3 years 7 months old. The photos I have included are of the locks as they are, and of the natural dreads I have had forming. although one doesn't really seem to be that far along. I may also post photos as my beard grows longer and longer (if anyone would be interested in beard updates, LOL - still debating about letting it lock up, will be going to a 'barber spa' in the next week to see what advice they have about helping my beard along...I kinda doubt they'll have anything useful, but it is worth at least a shot, I guess, as beards are their speciality, and maybe they'll have a way I can make it look 'presentable' without sacrificing my goal of embracing the natural state (the inner renunciate if you will....does sound a little contradictory in my head)...it feels like a long shot...but it's fulfilling a holiday gift that I was given, so it won't cost my anything, as far as I know, haha) ...I do want to note that I think one or two of these photos I posted might be duplicates, sorry about that. 

updated by @ravens-light: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

I really like that thickness, the immature dreads that I have started are pretty thin that I have separated, but I feel like I can make them thicker later if it comes to that. Thank you for sharing, you look great!

Thanks! My dreads thickened up alot from year 1 to 2, and I only noticed within the 3rd year, how flat they've become...I kinda wonder if that will change over time or not.

As for your immature dreads, perhaps if you stop separating for a while that can help them thicken. but maybe just try that for a month...I could be wrong though I am sure others would be better able to advise, as some may congo (combine) in ways you may not like.

updated by @ravens-light: 12/15/16 07:42:31PM

While I still see some progress on the gap (or my hair's part I guess) I still wonder if outside of sea salt sprays there is another way to help it to close up, as it seems to sort of ebb and flow in terms of seeming more sealed one day and a little less sealed the next. Attached is a current photo of it, and sort of my roots over all.

I did use a very small amount of water on my roots today, to try and help them seal a little more....I am starting to wonder if doing that isn't effective to that end goal at all...

updated by @ravens-light: 12/19/16 07:16:38PM

My roots are looking really good after this most recent sea salt spray and wash. I ended up accidently getting my roots wet so I ended up washing my hair today. So at 5 days since my last wash instead of 7...but I had the time to do so today, and my scalp had been a little itchy the last two days, so I'm kinda glad I did it now. I am thinking I'll try and wash between every 5-7th day, and or when it is convenient(like today was instead of waiting another 2 days to wash). I know I have been holding myself to too regimented a washing cycle. I hope this window works ok for the winter months. Time will tell I guess. 

So my roots look a lot better from my wash today than they have in a couple weeks. The difference is that I washed with dr bronners today instead of the beer soap, so I am really wondering if the beer soap was making the roots 'worse' in the sense of making the gap wider instead of helping fix it....is that possible?

In the interest of not wanting to have to wash my hair on the first of the year, I ended up washing my hair today which is the second time this week I have washed it. It was about 4 days since my last wash. I am hoping that wasn't too soon to wash my hair again. I changed my shampoo and am using up the last of a tea tree shampoo I have. It already seems to have made a difference. Attached is a photo of my hair after it's pretty much dry....Still sort of kicking myself for not just waiting until the 1st to wash...but my scalp has again been itchy off and on, and that has always been my cue for me that I should wash my dreads. 

updated by @ravens-light: 12/29/16 04:02:42PM

I have been trying to change up how I part my hair for a period of time, to see if that does in fact, help my part in closing up, I'm only about 4 days into doing that and I do already see a change, the attached photo is of the change, I hope this is a rather quick process, and doesn't in fact, take 3 months to fill in. I will probably also in addition to throwing my dreads over either side, I may also start through them back more, just so they get trained to go in pretty much any direction.

Wow, I am amazed a what a difference a week has made! I have been wearing my hair parted differently, and sometimes tied back in the parting to one side or the other. I am wondering if maybe it won't actually take 3 months for the parting to fix itself, even if I only part it differently for 8 hours a day (just for work). It seems to be helping. I hope my relaxation of separating (although I just did so today, but didn't find any that really needed it) helps too.

My attached photo from the prior entry didn't seem to post.