crochet dreads recovery recommendations

so you got your crochet dreads and maybe your happy, probably your not not, so now what?

fairly quickly they get fuzzy or don't seem to progress but soon need more work. maybe now you just found this site and started to rethink crochet, or maybe you went to work on them year after year.

you probably chose crochet thinking you wanted no loose hairs but loose hairs were constantly popping up everywhere

why crochet dreads need constant crocheting

lets say this is the 1st time visiting an honest site and haven't been told the truth about crochet. there is no possible way to crochet without breaking lots of hairs (you won't hear less then probably 100 hairs ripping at a time even in the quietest rooms and crochets more like 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 10 18 10 10 10 its not like ripping a partially formed congo all at once its breaking bunches quickly  over and over and over and over and over)  if you do hear it..panic!!!!!  everytime you pull in 10 you rip 30 -100 going through it and back

even if you only lull hairs through loose roots not essentially solid dreads hairs break, a single hair made into a loop and then pulled out of pinched fingers will break more often then not.

there literally is no way to not break hairs when you crochet. so all those hairs you keep "maintaining" you were causing all along.

crochet recovery takes time but is easy

many choose to start over and dread naturally. heartbreaking as that may be, often feels like the right thing to do.

but this is to address the rest of you

1. stop crocheting ofcourse. however they will slowly start changing. recovery takes regression before progression. they will need to loosen, and unfortunately will have more frizz for awhile then any other method out there (except crochets deadly kin, felting ironically 1 version sold by the brand name lock docta with the warning "poke with care too much poking may cause dread to fall off, but if this happens poke some more to reattach" brilliant huh?) break your hooks, throw them in the trash, or destroy them bury them put a curse on them whatever it takes to resist the urge to use them again
2. condition lightly to loosen them up  faster. the stiffness the tightness is preventing progression. preventing dreading. since you most likely began with crochet out of fear of messiness or loose hairs  aloes a good conditioner, as well as a good way to smooth frizz. later on you will have to accept some loose hairs and frizz. thats just part of having dreads.aloe will not  be the fastest rout just maybe the most comfortable if the frizz scares you. jojoba, argon, or Moroccan oils are better.
3. when they loosen significantly and start to get loops, celebrate and stop conditioning. remember those loops you may, or may not have been lucky enough to get, then panicked and crocheted them back in? well, turns out those are essential to dread development. and actually are a beautiful special stage they have to go through. now your hairs finally able to begin to dread. (yes even if you crocheted 8 years and are reading this now the 8 years of crocheting will only mean it takes that much longer to get to this stage). without conditioning this could take 6 months from 1 crochet use to start. with conditioning this time can be reduced. if you crocheted for years it could take over a year of conditioning to  lose the stiffness and extreme tightness enough to allow dreading to  begin.

thats it. the damage caused cannot be repaired however. the hairs you broke will remain broken. much of the frizz will eventually suck in, they may someday be no more frizzy then anyone elses.

here is what you have never been old.. no dread starter method really starts dreads. nope..not at all, all they do is define sections. dreads either got to dread from there, or constantly be forced to look like dreads all the while suppressing what they need to do to actually dread.

the sections would have defined themselves just fine on their own. theres no reason they should all be exactly the same.. but if thats what you want then that is the only purpose and function of any starter methods. the gentlest, and yes loosest ones dread the fastest! the brutal ones that are extremely tight on day 1.. dread the absolute slowest.

even if you comb them out and let them form from combed hair, 90% or more will dread faster then your average recovery from 1 use (if that 1st time was done very tightly, some who were crocheted only loosely may only have to deal with a little extra frizz)

please share how your recovery has been going

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
updated by @soaring-eagle: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

Is twist and rip okay to "start" the dread sections? Before I found this site I asked a dreadlocks salon person, and she actually recommended the twist and rip method as opposed to crochet. She has dreadlocks herself....But.... She said if you just go all natural you can't wash your hair and she emailed me these horrible looking dreadlocks pictures super matted and loopy and clumped and said that's what will happen.
Obviously you have done all natural and have washed your hair.
But...
I think the issue is people don't want to look sloppy so they opt for crochet and wax and all these products, which ultimately don't help us in the long run. I guess what I am looking for, and probably many others is a way to stay somewhat presentable in the early formation stages. We don't to develop "bad" dreads and we want our hair to be healthy and strong for the long run. But many of use have jobs where we really can't show up looking like we are homeless, know what I mean?
I read my employee handbook from work and it directly says in it I must look clean and have washed hair etc.
I am still growing my hair out to "start" the dread journey at some point. But I'm sure many are in the boat of not knowing where to turn stuck in the crochet cycle of endless maintenance.

twist and rips fine. its gentle and pretty much harm free. the looser it is the faster they dread

but loops and zig zags are essential and she lied, you can and should wash your hair

employee handbook says your hair has to be washed and clean.. thats it  here are the laws concerning dreadlocks ..and only natural dreads  would be defendable under these laws. https://www.dreadlockssite.com/dreadlocks-forums/forum/dreads-jobs-employment-issues/110594/dreadlocks-and-employement-laws-your-rights-to-wear-dreads-in-the-workplace-explained

if you dread because of 'any sincerely held belief"  they can be as messy as it gets and by law they are protected.

in fact,1 members wife is currently suing her ex boss because he fired her over her dreads.. they are asking for a full years salary, plus damages.

i'll tell you i got every job i ever applied for with my natural dreads. (i only apply for jobs i really want) 

no job can discriminate, unless its a safety factor.. firefighters, fighter pilots and astronauts. because they require airtight seals on o2 masks. (pressurized)

as far as i am aware those are the only 3 jobs that legally can say no to dreads that are spiritual or religious in nature.

and thats only because its life or death .

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1