GREETINGS and BLESSINGS...

Greetings everyone. I've stumbled across this site in search for dread knowledge because I've noticed it's hard to get real info on dreadlocks online. After doing some reading on here, i've decided to join =)Little bit about my journey. I wanted to grow locks because i felt like it was a great way for me to express myself. having locks for 7 months now, they have been teachers to me. they have taught me to be patient and to stay true to myself. that being said, my hair is think and straight (i'm filipino) and I started out backcombing and crocheting. My locks look great and i love how they look. I also have them interlocked for maintenance. I get my locks crocheted every 2-3 weeks (1hour minimum-4hours maximum)... after reading alot about the dangers of crocheting and interlocking here, i feel torn because it's worked for me, but i also want healthy dreads.How can i transition from interlocking to something else and what steps are needed? how can i maintain the neatness of my locks because that's also a big thing for me. I know locks are not meant to be perfectly clean but i prefer to have a clean look to them. what should i do guys?btw. i'm currently using Rasta Products Mango & Lime, shampoo, itch spray and lock gel.
updated by @bj-sickboy: 01/13/15 08:52:59PM

Thanks for the reply and the welcome. i'm leaning towards seeing how they will go naturally but i'm gonna have to find a way to fight the mess. i'm determined to lol. (i'm aware that i may sound naive by saying that) now, one of my worries is how will the interlock affect the new growth lock that will form. i ask this because of the initial part that the interlocking causes.

Knottysleeves said:

Welcome! All that maintenance sounds like a lot of work. The irony is that if you'd just left them alone after the initial backcombing and crocheting, by now (7 months) they would've been tight & locked up enough by themselves to not need all this "cleanup". I'm not against occasional crocheting (I do it myself a few times a year) but wow, every 2 - 3 weeks is overkill, especially since your dreads aren't even mature yet.

Locks in their healthiest state are meant to be a little messy -- loose hairs and loose roots are normal & they happen to all of us no matter how mature your locks are, that's just the reality of dreads. Trying to fight that by crocheting, interlocking and constantly using products is a losing battle, in my opinion. I know that some people just prefer the look of manicured dreads, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you want that look then you have to accept the risk of cumulative damage. There's really not a lot of in-between solutions, unfortunately.

I think you should stop all the maintenance ASAP and let your dreads & scalp breathe for awhile. Let your dreads settle and mature naturally instead of trying to force it. After a few months you might be surprised how much progress they've made! Then you can decide if you still want to do occasional maintenance and whether it's worth it to you.

u definately should be doing nothing but seperating thats a lotta dammage u did to them and i bet alot od expende

learn to love the uniqueness they get craziness isnt messiness its beauty its individuality be proud of how they become yours and not so fake looking

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Welcome.

My advice would be to just let them be.

I know you want a manicured look but unfortunately my experience is that natural dreads are not that in any way shape or form.

so im not sure how u can have the best of both worlds.

I am excited to see your progress though, keep us posted on your decisions.

Peace & love,

Mia

Thanks for your input guys and i'm really considering letting them be. One thing i've learned here is that interlocked and crocheted dreads are thinner than natural ones. I initially wanted thin ones (as i have right now) and i'm assuming if i let them be, they're gonna turn out thicker. I'm hoping for the best, still haven't made up my mind yet. I think i'm gonna take it one day at a time and see where it goes from there. I'll post pics soon. thanks again guys.

here's the best pics i have of my locs right now

the first one is from a month ago

and the second one is from 4 months ago.

ok u definately see some gaps around sections and the sections are fairly big for such thin dreads

but you also see a whole lotta fuzziness for a technique thats used to get rid of the fuzziness (but actualy only creates way more)

now 1 thing u will find as u stop abusing them is they will thicken but as u start to seoperate them few months down the lins the sxalp fuzz will fill those gaps and new thin dreads will pop up all over

in a year 1/2 you could have double the numbetr both thick and thin

squeeze those how do they feel kinda a grinding feeling instead of spongy feeling?

i dont see any spots that look in danger of breaking (visualy) but i couldnt see them taking that much damage too much longer

now..take a look at the top of your head see the scalp lines ? the area in the scalp lines is the size those dreads should be riughly when healthy so u can see just how big an area was used to make thin dreadshow many do u have? the size they look u should have over 60 at a guesmaybe 70

but its more like 25 isnt it

they will get better and worse at the same time a few months then start to get better (by that i mjean a few month fuzz out while all te broken hairs pop out then slowly suck back in)

the interlock well that u can only hope for the best on u may get lucky and not have probs

many ppl dont have issues with it but many do its just saa matter of luck

this will be interesting to see how they recover with just how much crochet u actualy did to them

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

let me cirrect myself only see the gaps around the 1 in the front assume theyre around all but hidden by how they hang

but

this is whaat the dread-root ration looks line <----[--]----> the <-------> being the size of the roots or the size a healthy dread should be with that section and [--] being the super compressed crochet dread

ok so to further explain with these -- graphs where you now have

----[--]----><----[--]---->

after growth and seperation you'll get

><-[---]-><><-[---]->< dreads thickening with some looe hairs between which then begin tioo become

[---][--][---]

ofcourse as those seperate new lkoose hairs full gaps

but point is some of those wide roots some of those hairs thst should never have been put into suchj big sections will come out and become dreads where they shouldsa been to begin with hopegully

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

i understand. it will definitely be a challenge for me. 2 things i would like for my locks (besides being healthy) is remain rather thin and rather tidy..seems like i'll have to compromise these unless i start over. feeling very torn. we'll see how it goes. thanks again brother. very enlightening