Ok, so I don't have dreads YET...

But I really want to get started one day soon..

I've wanted them for a really, really long time and figured what better time than the present to start finding a way to do it..

Before I found this site, I believed everything I'd ever heard about needing wax and backcombing and all that..and was even ready to turn to a salon to get the dreads I want..but after reading everything on here, I'd rather go a route that's at least somewhat natural..

However, I don't really have the patience for the neglect method..but I really don't want to mess up my hair..Other than dying it, this will be the only major change I've done to my hair, EVER. I'm kinda thinking of doing the T&R method..but had a question before I commit to anything...

I was curious as to how dreads would turn out [or if they even would at all] if I were to put my hair in braids, and then just leave it..Would they even dread up? If so, would they be weakened by the braids?

Ok, for anyone reading this, thank-you for taking the time to do so..Any help/advice/insight would be much appreciated..

updated by @katie-kendall: 01/13/15 08:54:58PM

but tnr is a good option the few ppl i saw try braids to dread africansd had some luck others well ive seen em give up b4 it dreaded altho it can wwork its a slow method probly slower then neglect since it is neglect buyt 1st they have to unbraid

natural doesnt always take patience often they dread wayt faster then u expected

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thank-you! Wow, you reply so fast, that's awesome..=] But yeah, the only person I knew who tried braiding first was Hawaiian, and he gave up before they dreaded as well..The only reason I asked is because I'm hoping for dreads that are at least somewhat the same size..I'm really leaning toward t&r, but dont really have anyone to do the back for me..and I know different people have different results with the neglect method, but for some reason I feel like it would take forever for my head to look like anything other than a rat's nest..lol..but for neglect, I'm assuming you wash it too, just dont brush it out after..but how often should I wash and what would be best to wash with? I tend to have a dry scalp with decent bit of dandruff...

soaringeagle said:

but tnr is a good option the few ppl i saw try braids to dread africansd had some luck others well ive seen em give up b4 it dreaded altho it can wwork its a slow method probly slower then neglect since it is neglect buyt 1st they have to unbraid

natural doesnt always take patience often they dread wayt faster then u expected

yo, i done T&R myself including the back. just turn your head to the opposite side and do them that way - doing left side look left and do them over your right shoulder - (your neck will get sore as fuck after 2/3 dreads so switch to the other side) for the center back put your head as far forward as you can and do them pointing to the ceiling. i done 1 half of my head 1st and kinda fucked it up on one bit as i screwed over the sectioning a fair bit but i like how its going to turn out

neglect would be alot faster (years probably) than braids.

also for your neglect question, wash it with salt water and baking soda, if you dont want them to smell like crap you can put some natural essential oils into your soda wash and it will smell alot better. personaly i just use natural soaps and salt water to wash my dreads and they smell all different scents all day (currently a citrus+weed mix lol)

my only advice is don't go for rounded dreads, avoid wax and crocheing and dont aim for perfect looking dreads. you will be dissapointed in the outcome and the ammount of time you will have to spend on your hair every day as they look nowhere near as good as well cared for dreads and if you are happy with them it makes is even better

gl on your dreadlock journey

Katie Kendall said:

Thank-you! Wow, you reply so fast, that's awesome..=] But yeah, the only person I knew who tried braiding first was Hawaiian, and he gave up before they dreaded as well..The only reason I asked is because I'm hoping for dreads that are at least somewhat the same size..I'm really leaning toward t&r, but dont really have anyone to do the back for me..
and I know different people have different results with the neglect method, but for some reason I feel like it would take forever for my head to look like anything other than a rat's nest..lol..
but for neglect, I'm assuming you wash it too, just dont brush it out after..but how often should I wash and what would be best to wash with? I tend to have a dry scalp with decent bit of dandruff...

soaringeagle said:

but tnr is a good option the few ppl i saw try braids to dread africansd had some luck others well ive seen em give up b4 it dreaded altho it can wwork its a slow method probly slower then neglect since it is neglect buyt 1st they have to unbraid

natural doesnt always take patience often they dread wayt faster then u expected

thanks for the info matty..that helps a lot..i think i'm gonna try neglect for a bit first..but i'll probably just go for T&R...and if the weather warms up any time soon i'll try go to the beach and swim in the salt water...i'll have to look around for some good natural soaps and whatnot..i have some african black soap that my aunt and i plan to start selling at the flea market [along with pure shea butter] and it would probably do nicely...and nice, i think that the combination of citrus and weed aromas would be highly pleasing..^-^

thanks again though man..i'm not expecting what the public views as perfect dreads..i know however they turn out, i'll most likely love em..=]

matty said:

yo, i done T&R myself including the back. just turn your head to the opposite side and do them that way - doing left side look left and do them over your right shoulder - (your neck will get sore as fuck after 2/3 dreads so switch to the other side) for the center back put your head as far forward as you can and do them pointing to the ceiling. i done 1 half of my head 1st and kinda fucked it up on one bit as i screwed over the sectioning a fair bit but i like how its going to turn out

neglect would be alot faster (years probably) than braids.

also for your neglect question, wash it with salt water and baking soda, if you dont want them to smell like crap you can put some natural essential oils into your soda wash and it will smell alot better. personaly i just use natural soaps and salt water to wash my dreads and they smell all different scents all day (currently a citrus+weed mix lol)

my only advice is don't go for rounded dreads, avoid wax and crocheing and dont aim for perfect looking dreads. you will be dissapointed in the outcome and the ammount of time you will have to spend on your hair every day as they look nowhere near as good as well cared for dreads and if you are happy with them it makes is even better

gl on your dreadlock journey

Katie Kendall said:

Thank-you! Wow, you reply so fast, that's awesome..=] But yeah, the only person I knew who tried braiding first was Hawaiian, and he gave up before they dreaded as well..The only reason I asked is because I'm hoping for dreads that are at least somewhat the same size..I'm really leaning toward t&r, but dont really have anyone to do the back for me..
and I know different people have different results with the neglect method, but for some reason I feel like it would take forever for my head to look like anything other than a rat's nest..lol..
but for neglect, I'm assuming you wash it too, just dont brush it out after..but how often should I wash and what would be best to wash with? I tend to have a dry scalp with decent bit of dandruff...

soaringeagle said:

but tnr is a good option the few ppl i saw try braids to dread africansd had some luck others well ive seen em give up b4 it dreaded altho it can wwork its a slow method probly slower then neglect since it is neglect buyt 1st they have to unbraid

natural doesnt always take patience often they dread wayt faster then u expected

much thanks!

Ziggy said:

If you do braids they're always going to look like ratted braids.
My hair goes partway down my butt it's so long and I did the back myself. The t&r I did over three days. My hair has stayed well in the sections I started.

congragulations on deciding to dread your hair, i did the neglect method, 100% and couldn't be happier, there were a few groups of hair,mainly around the bangs, that did not dread, so i went for the TnR method recently (last week) and it seems to be doing good. enjoy the journey, it gets pretty exciting...

That african black soap is pure and natural, good stuff. Most folks on these forums reccomend the Baking soda/ACV rinse to wash hair but...i myself dont care much for it. A good ol organic shampoo is what did the job for me, with minimal effort and not having to mix stuff.The ACV rinse though i would reccomend at least a couple times a month.I also found that washing more often, whether you shampoo or not, actually seemed to help tighten the baby locs, not hinder them. A few of my thickest baby dreads formed while washing 5 days a week during a two week experiment.

thanks man..=] i'll keep all this in mind..i'll probably try the more washing thing as well..probably cant hurt right? lol

Thundersquall said:

That african black soap is pure and natural, good stuff. Most folks on these forums reccomend the Baking soda/ACV rinse to wash hair but...i myself dont care much for it. A good ol organic shampoo is what did the job for me, with minimal effort and not having to mix stuff.The ACV rinse though i would reccomend at least a couple times a month.I also found that washing more often, whether you shampoo or not, actually seemed to help tighten the baby locs, not hinder them. A few of my thickest baby dreads formed while washing 5 days a week during a two week experiment.

thanks for the insight..i'm really diggin this site..the people are awesome.. ^-^ cant wait to see where my dreadlock journey takes me!

shadow_conspiracy said:

congragulations on deciding to dread your hair, i did the neglect method, 100% and couldn't be happier, there were a few groups of hair,mainly around the bangs, that did not dread, so i went for the TnR method recently (last week) and it seems to be doing good. enjoy the journey, it gets pretty exciting...