getting frustrated - losing hope

been trying to grow dreads the natural way since the summer now and i'm still not seeing any progress... i think my hair is too soft

i was doing the baking soda/acv wash for a while... recently i switched to dr bronner's at the advice of a friend but i don't think it is working... my hair feels even softer now. idk what to do

should i get somebody to tie/braid my hair or something?

also at work i have to tie my hair up in a ponytail/bun... is this bad for the dreading process?

updated by @pokolo: 02/14/15 07:42:26AM

i wash once or twice a week. and i am more than 6 months in. i started last summer, like june or july.

is it oily at all do u touch it slot do u do sea salt sprays put wool over tyour pillow or wear a tam

how bout beads

how r u washing and drying not only with what but how scrubbing the hair can inknot it

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

yeah it feels a little oily i think.

i try not to touch it much but obviously when i go to tie it i am messing with it.

no sea salt sprays or wool and what is a tam lol

no beads either.

when i was using the baking soda/acv wash i just poured the mixture of over my head and then put my hands on top of my hand to wash it out. with the soap i've been rubbing it in maybe i shouldn't do that?

i let it air dry after i get out of the shower.

with bs skip the acv if oily

dont touch the head at all

with bronners use fingertips to massage scalp without disturbing hair ..only scalo then rinse thru

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

hi pokolo!

it sounds like we share the same soft silky hair type. i've tried so many things in the last 6 months to aid in knotting. first off i would say if your going to do a bs wash then skip the acv because it will make your hair even softer. i don't know what kind of water you have in your area but with hard water like mine it makes it impossible to rinse castile soaps (dr. bronners) out completely. they always left my hair with a greasy feeling when dry. kind of like i hadn't washed in a week. right now i'm using a clarifying shampoo and it has really bumped up the knotting going on. just scrub the scalp. i would definitely do sea salt sprays on your hair. just mix water and sea salt in a spray bottle and spray your hair on the days you don't wash. i do a stronger mix than others on here because my hair is in such good condition and a little sea salt doesn't do anything. drying it in the sun helps too. definitely get a wool tam. a tam is a larger sized hat that allows your hair to move a bit inside to create friction and ultimately knot. i wear mine to bed too because i can't do the wool pillowcase. it helps alot.

I started June 22, I am almost at 10 monthes and I saw almost nothing until 7-8 mos. I have stuck to a routine that I am finding to work. I used to try assorted things and progress was uneven. Here is what is doing the trick for me: I wash every other day with a Maylees Dread bar. I scrub my scalp and just squish the suds through the rest. I rinse and then rinse again with a half cup of ACV, then a final rinse. I then use a spray of ocean water that I have collected just for my hair and then I use the blow dryer in 5 minutes spurts until mostly dry. I used to sleep on a sweater but due to heat I haven't lately. I wore a tam almost non-stop for the first 4 mos. I find that until my hair felt drier than it ever had in my life my hair just wasn't moving forward...

pokolo said:

i wash once or twice a week. and i am more than 6 months in. i started last summer, like june or july.

so does the acv help get the residue out that the maylees leaves behind? i love the shampoo bars but every time i try them i get a sticky residue in my hair.

Panterra Caraway said:

I started June 22, I am almost at 10 monthes and I saw almost nothing until 7-8 mos. I have stuck to a routine that I am finding to work. I used to try assorted things and progress was uneven. Here is what is doing the trick for me: I wash every other day with a Maylees Dread bar. I scrub my scalp and just squish the suds through the rest. I rinse and then rinse again with a half cup of ACV, then a final rinse. I then use a spray of ocean water that I have collected just for my hair and then I use the blow dryer in 5 minutes spurts until mostly dry. I used to sleep on a sweater but due to heat I haven't lately. I wore a tam almost non-stop for the first 4 mos. I find that until my hair felt drier than it ever had in my life my hair just wasn't moving forward...

pokolo said:

i wash once or twice a week. and i am more than 6 months in. i started last summer, like june or july.

Dr Bronners makes my hair wayy to soft, I use it only like once every couple months for that reason

where do i get a wool tam i can never find one.