Hi there guys

Hi guys, newbie to the whole dreading thing here with a few questions if i may.

First tho a little introduction i think is in order,

My husband Ky expressed a wish to have dreads, apparently its something he had been pondering the idea of for some time, so we embarked on the task of researching them on google, ofc we found the money making companies first, reading and watching videos about waxing and palm rolling etc and how much it was gonna cost us not only in money but time too.

Well i had my reservations about waxing, i mean wax by nature is waterproof and Ky has naturally very greasy hair, and to add to that as he is disabled we exist on a very low income now days, so all this entourage of products was going to hit our pocket quite hard.

So... i carried on researching and found techniques using a crochet hook to start them and then this kinda rethreading maintenance, initially the idea of being able to do them without the use of wax was what made me continue to research i must admit, all be it with again some reservations due to being old enough to have used a crochet hook in the past and knowing how hard i found it to use without damaging the wool you were not trying to hook (i was never good at knitting or crochetting), and im glad it did, cos it was only then, when i typed crochet dreadlocks into google that your site came up on the front page (i do have a tendancy to not look at subsequent pages).

Well i am glad we found your site as it did confirm my initial feelings about both waxing and crochetting the dreads, we read quite a bit here and decided on the TnR method, although i was i believe pretty gentle with it, his hair kinda took to it real well and did not need much persuasion, so i feel fairly confident that i did not do much damage, at least nothing like what waxing or crochetting would have done.

Anyhow now comes to the maintenance of what we have, which i must say i am very pleased with, i feel they do suit him alot, and he said "yeah im happy, i like them" and if you knew him you would know that means he loves them loads LOL :P

So we have read about the washes and rinses and have taken notes, and rummaging thru my collection of oils, candles, etc etc i have some lavendar, rosemary, tyme, tea tree oils, but..... im not sure these are the correct oils, they are massage oils see, and the essences are blended with grapeseed oil and vitamin E, they are therefore very well oily and im guessing totally wrong for putting on the hair.

So could someone please recommend a link or two of website pages featuring the right ones i need to add to the washes and rinses for him, then i can do some research for supplies of said product further.

Much obliged for any help and advice you guys can give, when i find the battery charger for our camera will take a photo for you all to see

Many regards and thanks

Chey

updated by @chey-mckenzie: 01/13/15 09:04:32PM

Welcome! Glad you found us!! The oils to use are the pure essential oils. You can get them from health food stores or if you prefer, you can order them online. They are notfragranceoils though. The oils I use from time to time are: lavender,rosemary,peppermint, & tea tree and yes, I use them all at the same time... they smell wonderful! When I use them (I don't often cause I'm still experimenting with the formulas of my wash), I put a few drops of each into my baking soda/water mixture then I pour it on my hair and let it sit for a while and then rinse with cool water. I don't use the apple cider vinegar rinse that it recommended here because it messes with the PH balance of my scalp too much. I hope that helps!

u want pure esential oils and theres a buying esential oils guide in the featured s=discussions with a list of like 100 great venders

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Hmm after browsing google for essential oils suppliers here in UK, i found these guys, and i dunno maybe its my old age making me a real pessimist, but they are alot cheaper than the others, with prices ranging from 3.50 to 6.00 a bottle on other sites, these guys are the best financial option, but cheap doesn't always mean good or even ok sometimes

http://www.oils4life.co.uk/

any of you folks from the UK at all? anyone used these guys?

read the buying esential oils guide alotta sites say esential oils but are really ara=omathera=py or massage oils although these list essential oils its under the aromatherapy oils catagory so i would keep looking in the buying eseential oils guide theres a hundred or so online shops to choose from and what to look for in a good vender

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

its just a pain most site that folks recommend are in the states, and we are in UK

go to your local health food store or herb suppliers they will have what you need and know the difference between the oils and co-ops are another great source

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Oh thats just so funny thinking about health food shops here, the last time i asked a question in one, all i got was a blank look from a teenager barely out of school that had no idea what they were doing there beyond using the till to charge people.

Its ok i found somewhere now