Ugly Scalp

I just started dreading about a week ago. After doing a lot of online research I decided to go with natural dreads (I haven't used a single product in my hair and my dreads have been formed with the twist and rip method and backcombing alone). I read online that some people were discussing whether it was necessary to section hair off before dreading it, and there were comments that it's unnecessary and that dreading without sectioning could look more natural so I went with that. My dreads are all done now (I've done my whole head except for part of my bangs I wanted left out) and I'm happy with how they look head-on from the front (besides for some usual first-month fuzzies, but I was expecting that) but my problem is that from the sides and back, there are big "gaps" in my dreads where my scalp and some loose hair at the roots shows. It looks very messy and no matter how much I reposition them, scalp still shows though. I'm too embarrassed to wear them down yet so I've resorted to wearing them in a low ponytail with a scarf or headband around my head for the past few days. I'm not sure why they've formed this way... my hair is what people would say is VERY thick, quite long (my dreads are about 6 in. past my shoulders), and my dreads are about medium-sized but somehow I've ended up with only 26 of them.

I thought maybe my roots just weren't tight enough so I've rubber-banded my dreads individually at the roots and I've also been doing a lot of palm-rolling but I'm not sure if it's helping...

Someone please help I want to be proud of my new dreads, not hiding them under a scarf or hat forever.

updated by @veggiemonster: 02/14/15 10:31:17AM

Hi & welcome Cait!! Honey you are doing too much to them! just let them form naturally. Your hair will decide where to section on its own, just wash with bs mix or non residue shampoo, no scrubbing, and let it go. after the sections form, then you can do some t&r if you want to haste the progress. xo & God Bless your journey']

Would you reccommend then taking the rubber bands out and/or undoing them a bit?

Thank you so much for all of the help!

take the bands out st=op palm rolling those 2 things will only make it worse

leave em alone wash em and they will be fine

but you probly made the sections a bit thick so your pulling hair from lil too wide an area and scalps showing

techicaly you dont have natural dreads u used tnr and backcombing natural dreads form on their own no effottrt involved u just let them happen

and i wopuld have suggested not combing a couple weeks and letting the hair section itseld]=f where it wanted to then continue natural or tnr the natural sections

as it is you did section just not in a grid u sectioned randomly which is good but u sectioned thick and pulled hair in from a widr area leaving gaps

in a few weeks of seperation the roors will fil in the gaps but ..no rubber bands no palm rolling or your only encouraging the gaps to stay

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I brushed my backcombed dreads out and went with the full neglect method and it was the best decision i've made on my journey

you also crochetted that was a huge mistake crochet makes them 1/3 as thick as they should be so ..big sections tiny dreads = scalp dscalp scalp

not to mention the extreme damage it causes the extreme tightenes that takes usualy bout 6 months to recover from b4 they begin to dread right

basicly your suffering the results of what youve been doing

misinformation led you to believe u had to work on them and that all this work was 'natural' so youve caused every problem your havimg cause you didnt know what naturakl meant

this is why i insist on clarity of language.. natural dreads have a specific meaning for a reason

when ppl think all this craxzy crap is natural they get confused and do stuff thety shouldnt do

natural dreads mean organic freeform or neglect the only differences are wether u infk]luenc or interfere in the progression by seperation or anything or let it go do whatever the hell it wants to do

but all natural dreads are allowed to form on their own no effort to make them

so you were lead to believe crochet rubber bands backciomb were akllnatural therefore good to do

and then your in this situation wondering how to fix a problem that was caused by trying to force the dreads to happen..unaturaly

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thanks so much for all the help! That makes a lot of sense... from information I found on other websites and dreadlocking videos, I was under the impression that "natural" just meant without the use of wax or chemicals to help form them. Last night I removed all the rubber bands and washed them for the first time with non-residue shampoo.... then I combed some of the bigger ones out (ouch!) and re-dreaded them via twist 'n rip into smaller sections (I got five dreads out of two big ones) and now it looks MUCH better, and I also threw out my crochet hook. I felt like it was only doing me worse but the other information I had insisted that it "tightens" the dreads. I love this website and all of the experienced advice!! Thank you!!

Don`t throw away your crochethook. You can make tams with it!

actualy the crochet hook u make tams with is way way way bigger then 1 u poke through dreads if u have used a hook big enough to make a tam with then thbe dreads are ..probly on the floor in a pile all mangled..so throw that hook away get 1 big enough to make a tam with

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I didnt realise joking was not allowed