How should I start my dreads?

So I've been growing my hair out for about a year to get dreads and it's below my shoulders in the back and at my chin in the front. I plan on dreading in a few weeks but I'm still unsure on my plans for a few things. Most places say to section your hair into same sized squares, triangles, or whatever.. and then some say go all out neglect. I'd like to just randomly grabpiecesof slightly different sizes everywhere that look like they'd go together. I plan on going neglect for like a week so chunks of hair will develop for this, do you think this will work or is that not enough time? Second question: Backcombing or twist and rip.. from what I've seen twist and rip looks like it'd work best for me because I'm not going for huge inch thick dreads, more like pinky width or so.(How large of sections should I make for dreads that thick anyway?) What are your experiences with twist and rip, does it work as effectively as backcombing or could it just fall apart? And by the way I plan on using no products other than Dr. Bronner's soap.

Sorry if this is a lot in one post! Thanks for your help!

updated by @wesley-fowler: 01/13/15 09:26:09PM

well neglect is the best way to go but if your not going to go neglect then tnr is the next best option (more edffective then backcomb and less damage)

tho i will suggest that ..pretty often peeople do decide to start over using neglect even if they didnt screw up with crochet or wax and only tnr'd just cause dreading shoul be a journey and by skipping the early stages they feel they missed out on it

typicaly 1-2 weeks is enough to section.. sometimes its enough to dread but sometimes sectionstake longer

for pinky sized dread u want pinky sized sections..at the roots the resultant trn dreads will look way skinnier but will fatten over time

dr bronners might not work in your water test it if you wash your hands and they feel sticky or slimy dont use it

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

My 2 cents:

I have used the back comb method (about 10 yrs ago) and I have used the tnr method (current.) My hair rejected the backcombing method completely and my tnr loosened and then tightened up again. Another difference I noticed between the 2 is that I got a TON of shrinkage with backcombing and next to none with tnr. Also, tnr looks a little fuzzy after a week where backcombing, if done with too wide of strokes, can look like a bottle brush (imo.)

Since you are now a part of this site, and have already waited this long, it would probably be to your benefit to take the time to browse photo's and blogs to get a gauge on people's experiences with all 3 of the methods and make a decision that works best for you. All out neglect is the ideal but it's not for everyone. Consider also your hair texture when researching and good luck

Thanks for your responses! I'dconsidergoing neglect but I already had to push my family pretty hard to accept me getting dreads saying i'd keep them looking neat.. they'd flip if they knew I just wasn't doing anything lol.

well just keep it natural after u tnr then

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

same questions i had about 9 months ago, SE told me that tnr is second best to neglect. Being a child of the instantaneous generation i chose tnr, then as my parents found out i was dreading my hair i had to comb them out. So to get dreads i used the civil disobedience method and stopped brushing my hair.

I remember seeing the people saying "Neglect is the best way." and just blowing it off, but it really is amazing if you just live your life dont remember the day you stop brushing so time is not a main focus. I only really remember the month i stopped brushing my hair was like June or July last year hahaha. And it teaches you through the messy stage that you dont need all the things that are being sold to you, you dont need everything right now, and it teaches you not to care what people say.

=^)

well said and i diont remember when only where but i know im there round the same tme of year so that gave me as rough idea of when

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I have to say I wish I'd started the neglect method much sooner. You see I had wanted dreads for quite some time and looked into waxing products, back combing, Twist and rip, etc. After all I have learned on this and other sites, I am much better and healthier doing this the way nature intended.

With that being said, I feel I may have waited too long to start 'neglecting' my hair. It is now down past my shoulder blades in the back and my throat in the front. My hair is extremely thick and I live in Florida where summers are grueling. Top it all off with the fact that I load trucks in an open warehouse and you can see how hot I can get. I never intended to have super long hair, not because I think it's ugly but because I could see myself getting aggravated with it and also sweating my butt off.

I have been doing the neglect method officially since Feb. 6th. Is it possible to cut my hair shorter without combing it and not have it mess up the dreading process too horribly? Sorry for the wall of text.

i dont sweat..at all so i overheat extrmely easy i just tie mine up and tuck in a tam as long as u get it uop off yor neck u cool down no need to cut em

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1