I NEED HELP starting my natty dreads!

I and I has become very much in touch with my faith in rastafar I, and would of course like to openly express that through natty dread. I have been dedicated to a lot of in depth research on how to start the process, seeing how it is not as easy for someone of my dominant race to do! I want the process to be completely all natural, and am tired of scrolling through countless pages and articles trying to figure out what is right. So I ask, for a man with very thick maybe now 3-4 inch wavy hair, what is the best way to get started?! I have already gone three days without combing, but I realize that is nothing! And to my knowledge it always will be until I start washing my hair the right way, so any tips on that would be mad decent! I am a 3/4 white, 1/4 black 16 year old male with like I said 3-4 inch, thick, wavy hair that also when in fact reaches a certain length, will get curly! So I am also wondering how easily you think I will dread? I know I am a LONG way from my goal, but "if you don't start somewhere you never go anywhere" in the words of the late great Tuff Gong! So I am basically asking for the best advice possible on what to do, what not to wear on my head, and what to wash my hair with. I am prepared for patience, right now I just need guidance from the best, so thank all of you and Jah bless for any help!

updated by @dallas: 02/14/15 07:20:25AM

Most of the people here will recommend the natural/neglect method. But from what I see, you've already chosen that as your path, so that's covered.

You have probably you'll ever need to know right here.

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreaducation-comprehensive#.UCo43aHiaSs

Read it all and decide for yourself.

The most common recommendations are natural/neglect (I already said that), BS+ACV wash, and separating when needed.

Ok, the idea that white peoples hair locks up slower is only partly a myth. African American hair is kinky, so it tends to tangle easier, but your hair will knot up just fine. Eagle, the moderator, had his start forming in a matter of days, just camping out in the woods. While mine took over a year. Anywhere in between is completely normal. It's a fun journey.

Ok. Definitely check out that link that Rainbow so wonderfully provided. But as for what you may be interested in, being that you expressed your Rasta beliefs, the neglect method is probably for you. It does not take as long as you may think. And you will only see forward progress. If you used a starter method, you will have nice locks for a day or so, and then when you wash them, they will fall apart, then come back together, then fall apart, and so on until they finally start staying put.

As for washing.... Sorry, I didn't check to see where you're from yet. If you're in the US, dreadlockshampoo.com offers amazing soaps that work well in whatever water type you have. There is also Dr. Bronners. But that only works well in soft water. It leaves a residue in hard water because it does not rinse out well. There is also the Baking soda/Apple Cider Vinegar wash. I love this wash. It, too, does not work well in hard water. But I find that it makes my hair feel the cleanest.

You want to wash every 2-3 days. When they are young, liquid soaps are better. The BS wash is best, because you don't have to touch your scalp at all.

No matter how old your locks are, do not wash your hair directly. All you have to do is scrub your scalp and let the water rinse the soap through your hair. Don't lather your hair.

You do not want to wear anything on your head if you don't HAVE to. Tams are great for keeping your locks out of your face, but they tend to create a general knottyness that needs to be separated more often. But it doesn't help them lock any faster. You don't need wool anything. Don't use rubber bands to hold your locks in place. Don't touch a crochet needle, and NEVER use wax.

It's a bit old, but check out the post "Top Secret". There's a search bar at the top of the page. Just type it in, and it should be at the top, or close to it.

Thanks to you and rainbow both! That pretty much settled the score for me, but I don't really have the funding to order the shampoo or anything : / so would you guys simply recommend the BS+AVC? I do have several, several 2 oz bottles of Dr Bronners 18-1 soap, but how do I tell if I have hard or soft water? Haha I hope that isn't an ignorant question, and thank y'all again!

Baba Fats said:

Ok, the idea that white peoples hair locks up slower is only partly a myth. African American hair is kinky, so it tends to tangle easier, but your hair will knot up just fine. Eagle, the moderator, had his start forming in a matter of days, just camping out in the woods. While mine took over a year. Anywhere in between is completely normal. It's a fun journey.

Ok. Definitely check out that link that Rainbow so wonderfully provided. But as for what you may be interested in, being that you expressed your Rasta beliefs, the neglect method is probably for you. It does not take as long as you may think. And you will only see forward progress. If you used a starter method, you will have nice locks for a day or so, and then when you wash them, they will fall apart, then come back together, then fall apart, and so on until they finally start staying put.

As for washing.... Sorry, I didn't check to see where you're from yet. If you're in the US, dreadlockshampoo.com offers amazing soaps that work well in whatever water type you have. There is also Dr. Bronners. But that only works well in soft water. It leaves a residue in hard water because it does not rinse out well. There is also the Baking soda/Apple Cider Vinegar wash. I love this wash. It, too, does not work well in hard water. But I find that it makes my hair feel the cleanest.

You want to wash every 2-3 days. When they are young, liquid soaps are better. The BS wash is best, because you don't have to touch your scalp at all.

No matter how old your locks are, do not wash your hair directly. All you have to do is scrub your scalp and let the water rinse the soap through your hair. Don't lather your hair.

You do not want to wear anything on your head if you don't HAVE to. Tams are great for keeping your locks out of your face, but they tend to create a general knottyness that needs to be separated more often. But it doesn't help them lock any faster. You don't need wool anything. Don't use rubber bands to hold your locks in place. Don't touch a crochet needle, and NEVER use wax.

It's a bit old, but check out the post "Top Secret". There's a search bar at the top of the page. Just type it in, and it should be at the top, or close to it.

I would always recommend the BS/ACV wash. One way to tell if you have hard water is to wash your hands with the bronners. If they dry and feel bone dry, you are probably ok. if you feel soft and silky, then you probably have hard water. Hard water doesn't rinse off all the soap, so it leave a silky residue. Again, sorry, I didn't check where you lived, If you let me know, I can check maps and see what kind of water you've got

its real simple tho more lengrh is what u need most

throw away the comb and conditioner if your hair has the typical african dryness u may b-need moistu=urizer if its more like caucasian u want to dry it out some using sea salt

biotin will help it grow faster

when its long enough it will dread seperate em if u want to prevent huge congos

\

thats about all there is to it

og[]h washinjg

try the baking soda method wich is a no touch wash m just a soak

or use a dread shampoo these are the best www.dreadlockshampoo.com scrub only the scalp then rinse thru the hair

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Ok. I checked Irvine, Ca. You've got Very hard water:

If you're going to use BS or Dr. Bronners, you'll run into some issues unless you do a few things

FIrst, you could boil your water. Let it cool, and then very gently pour off most of it. Don't rush, and don't pour of all the water into a container. That'll leave most of the minerals in the original pot. Then you can mix the BS and be fine.

Or you can get a soft water filter for your shower head. You won't have to boil anything, and can use either the BS or Bronners.

If you're feeling inventive, you can make a distillery. It's really easy. There are videos all over youtube for how to do it. You just need 2 containers. 1 bigger than the other. about 15-20 feet of hose or piping. black and white spray paint, and a platform of wood or something about 3-5 inches tall.

Paint the big container black, and put it on the platform. Fill it with normal hard water. Paint the hose and small container white. Coil the hose so that it's about 3 feet long. And attach it to the smaller container.

This should all be done outside. As he hard water absorbs heat, it'll evaporate, and run through the coil, cooling it down. When it's cool, it'll condense and drip into the smaller container. That new water ill be pure distilled water. Perfect for anything you want to use it for.

Costa Mesa California, and I think I will just look more into the BSAVC wash if the water here is hard! And you said to wash it only every 2-3 days correct?

Baba Fats said:

I would always recommend the BS/ACV wash. One way to tell if you have hard water is to wash your hands with the bronners. If they dry and feel bone dry, you are probably ok. if you feel soft and silky, then you probably have hard water. Hard water doesn't rinse off all the soap, so it leave a silky residue. Again, sorry, I didn't check where you lived, If you let me know, I can check maps and see what kind of water you've got

And thank you on the map, Irvine is close enough to Costa Mesa, I didn't put my real location for security reasons but why am I tripping?! One love Jah bliah I trust y'all! Haha if I did in fact live in Irvine that would be a living hell for me, because it's socorporate, and me and my friends call it babylon!

No problem. Yeah, the BS wash is great, but you'll want to do something about the hard water issue before you use it