I'm still waiting for my hair to dread, but I don't know what they feel like, so I don'tactuallyknow if it's dreading.
updated by @zach-c: 01/13/15 09:49:41PM
What do dreads feel like?
... it feels like sections of knots. if the sections are getting knotted together you rip them apart...unless you want them that way. the firstthing that happens is teh sectioning. then they make loops. they start out small...and then they accumulate into a dread. that accumulates the hair that sheds. and creates volume. and then your locks feel like soft but firm sponges and its wonderful and comfortable and much more convenient than straight hair. IMO. soory if i rambled. been up all night.
Squeezeable solid and soft. Trust me you will know when you've got em 
Zach, how long have you been dreading? Your profile pic has short hair, dreads usually like to start forming when hair is about 6 inches long. You can take Biotin to speed up hair growth. It can be found at your local drug store in the vitamin section, for under $10.
When dreads are starting to form, they will be loopy, zig zaggy and knotty, just look at some timelines of other members in this community. This needs to happen for them to become mature dreads. When they do this, they will shrink and fatten up to the size of the section at the scalp. The texture of a mature dread should be firm, yet soft (if hard or too firm, then you may have a residue build up). They should be able to sway with the wind because they are lightweight if clean. If you touch your hair and feel definable sections, like feeling a cup straw, then you have dreads. Like Melanie Rose said, you will know when yu've got em.
peace
They feel like huge knots of awesomeness hanging off your head! 
