Hello and a few questions.

Hello there, I have just started with my dreads. I have been considering having dreadlocks for years now, but only recently have I decided to go ahead and try for them.

I think I am going to go with the neglect method, as it seems like the method that will give me the results I most want.

However before I start my mythical journey I have a few questions regarding dreads!

I have had long hair for many years now, and I never brush it or do anything fancy with it.
However I have always used conditioner when washing it, run my fingers through it to get out tangles and always have it tied back into a ponytail.
My hair has never dreaded. Have the things I have been doing to it been enough to stop it dreading or could It be that I have hair that does not dread very well?

I already have long hair, most of it is around my lower back and the longest bits reach my waist. Is having hair this length going to be a problem if I want it to dread?

I lift weights, and so I tie my hair back and up so it won't get in the way or ripped out. Will this get in the way of my dreads forming?

When is the point of no return? If I decided I no longer want dreadlocks, how hard is it to undo the dreading?

And lastly, is there anything I can do to help my hair dread? I have read somewhere sleeping with your hair loose head on something woollen can help.


Thank you in advance for your responses!

updated by @sirick: 01/13/15 09:49:53PM

Well, first off, welcome to the community. Your first question, your hair did not dread before because you used conditioner. Conditioner causes knotting to slip out, so hair won't dread.

Next, Your length will definitely not be a problem, it will form awesome dreads. But be forewarned, you will loose so much length during the dreading process. My hair started at your length, after 1 year it is up to my shoulders.

While you lift weights, sure tie them back, just untie them after. Once your dreads are mature, you can tie them up by just using the dreads and they can stay in all day long.

Sleeping with a hat is not necessary. Hair dreads faster during the night when you toss and turn and that hair is getting all messed up moving around.

If down the road you decide you do not want dreads anymore, plenty of conditioner and time will get them out. It will be work on your part but you can undo them, but I bet you won't want to once you see how awesome they will be on you.

To speed up the dreading process, using a sea salt spray helps. Plenty of info and recipes for this in the dreaducation pages. But I truly do recommend ordering the Himalayan Sea Salt Spray from DreadlockShampoo.com. I can't say enough about that spray.

With the neglect/free form method, all you have to do is keep them clean and separate any sections trying to join together, and of course...enjoy the ride.

Peace

For washing, at the beginning, do it every 2-3 days. Forming dreads love clean hair. If you do not have any dread shampoo, then use this home made recipe which is a no scrub method.

Mix 1/2 cup baking soda (BS) with 5 cups water...pour on head and leave on 10-20 minutes...rinse well. This will exfoliate the scalp, leaving it nice and clean. Next you must balance the PH in your hair from using the BS. Mix 1 capful of Apple cider Vinegar (ACV) to 5 cups water...pour on head and leave on for no more than 1 minute...rinse well. The ACV conditions the hair safely without causing knots to slip out....Finish off with a cold rinse. This got me through my first year, just washing this way.

Peace

Thank you very much for the fast and great response!

Should I have my hair down most of the time then? Will having it tied back most of the day slow down the dreading process much?

And why is it my hair will loose so much length from dreading? That sounds scary.

Try to only have your hair tied when necessary. In the beginning it should be loose and not restricted so that it can go through the process of dreading.

As to the length shrinkage: The sections will slowly loop, zig zag & knot, this will cause the hair to creep up shorter becoming the thickness of the section where it meets the scalp. It is recommended that sections be no larger than 2.5cm (1 inch). 2.5cm or smaller is ideal for drying time and stress scalp, anything larger takes too long to dry, up to 24 hours and heavier dreads put strain on the root systems. So back to shrinkage...the sections that naturally form will not be the thickness of where it meets the scalp, but as they mature they will become that thickness by shrinking up due to the knotting process. It is like tying a string...start with a long one....keep tying knots....see how short it has become!

Hair will naturally section itself, you will see it happen in a few days. If any are larger than the 2.5 cm, just divide them.

Ah, I see. It's rather obvious when you think about it.

Thank you again for the advice! I am looking forward to starting my dread journey, there is a little bit of trepidation, I just hope I can pull the look off.

I shall have to go out and buy a nice bog box of baking soda and apple cider vinegar tomorrow.

long hair dreads extra fast shrinks extra much and will tey hard to fatten up into hudge dreads so extra care in seperating will be required

making the decision to dread and changing a few old habits is all u need

every tangle u used to untangle was a dread trying to be born if u left in a sigle tangle more would join the party and soon become a dread

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Be careful about ponytails. I wear them almost everyday at work and I ended up with a big mess between 2 dreads from different sides of my head and when I take it down I can tell all my dreads were trying to eat each other lol. I ended up wearing a tam to work instead.

Thank you all for the advice!

For now I am sated, but I am sure I will have more questions soon. I'm already thinking about how I will go about separating the forming dreads.

I took my first progress pictures today, guess my next will be same time next week.
Do you think weekly pictures would be adequate to track my dreading?

I take picture of them all the time cause mine are still too short to look at the progress on the back of my head. And its pretty cool to see the progress as they grow!