Wanting to start the process but have a lot of questions!

Hey everyone! I found this site through Myspace, have wanted dreads for about seven years now & have finally decided to go for it! I lived how other people wanted me to for years & now I'm finally doing what my body & soul are telling me to do. I'm just completely unsure about how to go about this. I've heard about all the methods, I know waxing isn't good so that's not an option....but with the others, what would be the best? Also, my hair is a little bit wavy and a little above my shoulders, any estimate on how much length I would lose? Anything else anyone could share with me would be trememndously helpful. I've read up on a lot on here so far, but any information, even if repeated, would be nice. I added two pictures of myself so ya'll could see what I'm talking about with my hair. Thank you all in advance, MUCH love. <3
updated by @alaska: 02/14/15 07:54:51AM

aww your a cutey ok methods by far best is natural..till 10 years ago all dreads were naturalall dreads that last a long time still are.second best twist n rip..ten let em go naturalthe other options come with alot more damage like backcombing and crochetsome like crochet make a low maintenence style into a very high maintenance onepalm rollings mostly useless unless you do it obsessivly..wich causes damageinterrlockings just bad news will cause dreads to fall right offyour best bet is go natural as you can, do as minimal maintenance as u can get away withte more u do the less years they will last


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thank you so much! =D I'll definately stick with the natural then. I want to be completely natural in every possible way. Will it make my hair lose more than an inch? I'm assuming it will, but I'd like to be sure. May need to get some length on it first. soaringeagle said:

aww your a cutey
ok methods by far best is natural..till 10 years ago all dreads were natural
all dreads that last a long time still are.
second best twist n rip..ten let em go natural
the other options come with alot more damage like backcombing and crochet
some like crochet make a low maintenence style into a very high maintenance one
palm rollings mostly useless unless you do it obsessivly..wich causes damage
interrlockings just bad news will cause dreads to fall right off

your best bet is go natural as you can, do as minimal maintenance as u can get away with

te more u do the less years they will last

Natural is the best way and you will lose some length cause of shrinking just dont forget to seperate them..maybe you can start with thin dread then u can congo them later congoing is one part of joyness from dread :P..but that just a suggestion you can start in thick dread too

sorry forgot to answer tat part(my pet pig ate my h key so fill it in were missing)if u backcomb for instance u loose like 1/2 te length right away, and it srinks from theretwist and rip u loose lil less but still srinks as muchnatural is less drastic, srinkage and growth tend to cancle eachoter into a zero growth period, altough it can shrink someyour airs a good length to start,once it starts to grow u never trim so it grows fast..and longmine started at a few inces..now are a foot or 2 past my toes..i tink.. Alaska said:

Thank you so much! =D I'll definately stick with the natural then. I want to be completely natural in every possible way. Will it make my hair lose more than an inch? I'm assuming it will, but I'd like to be sure. May need to get some length on it first.

soaringeagle said:

aww your a cutey
ok methods by far best is natural..till 10 years ago all dreads were natural
all dreads that last a long time still are.
second best twist n rip..ten let em go natural
the other options come with alot more damage like backcombing and crochet
some like crochet make a low maintenence style into a very high maintenance one
palm rollings mostly useless unless you do it obsessivly..wich causes damage
interrlockings just bad news will cause dreads to fall right off

your best bet is go natural as you can, do as minimal maintenance as u can get away with

te more u do the less years they will last

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

wouldnt start too tick cause they thicken over time and u can always acidently congo igf u miss seperating em..i had several acidental congos b4 i ever started alowing em to congo on purpose Deceased said:

Natural is the best way and you will lose some length cause of shrinking just dont forget to seperate them..maybe you can start with thin dread then u can congo them later congoing is one part of joyness from dread :P..but that just a suggestion you can start in thick dread too

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Thank you all for the help! Here is my plan, and if anything in it is a bad idea, please let me know!:Gonna wash my hair (by the way, what shampoo is highly recommended? lol) and towel dry. Not going to brush my hair, going to seperate it, twist and rip from....the bottom to the roots? Wash it every three days or so?Continue to twist and rip over time and let it lock naturally?Sound like a good way to go?Love you guys.

By the way, I was also wondering about Jamaican Mango & Lime Locking GEL? Is it a good choice? Added a pic.

no only if your black..its ok for rare times your dreads are dry and brittle only


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

thats confusingu twist n rip the whole section towards roots (knots at roots 1st) slowloy knotting towards tipsor skip it dont twist n rip go naturalbut if u twist n rip and go natural from there tats good nuff Alaska said:

Thank you all for the help! Here is my plan, and if anything in it is a bad idea, please let me know!:
Gonna wash my hair (by the way, what shampoo is highly recommended? lol) and towel dry. Not going to brush my hair, going to seperate it, twist and rip from....the bottom to the roots? Wash it every three days or so?
Continue to twist and rip over time and let it lock naturally?

Sound like a good way to go?

Love you guys.

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1