My dreads suck a** (with pictures)

Hi.

Alright. I'm going to act ignorant despite all the information I've read about dread maintenance, care, and what to expect with new dreads. I got my dreads a week ago and I hate the way they look right now.

I don't know what specific method they used to make my locks. The person who made them would section my hair, then divide that section into various strands, tangle the hair up, use a crochet, then finish the dread up by palm rolling.

I kind of knew what I was getting into. I have really thin, sparse hair and figured out that I wasn't going to have a lot of dreads like the people on Pinterest way before I decided to get them. The guy who made my dreads said this also, but he also said that he was going to balance "volume with quantity" given my hair type and I believed him. Yet, here I stand, pretty self-conscious about the whole situation.

Apart from wondering if they are going to get any better, I have some questions about the actual maintenance:

I was told I should wash my hair once a week for a month, then wash it 1-2 times a week after that period of time. They itch like crazy so I'm probably going to wash them twice a week when the time comes. Is this accurate?

I use a rubber band (the type that has cloth around it, I'm not sure what they are called) to hold my hair up for when I'm at school. It's not tight at all, in fact, it feels like it's slipping out most of the time. Besides, I can't get all my dreads in the pony tail since they all differ in length. Is this a good idea? I do this because otherwise I look pretty crazy.

I was also told to retwist once a month. I think that's a little excessive. What do you think?

Big no to beanies, caps, or tams. I'm alright with the caps and maybe even the beanies. But no tams yet? Why not? I do use a headband when I'm at home and when I sleep.

I moisturize with a combination of rose water and vitamin E that I spray directly onto my dreads. Good idea?

That's it for now. Thank for you reading and thank you for your comments in advance.

Much love.

updated by @trico: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

They look fine my friend. Just don't ever go back!!! Wash 2-3-5 times a week (just btw sure they fully dry between washes)... the cleaner the better! No waxes. I'd say brush them out but i know what 5 partially crocheted dreads did to my hair, just leave them alone and separate as needed. It's your hairs pulling unnaturally that itches, they gave me sores on my head . Do nothing but keep your head clean and they will do the rest on their own. Be careful of oils, they'll grab dirt. I use fresh aloe and want to rosemary but I'm leary of any oils. When i brushed my last set out i found a lot of dirt on my hairs because of the oils i had used. Once in the beginning i even used coconut oil 😣. If it can wash out with water good, if it's heavy avoid it. Have confidence my friend, you look good, and trust your hairs to do their thing, on their own time

updated by @peaceful-passer: 06/26/19 12:30:45AM

Thank you for the reply.

I was told to use coconut oil for the itchiness, and I used some the first week because I couldn't take it anymore. It did nothing, so I might as well not use any and avoid the consequences given your advice.

I will give it time. I've been reading a lot of stuff online and comparing my dreads with others's. Probably a bad idea, since we all have different hair types.

It's relieving to know I can wash more than once a week. I'm washing my hair later tonight for sure. 

You didn't say anything about re-twisting and using a rubber band, though. I cut off the top of a beanie and I'm using it as a headband. At least my dreads won't be up and about anymore.

Much love.

Try fresh aloe. Sometimes the pulp gets left behind but you could strain it first or pick it out, comes out easy. Rosemary Essential oil is good for the scalp, dilute with water, try using a misting bottle. Something loose I dont imagine would cause much harm but you definitely want then to be free to move as much as possible. I kept my last set of locks up in a ponytail a lot in the beginning and i think that contributed to much of the bulkiness at the bottoms, but mine were freeform, I'm sure that makes a big difference. This set I've left down completely but the for occasional bun but i have long hair that ties around itself. Soaring eagle uses the sleeve of a t-shirt i remember him saying. Try not to compare yourself, your hairs look good! There's no need to twist. If it can break the hairs, don't do it, that's my philosophy since seeing how much hair came out of the crocheted hairs i had compared to the freeform.

updated by @peaceful-passer: 06/26/19 09:10:54PM

I understand. No re-twisting. My hair is super fragile as it is, I wouldn't want it breaking. But won't the difference be too noticeable between the dreaded hair and the new growth coming from the roots? Will it also dread if I leave it alone, separate, etc?

Thanks again. You've been really helpful.

You can tell the hair was crocheted as they kind of look like stiff rods rather than soft rope which will be why your scalp itches because the hair is being pulled tight at the scalp. I had mine crocheted 2 years ago (ended up combing them all out because I hated them) and I had the same itchiness at first.

I'd fuck the rubber band off. Besides the fact that they look think and stiff they actually look neat when you've got them down. It's not like they're all sticking up in different directions. On top of that it will really do help you out in the long run to start embracing the mess because as the new hair grows it will start to look messier. This leads in to what you said about the difference between the dreads and the new growth. There will be quite a difference because the new growth will dread a bit differently so the dreads will be thicket and softer at the roots b ecause they're not pulled ridiculously tight like they are with the crochet hook. Worst comes to worse in time you will have long dreads that all have tight, thin, stiff ends from what was crocheted which you could always just cut off when you have enough length that a decent amount of hair will still be left behind. Or you may decide it doesn't bother you and leave it as it is.

When I combed out my crocheted dreads I lost quite a bit of hair because the crochet hook actually constantly breaks your hairs but then pulls them together so tight that the broken bits can't go anywhere. Have you ever shaved your ead or face with an electric trimmer? The same kind  of small hairs were all over the place and the hair than I had left on my head was very thing compared to what it was before and I have always had really thick hair. Also when combing them out I realised that a lot of the dreads were full of some sort of grey gunk. That shit had been on my head for 6 month which makes me feel sick to think about. I guess that it was shampoo that had got into the dreads but because they were so tight it got trapped and couldn't get back out. This isn't necessarily going to be the same for you but it's worth knowing what can happen.

--
I'm on Twitter @FemalePheromone
and Instagram @FemalePheromones

There was a photo of crocheted and then allowed to freeform for a year i think, i can't remember by who (Maybe you??) The difference was HUGE, in  a GREAT way! It's worth the transition.

The freeform locks won't be so "perfect" tidy, they'll have personality, they won't hurt and pull and itch, they'll be authentically all originally yours =)

updated by @peaceful-passer: 06/27/19 11:36:10AM

When I first browsed the forum before creating an account, I was really surprised about the negative opinions on crochet hooks. Well, now that I've experienced it first hand, I agree with you. I combed out all of my dreads. It took me three weeks but I finally got it done.

I wasn't really happy with them. Perhaps judging the sections or the thickness of the dreads was merely an excuse for my lack of patience. I really didn't think twice about combing them out before starting. Also, my head was itching like crazy. No amount of oil did anything for my scalp. Washing it helped for a couple of days, but that's it.

As I was combing them out, I saw the actual damage they had done to my hair because I lost quite a bit of it. I did see some nasty ass whiteish, even blackish gunk in some of the hair I was pulling out, especially from the dreads in the back of my head.  Pretty surprising because I've only had them for a few weeks and I used residue free shampoo on every wash.

Some of them were so goddamn tight I even considered just cutting them off.

If I ever decide to get dreadlocks again I'm definitely going to freeform.

Thank you for all the adivce.

updated by @trico: 07/17/19 10:50:27PM

IT actually looks like you've still got a decent amount of volume in your hair which is good. Glad you're happier now.

--
I'm on Twitter @FemalePheromone
and Instagram @FemalePheromones

Trico, personally I thought you looked great with the dreads my friend 😁 although like has been said, crochet can be damaging and painful and irritating. Personally free form is best but if you're like me, and you did say something about lack of patience if I recall lol, twist and rip is also a good, less damaging method. As always tho there will be unruly frizz and craziness but its a journey. Its Definately not like going to a salon and getting a cut. You'll have to be patient and learn to embrace the craziness if you're gonna stuck with it. I'm a little over a month in and right now I have so much loose hairs and the back of my head is so matted at the roots its insane! I have to separate the back almost daily and use a sea salt water and aloe spray on a few locks to help them along and with my dandruff ive found an apple cider vinegar rinse once a month to be quite helpful 😀 way less itch and flakes. 😁 I only finger roll (like palm rolling but placing the loc between the index and middle finger valley, then "palm roll" motion) a tiny bit at the root in the back to help keep them seperated and I only do this after a wash while theyre wet to cut down on damage. And very gently do the same to the rest just to get the stray loose hairs closest to each lock to stay where I want them also a helpful tip ive picked up is, if ya dont wanna wash your hair and you wanna feel fresh (say you washed Monday and its Wednesday and ya feel a like icky) a cool water rinse is great too! Just make sure you give your hair ample time to dry ☺ if your hair is damp for too long it can cause issues. I wash or rinse mine in the morning so it can dry well. I prefer to go outside after so nature can dry it but you can use a hair dryer as well on a cool setting ☺ honestly it seems like you've done your homework and have a good sense of what ur in for. But always feel free to ask questions 😁 lets be honest, I'd be lying if I said I havent thought about brushing mine out once or twice so far. I'm sure everyone has in the baby stage! It can get frustrating and disheartening sometimes. But just remember, they need time to mature, just like any child 😜 at first, they're cute and seem to act how you want them, (infant stage) then they become a bit sassy and start to do what they want! Becoming a bit messy and not quite listening to what you want (baby stage) then they start to defy your wishes and push the boundaries, trying to make their own way (toddler stage) eventually they become unruly and completely defiant just before they start to calm down and look more like dreadlocks (teen stage) then they start to shape up and start becoming what you always wanted and knew they could be! (Young adult stage) and eventually they fully mature and become locks. They've settled in and found their place but will always need a lil guidance 😜 (mature stage) mind you this can take a year, for some more and for some less. I know a few ppl who's locks at three years are still a bit unruly and troublesome at times and others who's locks matured quickly at about 6-7 mos. It all depends on your hair. But the best advice ive heard is to set em and forget em (so to speak) and enjoy the journey 😁 its Definately a wild ride.! Keep us posted if you decide to do them again. But you look great either way ☺ these pics are of mine first done and 6 weeks in 😁 much love friend