Can't wear dreads down without huge gaps

Well I wasn't pinning and coiling. By pinning I meant laying dreads back over gaps and then using a couple front dreads to wrap around like a half pony tail and pinning them in place.

The shampoo is Dread Soap from Dreadheadhq.com and its the liquid one. I also used this the last time I had dreads and I've been washing with it every 2-3 weeks. The wax isn't a dread wax, its a general use hair conditioning wax. I don't have any in right now.

If scalp rubbing is the problem, do you thing covering my head with a scarf wrap will worsen it?

And thanks for the help.

updated by @amanda9: 07/21/15 06:47:03PM

if loose no id throw away the dreadheadhq soaop that shit maybe making the prob worse also u want to be washing way way way more often 2-3 times a week every week and ..the wax is not gone u put wax in dreads its in dreads forever unless u take exctreme effort to get it out thats why u never ever put wax in dreads

i would definately not use anything from dreadheadhq i cant remember what but 1 of the ingredients has been known to cause balding ain a small percentage of ppl

its all chemical crap

i doubt wearing a scarfs gonna urt but wear it lil loose so its not causing any more rubbing or traction were gonna want to go easy on them awhile and see what happens

dr dreads prescription

1. wax removal
2. wash 5 times more often at least but gently
3. switch washig methods to a more natural 1 baking soda or maylees or dr bronners
4. be gentle with them no rubbing or rolling
5. leave them alne 3 months only seperate carefully if any join together (doubt they can with such big gaps)
6. if hair grows in the gaps celebrate

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I'll give the baking soda a try tonight since I needed to wash it anyway.

I'll cross my fingers I don't end up just having to shave my head 3 months from now. Thanks for all the help

i asked panterra to take a look she may have more advice to help out ..i hope

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

You have got some big problems going on! First, you are dreaded quite tightly, right up to your scalp. You may not feel like there is alot of tension on your scalp, because over time we adjust to the tension and don't notice it, but it is too tight (I am positive of that!). You also have a buildup of color. It looks like you have colored and bleached numerous times. For your hair to be that bright of a blue you had to pre-lighten. Any damage on hair is cumulative. So, the things you have been doing have seemed fine until now. Now, all that damage is catching up with you. You are also not washing your hair nearly enough! A dirty scalp is not a healthy scalp and an unhealthy scalp stops growing hair. It is very obvious that you have been doing ALOT more than you realize or you just aren't ready to admit it. Dreads do not look like yours at 4 mos. without ALOT of tinkering and palm rolling and rubbing. You have put yourself in a very serious state. I would not use BS to shampoo. It will remove your color and make it tempting for you to recolor, which is not a good idea at the moment. I would use a Maylee's bar as it is more conditioning. The BS is a great choice usually, but, in your case can cause breakage since your hairis very stressed and under extreme tension. No more rubbing or palm rolling...NONE. You need to also remove the wax, but, this is a secondary concern at the moment. I would start by shampooing your hair 2-3 times a week, very carefully. You need to rub you scalp a small bit while shampooing to help increase your circulation but not enought to attempt to knot the hair. How does your scalp actually feel? Are you itchy or see any flaking? I also see some fuzzy, little bits of hair between the dreads (in the gaps), with care this hair may fill in...but it will take a very long time. I also think you should try a satin pillow case on your pillow to help your hair while you sleep. It will keep the hair from being pulled and ruffled. I am very concerned about your hair, you should be as well. I would also not ever wear your hair up or pinned in any way. No clips, wraps or hats. No tams or wool. No sea water or hair color orANYTHING...just shampoo.

Ok I will look into a Maylee's bar and order one. No rubbing or rolling, check.

The only itchy place is at the base of my neck on the side I sleep on. Other wise no flaking or anything. The fuzz is pretty recent, too.

I kind of wonder if the color accentuates the gaps, too. My natural color is a light dirty blond and my roots Are close to an inch long so there is a dramatic color difference. My hair has been bleached at one point and I have been dying over that with progressively darker colors (start with pink and let it fade all the way out for a couple months then either touch up or move onto a darker color...up the rainbow so to speak). I've had colored hair for years without breakage and such, but its possible that the dread and rolling combo was enough to push it over the edge.

And I am concerned about my hair which is why I posted in the first place. I did a ton of research on this site and others before and after putting my dreads in to get a general consensus of what people think are the best methods. There is a lot of variance out there for what the do's and don'ts are. I've even been accused of not working with my dreads enough because I refused to wax unless I had a bunch of strands pulling out of the dreads and rolling didn't fix it.

So now I'm hoping this new advise will help my dreads. I really want them, but I've been worried I don't have the right kind of hair for them. ..its baby fine, but not thin or patchy coverage. A "normal" hair pony tail for me isn't very big around.

accused of not working on them enoyugh? who said that?

the healthiest thing for dreads is to leave em alone completely

if you work on em do very very lil the less the better

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

i was going to say it looks like you have thin hair. even still i would definitely follow what panterra says. she knows what she's talking about. good luck to you!

i zoomed in on it as close as possible to get a really good look

i zoomed in on 1 dread root wjhere u could see the root clearly it was very thinned out (and saw wax in it i think ) there is some fine hair in the gaps so thinking it will recover i hope

but i dont think her hairs normaly too thin..slightly based on what i see at that root but the surrpunding area looks like its in trouble ..but real close inspection id say not beyond home

tho its gonna take bout 3 months to see improvement

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

My 1st impression is crocheted locks. Healthy dreads are not supposed to be that tight and compacted at 4 months. My hair is very thin and fine. My ponytail before dreads was the size of a nickle under the band. I have a little over 30 dreads. Because my hair is thin...there is spaces between my dreads. But there is no gaps of skin showing. I have lots of loose hair that just naturally fills in those areas. Looser roots and loose hair will fill in yours too if you let it. I too noticed that the color does accentuate the gaps. I promise roots do not need maintenance to lock up. If they did most of the people i know with dreads would have 4 inch dreaded tips and the rest straight hair all the way to their butt. Because we don't mess with them. That is the whole beauty of dreads. They just happen!