Help and advice please for new dreads I'm sooooo confused!!!!

u definately want all bands out the crochet will cause some extrra fuzzines the 1st few months from broken hairs popping out aswell as slow progress thats cause you bipassed the early stages forced an unatural tighteness that mimiks maturity they have to loosen up alot in otrderr to even begin dreading

as far as maintenance wash and seperate

thats all

the simple soaps are ok but not ideal the aussie 1 i wouldnt use

i think everything else was covered

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
updated by @soaring-eagle: 07/22/15 11:40:33AM

The following fact really freaked me out the first three months until I just sucked it up and got used to it: your hair will look fantastic before you wash. You wash and then you're hair looks like crap for the next twelve hours. Seriously. Like you've put your head in the toilet and given yourself a swirly. How to fix? SLEEP on it!!! No joke! The next morning after you've washed your hair you'll want to kiss the mirror because you look so lovely. Sleeping on dreadlocks makes them mature.(Don't ever sleep on wet hair, though, fyi, unless you want mildew and mold in your hair and pillow case.)

Don't baby them too much. Have fun. Let them do their thing and they will portray just how uniquely beautiful you are inside.

Congrats on beginning your journey!

Yeahh i am real nervous for washing ! i was planning on washing in the morning like first thing but after what you have just said i might actually wait until the evening so i can sleep on it. Sounds better than going out with "toilet hair" hahah!!

i really wish i had done it a different method now i love this site and the help everyone has given me but its made me really regret the crochet method Thankfully I've only done it the once and there only 2 days old so I'm hoping not much damage has been done.

Also i was going to make a different discussion thing but i might as well just post it on here. Seen as though i done them myself the sectioning isn't all that great and i have a medium sized bald undreaded scalply bit at the back which I'm really starting to become self conscious about. i really dont want to take any dreads out and re do it (mainly because i dont want the pain) but If i just pin certain dreadlocks over will they eventually grow that direction? or will it get better over time?

Angel Frye said:

The following fact really freaked me out the first three months until I just sucked it up and got used to it: your hair will look fantastic before you wash. You wash and then you're hair looks like crap for the next twelve hours. Seriously. Like you've put your head in the toilet and given yourself a swirly. How to fix? SLEEP on it!!! No joke! The next morning after you've washed your hair you'll want to kiss the mirror because you look so lovely. Sleeping on dreadlocks makes them mature.(Don't ever sleep on wet hair, though, fyi, unless you want mildew and mold in your hair and pillow case.)

Don't baby them too much. Have fun. Let them do their thing and they will portray just how uniquely beautiful you are inside.

Congrats on beginning your journey!

it will get better in time as you seperate loose hairs fill gaps and become new dreads naturaly nothing to worry bout

wash in the morn so they can dry by night

i wiouldnt say they look bad after washing just lil more fuzzy is all

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I disagree I love washing my locks it feels super refreshing! Angel Frye is right in saying you don't need to baby them too much I blow dry mine sometimes, put them in high pony tails, mickey mouse buns, last night I even wore them in high pig tails and someone told me I looked like a hippy baby spice! haha but I didn't mind it was funny Don't be nervous its your hair and you have had it your whole life its just more wild and untamed now! that's half the fun ) Also I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this but essential oils are awesome with the baking soda wash usually I mix a little under a table spoon of baking soda with a squirt of dr. bronners, 8 drops of rosemary essential oil (which helps with dandruff and kills lice), 7 drops of lavendar essential oil (which kills mold spores), and 2-4 drops of tea tree which also helps with dandruff, I put that all in a large cup and fill it with warm water/stir it up and wa la! delightful wash :o) ps; a good friend of mine has had locks for 5 years and he put bands at the roots in his first couple of months, to this day his locks are odd shaped if you know where to look for it, ditch the bands! that might even help with that gap you described. Have fun and enjoy your journey <3

Harriet said:

Yeahh i am real nervous for washing ! i was planning on washing in the morning like first thing but after what you have just said i might actually wait until the evening so i can sleep on it. Sounds better than going out with "toilet hair" hahah!!

i really wish i had done it a different method now i love this site and the help everyone has given me but its made me really regret the crochet method Thankfully I've only done it the once and there only 2 days old so I'm hoping not much damage has been done.

Also i was going to make a different discussion thing but i might as well just post it on here. Seen as though i done them myself the sectioning isn't all that great and i have a medium sized bald undreaded scalply bit at the back which I'm really starting to become self conscious about. i really dont want to take any dreads out and re do it (mainly because i dont want the pain) but If i just pin certain dreadlocks over will they eventually grow that direction? or will it get better over time?

Angel Frye said:

The following fact really freaked me out the first three months until I just sucked it up and got used to it: your hair will look fantastic before you wash. You wash and then you're hair looks like crap for the next twelve hours. Seriously. Like you've put your head in the toilet and given yourself a swirly. How to fix? SLEEP on it!!! No joke! The next morning after you've washed your hair you'll want to kiss the mirror because you look so lovely. Sleeping on dreadlocks makes them mature.(Don't ever sleep on wet hair, though, fyi, unless you want mildew and mold in your hair and pillow case.)

Don't baby them too much. Have fun. Let them do their thing and they will portray just how uniquely beautiful you are inside.

Congrats on beginning your journey!

I hope so it sure is embarrassing ill just have to tie them up for now.

And I would wash them in the morning but i dont have any of the oils recommended in the baking soda deep cleanse post thing. I only have baking soda, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and lemons so i was going to go out and buy tea tree oil and stuff during the day or will it be okay for the first wash if i just use baking soda and salt? Then the next wash ill add in the oil

soaring eagle said:

it will get better in time as you seperate loose hairs fill gaps and become new dreads naturaly nothing to worry bout

wash in the morn so they can dry by night

i wiouldnt say they look bad after washing just lil more fuzzy is all

t6her oils are optional u dont want lemons at all just the bs and acv u dont want salt since u crochetted u want them to loosen up not tighten more

the oils are justto treat conditions like dandruff

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Oooo this recipe sounds lovely ill have to give it a try!! Thanks a lot !!

Jasper said:

I disagree I love washing my locks it feels super refreshing! Angel Frye is right in saying you don't need to baby them too much I blow dry mine sometimes, put them in high pony tails, mickey mouse buns, last night I even wore them in high pig tails and someone told me I looked like a hippy baby spice! haha but I didn't mind it was funny Don't be nervous its your hair and you have had it your whole life its just more wild and untamed now! that's half the fun ) Also I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this but essential oils are awesome with the baking soda wash usually I mix a little under a table spoon of baking soda with a squirt of dr. bronners, 8 drops of rosemary essential oil (which helps with dandruff and kills lice), 7 drops of lavendar essential oil (which kills mold spores), and 2-4 drops of tea tree which also helps with dandruff, I put that all in a large cup and fill it with warm water/stir it up and wa la! delightful wash :o) ps; a good friend of mine has had locks for 5 years and he put bands at the roots in his first couple of months, to this day his locks are odd shaped if you know where to look for it, ditch the bands! that might even help with that gap you described. Have fun and enjoy your journey <3

Harriet said:

Yeahh i am real nervous for washing ! i was planning on washing in the morning like first thing but after what you have just said i might actually wait until the evening so i can sleep on it. Sounds better than going out with "toilet hair" hahah!!

i really wish i had done it a different method now i love this site and the help everyone has given me but its made me really regret the crochet method Thankfully I've only done it the once and there only 2 days old so I'm hoping not much damage has been done.

Also i was going to make a different discussion thing but i might as well just post it on here. Seen as though i done them myself the sectioning isn't all that great and i have a medium sized bald undreaded scalply bit at the back which I'm really starting to become self conscious about. i really dont want to take any dreads out and re do it (mainly because i dont want the pain) but If i just pin certain dreadlocks over will they eventually grow that direction? or will it get better over time?

Angel Frye said:

The following fact really freaked me out the first three months until I just sucked it up and got used to it: your hair will look fantastic before you wash. You wash and then you're hair looks like crap for the next twelve hours. Seriously. Like you've put your head in the toilet and given yourself a swirly. How to fix? SLEEP on it!!! No joke! The next morning after you've washed your hair you'll want to kiss the mirror because you look so lovely. Sleeping on dreadlocks makes them mature.(Don't ever sleep on wet hair, though, fyi, unless you want mildew and mold in your hair and pillow case.)

Don't baby them too much. Have fun. Let them do their thing and they will portray just how uniquely beautiful you are inside.

Congrats on beginning your journey!

Okayy Thank you :D! you have been a huge help!

soaring eagle said:

t6her oils are optional u dont want lemons at all just the bs and acv u dont want salt since u crochetted u want them to loosen up not tighten more

the oils are justto treat conditions like dandruff

Wash them early. They won't look that bad. And if you let them dry in the sun, they will dry faster and look better sooner. if you wash in the evening, it will take hours before you can go to sleep. That means if you get tired and want to sleep, you will always have the nagging feeling in the back of your mind reminding you that if you go to sleep now, you might cause mold. I usually wash in the early afternoon if I didn't get a chance to first thing. Plus, taking a shower in the morning can help wake you up. Cooler water does help locks knot faster. I usually do my normal wash and rinse with warm water, but do a second rinse with cold water last.

Just make sure you wring out as much water as you can, and you wont look that goofy. Don't worry about it.

As for the bald spot. It depends. How big are your sections. Your's look kind of big. I wouldn't congo any together to fix it. It should fix itself over time. I've got the stereotypical bald spot forming on the top of my head. Periodically I notice it, but after a while of not messing with it trying to cover it up, my hair matted around it and you wouldn't be ab;e to see it unless I pulled hair back and pointed it out. You should be fine. Just don't poke at it trying to fix it