right way, wrong way, or *gulp* start over?

okay, i started my dreads by backcombing (in my defense, i didn't know any better), and it actually worked for my hair. which surprised me cuz i have very thin hair. i have gotten the chance to TnR a few homeless strays, and i love the result so far, but it's really too late to fix my whole head. my problem is i have about 3 inches of undreaded hair at the root. i'm wondering if this is normal? is there a way to fix this, without taking out the whole dread? some look kinda weird, but they are 6 weeks old today-and i know they are still going through stages of tightening, but i have a big ball of knotted hair at the end of quite a few of these dread babies. i just want to make sure i'm still on the right path before it gets too too late to fix 'em. any help would be greatly appreciated.
updated by @jessica-aukema: 03/02/19 09:43:59PM

your doing fine nothing to fix roots will tighten slowly that gap will be there but will become less by time theyre mature probly be 1/2 inch to an inchcan u show us the ends u mean some of mine have balls on the ends just kinda how iyt happened..relax..theyre dreading


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

You are on the right path. You gave your hair a boost in the process by sectioning it out on your own and helped it begin to form knots.Now all that is left is to keep your hair clean on a regular basis, pull apart sections to keep them from forming into congos (Optional), and just leave them alone.When you have the chance read the following discussion: http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreading-the-1st-few-weeks-of Some signs of progress are: loops, kinks, loose hair sticking out of a dread and shrinkage.There are no definite ways of determining how fast your hair will become fully matured dreadlocks. The entire process, especially in the beginning stages depends entirely on the rate at which your hair go throw the natural growth/shedding cycle.

I started by back combing too and I don't regret it because it gave me fairly uniform size dreads..I did look like an Achidna for a while at the beginning though. You are doing great, never give up :D

YAAAAYYYYY! thank you so much everyone. I just wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing. we are keeping them very clean (washing every 3-5 days), and separating congo's daily (aparantly, my hair loves to dance). I just got in the mood to decorate, and i just made my first sleeve all by myself!like anything brand new, the beginning stages are tough to get through, but i'm really glad i have this website to fall back on, and such wonderful people to respond so quickly.thanks for the great site. without you, i may be bald! lol.

good thing your not bald or one of us would sneak over and draw a great big yellow smiley face on your head...ok by one of us i mean me


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Yeah im sure u will be fine and wow people wash there dreads alot ! i dont wash mine that often

LOL : ) soaringeagle said:

good thing your not bald or one of us would sneak over and draw a great big yellow smiley face on your head...ok by one of us i mean me

A real thorough clean about once a week is about all I have time (can be bothered!) to do. If I did them more often than that I would spend all my time with damp hair...not good when it's not too warm. : ) Jack Roth said:

Yeah im sure u will be fine and wow people wash there dreads alot ! i dont wash mine that often

I still wash mine about every other day. Lately it's been about every 3 days doing baking soda once or twice a month to remove any residues from whatever soap. I skip the ACV rinse because with my hair it's pretty unnecessary. I think the difference with using baking soda is more apparent with mature dreads, even with non-residue soaps you will notice that mature dreads start to get a little stiffer after a few weeks(not like waxed kind of stiff though) and the baking soda helps them feel nice and soft again.Roots that are dreaded up too close to the scalp can get too tight and feel restrictive, sometimes even painful.
updated by @spider-feet: 07/10/15 02:23:33AM