Now Im not very worried about time frames at all. I really don't care how long this takes because for me, it's a spiritual journey. However, I have many friends who are locking their hair as well. At first it was for the liberation but now it's become a thing of vanity. And although dreads are beautiful, they forget the reasons why they were getting them in the first place.Would I be right in saying natural is the quickest? I do much less maintenence than them and mine are going much better than theirs. They've been going on for months, and me for maybe a month. Just wonderring.
updated by @zeefighter: 01/13/15 08:39:40PM
The quickest method?
Well I think most methods mature in about the same time. But with natural, you start to see the dreads later. With twist and rip, they look like dreads right away, which will be better for someone who wants dreads NOW. You know?So if they are in it for liberation but also want the vanity, tell them they can twist and rip then leave them alone. Who knows, maybe in the time they wait for them to mature they can get over the vanity aspect.
natural can be the quickest or can be slowit varriesfor me it was very quickmost likely they used products that slowed it?what did they do and use
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
It really depends on the hair. I've seen backcombing mature waay faster in some people than in others, and I've seen natural locks that still haven't really started locking in months, almost a full year. Twist and rip gives a pretty dreaded/braided/sectioned look right as soon as they're completed... but they change so dramatically from the way that they look originally when they're finally mature.I'm of the opinion that if they're in it for vanity, then this is the wrong hairstyle for them. Even t&r dreads will kick vanity in the face within a month or so and go nuts. Backcombing starts out kicking vanity in the face, as does natural. As far as liberation is concerned, they need to pick whichever method feels right to them (nothing more liberating that freedom of choice, knowing that the outcome will still end up pretty much the same) and forget the time issue. Dreads just take time one way or another... like I said before, it all just depends on the hair type and the person's lifestyle.
They have kinky hair. It's not extremely coarse but kinky. I'm really not sure what they clean with but that may be the problem as well. I've told them if it's for vaniy, wrong style. Unless you're willing to do something that will destroy your hair. I honestly think their main issue is touching it too much and it's unravveling. But I could be wrong.
For me when I do nothing with my dreads it grows faster. I started my dread journey knowing it wasn't a perfect style and that I was doing it for me. Sometimes I do like when my dreads look neat fresh and clean. I do maintenance to where you can see parts and my scalp. However I'll go months without doing anything to my but get it wet it in the shower. It can look pretty "bad" if you let my friends say it. So I'll do full wash and retwist whenever I want my dreads to look clean and neat again. I find different joys in both high maintenance dreads and in zero maintenance dreads. And if your friends find joy in doing high maintenance just let them. It's not like your dreads are effected by how they do their dreads.
Whenever I hear of new lockers, I'm always hoping their minds are open enough to have a "light bulb moment" realizing that everyone has a different journey -- and one of the magic words is PATIENCE. Unlocked, my hair is loosely textured afro/caribbean type hair. I've had dreads for over 15 years now and I've definitely seen my fair share of friends and peers dive into trying to lock their hair -- some succeeded while others gave up almost as quickly as they started. I found what worked for me was sticking to a natural path. Backcombing, natural aloe vera gel, and honey to get my locks started, and then daily light jojoba & water spritzes and gentle weekly or bi-weekly washes...but no goopy gels, petrolatum, wax or sulfate laden shampoos. Over the years before I started my dreads, I'd heard from so many others that water was something everyone should avoid in the early process, but I found that water was a magic element for me. I found my locks forming faster than I'd expected and I'll be forever grateful I didn't go the route that many of my peers went to get dreads quickly (using unnatural gels, pomades and wax). Build-up has never been an issue for me and my locks still look and feel strong and healthy after all of these years. I do think staying natural helped in the beginning. I saw a lot of people putting all kinds of crap in their hair and it did seem to slow things down -- especially when they'd end up with mildew/build-up in their locks and they decided to either quit or start all over again.Vanity and the urge to compare our dreads with others in a competitive, self-defeating way (as opposed to what a lot of us do on this site to learn, share and encourage each other) is definitely something that needs to be kept in check. I think I've mentioned this to you before in a different post, but I've always looked at having dreads like cultivating a garden. Even though sometimes we start with similar seeds, no one's garden will be exactly the same -- and that's a beautiful thing. Trust your gut, kiddo. You are well on your way :o)
Natural is faster IMO. Other methods give you the illusion of "dreads" right away but real mature dreads take time no matter what.
