Should be starting soon, still debating the best method for my hair.

So I've been doing research for the past 6 months and have had the idea of having dreadlocks for at least 6 years. I've started to wash my hair with Dr. Bronner's Lavender Bar Soap just to get my hair used to it and my hair is significantly long. I'd put a picture up, but my camera is packed away. It's coarse, wavy, and goes down well past my shoulders by at least 4 or 5 inches. My question is about the method I should use. I know the best method would be natural, but I don't have a job that would allow me to do so. Personal Jesus (the user here) has volunteered to backcomb my hair for me and has been of MUCH help as well as a great source of information for my persistent inquisitive nature. However, I wonder if backcombing is the right way to go. I know it can cause damage to my hair (I trust him to be careful) but it seems as though if I want to get the thickness I want for my dreads, then twist and rip might not be the best method either. So I feel like I'm kind of left with no option. Has anyone here successfully made thick TNR dreads? (Thick meaning around 5/8ths inch in diameter, not Phat which I'd say is around 3/4 to an Inch) Thanks much for your help in advance!-Chris
updated by @chris-marshall: 02/14/15 03:27:13AM

my hair seems to be working pretty well with twist and rip. mine are already thickening up a decent amount just after a month i have a few that are at about a half inch. im sure theyll get thicker, probably too thick for my liking. oh well ill still love them

i did twist n rip and it made my dreads more into braids than drads it was weird so i took em out and did the backcomb method after 7 months of rip and twist not looking like dreads so backcombing is looking alot better for me. but i think it just depends on hair type.. well happy dreadding ..peace

yea u can do thick tnr dreads


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Hey all, thanks for the quick replies. I've been out and about since I started the topic. I work at a Frozen Yogurt Store called Yogurtland. I've worked with the company for about two years, and have pretty close relationships with the owners of our store, but still, they desire that I and the rest of the employees look tidy. I barely squeek by having half-inch gauge plugs in my ears. If I were to go all natural, my hair would be up in a tight pony tail for 24 hours each week at work, where-as if I backcombed it would be easier to keep them up in a sleeve which they will allow. They won't allow a sleeve for loose hair, obviously. I don't think being kept up in a tight pony tail would be good for dreading. I also would like to have a slight uniformity in size. I don't mind character, but the size is the only thing I'd really like to be able to control. Even with my hair now I try to keep it as voluminous as possible. Straight/flat haired me doesn't look right.@SE: How does one go about doing so without making dreads that will easily unravel? If you split a thick chunk of hair into two sections and TNR, won't you be kind of creating a braid like twist instead of creating knots?

if u twist more then rip u get a braaid like look but that will dread anyway quicklythe key with twist and rip is 2 things1 twist once for every 5-10 pulls2 with every pull seperate randomly with diferent amounts of hair in each hand every time like sometimes 105-90% 25-75.. and so on instead of 50-50 which will give u that look


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I TnR'd my hair, and it hasn't unraveled at all, and I have a couple that are about 5/8 thick. It's cool, they look braid-ish in some parts, but slowly over the weeks from the tips up and from the roots down it's looking more dread-y inch by inch it just takes time. SE described the method perfect here. But I guess it varies person to person and head to head back combing might be perfect for you, I tried back combing mine once and it was a fail! in any case your dreads will be awesome :D

I've got some fatties going on the back of my head from TnR. It's totally possible. The braid look is from twisting too much, like SoaringEagle said. Mine looked like it at first and now they're just totally messy haha but locking up nonetheless

Thanks for all the input guys. It's much appreciated. What size sections do you think I should use given the thickness that I want? I know that an Inch is the basic measurement, but how much larger should I do?

an inch is the thickest id go

but u said u want to have volume i think thats best accomplished by a blend if thick and thin and medium

but u also say u want uniform so i dunno

just make the root sections the size u want the finnished dreads and if the dreads i tnr are wauy thinner then u think u want dont worry thats how they start and thicken over time

if u start too thick u will regret it when they end up bigger then tyour arm

anything over an inch gets harder to cklean dry and care for too

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1