just a lil note
if u look around the site u will find hundreds of cases were ppl started with ways to speed it up only to start over naturally before thy were even mature
others after years started over naturally
my opoint is
give natural a try
u can always twist n rip later
but if u jump into tnr and 3-6 months in decide u wish u went natural u gotta start over
i used the twist and rip method on my hair and it worked great. only use a residue free shampoo. not conditioner on dreads ever. thats the only "drying out" you shound do. you dont want weak dreads. i also used wax a few times and thought i had made an informed decision, but i was wrong. ive removed all wax and im at 5 months now. my advice. make sure your sections are as square or round as possible. i have some that are kinda rectangles and they try to grow together all the time. i had to twist some together because they became immpossible. and 2nd is to take you time and really do it as tight as possible. the looser they are the more loops you will have. here is a vid showing you how to TnR. _...
ps. in thevideo she put the rubber band on the before twisting and ripping. i would not do that. i would put the band onafter the dread is formed to insure the root is as tight as possible.
there's natural, neglect, and forced. neglect is the best. That's when you just don't do anything but separate after you wash. natural includes tnr and backcombing. Back combing is more damaging than tnr. Eagle explained tnr well. That's the best way to get locks started. After you do that, you don't have to do anything. They'll come out a little bit after the first few washes, but really quickly, you'll start seeing improvements. the TnR method just helps the sections get started
i would say dont section square roiund or anything random sizes and shapes
and do not do it too tight tight dreads way slower looser dreads faster loops are it dreading if it didnt loop it wass too tight to dread yet it gotta loosen to loop
and i would not use rubber bands at all ever ever ever
AlyssaAnne said:
i used the twist and rip method on my hair and it worked great. only use a residue free shampoo. not conditioner on dreads ever. thats the only "drying out" you shound do. you dont want weak dreads. i also used wax a few times and thought i had made an informed decision, but i was wrong. ive removed all wax and im at 5 months now. my advice. make sure your sections are as square or round as possible. i have some that are kinda rectangles and they try to grow together all the time. i had to twist some together because they became immpossible. and 2nd is to take you time and really do it as tight as possible. the looser they are the more loops you will have. here is a vid showing you how to TnR. _...
ps. in thevideo she put the rubber band on the before twisting and ripping. i would not do that. i would put the band onafter the dread is formed to insure the root is as tight as possible.
correction
natural is :
neglect organic freeform
no man made manipulation at all except seperation
backcomb and tnr are not in the natural realm since man manipulates and forces the process
Baba Fats said:
there's natural, neglect, and forced. neglect is the best. That's when you just don't do anything but separate after you wash. natural includes tnr and backcombing. Back combing is more damaging than tnr. Eagle explained tnr well. That's the best way to get locks started. After you do that, you don't have to do anything. They'll come out a little bit after the first few washes, but really quickly, you'll start seeing improvements. the TnR method just helps the sections get started
read my definition discussion from yesterday
natural is based on formation only
washing ..cleaning anmd water helps it dread wether u use manmade or not doesnt matter its being clean getting wet that matters
seperATION does not form dreads actualy oposite seperation can prevent dreads if u seperate every hair
so seperation does not make thformation unatural since it still dreads without force
i think i will just go with the t&r and just leave em alone after that. i just tried one and it worked out pretty good but i left my hair a little greasy purposely just in case i messed it up. so i'll clean my hair start using ivory soap on it to dry it out and have a friend help with the t&r probably very soon, thanks for everyones input and thanks for the vid! it helped alot
would not use ivory it will leave soap scum
and make sure thdo not section too big!
most common mistake..
u make a pencil sized dread out of a quarter size se4ction it becomes a quarter size dread in months
u make a quarter size dread from a 2 inch sectiuon u get wrist size dreads
so be sure the roiot area is an inch or less....less is best in case they congo
well. what i did worked best for me. and ive learned by paying attention to my hair. and i know the bands helped my hair form seperatly in the beginning. everyone has there own way of doing things. while there are a few "wrongs" like wax and "rights" like residue free shampoo, i think everybody does what they think is best. and if somebody tells me they use a crochet needle i dont look down on them. if thats what worked for them, who am i to judge? so do what you feel is best for you hair. 
