loose dreadlocks? no locks!

okay i know that if my dreads loosen up that it's natural and i shouldn't worry... but what if they loosen up to down right de-tangled??? arg!!! my hair is still a little short, am expecting too much for short hair? maybe about 3-4 inches long. i t&r-ed most all of it and now there are only a few left and those are now just tangled at the tips and i'm betting they are working their way out also. just started about 3 weeks ago. i know a lot of it is patience, but my hair does not seem to be sectioning at all and it's not holding knots. using baking soda wash mostly and a non res shampoo occasionally and washing every 3-4 days. would go longer but it's freaking hot and my hair gets dirty and i keep hearing dirty hair doesn't dread well.argle bargle....
updated by @alicia-jean: 01/13/15 08:39:59PM

is it oily dirty? do u run your fingers thru maybe while asleep"/could u try sea salt sprays and a wool tam at night?can u add some beads?the shortness can be a factor but oiliness or running fingers through is more likelyrub your head like crazy with wool get it all knotty then seperate into sections do lil t&r and toss on a beadif its oily we'll have to work on the oiliness


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

not very oily except if i'm outside working in the heat. where do i get wool? tried small plastic beads but dreads too small to hold them. wood beads work better? tried sea salt spray twice but didn't notice a difference. don't run my fingers through hair. i stopped using vinegar rinse because i was thinking it would help it be less fluffy and dry out the hair more and would hold more knots. i think my head is average-never had a dandruff prob or oily prob but with the heat all bets are off.

You need to use the vinegar rinse. It returns your hair to it's normal PH level after you use the baking soda so it's important that you use it. Oh and hey, not to be a jerk but I'm the same guy that you argued with about natural dreading Vs. Jonny Clean dreads...and guess what. My hair is shorter than yours and I have dreads now so I think that should settle the argument especially since I have to give you advice. =) Only messing with ya. :P I think the reason that your hair isn't holding knots is because it just doesn't want to. Since we have short hair it takes longer for the hair to mold into a certain shape and knot together and get used to becoming dreads and since I started my hair off at nearly bald it just grew into dreads because that's what it wanted. Don't get my wrong though, the top of my head still isn't dreading yet, it's only sectioning and it hasn't really come together yet. But here is what to expect...you go out, enjoy life for a few months and one day you'll wake up with a few dreads and you'll be super happy. Until then just keep coming on here and doing research and getting opinions and advice from SE and the rest of us and your dreads will come out just fine. You also might need more length. Six inches is the perfect length for dreads so you might end up having to wait for a couple more inches. But during that wait you will most likely end up with a couple dreads. At least that is my experience. Happy dreading.

uuummmm.. never argued about natural dreading. only your attitude.and you don't HAVE TO give me advice. i appreciate it though. GreyGargoyle said:

You need to use the vinegar rinse. It returns your hair to it's normal PH level after you use the baking soda so it's important that you use it. Oh and hey, not to be a jerk but I'm the same guy that you argued with about natural dreading Vs. Jonny Clean dreads...and guess what. My hair is shorter than yours and I have dreads now so I think that should settle the argument especially since I have to give you advice. =) Only messing with ya. :P I think the reason that your hair isn't holding knots is because it just doesn't want to. Since we have short hair it takes longer for the hair to mold into a certain shape and knot together and get used to becoming dreads and since I started my hair off at nearly bald it just grew into dreads because that's what it wanted. Don't get my wrong though, the top of my head still isn't dreading yet, it's only sectioning and it hasn't really come together yet. But here is what to expect...you go out, enjoy life for a few months and one day you'll wake up with a few dreads and you'll be super happy. Until then just keep coming on here and doing research and getting opinions and advice from SE and the rest of us and your dreads will come out just fine. You also might need more length. Six inches is the perfect length for dreads so you might end up having to wait for a couple more inches. But during that wait you will most likely end up with a couple dreads. At least that is my experience. Happy dreading.

I try to give everyone advice and my attitude is a part of me. If I didn't have it then I wouldn't be me. I'd be someone else and wouldn't that be boring? =)

I would recommend reading around the site a bit. A LOT of people ask the same question. Grey summed it up really well for you. Leave your hair alone, stop fretting and Good Luck!