Young dread needs some answers please!

What's goin on everyone, i'm new to this so bear with me if some of these questions sound kinda silly. I got my dreading process started back in september 2011. At first, the salon i went to used wax and gel to get them started. Once a month i would go back and they would repeat the process.. Not untill month 3 i told them to wash my hair even though they said i shouldnt. From what i've read, most of you started your own dreads and use mostly natural techniques. With my family life, baby and work i unfortunately dont have the time to do it own my own, so going to a salon once a month is convenient. i have since switched salons and now they no long use the combtwist method( my dreads were getting clumpy), and no longer use that nasty wax, which seems to have washed off my hair completely (thank God). So here are my questions.

1)Is this product im using to retwist called "Rasta Lock and Twist" locking gel good or bad for my hair? and if bad what is a better option?

2) How often should i be washing my dreads, considering they are less than a year old and i dont want them to unravel?

3) Ive been using DHHQ dread soap, but wanna switch out after reading ya'll stories. Whats a better natural method? i keep seeing bs/avc or whatever n i have no clue what that means.

4) due to the fact i must wear a hard hat at my job for 8-10 hours, i cover them with a stocking cap. Can this hinder the locking process?

5) How often should i spray that sea salt solution on my dreads to speed up the process?

P.S i know this is a lot to answer, but i have these new dreads and lots of questions, please try and answer all my questions, i will be forever endebted to you. I look forward to being a long time member of this site.

Much peace and love.

updated by @supa-dread: 02/15/15 07:24:15AM

1 never retwist unless you want to go bald stop going to a salon no tio=ime to do nothing? all you should do to dreads is wash them and seperate them 10 minutes a week? your wasting more time at a salon let aklone monety and they are screwing you you want no products at all except to moisturize as needed so aloe vera or jojoba or something like thatg again never ever retwist!

2 wash 1-3 times a week every week if a salon says not to wsashy you know they know nothing

3 bs./acv is baking soda and apple cider vinegar but www.dreadlockshampoo.com is also amazing option i highly recomend

4 yes a tight restricrtive cap will slow progress but if u leave em loose at home and skip the cap under the hard hat your ok

5 weekly is plenty but since african haitr tenfds to be dry anyways yuse common sense if your drying then oiling to prevent drying mayube you shouldnt be drying so mi]=uch sio u wont have to oil so much either

the less products u use the better

if using seasalt means having to double the jojoba then your working against yourselfd

all u need to do is wash and seperate

and do the wax removal dreadlockshasmpoo.com has a wax remover

use it wax does not wash out its till in the cote screwing you

but yiuve willingly screwed yourself by going to salons

yiur ha\ir should be dreaded by now the fact it isnt proves they are doing it all wrong

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

1. Never heard of it, so I dunno, sorry.

2. As often as you want. Two or three times a week is ideal. You have a misconception here though, from reading this. Yeah, people here mostly do use natural methods, which is nothing. People do nothing to their hair. You don't need to go to a salon, they generally don't know that what they're doing is harmful. What do you go there for anyway, what do they do? Just leave them alone and they'll dread and stay dreaded. All you need to do is separate them, which is easy. Anyway, washing...yeah, they may unravel, but that's part of the process. They get loose and then tighten on their own. Clean dreads dread faster, and washing is good for them, gets them tangly.

3. BS/ACV is baking soda and apple cider vinegar. You put baking soda in water and pour it over your head and leave it for a while, then do the same with the apple cider vinegar. You can also put a few drops of essential oils with the ACV, that can help with them. The rinse is good cos it's a non-touch method, so you can wash your hair without worrying about undoing any progress. Anyway, your dreads should be dreaded enough to not unravel. If they're still loose, it's cos of the wax, try to get it out.

4. Wearing something tight can hinder the progress a bit, but if it's part of your job there's no way around it. It won't stop your hair from dreading, just might take a little longer.

5. Not sure about that one, see what the others say.

read these watch the vid this is why you never retwist dreads or go to a salon they wuill ruin myour dreads and charge you to do it

u can spend 20 grand only to have dreads fall off

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/retwisting-dreads-locs-dangers

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/hello-all-glad-i-found-this-place

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

1) Isn't that the Mango & Lime stuff? That's the only one I can think of by them. I think it still can leave a residual build up over time. Are you doing it to keep frizzies down? If so I would recommend using a touch of aloe instead.

2) I wash mine 3 times/week and they are only 3 weeks old. They seem to be doing just fine. I concentrate the cleaning at my scalp and let the run off clean my dreads.

3) I think the BS/ACV has been explained plenty. If you are under time constraints it may be quicker to use the dreadlocks shampoo that SE recommended in lieu of making a BS/ACV cocktail at every wash. It's truly up to you to try 'em out and see which works best.

4) Yes to the hindering but if it's a safety requirement there is no way around it.

5) That is a very individualized answer, just like making the decision on which shampoo to use. I personally use the sea salt spray the evening before I am going to wash my hair. I spray is through out and let it dry then I go to bed and toss n turn till I get to sleep (If I do) and then when I wash my hair it comes out.
The sea salt can leave your hair and scalp dry. If you use aloe (as mentioned above) this could help balance that out. But if you are getting too dry from the sea salt then you should just nix it altogether.

Yikes ok, thats a lot of info to take in. First and foremost i wanted to thank you all for taking the time to answer my questions so promptly. i will definatelly follow ya'll advice. So SE, in order to get all the wax out (i dont think i have much in) how many washes do you think it would take. And the only reason why i went to a salon is due to my own ignorance i guess, and i have friends that went. My thought process was that in order to keep dreads you would have to go to a salon monthly so they can wash and retwist them until they're fully locked( Tara C, this is why i go to the salon, so i thought), And Valerie the reason why i use that stuff its because thats what they have other than wax, n its not necessarily to keep the frizzies down, but its just something to hold the dreads i guess. As far as the jojoba that SE mentioned and the Aloe that Valerie mentioned, where can i find those things? Once again thanks so much, ya'll are the best.

You can try going to any organic or natural foods store.
Here http://www.allstays.com/c/natural-food-stores-massachusetts-locations.htm I don't know which ones are closer to you. :P

Btw, from what I can tell, your dreads look pretty tight. I don't think you should have any trouble washing them more.

Also, as far as the wax thing goes, sometimes the wax can leave residue and build up inside the dread and it may look like it's all gone. There was a post here where a person cut open their dreads and it was super nasty inside from wax build up (even after they had been "wax free")

if it holds it prevents movement neded to dread u want nothing to hold it in but knots

all u had to do to dread was stop combing and wait for it to dread

aloe is a plant go to sany garden center and buy 2 or 3 of the largest aloe vera plants they got be sure its aloe vera not another aloe variety u can also get food grade aloe juice or gell in a heaklth food store in the refridgerator it should have absolutely no other ingredients but aloe

jojoba manyhair type places will have it but also herbv shops on the bottom of the left hand column is a link to mountain rose herbs i recomend there

\wax is very hard to remove it can survive 10 years of washings in thick dreads tyin dreads it comes out easier

but u should do many washings vbeyond what u think u need cause it can surprise u years later thats why id use the wax b gone to be extra sure

evebn then id do 3-5 sessions..or more

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Nah, they get fully locked by leaving them alone, so don't worry about going to a salon. As someone else said, if you want to tame any frizz or loose hair now and again, use pure aloe. You can buy the plant itself. As for the wax, I'm afraid that's not an easy thing to get rid of, even if you didn't use a lot. Just keep trying to remove it even after you think it's all out. I only used a tiny bit once but it took me weeks to get it all out, even though I thought it was gone after two washes.

And SE, you have such mature dreads so i figured you'd be the best to ask this. Im assuming if i choose the liquid shampoo as opposed to the bar it wont matter. Now i see what you were talkin about with their wax be gone wax removal product, which i will also buy. But how do you feel about their other products such as the lock magic locking gel for keeping frizz down? Just a thought.