Hey everyone this is my first post. I tried letting my hair naturally dread before but after 3 or 4 months I got discouraged by the really slow progress. I'm strongly considering trying again, does anyone have any good information for natural dreadlocks with soft fine hair? Or is it just a matter of it will take longer to dread?
Advice for soft fine hair
it could take longer but sometimes dreads very fast it could have been anbything you were doing wrong
washing wrong drying wrong touching too much ..hair too short wearing hats etc etc
what were u washing with how were u drying and how long was the hair
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
Hey thanks for responding so quickly. I just wash with water. I was trying to avoid touching it, even while showering, until the 4th month when I started trying to frizz it up a little by towel drying. My hair is a little over a foot long. I kept it out of a ponytail and didn't wear any hats, although some said I could consider a wool hat but I've heard mixed results.
washing with waters not washijng towel drying can create..or destroy progress it might knot it up one day and you say yay then 3 moinths in 1 time destroy 3 months progres at once
wash with either www.dreadlockshampoo.com liquid, or the baking soda recipe u can find here
waters rinsing water doesnt remove oils that make the hair slipery
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
That was the biggest problem I was having, you hit it dead on. I have hair that gets greasy quickly and it definitely looked greasy when I was trying. I did try a baking soda ACV rinse but I think I messed it up, it made my hair really clean, but soft, smooth, and undid my progress.
if greasiness is an issue skipping the acv will adjust the ph and over a few weeks make u less greasy
though id try the dreadlockshampoo.com liquid
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
Yeah I'm definitely going to buy the shampoo and try again. My hair started banding together quickly enough but the grease stopped it from knotting up. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.
Hi! I have soft, fine hair also and have been in the natural/neglect process for almost two years. Your story sounds very similar to mine, so I figured I'd give some info on what I've done and tried so far that seems to have helped.
First, it's going to take time. I still have a couple of small loose sections that haven't locked. But at the same time, I had my first dreads starting within the first week. I recently found about four baby dreads that formed without me realizing it. LOL For the first year or so, I was washing with a low-residue shampoo every other day or every two days depending on how my hair and scalp felt. I would do a quick squeeze dry with a towel (no rubbing, just a basic pat-down of sorts) if I was in a rush, or just wrap it up in a towel while dressing for work. Try to keep your hair down and loose as much as possible, but don't stress over putting it up if you need to for work. Just let it down again as soon as you are able.
After about four or five months, I started with occasional salt baths, soaking my dreads for up to 30 minutes in 7-10 minute intervals. I've used both Epsom salt and Sea salt. Not too much of a difference other than the Epsom leaves my hair feeling softer, which may not be the best thing for trying to dread. My scalp always feels fantastic after either salt soak. I did this about every month and a half to two months just to get rid of any buildup. Earlier this year, I cut back to washing only every three or four days because my dreads had started to dry out. I also switched to the dreadlocks shampoo offered by http://www.dreadlockshampoo.com . I have to say, I immediately noticed a difference in how my dreads felt and how they were progressing. I kinda wish I would have used their product sooner to help the process, but that's just the way things go sometimes.
Oh... and a word about beads. They are fun and all, but definitely don't leave them in too long while your dreads are young. I have one that is permanently in the base of a dread that grew around it. I have another one that I thought was doing really well with the beads (2 of them) in it but then realized that only the bottom of the section had dreaded and about 4-5 inches had not. I removed it and the dread is slowly recovering.
Other than that, just let them be free!
