Just got my hair dreaded! OMFG!!!

This was before
Don't look at the face just the hair.. https://imgur.com/a/jRWIE

During and 2 days after
Knotty Dreads! https://imgur.com/gallery/Sgmgx

And now a week later
https://imgur.com/a/YEPOw

My friend did it with back combing, interlocking, and some crochet.
I'm very nervous because of the comments on this thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreadlocks/comments/5zpund/finally_got_my_locs_started_comments_tips_etc/

Please excuse my ignorance, I definitely did not do enough research beforehand.

Do I have enough dreads or are mine too big? I have 25 dreads and I want more Bob Marley less Jacob Hemphill lol.

Will I end up with more dreads?

Are my dreads worthless because of how I started them?

the number of dreads will change over time but 25 is a small number and yes the methods used were horrible, interlocking and crochet are extremely bad

honey was bad and also they should be washed right away! do not worry about looseness do not rebackcomb and absolutely do not interlock

just wash all the stickiness out of them let them loosen up

the faster the crochet loosens the sooner they can dread

tightly crocheted dreads can prevent any dreading at all for 6 monhs and take 3 years to recover from

the ones that were lucky enough to come loose will dread way faster then the ones forced to be too tight

hardness will prevent anything from happening at all.

its essential they get touroughly washed and  if possible loosened up

interlocking cannot be recovered from, whats done is done

i would personaaly consider starting over 2 inch dreads are going to be a real problem, taking days to dry with a high probability of mold or mildew forming in them

your hairs perfect for letting it dread naturally (how you get real bob marley dreads) bob marleys dreads were not made by force, but instead by living a humble existence using a rock for a pillow sleeping outside on the ground and not trying to dread, just letting it happen.

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Haha true that! And well put. So with so many suggestions I definitely want to see if I can try again. How can I go about getting these out?

soak in lots of cheap conditioner or olive oil and comb or brush out carefully and gently from the tip up, working only on the last 1/2 inch to inch that's knotted, knowing it will take  time. when yiu get to a point that's too hard to progress on, soak it in more conditioner or oil overnight while you work on a diferent dread. even if it takes a lot more time its best to go slow and gently.

when you get  to where it was interlocked you'll have to be a ll extra careful picking at it gently

i would try a soft bristled brush even though that will be the slowest option it will cause the lest additional harm. if you make no progress that way try a comb some have simply picked at it with fingers too, or used a fork or knotting needle to pick at the knots

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Ok so I've been hard at work. Taking yours and many people's advice I started to remove the interlocks and crochet knots, almost 2 weeks after being put in. My hair was interlocked from tip to scalp, and stabbed with crochet so bad there were very tight little ball knots inside. It took many baths, very hot water, a whole bottle of conditioner, several different combs, 2 metal picks, and a ton of patience. I lost a little bit of hair from each dread, but it ended with my hair back!

https://imgur.com/02C6qwz

Now I'm bent on doing this right. Me and my gf started tackling it last night, trying to figure out sectioning and sizing. Seems like tnr is enough without back combing much, I think she was a little just to get some friction going. I have to cover my head with a hat or beanie for work, so I'm only leaving the little hair ties in til I get off work today.

2nd round! https://imgur.com/a/FB7Gk

I'm going to continue posting for timeline. Any and all comments r much appreciated.

I'm thinking of doing a couple thicker rows past the first row. These are about 1 inch section, couldn't do them larger in the front because of my hairline shape, any larger section pulled hair in from an oblong direction and looked odd in the front. Is it a bad idea to do different size sections? Any diagrams other faqs or anything on sectioning that has worked for others?

1 inch is the largest you want! no larger, if 12 1 inch dreads accidently congo that's a dread the size of your wrist,  3 your bicep  4 your shoulder

dreads start off thin and weak but thicken up as they mature, to the size of the sections. a 1 inch dread takes all day to dry, and maybe even slightly damp in its core the next day..or even 2  this is a mildew or mold risk.  every 1/4 inch thicker just increases the risk, people with dreads over 2 inches generally only wash very couple months and don't swim.

i would recommend keeping most at 1/2 inch or smaller and only have 1-3 that are 1 inch

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Heya! Little update.. 

First 2 weeks! https://imgur.com/a/7pWJt

Overall it's been great so far after the twist and rip. I started with exactly 40 dreads. I do work alot and get sweaty and dirty, I have to wear something on my head alot like a beanie or a hat. The beanies kind of tight but the hats worse. This is also why I decided on my wash pattern even though it may seem like too much I feel like it's necessary because I get sweaty everyday.. I want to wash it with water every day but idk if it's too much.

You can see the loose hairs and fuzziness. I think alot of that is probably due to the damage I recently did to it... unfortunately, but is there any way to deal with this?

just give it time is all  they just need to mature

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Time, patience, deadlock shampoo and they will look good.