New dreadhead

Hi there, I thought its about time I joined a forum.

I started my dread journey in July this year after a friend opened her own dread/braid business. We decided to keep the ends loose to try and get a whispy look, but as you can see in the photos below it looked quite messy.

I've just had them maintained and blunted off slightly, the last set of photos are where I'm currently at. Much neater but still frizzy and a lot less wild! I'll take the frizz as a mix of my hair type and some hairs being broken and falling out due to the crocheting. I've got naturally curly and oily hair

The first 3 photos are day one, the second 3 are before I had them maintained and the last 3 are roughly a week in. There's 4 months time difference between the first 3 and the last 3. (excuse the mask, covid and the workplace) 

Ive tried palm rolling to tone down the frizz but I never seem to have any luck. I know it's not a miracle worker but it just seems to create more frizz. Add that onto wearing a hat forwork and my dreads being young my hair jist explodes. 

Im currently using dolly locks shampoo and a salt spray, though I don't wear a sleep cap, I find them too uncomfortable. 

How do you people think they're looking? 

updated by @dreadstatic: 03/11/21 06:36:38PM

they were WAY BETTER before the crochet!  that was a huge mistake

palm rolling does nothing at al;l

there are better shampoos, with sea salt in them w3ww.dreadlockshampoo.com (liqiud)

you created 10 times more frizz by crochyetting

just leave em be and they will bve fine

no need toi sleep in anything

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

They where crocheted to begone with. I'm not sure whether you've got the photos the right way around. When I said the last 3 were a week in, I meant that they were a week in after being maininted (2nd time with the crochet).

I know the hook can damage hair and stuff and I don't intend to use it religously.

Thanks for the link.

u should never use it at all.. its 1 of the worse things you can do t0 them

normally it takes 3 years to recover from the stiffness ..they dont  look terribly stiff luckily but they do look damaged as evidenced by the extreme frizz. crochet only increases frizz by breaking   thousands of hairs

there is no recovery from broken hairs thats permenant

throw the hook in the trash

salons are destructive scams, avoid them at allcost. they need no maintenance except washing and separating

get usedto a lil messiness during the 1st y3ear

 hats slow dreading drasticly. i9f the work requires the hat because iof the dreads and not as part of a uniform (or safety) its illegal under title 7 of employee rights act

if... if they were natural

you can still argue that they have special meaning and you wernt aware previously but maintenance must stop. if you maintain again it invalidates your rights and eliminates y0our only legal defense

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

They're not stiff at all, my friend is good with the hook. And she's not charging me.

The hairs might break but as long as the roots aren't damaged they'll grow, and my hair grows fast.

The hat is part of the uniform. Though your laws will be different to mine, not being from America.

Why do they have to have special meaning? It's only hair. I got them done because I could. And they are natural, it's my natural hair. Not using any synthetics.

You say the hook makes it messy by breaking hairs but then say to expect messiness in the first year, make your mind up.

both are true

they need to be messy in the 1st year the hook makes extra frizz...permanently.. they are not natural nat

to be legally defended they haqve to have religious or spiritual  meaning they Are therefore protected under any freedom of religious expression laws

if they are just a style then they are not protected

noone is good with a hook if they use the hook on hair.. thats just a fact.. if they use it they should be avoided at all costs.. ots 1 of the worse things you can do to them

aqs long as you never let the hook touch them again they will be fine as they can bew, just with way more frizz then if you left them alone and acceprtedthe mess in the 1st ye3ar

now..you have more of a ,ess permenantly and have 2 options

1 thebest option...accept it

2become a slave yo the hook and constantly spend more ande more tikme maintaining them, breaking more and more hairs requiring more  hook use and eventualy they are so damaged they become weak and can break with no visible sitgns of weakness.

avoid the hook and they bwill be fine..damaged yes but fine

theres whole sections of the site for crochet recovery 

many ende up just starting over ..you shouldnt nreed to. but it was a bad mostake

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Definately won't be starting over. Just 13 hours over 3 days to start these off.

She's definitely good with the hook,even sells her own synths.

I'm not bothered about them being "protected", like I've said, I've just done them because I could.


I don't know why there's this toxicity between free-form and crochet, the end product is the same regardless.

To each their own. However there is a difference and the end product is not the same. Some more passionately point to it while others offer the knowledge but are fine to just let you have your beliefs. It’s how people are; we’re not just alike lol.

Having crocheted my freeform dreads- only 4- and then brushing out my dreads and NOT cutting my hair. The ones I used the hook on were initially pokey and pulled at my scalp but got better with time. When I brushed them out- I lost clumps of hair from the crocheted dreads as compared to few hairs that’d have just fallen out had my hair been brushed...

This is a spiritual calling to me to not cut my hairs- to not detach myself. There is a difference in dreads for looks and dreads that have developed over a spiritual journey. We care for our hair and bodies in a natural way.

There is a huge difference in crochet and freeform dreads first of all if you've crocheted your dreads just one you can tell for at least a minimum of 3 years later plus your whole attitude towards them as different to you they are just something you did because you want to do it to us it's something that has a real meaning like I grow mine for 30 years and I will never cut them.. crochet dreads just never look right besides the fact that they are so severely damaged


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

and the fact that she would sell synthetic dreads is proof she has no respect for real dreads


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1