new and need advice

hi

so im new here and have been waiting a very long time to start getting dreads.i was in the army for almost five years so obviously i couldnt have hair and now that is long enough (i hope) i want to do it.i have alot of questions about how to go about it and also i live in iowa now which people seem to be alittle simple minded out here,much unlike where im from (virginia beach va).so what im looking to get is some kind of almost neatbut with medium to managable dreads that i could put up for work easily.well right now my hair length is if i pull it down the tip is about to my lips in the front the sides are almost the same i kind of need to be able to keep em hid or decent looking till they get longer too.like maybe a head band or..?my hair typpe is white hair,straight kind of wirery and dry most of the time.so any help would be awsome.also i kind of dont want to loose too much length when i start if possible ive heard the rip pull method kind of helps.ive read alot of usful info on here but probably need someone to break it down barney style.here is my hair now and kind of what im going for..thanks again guys and sorry for any dumb or lame questions

updated by @eric-l-woodward: 01/13/15 09:07:35PM

the pic ogf what youd want looks natural to me so just lose the comb get a tam let it dread

but if u cant let it dread on its owhn tnr is a decent option

tnr

twist a section

split into 2 parts randomly

pull apart

put together

split in a whiole new random spot

pull

put together

split

pull

repeat a dozen times or so

retwisrt

repeart

repeat

repeat

repeT

till done

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

thanks alot for the reply

and this might save a bit of length, so maybe i can use a head band to hold em back for work?and also i kind of want to have the size like in the picture and maybe some smaller ones too?and rip and tear method i can do myself?where i currently live there seems to be nobody with dreads so im kind on my own.and how will i keep them in once they are knotted up the first time?i know its alot of questions but i dont want to screw it up.

im so excited its weird how happy this can make one feel.i have just made three new dreads using the help from soaring eagle and hope i did it right,they look like they locked uo nicely starting about an inch to an inch and a half from my scalp and i have about the same amount that just wont stay locked near the end.i have very dry wirery hair to begin with so i think that helped.i did the twist and rip method and every so ofton i kind of used my finger tips to back comb.then palm rolled.done for the night and thinking of using a wool tam type hat i have that fits loosley to help,matbye someone could explain how this helps,and some info on what i need to do or if its going in the right direction.i kind of plan to do the twist rip palm roll but then let them go on there on kind of natural i guess.i still dont know if they with thicken up or if i need to make bigger ones as i want small ones(about the size ive made so far)and medium, just kind of a random natural look also the reason i didnt really section them dont know if i shouldve tho?,anyway thanks very much for the advice and help.and again im extremely excited to start this chapter of my life.

Hi & Welcome Eric!! Thanks so much for serving and God Bless your journey!!

Oh, I totally understand how you feel, it's almost like an adrenaline rush, you are finally letting go and being free']