New member here looking to say "Hi" and figure out how to start my sons hair

Being 4 yrs old he may not enjoy the baking soda process. You have to pour it over his head several times then let it sit and work its magic for 10-30 minutes then rinse it out. It doesn't taste good and it burns if it get in eyes. With the bar, if I were using it on a small child, I would run the bar around his wet head a bit then massage it into his scalp with your finger tips. The idea is to get his scalp clean without messing with the length of his hair. As you rinse the soap out it'll run thru his hair cleaning it.Welcome to the site and congratulations on your son!!
updated by @mons: 07/03/15 08:50:17AM

Soo.....before I found this great site, I had made a consult appt fr my son at a salon that ad great reviews for locks in my area. The appt was today, and since it was free, I decided to go anyway just to see what they would say and how they would do it.After looking at my sons hair, she said that she would do the following:Spend about 3 hours backcombing it and she could also use rubber bands to hold it in place.I then would not wash it for 3 monthsI could use a dry shampoo if needed for any odorI should buy a "loc soc" for him to use while he sleptShe would not use any waxIt would be up to me if I wanted her to palm roll it for a more "clean" look or leave as is for a more "rasta" look.What do you guys think? She charges 30/hr and is willing to come to my home to make it easier for my son to sit through the appt.Help me decide if this is an acceptable way to start. I understand that it's not the 100% natural way to start, but is it ok to "jump start" the process without my son looking neglected for a few weeks/months?She claims that the downside to doing it the natural way is having to pull apart and separate the dreads which is painful.

backcombing is 12 hours of agony they still have to be seperated just as loften as neglect dreads twist n rips gentler you can do either way yourself

ypu wont qvoid the pain of seperation by adding the pain of hair pulling and backcombing

when you do seperate if you do it while wet and often enough therews no pain cause your only breaking a couple hairs and when wet r=they break easily

you can do twist n rip ..byyourself 1 a day even

and

no rubber bands

not washing for months? ewww

washing helps dreads dread

id avoide any1 that thinks not washing is a good idea

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

To be honest, I think I'm just going to give it a couple weeks and see what starts to happen. No twisting/rip, no backcombing, etc... I'm just gonna use the bar soap I ordered from this site, maybe 2x a week, pat it dry, and LET IT BE!I'll keep everyone posted with pics And a BIG thanks for everyone's input!I've been looking at a lot of dread sites and this one seems to be the most natural/truthful/honest of them all.

that really is the best option and kidas are expected to have messy hair

the other day there was a pampers comercial all these babies with wild messty=y hair and the song in the backdground ..i feel pretty i feel pretty i feel happy and (whatever the rest is lol)

kids were made to dread naturaly they are happy to just let it go

hell theyd go to school naked if you didnt remind them ti get dressed every morning they arent all hung up on whats proper they just rather be confy

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

You would be the best judge, since you know him best.

Would he really sit still for 3-ish hours of painful back combing?

Palm rolling does nothing except make dreads look neat for a few hrs short term. If done for a long time, it can cause serious damage to the hair. Baba Fats posted a video about rolling damage. Clean hair dreads.

Going 3 months with out a wash is just.....gross. Especially on a 4 hr old, they are dirty little buggers as is.

Dreads (new and old) should be washed 1-3 times a week. Clean dreads are happy dreads.

Rubber bands are painful, goofy looking (think SideShow Bob, Coolio, Snoop Dog), can melt into the dread, rot into dreads, cause weakness and breakage. Plus more...rubber bands are just bad.

Separating dreads can be painful, if they're left to congo uncontrollably. Once or twice a week (preferably when his hair is wet) sit down with him, read a book or something, and go thru his hair. It doesn't have to vicious, just gentle pulling apart of hairs. He might even enjoy the closeness of it, bonding.

Wax is satan re-incarnated in an inanimate substance.

Honestly, and this is just my opinion...with the texture and curls of his hair, it'd for some of the most beautiful natural locs ever. Curly hair like that sections like, instantly. Because he's so young, he's probably pretty active so it's going to move around and tangle up quickly. I don't think he'd look neglected at all. Besides, he's your son. If you're very worried about it, I'll knit him a little tam to wear in public!

Will he benefit from wearing the loc-soc while sleeping or is it not needed? Any benefit for using it?

wont make any diference at all the lock sock at best will prevent the backcombing from loosening up too fast thats all but sleeping, the head rubbing on the pillow will help more then anything..and the lockj sock will end up on the floor most nights anyway

i would even speculte it maybe dangerouse to kids you8nger then him possibly

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I don't know exactly what is, but I'm thinking do-rag type thing? If that's what it is, it would fit too tight. That will slow down progress. Dreads happen you sleep. You move your head around on the pillow and tangles happen. Having them all pressed down on his head and covered up would not do a thing.

Mons said:

You would be the best judge, since you know him best.

Would he really sit still for 3-ish hours of painful back combing?

Palm rolling does nothing except make dreads look neat for a few hrs short term. If done for a long time, it can cause serious damage to the hair. Baba Fats posted a video about rolling damage. Clean hair dreads.

Going 3 months with out a wash is just.....gross. Especially on a 4 hr old, they are dirty little buggers as is.

Dreads (new and old) should be washed 1-3 times a week. Clean dreads are happy dreads.

Rubber bands are painful, goofy looking (think SideShow Bob, Coolio, Snoop Dog), can melt into the dread, rot into dreads, cause weakness and breakage. Plus more...rubber bands are just bad.

Separating dreads can be painful, if they're left to congo uncontrollably. Once or twice a week (preferably when his hair is wet) sit down with him, read a book or something, and go thru his hair. It doesn't have to vicious, just gentle pulling apart of hairs. He might even enjoy the closeness of it, bonding.

Wax is satan re-incarnated in an inanimate substance.

Honestly, and this is just my opinion...with the texture and curls of his hair, it'd for some of the most beautiful natural locs ever. Curly hair like that sections like, instantly. Because he's so young, he's probably pretty active so it's going to move around and tangle up quickly. I don't think he'd look neglected at all. Besides, he's your son. If you're very worried about it, I'll knit him a little tam to wear in public!

Thank you for the support! I agree, and it just feels like the "right" thing to do(starting naturally). If you are serious about a tam, that would be awesome! Of course I'd pay you for it(and shipping). Thanks again for all your time! It's been a huge help!