Newbee whos needs guidance!

Hey yall!

My name is Mario from Northern Illiniois. 31 year old male who is excited at the prospect of growing beatiful dreads.

So I am new to this site and have been most interested in starting the dreading process for years, but never really had the guts to start my journey but I think the time has come. I has been calling my name for years.

A few questions to those who are experienced...

How long should hair be before starting any method?

What would the best method be for someone with straight, fine hair? I suspect anyone who answers will tell me the natural neglect method would be best.

I have done some research into the various soaps and things and see that anything with detergents or conditioners is basically a dread killer, all natural soaps are a good thing and to srub scalp only.

My hair right now is pretty short, about 3-4 inches in length, should I be growing it out and starting he neglec now? Should I only be washing 2-3 times per week to "condition" my hair for dreads?

Maybe I am overthinking this but would really like some guidance as any other place i have looked online is tryign to sell me some kit or wax which up until today is how I thought they were done.

This site is great!

Any advice or guidance is greatly apprecaited kind people!

Bless

- Mario G

updated by @mario-grech: 02/14/15 10:15:11AM

u can start going natural today it may or may not dread til 6 inches
any other methods only an inch different really
u can try em at 3-4 they may or may not slip out and just dread naturally 4-5 your at a better length for them to stay in and dread from there

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

It is a great site Mario. They have a dreaducation tab at the top to guide you through the healthy way to grow your dreads. Tips can be found for maintenance and methods. Being only 8 months in myself, I can tell you that the natural way is best, it takes time, is a learning process and does not look like instant dreads, but worth it for life. My word of advice is to never, ever let anyone ad wax, or lotions into your dreads, that is what holds smells & moisture, thus causing mold over time. Enjoy your journey.

Welcome to the journey! Okay, so I probably( have the exact opposite hair type (thick, wavy, and generally pretty crazy), but I would think that short, fine hair would have to be super-duper-squeaky-clean in order to knot? Maybe wash with BS/ACV every other day? Also, sea salt! Awesome stuff. Really helps with the knotting. Whenever I wash my hair, I follow up the wash with a sea salt rinse -- I just mix 2 tbsp sea salt with three cups of warm water and pour it over my head before getting out of the shower. On days I don't wash my hair, I touch it up in the morning with a spray bottle filled with 1 tbsp sea salt and 8 oz water. I know that's a lot of salt compared to most other people's recipes here, but it seems to be working fine for me. ^_^

Hi there!

I am also just embarking down the road on my own dread journey, it would also seem I have similar length and type of hair to you so here is where I am....

....found this site about 3 months ago, and read and read everything I could whenever I could, then a month ago I began to do nothing, comb, brush, shower gel, shampoo all gone, BS/ACV rinse with a few drops of tea tree oil every 3 days and a salt spray daily which I leave to air dry before rinsing out in the shower.

As my hair is between 3 and 4 inches it sections itself on the back and sides when it air dries and some days it gets atngled and notty, then they slip out and it just keeps to its sections......the urge to fiddle and tnr these is unbelievable, but I am determined to go organic freeform wild style. Have only just registered so have no pics at the moment but I will be uploading some soon to document my path to natures own hairstyle-would be good to see where you are at, in my 4 weeks of doing nothing I can tell you it raises a few eyebrows (especially if its been raining and windy) but no one at my work has said anything about my "crazy proffessor" boufant. On a side note my beard now has some baby dreads around the point where my face meets my neck, they took up residence sporadically about a week ago but have now stayed after a few showers, gives me great pleasure twirling them occasionally, simples things and simple minds eh?!

Haha, sweet ! Looking forward to pictures

Gaz Do said:

On a side note my beard now has some baby dreads around the point where my face meets my neck, they took up residence sporadically about a week ago but have now stayed after a few showers, gives me great pleasure twirling them occasionally, simples things and simple minds eh?!

Thats great, thanks so much for the advice! Ill start today with a bs/acv wash and some salt spray and see wehre thattakes me.

soaring eagle said:

u can start going natural today it may or may not dread til 6 inches
any other methods only an inch different really
u can try em at 3-4 they may or may not slip out and just dread naturally 4-5 your at a better length for them to stay in and dread from there

Thanks Barrellady! Yes, I know that wax and product is a big no-no and the last thingI want is stinky or moldy/rotting dreads! I am not like some that want instant results, I am looking forward to the natural process as long aspeople at my place of business dont mind it! Its pretty laid back here and i think as long as I keep any crazyness covered up during the day withhats or the like all will be happy with everyone. Thanks for the reply, Iam excited to start this journey!

the Barrellady said:

It is a great site Mario. They have a dreaducation tab at the top to guide you through the healthy way to grow your dreads. Tips can be found for maintenance and methods. Being only 8 months in myself, I can tell you that the natural way is best, it takes time, is a learning process and does not look like instant dreads, but worth it for life. My word of advice is to never, ever let anyone ad wax, or lotions into your dreads, that is what holds smells & moisture, thus causing mold over time. Enjoy your journey.

Great advice Gaz Do! Good luck with everything, sounds like things are going well at this point in the beginning! I willbe starting a bs/acv wash as well and the salt spray.How much salt per water do you use? I have heard all kinds of different ratios and I hear you cant reallyhave TOO MUCH.

I think a hat or some sort of head cover would be benificial to me for thework folks who arent very open minded.Just bought some Buff Headbands, and a coupleof beanies to keep the crazyness down, hopefully that doesnt screw things up. At the very leastit keeps it down while its growingout a bit more.

Good Luck in your journey and I look forwardto some pics! I will be posting some as well.

Gaz Do said:

Hi there!

I am also just embarking down the road on my own dread journey, it would also seem I have similar length and type of hair to you so here is where I am....

....found this site about 3 months ago, and read and read everything I could whenever I could, then a month ago I began to do nothing, comb, brush, shower gel, shampoo all gone, BS/ACV rinse with a few drops of tea tree oil every 3 days and a salt spray daily which I leave to air dry before rinsing out in the shower.

As my hair is between 3 and 4 inches it sections itself on the back and sides when it air dries and some days it gets atngled and notty, then they slip out and it just keeps to its sections......the urge to fiddle and tnr these is unbelievable, but I am determined to go organic freeform wild style. Have only just registered so have no pics at the moment but I will be uploading some soon to document my path to natures own hairstyle-would be good to see where you are at, in my 4 weeks of doing nothing I can tell you it raises a few eyebrows (especially if its been raining and windy) but no one at my work has said anything about my "crazy proffessor" boufant. On a side note my beard now has some baby dreads around the point where my face meets my neck, they took up residence sporadically about a week ago but have now stayed after a few showers, gives me great pleasure twirling them occasionally, simples things and simple minds eh?!

HI Laura Earle!

Thanksso much for your reply and the advice. i do plan on doing theBS/ACV wash and the salt spray. I will try your recipe first and tweak as necessary. I hear you cant use too much.Do you let your salt spray drya bit before washing it out, or do you rinse it pretty immediately?

Good luck on yourjourney,I will be startig this weekend.

Oh by the way, do you wear any hats or head covers during the day atall? I am wondering if that willmess with the locking at all?

Laura Earle said:

Welcome to the journey! Okay, so I probably( have the exact opposite hair type (thick, wavy, and generally pretty crazy), but I would think that short, fine hair would have to be super-duper-squeaky-clean in order to knot? Maybe wash with BS/ACV every other day? Also, sea salt! Awesome stuff. Really helps with the knotting. Whenever I wash my hair, I follow up the wash with a sea salt rinse -- I just mix 2 tbsp sea salt with three cups of warm water and pour it over my head before getting out of the shower. On days I don't wash my hair, I touch it up in the morning with a spray bottle filled with 1 tbsp sea salt and 8 oz water. I know that's a lot of salt compared to most other people's recipes here, but it seems to be working fine for me. ^_^