Rubbebands or No????

I have had my dreads in for a few days, the hair was parted and rubber-banded. Should I take the rubber-bands off or leave them in for a couple months?

updated by @knottydread2387: 02/14/15 11:24:43AM

Take them out. There is no reason to have them in. They can leave weak spots in your dreads, they can brake and get sucked in, they can melt and get sucked in. The list goes on. The end result is nastiness, rot and smelly dreadies. The best thing to do is wash and separate. Accept the chaos and don't panic if a dread loosens up and falls out, gets a loop, kink or zig zag. Be messy, be free. It's what life (and dreads) is all about. Peace.

take them out umm wghbat did they do to you (or did u do it)? i hope u didnt pay someone for that

just take the bands out imedietly and let them dread

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I vote take them out and let your dreadies show you where they want be

Bands only cause problems. They squeeze your locks too tight. This causes weak spots. They also get sucked into your locks and dry rot inside. Now, looking at your pic, you see how big your sections are and how thin your locks are compared to the section? When your locks mature, they will be as big as the section at the scalp. They will not be as thin as they are for long. So if you left the bands in, you have a lock that is massive, followed by a huge kink and then it would expand again. That kink would make your locks so weak at that spot that a good tug could actually snap it off there.

It also looks like some wax was used. If so, just stopping using wax isn't enough. You need to get it out. Wax NEVER washes out in normal soap and water. It's a hydrocarbon, so it needs a detergent and TONS of scrubbing to clean it out.

Thanx everyone...uhhhh yes did it to myself, and it made starting the dreads easier...But i prolly should have taken them out right after...TAkiNG ThEM OuT ASAP....thx no wax was used. I had dreads started used wax took them all out, washed vigorously, with scolding hot water...Got the wax out and started again... Any more advice is helpful. I love my dreads

The scolding hot water got some out, but it just melted the wax and redistributed it. It doesn't look like it got ALL of it out. There looks like some residue was left. I'd still recommend using a detergent like Dawn Dish soap or getting the Wax-b-gone from dreadlockshampoo.com to make sure that you get the remaining residue out. Just as a precaution.

What did you wash with besides the hot water in the first place?

Dish soap... I took my first dread all the way out, washed my hair with HOT water, and dish soap. Then I re did them to create the ones i have now. I do have oily hair so that could be what you see, also work in a kitchen. I will look up de waxing soap, but as of now I am wax free and rubber band free...Does anyone know the usual growth you get per month jw. my hair grows fast btw

For the next year or so it may seem like your hair isn't growing. As your hair starts to knot up it'll shrink. Your hair will get shorter for a few months, then seem to stall out, not growing or shrinking. THEN the next thin ya know you'll have mad growth and not know where it came from.

Hair still grows at the normal rate it did before you started locking. But because of all of the knots, tangles,a nd loops that will form, it'll appear to shrink for a while. Then, as the roots start to tighten, it'll look like it isn't growing or shrinking at all. After about a year you'll start to see it explode with growth.

Many people have had success with biotin to help their hair grow faster. You need to take it for about 3 months before you see any change, but it is supposed to help a lot