Claire's Natural Curly Dreads

Hey Guys,

I have been thinking about getting dreads for a while now and my changing life situation has meant that now is the perfect time to do it. I have just given notice that I will be leaving my desk job, cause I am getting training as an industrial abseiler so I can work for my boyfriends business.

I stopped brushing my hair ten days ago, here are some pics of my progress:

MY HAIR AFTER MY LAST HAIRCUT

DAY ONE

DAY THREE

DAY TEN (Sorry, I couldn't work out how to get them to display in portrait orientation... they were ok on my computer!)

If anyone has any ideas on how to keep the frizz under control without adding any nasty products to my hair I would love to hear them! I am going to try a salt spray...

DAY 12

Here my hair is a little bit wet, but I have been using the salt spray with a pretty good effect. My hair doesn't feel dry at all, but the curls have become really defined. As far as sections go they are pretty small, but I am a fan of thinner dreads so I would love it if my hair went down that path all by itself!

It hasn't started knotting up yet, which surprises me, as I thought almost two weeks without combing would make my hair pretty feral! But I am happy with how my hair is looking at the moment, and almost bursting with anticipation to see what it will do next!

I have only washed my hair once a week for a few years now, so I am going to stick to that but with the BS/ACV from now on. I do, however, prefer to rinse my hair with water daily, as it has always made the curls better! I suppose when it starts to hold water for longer I will have to stop this, but it works for now.

I may possibly be obsessing over the whole process a bit too much, taking too many pics and browsing this forum obsessively. At least the forum gives me an outlet, so I can leave my hair well enough alone!

TWO WEEKS

I have just been letting them get on and do their thing. I wish the days would pass more quickly!

They are still just a curly mass, but looking surprisingly good. It doesn't really look like I haven't brushed it for a fortnight... I have been getting really good sections underneath as well, and possibly have one small dread starting under there, but I can't find it anymore, so maybe it worked loose.

And the top, the part changes slightly every day, but I am liking where it is.

More pics to come!

updated by @claire-wilson: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

I'm no help for advice because I'm only 4 days in on my natural journey but I love your curls!! They make me smile & you're pretty btw.

I spray my frizzies with water and they settle down.

Thanks, I have noticed that just wetting my hair in the shower and letting it dry naturally works pretty well too.

Dee said:

I spray my frizzies with water and they settle down.

very cute your dreads aill look awesome in a few months

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Ohhh! Those are gonna be SOOOO badass! Seriously, my hair is the same way. Super curly. It's only been a month and a half and mine are already knotted up pretty well around the middle. Some have formed ends and others are still thinking about it... Even a few have begun looping and knotting at the root! Yours will look fantastic in no time!

Yours are looking really good!I can't believe you had such defined dreads at one week!

I am letting mine progress naturally, using T&R on one at the front as a bit of an experiment, but my hair takes a lot longer to get knots and tangles than I expected. But I am thankful in a way, as it means I have time to section before things get out of control

Swimming at the beach has always made my hair look awesome so I mixed together my own salt spray yesterday, so hopefully that will tame the frizz a little (frizziness has always been an issue with my hair), and accelerate the locking process.

Elle Gee said:

Ohhh! Those are gonna be SOOOO badass! Seriously, my hair is the same way. Super curly. It's only been a month and a half and mine are already knotted up pretty well around the middle. Some have formed ends and others are still thinking about it... Even a few have begun looping and knotting at the root! Yours will look fantastic in no time!

I added some more pics to the original timeline... Things are progressing well!

24 DAYS

I am so impatient, this process is hard for me, but at the same time it is pretty easy not having to do anything to my hair except wash it once a week! I have tried T&R'ing a few, but it hasn't made any difference to them, so I am resisting the temptation to 'help' the process along by doing the whole lot. It is all sectioning well, though the frizz is a little out of control. In these pics my hair is slightly wet as it got a bit wet in the shower and I used some salt spray to tame the frizz afterwards.

The back.

The right side

The left side.

I still don't have any knots anywhere, but it is all sectioning well. The hair underneath is straighter and more fine, so that is taking a lot longer than the hair on the top. It is all a pretty crazy frizzy mess at the back, so I am making sure to keep on top of sectioning that.

Despite my impatience the process is a lot of fun, I can't wait to see what my head looks like in a month

updated by @claire-wilson: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

i love curly timelines <3 looking lovely!!!