newbie- first week dreaded!

Hiya. New to the site. New to my own hair being dreaded, matter of fact, I'm still in the first week and still backcombing sections. I'm caucasian, with coarse, very VERY straight hair, and it's taking quite a bit of work to get the hair to tangle up. Once I get them going, I'm planning on letting the dreads lock up naturally.

I've dreaded my son's hair, he's caucasian but has very curly hair. His took fairly easily, but I was new to the whole thing and used wax, so things got pretty nasty pretty quickly and after 6 months he finally gave up and shaved them. I then researched different methods and discovered how bad most products are, so the next time I dreaded someone (a bi-racial friend), I let the dreads hang naturally and today her hair is beautiful.

Anyone out there have really straight, almost tangle resistant hair? How did you get your locks going and keep them going? Any advice appreciated!

updated by @logan-spike: 02/14/15 07:51:43AM

My hair's not straight, but I know that sea salt sprays, swimming in the sea, etc. can help a lot just be sure not to leave it in for too long and rinse it out after an hour or two so it doesn't over-dry your hair or scalp. Glad you saw the damage wax and other products can do and are going natural once the initial backcomb

Ratio for sea salt spray: mix 3 tbls of sea salt to 5 cups of water. You can use this as a spray for your hair, or pour entire contents onto damp hair. Which ever way you use it, it should be rinse out within 2 hours or it will over dry your hair. Dreads take time, they will knot all on their own if you let them. Neglect of course is the best, then the twist & rip method, then back combing. Hair is not resistant to knotting, it just takes time my friend. Read the dreaducation section at the top of the site, and maybe my post will help you also: http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/just-starting-out-what-t... . I did the twist & rip method on my straight long hair, letting it section naturally first.

To help with the knotting staying in, wash for awhile with the no touch method, this will exfoliate the scalp, get the hair clean, all without touching the scalp or sections: http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/ratios-baking-soda-wash-...

Sorry to hear your son went through what he did due to wax. Those companies that sell it for dreads should all be ashamed of their selves. It truly damages them and causes many problems. Glad you are on this site to learn how to keep them healthy and happy.....peace

I should let you know, even with the T&R method, they loosen up, some even falling out, so that they can go on their dread journey. Twist & Rip and Back combing are not dreads at all, but the blueprints to your future mature dreads. So if yours falls out, let them, they are just doing their thing to go on the journey

they will dread withoit backcombing once u start washing right

but tnr is a much better option then backcomgn if u really feel the need to force start them

try a few tnr dreads right now and see the diference

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreaducation-comprehensive

To keep them going, just let them go. Locks take a bit of time and patience. It takes, on average, a full year to form mature locks. So don't expect anything overnight. In fact, don't expect mature locks in a few months. That's just the way of it. We've all been through it, or are going through it now.

Check out the timeline forums to see what the first few weeks/months should look like.

thanks to everyone for the advice. I'm totally discouraged, however. After THREE days of backcombing, this is what I have (see pics). A few matted pieces, but most of them have already loosened up and all it looks like is a fluffy mess. I don't expect them to look like perfect dreads right away, but I thought the backcombing would at least keep the sections together. Any advice?

Firstly, take the rubber bands out. You want the hair to be able to move around and tangle and knot (just pull them apart if two dreads start joining each other), and rubber bands can get swallowed by the hair and cause problems.

As to your 'problem' it's completely normal for them to come loose or undone. Dreads need to dread, and they can't do that when they're tight. They should stay in their sections, just wash gently, with the baking soda and apple cider vinegar if you can. My backcombed sections came pretty loose mostly, but they still held together in sections, so don't worry about it. Three days is not a long time at all, and the loosening means they're dreading

Hi Logan. Don't be discouraged at all. Some of it has to do with your hair length. Dreads like to start knotting at about 6 inches of hair and it looks like yours is about that. Roots are about 3-4 inches loose in the beginning, just how it goes so the hair can move and loop etc. With your short hair, it will be hard for the back combing to stay in. But it will dread with time...patience is the most important part when growing dreads. There is a healthy suppliment you can buy for under $10 called Biotin. It promotes hair growth and as a bonus, it strengthen finger nails. It can be found in the vitamin section of your local drug store or many department stores. Take 6000mcg daily and by 3 months you will notice the hair growth. If you can't find that strength, just add up the tablets to equal it.....peace

just take out the bands give em time dont worry bout what they do dont even look in a mirror for a month or 2

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1