Extreme shrinkage

Hello! I am a little over 5 months into my journey and surprised at how quickly my dreadlocks are forming! However, I have lost a TON of length, and I can't even put my hair up anymore. I'm getting a little discouraged.

The first picture is back in May or June (I can't remember), the second picture is in late July when I was in Jamaica, and the last picture is of today (October). Ever since that trip to Jamaica, my hair has been dreading, tightening up, forming all these cool loopies like CRAZY. Maybe it was the salt water, or the good vibes BUT it's also lost so much length.

I know losing a little length is normal, but is losing this much normal? And if so, when can I expect my hair to start growing longer again? Thank you all for your support!

updated by @janine: 01/13/15 09:58:26PM

perfectly normal

ive seen it shrink from waist length to just 3 inches

ot will grow in the 2nd year once mature..ish

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I'm at 4.5 months and my hair was about the same lenght as yours before I started dreading. And it's about the same as yours now too. And it happened really suddenly. So I suppose this is pretty normal. By the way, your dreads are simply gorgeous.

Ahhh seems I am in the exact same boat! Atleast we are all in this together! My hair is actually looking just like yours is in the last pic, the length lost seems scary and has kind of been discouraging me a bit as well. When I first made the decision to have dreadlocks, I would google pictures of girls with dreads and see the most beautiful ladies with amazing dreads past their shoulders, I couldnt wait to have such a beautiful product on my head. But wait that sounds wrong right, a product?Isn't our hair a natural thing that grows from our head like roots? These thoughts plagued me and when I made the decision to just let my hair go it felt great. Now here we are with these concerns.As hard as it is we just have to remember what this is all about. Letting Go. Focusing on other aspects of ourselves that make us beautiful besides our physical traits. Growing from the inside out just like our awesome dreadies are! Learning patience. The journey is the reward. And like I said sister, we are in this together!! For now, on days when I have a hard time with my hair I have been wearing a lot of really cool, fancy headscarves. They also help a lot with how frizzy my baby dreads get so thats an added plus. Check out your local thrift stores!! Hang in there love and dont give up!! xoxo

I promise it will grow. My hair was waist length when I started. It shrank and shrank and shrank for the first year. It was between my chin and my shoulders before it stopped. The next year it seemed to just stay the same length. Not a lot of noticeable growth at all..at least not to me. Then all of a sudden it started growing and growing and growing. I have so much hair that it is like a life force of it's own. Please be patient and just let time take care of it. You will not regret it !! Oh and I recommend Biotin. I have been taking it for years.

Thank you!!!! It will takepatience and lots and lots of reminders to be patient. Thanks again!!!

Shay Roach said:

Ahhh seems I am in the exact same boat! Atleast we are all in this together! My hair is actually looking just like yours is in the last pic, the length lost seems scary and has kind of been discouraging me a bit as well. When I first made the decision to have dreadlocks, I would google pictures of girls with dreads and see the most beautiful ladies with amazing dreads past their shoulders, I couldnt wait to have such a beautiful product on my head. But wait that sounds wrong right, a product?Isn't our hair a natural thing that grows from our head like roots? These thoughts plagued me and when I made the decision to just let my hair go it felt great. Now here we are with these concerns.As hard as it is we just have to remember what this is all about. Letting Go. Focusing on other aspects of ourselves that make us beautiful besides our physical traits. Growing from the inside out just like our awesome dreadies are! Learning patience. The journey is the reward. And like I said sister, we are in this together!! For now, on days when I have a hard time with my hair I have been wearing a lot of really cool, fancy headscarves. They also help a lot with how frizzy my baby dreads get so thats an added plus. Check out your local thrift stores!! Hang in there love and dont give up!! xoxo

Thanks! I have heard a lot of people talking about Biotin. I will look into it!

taye said:

I promise it will grow. My hair was waist length when I started. It shrank and shrank and shrank for the first year. It was between my chin and my shoulders before it stopped. The next year it seemed to just stay the same length. Not a lot of noticeable growth at all..at least not to me. Then all of a sudden it started growing and growing and growing. I have so much hair that it is like a life force of it's own. Please be patient and just let time take care of it. You will not regret it !! Oh and I recommend Biotin. I have been taking it for years.

Thank you so much all! this is helping those of us whom are so impatient.

taye said:

I promise it will grow. My hair was waist length when I started. It shrank and shrank and shrank for the first year. It was between my chin and my shoulders before it stopped. The next year it seemed to just stay the same length. Not a lot of noticeable growth at all..at least not to me. Then all of a sudden it started growing and growing and growing. I have so much hair that it is like a life force of it's own. Please be patient and just let time take care of it. You will not regret it !! Oh and I recommend Biotin. I have been taking it for years.

Coming up to nine months starting from waist length hair and my tightest dreadies are around 4 or 5 inches now. I'm mostly finding it amusing becauseI grew my hair from about an inch long to waist length before so I'm not too worried about growing it again -although not being able to tie the top ones back is a little annoying!

Thank you all so much!With your help I'm harnessing my patience and loving my short dreadies. Thank you!