Does anyone use wood beads? It seams risky since they can hold moisture but idk. My dreads are just babies and it's hard to find small glass beads...
updated by @tiny-turtle: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM
Beads
ive shattered glass into my eyebrow requiring 8 stitches
actualy a funny story
you know mt tabor in portland there was drum circles up there every full moon (years ago) after a drum circle decided to have a race down the mountain wheelchair vs skateboard
racing down the mountain fingers smoking trying not to lose control i was way ahead nearly sideswiped a cop car parked on a sharp corner he started following usto make sure we didnt go over the guardrail on the next few corners (my fingers were actualy smoking trying to make the corners) by the bottom of the mountain i was a good 4 blocks ahead of the skateboard..when a cab made a turn ahead of me (i was already a good 5 or 6 blocks from the mountain but still at barely under control speed) all i could do was skid and turn into the curb taking a dive and smashing the bead into my eyebrow
so be warned glass has risks as well
also ..the 1 and only time i had a bead cause a mold issue was a glass bead but it was a longer 1 (see my photos from a couple years back) because the beasd was over an inch long it held in a ton of moisture and started to stink bad
i wouldnt think wood would be too much of an issue as long as its not too long ive had many wood beads
ithink my fave was stone though..a hematyte ring
i do hacve a bead or 2 in now that i think are glass ..cant remember but they are real small
i think the biggest moisture concern would be the length of the bead i dont recomend over 1/2 an inch
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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
I've had wooden beads in my hair from the beginning and never taken them out, 3 months in and not got a problem with them. Thats with washing every 3 days in the morning and leaving the thoroughly dry throughout the day and possibly taking a hair drying to it briefly before bed to make sure it is as dry as possible. 
Haha SE that sounds super fun... Except ouch! Thanks to you both for the info!
I have new babies dreads, and I have beads on them. Check out some of my picks.
I actually just put a couple in yesterday to help keep the hair separated. Wood beads feel the lightest so far, and the color blends in with the hair nicely. I was thinking to take them out when hair was drying. It's not too hard to put them back onto the same spots. =] We will see what happens. Good luck! =]
updated by @jasper23: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM
Very nice, I like them.
Great pix Lauren and Jasper! Thanks for the input! I have two in now:)
I have 4 wooden beads in my hair. 3 of them are about a 1/2 inch long. I have one that I got from Soaring Eagle about 5 years ago that is 1 1/2 inches long. Other than changing it to another dread once, it has never been taken out. I have never had any problems with it. No mold. The only problems that I have ever had with beads are from putting them in and leaving them while my hair was still shrinking. The knots thickened up on both sides of the bead. The beads got stuck in my hair. There were 3 of them. One was wooden. I hit it with a hammer and it came off easily. One was glass. My dread hit a door frame and broke it so I had to get it out. I put the bead under a towel, hit it with a hammer and it came off. The 3rd was pewter. It is still stuck in my hair. I can't get it out unless I cut my hair. It will be there forever.
When I make my wooden dread beads I give them a gloss varnish inside and out, so they are resistant to casual encounters with water. It's usually best to remove beads before washing though, to protect the beads but mostly just to make sure you get everything clean underneath. Wood beads are great though because they don't get heavy when you wear a lot of them. I've never had a mold issue with any type of bead, though I hear fabric beads shouldn't get wet.
Feel free to check out my beads if you like!
