Moving Forward With Nature: My Dreadlock Journal

I have tried to wear my hair in different partings to help with my gap, but it often falls naturally split down the middle as it often has....but I do see good progress on the gap today....I am wondering based on this photo, and probably weekly sea salt sprays how long it will take to seal up for good? And how best can I keep it sealed?

The attached photo is hopefully clear enough to show proof, if not let me know I can put up a different version of this photo.

Current photo of my dreads (now a little past my 3 year8 month mark by about 2 weeks). I am changing up how I deal with the fringe hair, I have been pushing it back over the parting of my dreads, which has seemed to help the 'gap' attached is a current photo of my gap and my dreads.

3 years 9 months update (a day late). My gap overall seems like it'll seal up eventually, one of the photos shows that it seems like it has a longer way to go than even I realized it was like...hoping it will all turn out ok.  I am currently alternating between using the Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Dr. Bronners....the tea tree shampoo already has sea salt in it....would also using a sea salt spray in conjunction with that shampoo be too much salt? (I keep wondering if maybe I should stick with the tea tree shampoo for a while, but some of the ingredients have me second guessing that). Any input would be appreciated. 

updated by @ravens-light: 02/12/17 09:46:19PM

So I have been washing my hair with the tea tree tingle shampoo from Trader Joe's the last few weeks what follows is a current photo of the 'gap' on the top of my head. I haven't really had anything bad in terms of skin issues from using that shampoo, and actually as of the latest wash (which I had shampooed twice) my roots like really good, I do see some looping still happening with them. I know that's healthy, but I'm wondering when that is going to settle down. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue to use this product on my dreads as far as a liquid shampoo goes it has been good.

I do keep wondering how many washes it takes to know if a product is good for your dreads and not too prone to build up or not.   I may still switch over to the bronner's bars, time will tell. 

This is past due,  but this is a picture of my dreads now 3 years 10 months old.

Your dreads look great! And there is no gap any more, congrats!

updated by @dread-stpauli: 03/17/17 05:43:49AM

Thanks! I do still sort of see a slight gap, but I am thinking I may be wrong, since you had said there is none there.....as I know that parting of the hair always has some space in between.  

I have now lost the tips off of two baby dreads, one came off of the baby lock that is still being absorbed by an existing dread, the other came off of what is still a developing new dread, it used to be a doubled tailed dread....I had very lightly run my hand down either of those dreads the tips just popped off. I do wonder if that was because of my past use of baking soda on my hair, hopefully, that won't happen again.

However, I must say that both the dreads look better now then they did with the parts that now broke off. I don't really have a picture of them before they changed, and now it seems unneeded to take a picture of them after the fact. 

updated by @ravens-light: 03/29/17 10:42:36PM

Today marks my 4 years of this journey, and I really do not plan to cut them off...although I am slowly thinking I might trim them at some future date, but I am letting time tell on that part. Here are a few photos of them as they are now.

I needed a change, so I trimmed my beard short. I might grow it back out again in the future.