I tend to have a habit of sort of smoothing down my hair from the front to the back possibly several times per day; much more if I'm out in public and my anxiety kicks in and I think people are looking at my hair and judging me.
How hands-off do I need to be for the natural method?
Also, is there possibly a locking "accelerator" recipe or product that can be sprayed on and left in to help with dreading and also fight dry scalp and itchiness?
accelerators might increase dryness and itchiness the pink sea salt dreadlockshampoocom makes has some herbs and proteins that probly make it safer to leave on but accelerators should be applied then rinsed out b4 or after u wash depending on dryness try not looking in mirrors use shadows instead if u feell the need to fiddle wear something round your neck to play with
I'm have low self-esteem and self-consciousness (going along with my mental health diseases), so I'm always trying to adjust this or that to make sure I look as good as I can for other people. I need to learn to just live and be happy. 
Thanks for the help!
Also, I've been pondering about wearing a necklace for a while now. Looks like I'm just going to have to do it now. 
that's why dreading is so healthy for most people with those issues
i have friends who were abused and suffer a lot who cut their faces out of pictures or covered them ..i know anorexics that dreading saved their lives.
its healing when you give up that need to control every last lil thing and when you can just accept things as they are..being happy with yourself
i'll tell you the number of times i intentionaly look in a mirror can be counted on 1 hand for an entire year..
i don't usualy bother even looking at shadows which usd to be the only way i bothered checking if a dread was sticking up
maybe you can just get rid of or cover your mirrors and try to stop paying attention to your reflection for awhile
A few quick questions for the Dreadlocks version of Stephen Hawking:
Concerning the literal method of washing hair: I got a bar shampoo from dreadlockshampoo.com (the tea tree & rosemary version) about 4 weeks ago and started washing just once a week but now I'm doing twice a week since I've had dry & itchy scalp for a loooong time (honestly, I'm not as hygienic as I should be, but with my mental illnesses -- it's a common symptom). I was wondering (especially with my thinning hair, I'll post pictures later when I can get my girlfriend to take ones at a good angle with proper lighting) how to literally wash my hair. Right now I Just take the bar and rub it on the top of my head for a few seconds, then on my undercut, and kinda message/scratch my scalp to really get it in there and do its thing. I'm not vigorous about it, mostly just thorough.
And about how to literally dry my hair: since I'm in the mostly straight stage I've just been applying a little bit pressure to my head with a towel and then flipping my hair forward to kind of "squeeze" out the water (as if I actually had dreads). Would towel rubbing be a good idea? I'm trying my best not to lose any more hair, which brings me to my final question:
I've read that some essential oils can either stop hair loss or even have some grow back. Stuff like rosemary, burdock, ivy burdock, fenugreek, and thyme. I have a text file with a whole list of essential oils, vitamins, and healthy things to eat that are supposedly good for your hair. I don't know how much real research has been done with everything, which is why I added "supposedly." Do you have any knowledge about essential oils, etc. that would be good for happy healthy dreads?
Thanks for all your help so far, SE. Keep on soaring!
1 if your hairs mostly undreaded the liquid will make it dread way faster then the bar
2 your washing methods fine
3 i wouldn't use the towel at all sake it out and sit in the sun/wind or go for a drive with the windows down..blow dry when u gotta in winter but in short qick bursts so you don't cause heat damage
4 i know a good bit about essential oils but not everything in featured discussions there are some very thourough posts on essential oils
so i would get the liquid till its a lil more matue then use the bars
Oh man, if only had I known! Fortunately I have spare money to get the liquid. I try to search the forums before posting anything, but specifically the essential oil just popped into my head while I was typing out my post. Thanks again for your help! If I ever get to come out to give hands-on help with FWI I may have to kneel in your presence of Dreadlocked Royalty. (Of course I kid, I have a weird sense of humor. Weird in a good way, as my girlfriend says)
