2 more guides wanted dread extentions and dresadfalls

:D Sister Rags said:

*WOW* Jemma!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, well, if there's such a thing as gentle crocheting, I'm sure SE would disagree, but only enough to keep it in there then the natural lock it's attached to has kinda just latched onto it, they're like very sturdy congos at the minute I used to have full looking hair when it was natural and curly, but in reality the hair dreaded is rather thin so even so I have 50 something dreads it doesn't look that much to see.It's really easy to go over the top with it though, and I nearly ended up having a whole head of congo looking dreads, figured it'd thicken my hair up in the immediate future, but a few years later on could look rather odd being all poofy at the ends dreadymom marla said:

how are you attaching them so they stay in, or did i totally overlook your mentioning that. sometimes i swear i skip whole lines of text when i read.. LOL.. i would love to thicken mine up... my friend tried, but hers fell out in the shower. she said she crochet'd them in....

Okidoke, well if you like when they're a bit longer and you're thinking about doing it, I'll get me another bag of kanekelon and make a youtube vid showing how to do it if you'd like? dreadymom marla said:

yeah, i have like 53 dreads and it looks like nothing really. not alot to do with them either cause they are too short still, just wondering how its done if i wanted to do it..

Jemma said:

Um, well, if there's such a thing as gentle crocheting, I'm sure SE would disagree, but only enough to keep it in there then the natural lock it's attached to has kinda just latched onto it, they're like very sturdy congos at the minute I used to have full looking hair when it was natural and curly, but in reality the hair dreaded is rather thin so even so I have 50 something dreads it doesn't look that much to see.

It's really easy to go over the top with it though, and I nearly ended up having a whole head of congo looking dreads, figured it'd thicken my hair up in the immediate future, but a few years later on could look rather odd being all poofy at the ends
dreadymom marla said:

how are you attaching them so they stay in, or did i totally overlook your mentioning that. sometimes i swear i skip whole lines of text when i read.. LOL.. i would love to thicken mine up... my friend tried, but hers fell out in the shower. she said she crochet'd them in....

Eeeeik....don't buy human hair, it's way too expensive! Less money wasted if they refuse to stay in too you'll only end up having to crochet it to make it look dreaded as it won't move as if on your head! Maybe a bit of t+r.... I bought my bag of hair from an afro-caribbean extension/wig type shop for 1, far cheaper than buying human hair If you do get some though stick a pic up I'd like to see the difference in textures dreadymom marla said:

i would love to put in extensions. i have been thinking all day about just buying some human hair online. ugh. im afraid they wont stay in..

Twist and Rip, it does kinda what backcombing does in encouraging your hair to knot up, by packing them together, but there's a better guide on here http://www.dreadlockssite.com/page/twist-and-rip-method-dreading#axzz0teyZGohS You can find bags of colour in any shade I believe, is your hair dreaded already? Ebay brings up quite a few hits http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=kanekalon+brown&_sacat=0&_odkw=kanekalon&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313 but if it's just length you're after I'd suggest waiting it out, because it'll be far more rewarding when you finally get there, plus if you're going for all over extensions there'll definitely be a distinguished difference in texture and/or colour if you cant find an exact match, hope that helps dreadymom marla said:

ok, i have brown hair, does that matter? do they have brown colors too?? what is T&R. sorry for the questions.. i am new to this if i do it.

Jemma said:

Eeeeik....don't buy human hair, it's way too expensive! Less money wasted if they refuse to stay in too you'll only end up having to crochet it to make it look dreaded as it won't move as if on your head! Maybe a bit of t+r.... I bought my bag of hair from an afro-caribbean extension/wig type shop for 1, far cheaper than buying human hair


If you do get some though stick a pic up I'd like to see the difference in textures

dreadymom marla said:

i would love to put in extensions. i have been thinking all day about just buying some human hair online. ugh. im afraid they wont stay in..

I had one baby dread that i lopped off to swap with my other half's dread and successfully crocheted an extension into the loose hair at the end, so it can be done, sorry I misunderstood the t+r thing lol... Good luck with it! dreadymom marla said:

oh, i totally know what twist and rip is. lol. i just was not sure if you meant it was a hair brand or something. lol. i have my dreads now. had them for 8 months. i just wanted to add some length. totally not sure what to do. i am sick of this length. i feel like it will be a few more years till i get the length i want. i know it is rewarding, but i can always cut out the fakes after the human hair is at my length.. ugh. why do things have to be so hard. ... thanks for all your help. i guess its up to me now..

Knotty that's a fab link you put up there, I haven't looked up the cost for human hair in a while so was surprised to see it so cheap! I would definitely recommend getting some natural coloured ones for all over extensions, but the fake stuff looks ok with just the 3 or 4.... It's naturally knotted into my dread itself quite close to the root, but if I were to cut it off it'd only look like a s all splash of colour in already coloured dreads Marla, bang some pics on if you do decide to go for it, I'd be really interested in seeing the finished result! :D Knottysleeves said:

I highly recommend Katie's extensions tutorial (just ignore the dyeing section):
http://community.livejournal.com/get_up_dread_up/5324366.html

I used this method (though I mostly crocheted the join instead of sewing) and it works great. I did this when my dreads were only 6 months or so, to extend a few super super short dreads that got that way from bad splitting & a scissor mistake! I cut most of the extensions out awhile ago and only have two left... I'll be cutting those off soon too.

I understand the reluctance to buy a weft of human hair (ethical concerns, cost etc) but it's well worth it if you want to keep the extensions in for more than a couple months and have them look at all realistic. Synthetic kanekalon hair looks & feels incredibly cheap... and it is. If you shop around, you should be able to get a full weft of human hair for about $25, which will give you lots of extensions.

Keep in mind that the extension hair will dread at a different rate than your own. Commercial human hair has been chemically treated, and tends to knot up really fast. The extensions will start out long but will shrink & tighten quickly, which adds extra weight to your dreads. That's why your own dreads have to be mature before adding extensions -- you need a solid foundation that won't unravel from all the extra weight & pulling.

Hope that helps. Hey, there's half the extensions guide written right there, I think...

well thing is that for the accent synth locks used for adding color, you don't have to crochet or actually attach them to your head, or damage your own locks. you can make single ended dreads, with a loop on the end - goes over your own dreads and you loop it thru itself to "tie" it on. They will not fall off in the shower, you can leave it in as long or short as you like and then take it out. Nice for adding color without damage. I would not recommend synth hair for actually extending real dreads long term, it gets ratty real fast, will break down over time, and the texture difference is noticeable as the synth dreads will always look and feel plasticky compared to human hair and take on an odd unnatural shine under camera flash - they never really blend in. For permanent extensions always go human.Nice thing is that if you're not adverse to it, you can get cheap human hair online, at Sally's or your local beauty supply - quality doesn't matter as much for dreads as the expensive stuff is costly because it doesn't tangle and cheap hair does. Well for dreads you WANT knots so that "drawback" is actually an advantage in this case. You can backcomb/crochet/do whatever you would do to normal dreads and it will work, and they can blend fairly well into your hair for longterm extenders. You just want to make sure that you get something that matches your natural texture - i.e. curly, wavy, straight, silky, coarse - so it blends the best. Some people feel weird about buying hair commercially and adding a stranger's energy to your own, in that case you can also ask friends/family for their cut hair because then at least you know the person who it came from and may feel more comfortable that way. I've actually added a bit of each of my kid's hair to my locks, it may sound weird but that way I always carry a piece of them/their energy with me If anyone has any other questions feel free to ask me. My own locks were started with backcombing since I don't have the patience to deal with a totally natural approach, though I've since rethought that and wish I had tried differently. Since I can't change that now, I'm currently trying to back off on maintenance and go more freeform from this point out. however I'm always happy to advise those who are less organic or natural in their approach as to how best to do these things without damage. Oh EXCEPT for waxing or felting. I NEVER recommend those things!Jenn

how old are your dreads marla? if you do decide to add extensions vs just some tied in accent dreads, you need to wait til your own locks are *at least* 6 months old. extending them too soon can cause issues - for one, they will not hold the extensions until they are fully locked, and they'll just slide out. for two, you can cause damage to your locks because when they come out they will unknot the part of your dread they were attached to. Also, using synth hair to extend for longterm can be problematic on many levels as it gets ratty over time and ends up feeling like big lumps of plastic on the ends of your dreads. Not pretty! If your dreads are mature enough, and you use human hair, it should act just like normal dreads and lock right into your own hair seamlessly.Feel free to message me if you have any other questions, I know alot about this subject and the potential pitfalls.My own locks are short right now and I know the temptation to extend is strong, but still as with all things dread-related patience is the KEY. Long dreads will come with time, and if we wanted perfect barbie doll hair we wouldn't have locked up in the first place right? Jenn Jemma said:

Knotty that's a fab link you put up there, I haven't looked up the cost for human hair in a while so was surprised to see it so cheap! I would definitely recommend getting some natural coloured ones for all over extensions, but the fake stuff looks ok with just the 3 or 4.... It's naturally knotted into my dread itself quite close to the root, but if I were to cut it off it'd only look like a s all splash of colour in already coloured dreads
Marla, bang some pics on if you do decide to go for it, I'd be really interested in seeing the finished result! :D Knottysleeves said:

I highly recommend Katie's extensions tutorial (just ignore the dyeing section):
http://community.livejournal.com/get_up_dread_up/5324366.html
I used this method (though I mostly crocheted the join instead of sewing) and it works great. I did this when my dreads were only 6 months or so, to extend a few super super short dreads that got that way from bad splitting & a scissor mistake! I cut most of the extensions out awhile ago and only have two left... I'll be cutting those off soon too.I understand the reluctance to buy a weft of human hair (ethical concerns, cost etc) but it's well worth it if you want to keep the extensions in for more than a couple months and have them look at all realistic. Synthetic kanekalon hair looks & feels incredibly cheap... and it is. If you shop around, you should be able to get a full weft of human hair for about $25, which will give you lots of extensions.Keep in mind that the extension hair will dread at a different rate than your own. Commercial human hair has been chemically treated, and tends to knot up really fast. The extensions will start out long but will shrink & tighten quickly, which adds extra weight to your dreads. That's why your own dreads have to be mature before adding extensions -- you need a solid foundation that won't unravel from all the extra weight & pulling.Hope that helps. Hey, there's half the extensions guide written right there, I think...