So I had this vision of me in like 2 years with the perfect dreads =]BUT no... I went swimming today & they all fell out, does this mean we cant swim? or cant swim in chlorine? Or cant swim until they are mature?I'm feeling so discouraged & really considered washing them out! they look so crap! please help me salvage them =]Appreciate it alot =]
updated by @london-3: 02/14/15 09:42:24AM
Plans are being thwarted =[
no its cool just let them go, its normal for them to fall out like that when you just start, got to just let them go, they will dread...... and swimming is ok, and if they look like crap, thats ok to, they dont look like dreads in a day, and you shouldnt want them to be dreads in a day, watching them dread over time is a beautiful thing, every hint of progress is so exciting, its a process just give it time,
to truly understand what happened, we would need to know the method of dreading. did you have them backcombed, or were you going the natural way? its completely normal for backcombed dreads to unravel relatively quick especially if you dont have bands on them, wash vigorously, or swim. its needed for them to form their own knots and lock up on their own. give it time and just dont worry about them and they should start locking on their own. its pretty impossible to keep dreads from happening if you just dont comb or run your fingers through them
Relax...commit yourself and they'll form up on their own.
Seriously, don't worry about it. Let your hair do what it needs to do.Your desire to have dreadlocks is only thwarted when you start brushing/combing your hair out and start using conditioner again.Just keep your hair clean. Go outside more to enjoy being outside again like you used to when you were a kid. When you do go swimming rinse your hair out with plain water. London <3 said:
ok, this is nice fo all of you to say this, but they really fell out... I mean, I'm back to square 1 =[
I cant do that GE... I need to either have dread looking things or normal hair. I cant have half-matted hair, I think that maybe my hair doesnt want to be dreaded OR my hair is the wrong type & so wont stay dreaded.... oh well, there is a hairstyle for me out there somewhere, I just gotta find it I guess =/
Hey, If it's completely undone(not a single knot) then start again. so some more twist and rip and be come careful when you go swimming. Dreads require patience and persistence. The won't lock up over night and some hair may lock slower but it doesn't mean that it wont dread. In the first few months the hair will be wild and do a lot of crazy things.here, read this if you like 
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreading-the-1st-few-weeks-of?commentId=3754945%3AComment%3A115273#axzz0tZRZ6SA0
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreading-the-1st-few-weeks-of?commentId=3754945%3AComment%3A115273#axzz0tZRZ6SA0
I;m srry to tell you...dreads aint a hair"style" but rather a lifestyle...its a commitment...so it wont happen overnight...patience is all u need...or also, absolute disregard for how "goofy" you might look to others...cz if ur getting dreads...those judgmental stares will never go away...HAIR WILL DREAD! No question about it...you just gotto let me go and do their own thing...as paula suggested..tnr might help as well...Hope to see you dreaded one day...namaste London <3 said:
I cant do that GE... I need to either have dread looking things or normal hair. I cant have half-matted hair, I think that maybe my hair doesnt want to be dreaded OR my hair is the wrong type & so wont stay dreaded.... oh well, there is a hairstyle for me out there somewhere, I just gotta find it I guess =/
Everyone's life goals are different. Natural dreads are the healthiest way to go and will work. But it is a journey, a lifestyle, a commitment, a path of inner growth and peace and strenth to accept what your hair does and let it go. If that is what you are looking for- trust that it will happen. If you need reassurance, look to this site, ask questions as needed.If your life goal is just to have an immediately perfect "hairstyle" there are plenty of ways to do that too. Most are not as healthy, some are downright damaging, and some are extremely high maintanance, but so are many other "hairstyles." I say just decide what your goal is, and go that route.A possible compromise would be to twist and rip and bead your hair. You can make beads yourself with polymer clay (like sculpey III)-the perfect way to get just the right hole size, or buy them at Michaels, bead stores, online. Once you have T&R'd your hair, throw some beads you love in, to hold them in sections, and then let them go. Smooth down your fuzzies with aloe, or buy beautiful scarf's to make headbands. With the stratigic use of headscarves and a braid, I was even able to make acceptable hairstyles for my conservative hospital (I am a nurse) - that people are constantly commenting on how they love how I'm doing my hair.My T&R experience: I did one twist and rip in the front so my hair wouldn't section with a full center part. I but a bead in it to keep it in it's section. It stopped looking like a "dread looking thing" and fell apart in a couple days, but with the bead there, it stayed in it's section and redreaded naturally. I have had nothing but good comments on my hair.It's okay whatever your goal is and you decide to do, but if you do want to dread naturally, trust that it will start to work- if it is only a few days since you started, anything you forced to happen is going to start falling apart - give it 2 months and you will know it is starting to work. London <3 said:
I cant do that GE... I need to either have dread looking things or normal hair. I cant have half-matted hair, I think that maybe my hair doesnt want to be dreaded OR my hair is the wrong type & so wont stay dreaded.... oh well, there is a hairstyle for me out there somewhere, I just gotta find it I guess =/
