Okay, if it isn't obvious from my pictures, I'm a Black Dreadhead and I'm worried about the condition of my hair. I've been growing my dreads for four years and within the last half a year or so I haven't scheduled any of my usual routine six-weeks maintenance with my mother's former stylist for reasons that range from lack of time to lack of funds and smoking so much bud that I just plain forget sometimes. My roots have so much new growth that a lot of it has separated from the already established dreadlocks. I was wondering if there was any way these clusters of new growth could be incorporated into my current dreadlock supply or will I have to start new dreads with these. Note: My hair is what is normally considered "nappy", i.e., very tightly coiled and springy, much like a softened version of a steel wool scrubbing pad.Thank you so much.Peace and Love,Bornfree
updated by @rodney-blu-wilson: 01/13/15 08:51:47PM
HELP!
1 you never should have been going for 6 week salon visits what did they do to you when yiu went
2 leave those alone they will dread on theyre own u never ever need to do a thing to new growth except leave it alone and seperate dreads if they try to grow together
sorry u wasted so much money in a salon all those years
--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
ok i looked at the pics
your dreads are looking healthy and happy
probably the 1st time since u dreaded u were doing things right
so keep smoking your buds
keep skilpping the salons
and do nothing but wash and seperate
i bet b4 this u had all the bald gaps around them? did she twist the hell out of them? force the whole dread through the roots? (god i hope not thats the worse thing u can do)0
nothing salons do to dreads should ever be done to dreads dreads should be left alone so your finaly doing things right
ok dreads successgully saved by laziness!!
--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
I think they look amazing! Just let them do their thing and enjoy being able to forget and skip those visits!
let me explain something here
u had perfect natural dreads that were strong and healthy and exactly as dreads should be
then you went to a sdalon
you let them convincvce you thst roots need constant tightyrewning they cranked em down so tight that you had more baldness then dreads you went back everytime your dreads started to recover and they made them way to tight obver and over
finaly your head said enoughs enough im not going back im not letting them screw up my dreads
but now you see what healthy happy dreads are and u wonder why they arent like those salon tortured dreads and you think theres something wromng
well ther was something wrong all along when you were getting them worked on when you were wasting all that monet..now they are finaly healing and are healthy
now you know that doing nothing is the right thing to be doing
--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
normally the stylist would wash and condition them, then go about twisting the new growth from my scalp into my dreads and from there would clip them still and sit me under an automatic dryer for an hour and a half or two hours. I would leave the salon with a fresh manicured dreadlock look, much like those popularized in mainstream hip-hop/pop culture not the roots/rastaideologythat the style originated from. Sure they looked neat and what not, but I was always uncertain of the impact of heat and regular maintenance would have on my hair.
This is an example of what they look like after I left the stylist.
(granted, this is an old picture and they havelengthenedexponentially since, you can see the crisp, manicured look especially at my roots)
We also have to take into consideration that African Americans hair texture do not only differ in texture from other naturally straight hair ethnicities, but in chemistry as well. Blacks don't naturally produce oils in our scalp, therefore the neglect often utilized to create dreadlocks among other races can consequently dry out and weaken our hair. I cant just expect them to matt up on their own, SOME contribution (oils, waxes, conditioners) are required on my end. This too, I have neglected within this past half a year. What do you suggest I do concerning this as well.
Thank you so much for contributing to my inquiry. My hair is my strength, my crown and my only tangible connection to my original culture so all of your contribution is of great value to me.
soaringeagle said:
1 you never should have been going for 6 week salon visits what did they do to you when yiu went
2 leave those alone they will dread on theyre own u never ever need to do a thing to new growth except leave it alone and seperate dreads if they try to grow together
sorry u wasted so much money in a salon all those years
They look good from the pics.
You can still "neglect" your hair and add oils if your hair is feeling dry. You could try jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, etc. Just play around with different ones till you find what works for you.
Trust, they WILL mat up on their own without you doing a thing.
Also, the loose hairs will sprout into new dreads when left alone.
wax is never good for anyone u do not need those things to matt up it will matt up on its own what u need is moisture this is true but not to help it dread just to keep it from drting out too much
wash with the baking soda acv deep ckleanse but add about a fropperfull of jojoba oil jojoba is the closest thing to natural skin/hair oils
alteranatives like share butter can be used or africas best hair oils
use it as a dry hair/scalp treatment not a dreading aid
now to answer the rwisting question
over twisting can cause
weakness
dreads breaking
traction alpecia
permenant bald spots
the best thing you can do for dreads is wash them
seperate if they grow together
leave em alone
condition as needed when dry mature white ppl dreads may or may not need this
african dreads pretty much always do
aloe vera can be udsed too but its a must that it be only aloe nothing else aloes for burns will dry you oiut not moisturize
vitamin e is also excelent and if they been abused so long
a heatted mix of vitamin e and jojoba will give them a deep heat treatment that will do wonders
mix a small ammount of jojoba and poke a hole in 1 or 2 vitamin r gelcaps and drain them in with the jojoba (in a small glass container or something
sit that in hot water till its well heated up then apply
or u can just add that to the baking soda but if u mix it with hot water hot as is comfy the heat will open up the cuticles and help it penetrate deeper into the hair
also a cold rinse seals it in so they stay moisturized longer
--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
