We need a "My hair won't naturally dread" support group!

Can I just say this? I didn't brush my hair for 2 years but I would lather all my hair in the shower and lightly comb until I hit a knot in my hair to rinse.. I could noticeably see a difference in my hair it started to knot up real nice. I didn't realize that it was trying to dread naturally and just a few months ago I took a brush to it because my grandmother suggested I try brushing my hair every once in a while especially that night because we were having dinner with the captain of the cruise ship so that un-did all of my progress. I think my problem now is that I am aware of what I'm doing and I'm so curious that I feel through my hair all the time now, which makes it extremely oily. So I'm trying to become less conscious as to what my hair is doing. Not going to lie it is very difficult but I'm sure when we get through that stage we'll journey on just fine! Be strong my weary sister!

updated by @moon-child: 07/27/15 07:55:17AM

Hi! My hair type is generally considered to be too fine, thin & straight to dread so I get where you're coming from.

My previous set were started as a bet with mates that my hair would naturally dread in a year. They were so unconvinced they insisted upon me backcombing as a starter method.

You're definitely not alone and definitely in the right place. There's lots of instances I've seen across the community here where some people experience difficulty in achieving progress but a lot of the time its simply a case of evaluating potential issues & eliminating them one by one.

Firstly, I'd say to hang in there and be patient. A lot of initial progress cannot be 'seen'. It takes a few weeks for your scalp to adjust to the new routine, for oil production to deplete and essentially create the optimum environment within which your dreads can flourish.

My hair is so straight that even when I occasionally accidentally pull a hair out of a section, there is only a slight 'kink' in it somewhere at most - this is another thing I've noticed - not all hair dreads equally.

For example, really curly hair may show signs of looping, zig-zaging etc. really early on due to compression of the curls. Straight hair like mine instead tends to compress into clumps of sections and harden up that way. The zig-zags and curls don't appear until there's one side of the section tighter than the other, causing uneven space for new growth at the root.

The one thing I would suggest is just to forget about your hair and concentrate on changing your mindset. You mentioned the last 3 weeks felt like 'effort' and that's the last thing you should feel.

Enjoy your life, don't worry about it & only think about your hair when your scalp gets itchy - go wash.

Come back in a month & I bet you'll have a timeline ready to go