Adding real-hair extensions or "falls" at the root to real dreads?

Hi everyone, i have scoured the internet looking for answers or tutorials but it all seems to be about big cyber-goth fake looking synthetic falls when what I want is something that will blend in as much as possible with my real dreads and I wondered if anyone here has any experience with this?

I want to ADD dreads to my dreads at the roots. Just to add bulk and thicken them up, I don't have loads of hair and though I LOVE my dreads I just wish I had a few more to get more volume...especially at the back where I feel like theres a little bit of scalp visibility that i'd like rid of.

Does anyone have any experience of using real human hair extensions to make some fakies and attaching them at the root? Maybe sewing them in? Obviously I want to avoid any damage to my real ones and I know putting strain on them at the rootpermanentlyis a a VERY bad thing... but I do love not having to do much to my hair so if I could get a fairly long term solution that would be good

Just to hear any experiences about adding extensions in this way would be good really, I've only ever encountered the crocheting in fake ends for length extension. And all the youtube videos seem to be examples of adding these "fall" things to REAL hair and braiding it in which obviously I can't do.

thanks so much
fran.

updated by @bad-seed: 02/14/15 04:43:04AM

thanks for your comments!!
Yeah I was thinking about that method [the looping it through a dread]... i heard that would damage the root though [splitting it]

And I also want to avoid any crocheting methods of doing this...BUT I've been through the search on here and found THIS youtube video which shows you how to make a single ended dread with a loop on the end...

and i think that would work well...just loop it over one of my dreads and thensecureit maybe by sewing it or using clips if i didn't mind it being less permanent

I think i probably should be a bit more patient as well.. :D I'm nearly four months in and theyre coming along great. it's not the thickness of the dreads I'm bothered about, it's just the fact I dont have enough hair to have as many as i'd like...i think looking through progress pictures is a good idea because i have nooo idea right now how theyre going to be TOMORROW never mind when matured...

THIS is my dreadlock idol and she just seems like one of those people with TONNES of hair, ive seen photos of her before she had dreads as well. Since my hair has always been stubbornly fine i just get the feeling my hair will never look like this without a bit of help but I'll probably be waiting a few more months before investing in some extensions

thanks for your help.


Lauren Halsall said:

i wanted some bulk to mine so i added a few felty dreads in a brown colour which worked ok

just buy some merino wool and making them is simple, i'm not sure about adding hair sorry and wouldnt you have to use a crochet hook to put it in which would weaken it at the root?? you could always make some from synthetic hair and add that in to the underneath to put it in you make it teice as long as your hair make a hole in the root of your dead and just put it through the hole i'm sure you could make some from hair and do it that way i'm sorry if this is no help

but your hair will thicken!! if you've not been dreading long it's worth your time just to wait a couple of months if you look through members old pictures to now you can see how they change, the best thing to do would be to give them time

updated by @bad-seed: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

hmmm they've just started coming out of a really crazy loopy stage...theyre still mega loopy but not so messy...and some of them are reallynoticeablystarting to tighten and get all smooth and nice and dready

does shrinking and thickening happen after the loopy stage...or during in your experience??? lol. mine were started with back combing btw and so obviously started quite thick and short and are now growing/thinning out so they seem quite gappy which is maybe why i'm wanting more...

wait out the crochet recovery when they fully recover from crochet and matrure they wuill thicken up a good bit

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

how long do you reckon thatll be? I feel like they havent been damaged too much by it, my crocheter was a really gentle one with lots of experience but then again i have nothing to compare it to! i definitely see the difference in my un-maintained ones and my friend's neat, perfect crocheted maintained ones and i much prefer it

soaring eagle said:

wait out the crochet recovery when they fully recover from crochet and matrure they wuill thicken up a good bit

yeah she is awesome you can see her lookbook here and find links to her blog etc: http://lookbook.nu/user/7213-Sl-inmejifolie-D/looks

my fave pic of her dreads...

i love how many she has and how kinky and curly they are. This is how i'd love mine to be but she seems like she was blessed with MASSES of hair !

anouk fern said:

aww, I love your dread idol pic, what a cutie and great dreads!

updated by @bad-seed: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

well its not so much the damage as it is the extrweme tighteness

crochet compacts tgem and tightens them making them 1/3 as thick as they should be

typical crochet recovery from 1 sessions about 6 months (may vary)

then they thicken up a good bit ..and thicken more as they mature

u mentioned scalp showing too as they thicken and naturalize the scalp will cover over with loose hairs from seperation

those oloo9se hairs will then dread adding more dreads in betweeen

in a year of naturaklizing they wikll look lots thicker

bad seed said:

how long do you reckon thatll be? I feel like they havent been damaged too much by it, my crocheter was a really gentle one with lots of experience but then again i have nothing to compare it to! i definitely see the difference in my un-maintained ones and my friend's neat, perfect crocheted maintained ones and i much prefer it

soaring eagle said:

wait out the crochet recovery when they fully recover from crochet and matrure they wuill thicken up a good bit

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

cool thanks for the info they are starting to feel more natural all the time.... i'm geting so jealous lookin at pics with people who used natural method because i love that messy half-dreaded stage.

and yeah im starting to get loose hairs i just found a tiny baby dread on top of my head so hopefully that will happen more especially on the back the sides are fine.

I'll probably end up gettin some extensions eventually anyway just because i love the ultra thick look and would like to have some different colours without having to fry my hair with dye!

soaring eagle said:

well its not so much the damage as it is the extrweme tighteness

crochet compacts tgem and tightens them making them 1/3 as thick as they should be

typical crochet recovery from 1 sessions about 6 months (may vary)

then they thicken up a good bit ..and thicken more as they mature

u mentioned scalp showing too as they thicken and naturalize the scalp will cover over with loose hairs from seperation

those oloo9se hairs will then dread adding more dreads in betweeen

in a year of naturaklizing they wikll look lots thicker

bad seed said:

how long do you reckon thatll be? I feel like they havent been damaged too much by it, my crocheter was a really gentle one with lots of experience but then again i have nothing to compare it to! i definitely see the difference in my un-maintained ones and my friend's neat, perfect crocheted maintained ones and i much prefer it

soaring eagle said:

wait out the crochet recovery when they fully recover from crochet and matrure they wuill thicken up a good bit

Yeah don't crochet again. I had mine crocheted and backcombed in the beginning too. And they really became much much thicker. They're 7 months now. I say don't worry and wait and in one year your dreads gonna look better than the person who had their crochet maintained all the time. It's just a matter of time

But yeah extension can be cool I guess to make a more fuller look If you can attach them well that is. I'm considering to add a couple as well. Might look cool! So please do tell if you find a good non harmful and easy method