thank you SE! I saw this in my inbox, but never got time to say thanks! It's a big help to know this. And I also recently heard about natural locks "sectioning". I didn't realize they do it naturally. I mean, well it's one thing to read about it and another to experience it. I suppose I was trying to fight it a little more than was necessary. Ha! But letting them go a bit more has been showing a difference! 
Thanks!
So, neglect dreading here and I'm wondering about when to start separating. I keep reading "when ROOTS start matting together is when you should start", but mine are knotting at the tip end mostly. I somehow managed a few dreads (not sure how that happened), but most are only at the tip and when I separate those, they either end in too thin dreads and/or clumps that fall out. Should I not be separating yet? Ok, so like for instance, I have a huge matt of hair right now, not really sectioned, just afro-like, should I let it knot some more? I mean, it's very thin fine hair...I think I will try letting it go a day or so, see if that gets more root clumping together. But, of course, insight would be nice.
oh! also, do you separate root to tip or tip to root? or?
thanks!
p.s. just noticing you have curly hair. I saw a curly haired girl's timeline and honestly you couldn't even tell she was dreading until they were dreaded. I mean it was perfectly seamless. You just might have that!
just have to add, I've been at neglect for what 5months now?? I am just starting to actually get dreads haha! well, maybe the first two came a few weeks back, but...point being, it could take months to a year to get them or a few weeks.
as far as how will you look? well, well because I wool rub, mine probably get more messy at times, but honestly, with a ponytail or something, you probably won't be drawing much attention for a long time. Actually, the first few weeks to a month just look like beachy hair. it's nice!
but getting the dreads are certainly rewarding. yeah...i have the worst patience myself, and mine took longer. haha go figure! :D
best wishes!
Damn I'd love to have blunt tips, I just naturally have very curly and loose tips. I guess to each his own, but I just wanted to say I wouldn't compain if I was you, hope that helps
haha I used to feel the same way. I rubbed in some tips within a few days or weeks (because mine were NOT blunting on their own), but then I realized the hassle (especially as a newbie) of drying the blunted tips (and plus, I was super worried about residue...(I can REALLY worry about things sometimes, well, and plus my poorly crocheted dreads WERE so tight and I used the wrong shampoo, blah blah blah). So I combed out the ends. The ironic thing is, it wasn't long before they started blunting up on their own! I still have a few hairs undreaded at the end, but it's not the full section of hairs, so it's pretty much blunting again. Ahh, so I might be combing out again sooner or later...but since it's summer, i guess, they are drying really pretty quickly, so that's good.
oh boy! is this what I get to look forward to!??! Seriously though, 2 weeks?!?? I'm at like 4months with my neglect ones and I've barely got some knotting at the ends! But yeah, getting a little worried now when they do start dreading up towards the root and I have to do the separating. The crocheted dreads that I already have in there, well one at least, was very painful tugging at the scalp. hmm, I really hope this won't be a problem in the messy web stage everybody talks about...
@raynemama can you explain that tip again? I mean, ugh, it was hard to follow. Are there any YouTube videos on this? (honestly, I was wondering this a long while back, but since I hadn't really gotten much knotting yet, I didn't really dig much into it.)
looks good! I mean, I've never experienced those with my crocheted dreads, and my neglect ones aren't quite at that stage yet, so a little jealous TBH. Curious how mine will look at that stage...actually! we are near the same amount of time!...but I guess neglect (freeform, eh, plus a little wool rubbing) well, it goes a little slower than backcomb?!?
Hey everyone!
Well, ok, my concern is about...well, it happens to be this one t&r in the back that is the worst. And well, I kept calling them all "crocheted" dreads, but I honestly think this one was more neglect since it was so hard to reach back there. Ah! I wish I kept better notes in the beginning. Well, so that, or one of those, is the method...
the concern is that even after the like 80% shrinkage (lots of shrinkage), well it is still tightening up and maybe shrinking still. I thought it was growing out. The root end seems like it is, but I can't notice much significant growth in the total length...or even girth. (and it is a "mature" dread, based on its texture)
*ok, well I just measured this one again, and it shrunk again! (after growing out some the last time i measured)
I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced such shrinkage issues and/or this shrink+growth phenomenon? As I said, this one was the most neglected dread, so why is it giving me so much trouble!? *sigh and is it possible the dreads are like dying or something? how can i be assured they are alright?
Heyyy!!! Yeah, I can kindof relate here! I did all of my own mistakes myself though...but I have had to redo some or most. Yeah, I would have never had the patience to wait for them to right themselves.
Actually, I remembered something! I didn't actually comb out entirely though! See, I combed out my blunted tips and then I took my crochet hook and gently like pulled the dread, or loosened it with gentle pulls starting from the bottom, not fully pulling out the knots, but just spreading them down and out. (very hard to explain) and did this all the way up the dread up to the new softer growth (my roots were growing out by then some). Not sure if this is a normal thing to do, or recommended by others BUT...
the result? Well, I'm actually very happy with the one, somewhat happy with another, and completely taken out a few others (decided I didn't want those where they were-partial dreadhead here). Happy because the one seems to be retaining the relaxed (normal) dread tension, and the ends were progressing nicely through the neglect fashion of loops and bumps. The second, although it's getting tighter (still unsure what's normal but I think it's fine), well it is growing longer (barely, but it is) which was my biggest concern...these tight dreads were too tight to grow???
actually, @soaring-eagle or whomever else can chime in...I STILL wonder- these really tight crocheted dreads...do they take longer than neglect at that stage to grow out? Or is it possible that a dread will NOT grow out? They HAVE to grow somewhere right? I imagine, they might just grow fatter at first, but I really have no idea...like i said, I lost patience with my own. Seemed like they were just getting harder and tighter. ??
but long story short, @sleepingrain I can understand your frustration to a large degree, even if I didn't spend money or have another to blame, and am totally with you on the starting over thoughts.
hey! So I have been trying this the past week. two washes so far. um, seemingly drastic difference. knotting nicely now. But what i do, is i still wring out my hair, but keeping it as straight as possible, i guess, no extra friction. but this helps keep you from soaking too much. plus, i still do like a turban wrap, but again, no actual rubbing. compromise? or maybe it is fine, but after months of undoing hard work, this seems to be working!
