Forum Activity for @baba-fats

Swimming Pools

General Questions

It's funny, but in a way, your questions are helping me exercise my mind for my chem test on the 9th

Swimming Pools

General Questions

I love Chemistry. Something about it. I feel at ease when I look at a periodic table. Kind of like people who count things or wash their hands a dozen time, or lock and unlock their doors

BS and vinegar make Carbonic acid. It's the stuff that makes soda fizzy. It breaks down really easily into CO2 and water. Cold temps help it stay stable, but soda goes flat fast out of the fridge because it's warm. That fizzing is the CO2 bubbling off.

What is left over is the salt form of nail polish remover. Add more vinegar and, again, you get a basic solution sitting on your head for long periods of time, especially if you are sitting there listening to it sizzle.

Not to mention that it's got to smellhorrendous. I can't stand the smell of acetate in a lab setting, let alone on my head in a small bathroom.

What video was that?

Swimming Pools

General Questions

While both the chlorine used in pools and BS are alkaline, it is always a bad idea to mix any chemical with chlorine. BS won't create mustard gas like some other chemicals would, but other noxious fumes could be created. Not to mention that the mixture will raise the pH of the water. You want the pH on your scalp to stay constant. water is usually slightly over 7. Raising it makes your scalp too basic. It won't burn like an acid, but it can cause mild chemical burns if you don't rinse it out really well and right away. It's just not a good idea.

I couldn't tell you the concentration of BS you could use safely without knowing the concentration of chlorine in the water.

Swimming Pools

General Questions

If you rinse really well afterwards, the majority of it will be out. The damage that it causes will be there no matter what, but don't take this to mean that you should never go into a swimming pool again. We can't love our lives babying ourselves or our locks.

The chlorine will lighten your hair over time and will make it dryer, but if you're not planning on swimming for hours a day every day, don't worry so much about it

advice on happiness

Dread Products

Well... did you go into school with a major in mind right away? That's not always a bad thing, but you should have taken a few electorates so you could get an idea of what else is out there. In the first 2 years of college, you don't do jack that isapplicable. I'd recommend you do what you can to make friends with your professors. Talk to them during office hours and ask them what kind of classes you should take that fit you more personally. You obviously have to take core classes, but you might be interested in taking an art class so you could focus on being creative with design and style. If you want to be an architect, you don't want to be boring. Art might boost your imagination.

I sort of agree with Eagle, but in reality, the first 2 years of school can be kind of boring. It's not until you get into your higher classes that it gets better. All of those kids that you can't stand in introductory classes will drop out, or not make it into the higher level classes. Once you're there, you'll have much more in common with your class mates.

I hate to be like your parents, but if you do stick with it, it will get better. I would really urge you to talk to your professors on more of a friendly level than a student-teacher level. They are there to help you and most of them like getting to know you better. Once they do, they'll be able to point you in a more personalized direction.

I'm a Bio major, but I plan on studying mycology later on. So while other bio majors will be taking micro biology and organic chemistry, I'll be focusing on botany and ecology. I wouldn't have though of that on my own. A professor I have had for 3 different classes, now, sent me in that direction.

That too, if you can get the same professor semester after semester, you A: get to know their teaching style and what their tests look like, and B: get to know them better and they get to know you better

Good luck, keep your eyes out for classes that aren't just the normal routine classes other engineering majors are taking

washing for the first time

Dread Maintenance

Deff BS. Never use DHHQ products. First, they are just bad for your locks. Second, it tends to leave a silky residue that will slow down locking significantly.

Use about 3 cups to a quart of water, depending on how long your hair is with 2tbls in the 3 cups or 5-6 tbls in a quart. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Rinse it out really well then use about half a cap of Apple Cider vinegar in 3 cups of water. Rinse that out right away. Don't let it sit.

Don't bother with a stocking or anything like it. You need to let the water run through your hair. If it doesn't they won't lock up. Washing regularly is what makes your locks develop,

My dreads were super long, now theyre super short....is this normal???

Help! Save My Dreads

shrinkage is normal. Not everyone goes through it. But most experience some. Back combing does create the most shrinkage. average is 1/3 to 1/2 the original length. After they stop shrinking, you will experience a time when they seem to not grow at all. This is when the roots start tightening and locking up to the new growth. after that, they grow super fast.

How are you trying to separate? Many find that it is easier to do it when they are damp after your shower. This causes the least pain. If you are still having trouble, you can use a bit of aloe or jojoba oil. just dab a small amount where they are connected, and work it in, then rip.

But you do not want to rip them apart all the way to the scalp. You just want to make sure the main body of the lock is separated. You never want to see scalp between locks. As they mature, your will need to separate less often. Mine are 6 years old, and I haven't had to separate in about a year

updated by @baba-fats: 07/23/15 03:45:53AM

Early Dreads

Introduce Yourself

Locks can form with normal shampoo. But remember, most normal shampoos leave some sort of residue. That won't be good for them down the line. The BS wash will do you much better. But remember to rinse with ACV afterwards.

And caps tend to squeeze your head a little too tightly, even if it doesn't feel like that do. They can force locks to form flat, or prevent locking, like Eagle mentioned about the other guy on here

why are they straight???

Introduce Yourself

The problem is that this is only your 6th day. No one usually see much progress until a few weeks in. And they won't start maturing until months to a year.

You can't rush locks. It's a continual process of 2 steps forward and one step back. They will progress a little and then unravel a little. Then progress a little more and then unravel. This unraveling is what makes your hair kinky and ready to keep knotting. If you're going the natural method, it can take a little longer, but is more healthy. Time is the cost of healthy locks.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like your BS wash is a little heavy on the BS. In 3 cups of water I'd probably only put 2 Tbls of BS

Natural dreadlocks tips (post them here)

Dreading Methods

Beads are my favorite. I never got the concept of sleeping with wool. I love wearing it. But never heard of sleeping on it til a few months ago.

I'm a big advocate of taking down or covering up your mirrors. That way you can't look at yourself everyday and feel like nothing has changed since yesterday