Forum Activity for @erin2

Dread newbie wanting to start dreads, advice? :)

Introduce Yourself

My advice is to just keep your hair clean, using a residue-free shampoo or just plain baking soda. Sea salt water can help too. Products aren't necessary. Just separate and wash thoroughly every 2-3 days. For itchiness, try adding some rosemary essential oil to the mix. I don't have any definitive advice about dandruff, other than to stay away from harsh chemicals and eat healthy. Maybe someone else knows of an herb that will help.

Good luck and welcome to the site. This place saved my dreads.

Any over 30's dreadies?

General Talk

I'll be 33 in June!

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Help! Save My Dreads

Glad I could help Any success with undoing the loops?

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Help! Save My Dreads

I made the interlocking mistake too - more than once. I've got a huge loop at the base of a dread that will eventually become two dreads as soon as the one side is long enough to fit into a ponytail. I'm going to have to cut it because it's basically two dreads that meet at the tips now. I can literally fit this loop around my wrist like a bracelet and it sucks trying to run my over my hair because a finger or two will get caught in the loop! That's the worst case scenario. I don't think your hair is going to fall out from this one mistake. It will be okay!

It looks like you can still salvage most of them if not all. You're taking action on it early which is good because the loops haven't gotten big yet or had a chance to tangle into everything and become permanent.

Your dreads are beautiful by the way. I love the colors.

Cut them off - want again

Help! Save My Dreads

Soaring Eagle is right - don't backcomb. Do a youtube search for "twist and rip dreadlocks" and you'll see a bunch of tutorial videos if you don't know how to do it. It's super easy and painless. I re-did one of my dread-bangs that was coming undone a lot using this method and now it's super tight only a month or so later.

I've been there with the combed out dreads and it's not fun. My hair is naturally thin and straight too. I've also got polish in my family so maybe that's it. I didn't know that was a common polish thing but now that I think about it, that makes sense. I have about 23 dreads with two smaller ones forming. The good thing is that your dreads will thicken up over time.

You can have nice looking dreads again but it will involve some patience. Don't mess with your hair too much. Just keep using the baking soda to wash. Make a paste out of it and massage it all over your hair and scalp and then rinse. The cleaner your hair is, the faster it will dread. Definitely don't add any chemicals or products as they will cause buildup and prevent your hair from locking up.

Best of luck.

updated by @erin2: 07/03/15 06:10:36AM

Natural Dreads At Lightning Speed (updated)

Member Journals and Timelines

Lookin good! Throw us some updates down the line, will you? That is some serious progress in such a short time! Imagine how they will look in a year.

Dread Misconceptions

General Talk

Well that's just ridiculous. "I already paid for it so I might as well use it?" Yikes.

Also the prospect of having to re-dread your hair every day seems REALLY time consuming. lmao

I still have my wax, lock peppa, tools, acceleratorand shampoo. I don't need any of it. I much prefer baking soda, essential oilsand vinegar now.Maybe I'llmake a ritual of throwingthe productsout. I mean, it sucks that I've spent all that money but they're all pretty much useless. Anyone know of a practical use for dread wax? Maybe a good furniture polish? :/

To get back on topic though - I get asked about my dreads all the time, especially from co-workers. And random people in public will ask this one the most "How long did it take you to do your dreads?". It's like they think I went to a salon or that they assume dreads are instantly attainable. I always answer that dreadlocks are a process and I'm still doing them every day by not brushing my hair. They ask if I wash it a lot too and I inform everyone that clean dreads are essential. Everyone knows someone who dreaded their hair without washing it, so I think that becomes a common misconception.

Hi everyone!

Introduce Yourself

OMG you look almost exactly like my sister. And the dreads in your profile pic look a lot like mine! haha twilight zone!

Anyway - Baltimore is a cool city. John Waters makes the best movies in history, in my opinion. Rock on.

Hi there!

Introduce Yourself

That's very cool! I'd love to see pics if you have them.

Hi there!

Introduce Yourself

I like to paint in acrylic and collage. It's mostly abstract. I went to college for art with a concentration in printmaking, but I lack the ability to make prints lately. What do you make with wood? Sculpture?