Forum Activity for @the-barrellady

What naturally causes dreads to become thick or thin?

General Questions

Hi there. The thickness of a dread is determined by the section of hair at the scalp. If that area is the size of a quarter, that that is what the mature dread will become. It is recommended that a dread should be no larger than a quarter/1", otherwise they take longer to dry, and will be heavier over the years, causing some tension on the scalp. When people do the twist & rip method, they will not stay the size they first look, as they will loosen, shrink and zig zag up and eventually become the thickness of scalp size. When first starting out, if you need to separate daily, then do so. There is a video on this site on how to do it. It does not take long for hairs to join over in another area, especially when we sleep on it, so keep up the separation, beads help with this. The thickness of a single strand of hair does not determine if your dreads will be thick or thin. Assorted sizes look wonderful and original. and natural.

Hello!

Introduce Yourself

Hi Morgan. Essential oils are great for mature dreads, add them to your rinses. Recipes can be found by using the search tabs at the top of the pages. Never palm roll your dreads, #1 it does not do a damn thing to tidy the dread, #2, it will damage the dread and weaken the root system....so don't do this at all.

For dreads just starting out again, add just a few drops of your favorite essential oil into water, put in spray bottle and spritz it on sparingly for an instant aroma.

Need some input on TnR & Neglect

Dreading Methods

Hi Marsha. The perfect way to dread hair is to let it section naturally and make those sections smaller if they are larger than a quarter sized coin/ 1 inch. I did the twist & rip method, but you may be misinformed on the dreading process with this method. It only gives you a dreaded look to begin with, not dreads per say. The twist & rip method must not be done too tight because it needs to loosen up in order to dread. So after you twist & rip, it will take two steps back and loosen to start forming dreads. They will frizz, loosen, zig zag and loop like crazy, look like a birds nest for a bit and then shrink up to form the dread. I only did the T&R after my hair naturally sectioned, but now I wish I kept it completely free form to do it's own thing. Your twist & rip dreads are not dreads, nor will they look like that for long. They must fall out, keeping them wrapped will only slow down the process of them shrinking to dread. If you do wrap, use the criss cross method only, it will not be too tight and will let them dread. (there is a how to video on this site) Expect shrinkage if you have Caucasian hair, the longer it is, the more it will shrink. I have lost about 11 inches in 11 months, did not expect that. Hmm....how to keep them from looking like a matted mess....well, at a point it kind of will look like that...don't dis-pare, just wear a hat when going out...the dreaded outcome in 1 to 2 years is worth it. Remember to separate your hair so they don't join together, Baba Fats made a video to show how to do this properly. Natural/ free form dreads will last you a lifetime and is worth the first year turbulent journey they will put your through. Please do not put any products or wax in your hair to create the instant dread look, they are bad for the hair, will cause smells/ mould and years down the road you will have to eventually cut them off due to funk. Natural dreads are healthy, clean and free. What ever your path, enjoy the journey and get good use out of this site. The tabs at the top of the site will answer all your questions, plenty of reading to help you along the way.

Heyoo new here :)

Introduce Yourself

Welcome, I envy people with curly hair, it dreads so quickly. Enjoy the site

Partially dreaded - wash

General Questions

I let my hair section on its own. I have no part anywhere to be seen, just a wild head. If hair is left alone, it will section naturally, no rubber bands needed. The T&R will actually need to loosen in order to dread. The sections need to loop, zig zag and shrink up to the thickness of the section at the scalp. Anything at the scalp area larger than 1 inch or a quarter will take a very long time to dry when mature, so it is recommended not to be larger than that. Twist & rip is a false dread, it will not stay that way, nor look that way months down the road, so it is really not necessary. The natural/ free form is the fastest way to dread. If you are concerned about keeping sections, just put on some beads man, that's it. Your long hair will shrink, but in a couple of years you will see a growth spurt again. Starter dreads need to be clean and washed every 2 to 3 days. The more you wash, the faster they dread. Have a happy journey and enjoy the craziness that comes with it.

% 1/2 MONTH UPDATE!!!!!! Coles Patient Journey In the comments!!!

Member Journals and Timelines

Wow, you look like you are having the time of your life on your beautiful journey.

Favorite type of sandwich? (project help)

Dreads and Diets

Almost everyone loves bacon. Bacon & cheese sandwich for sure. Did you know that the Thinkgeek website sells so many bacon novelties from t-shirts, lip balm, tooth paste, candy, wallets, magnets, etc.....so BACON RULES

updated by @the-barrellady: 07/25/15 05:00:01PM

neglect dreads forming where old dreads were

General Questions

Sounds like your hair misses being dreads and wants to get right back in there. I have no experience with a second set, but I would dread back right away because your hair is still frizzy and wants to knot, so the process will be quicker. After a week of natural sectioning, check each one to make sure they are no larger than 1 inch or size of a quarter coin section at the scalp, that is the largest that is recommended. Separate to smaller sections if necessary and check every couple of days to separate if needed. I did T&R and if for some reason I had to do a second set, I would go completely free form for sure. How fun for you, you get to see all the crazy loops again. Enjoy

Hairstylist that wants dreads. Any other hairstylists that can relate?

Introduce Yourself

Society does want people to look a certain way, so I see your point as a hair stylist and looking a certain way for your customers. Some will judge yours without inquiring about it. In the first few months it will look messy, and this may cause you a slight loss of income as walk ins may differ to another stylist. Tough call for you. Please do your hair a favour and do not give into wax or hooks to have the instant fake dread look which will hold in smells, water and start to mould. As I said earlier, use hair wraps, scarves etc, wonderful ones can be found in thrift stores, that way you can get tons of them, change up the look daily. Customers will enjoy seeing how creative you can get with your hair. Once your dreads are mature, customers will love them, just got to get through that hump, and I won't fool you, it is a doozie. Good luck on your decision

Hairstylist that wants dreads. Any other hairstylists that can relate?

Introduce Yourself

Hi Michell. Twist & rip dreads do not stay looking that way for long so be prepared. They loosen up and zig zag and loop and shrink. The process is necessary for them to dread. Going completely natural is faster because they do not have to loosen first. Hand make beautiful head wraps with the top open for your hair to poke out, be creative with thin scarves for work. Looking at photos on this site, people with naturally curly hair dread very quickly and they do not need to twist&rip. No brushing or conditioning lotions, or palm rolling or hooks. All you need is patience and a vision of what they will become. Welcome to the site and all the best with your decision.