Forum Activity for @the-barrellady

tam hats and sleeping

Introduce Yourself

Hey there. It is not necessary to wear any hat or tam to bed. The sections want to be wild and move around while you sleep. This knots the hair more, the tossing around. I noticed you did T&R but have since just gradually started to leave them alone. What have you been doing since you made the sections?

All you need to do is keep your hair clean and separate any sections trying to join together,that's it, pretty easy. Those sections you made are not dreads but the blueprints to them. They will drastically change over the next year. They will loosen, zig & zag and loop and shrink. They will need to loosen in order to do this, so please do not re-twist any or you will go back to square one each time. You will be excited by the changes. Washing & letting the hair move is the quickest way for it to dread.

It good you can crochet yourself all different color tams, some days you'll want to wear one when you go out, on those very messy days that we all have sometimes.

Peace

Waxed dreads formed residue pockets and lint!

Help! Save My Dreads

It is a shame that there are sites out there that promote waxing, all to make money from unknowing people. There is nothing with wax that allows hair to truly be a dread, it just holds it together like a candle to give an impression of dreads. Wax holds in lint, smells, water, crap, what ever it wants to, so you will be so happy when that shit is out of your hair.

You will certainly find changes happening with each wax removal process, and they will feel lighter and lighter each time after wax b gone. We are so glad that you found this site too. Keep us posted on your process

Peace

essential oil spray questions

Dread Maintenance

My Tea Tree Oil is 100% Pure Australian Oil, so good question.

Robyn said:

Is tea tree oil from wal mart ok to use or is that not right..? Is there a 100% pure tea tree EO ? :/

essential oil spray questions

Dread Maintenance

Should you have an 100% pure essential oil that does not have a dropper, glass droppers can be purchased at your local drug store for only a couple of dollars

But SE is right, I have a Eucalyptus oil I purchased in the beginning of my journey, it has no built in dropper, turns out it is not an essential oil but an Oil BP.

Peace

Ginger's Neglect Timeline

Member Journals and Timelines

Hi there Ginger, you have great long hair to go on your journey with. The silk pillowcase may actually be slowing down the progress for you. Try putting a wool blanket or sweater over your pillowcase instead if you really want to use something. It sounds like you have hard water, which many shampoos and soaps will leave a reside with. What soap bar are you using?

How to use the BS wash: Mix 1/2 cup of BS to 5 cups water and pour over wet hair. Leave this on for 10-20 minutes, without a cap....it will exfoliate the scalp without scrubbing and leave the hair nice and clean....after rinsing it out well, you should always use the ACV rinse or eventually your hair WILL dry out. Mix 1-2 capfuls of apple cider vinegar to 5 cups water...pour over head and rinse out right away or within one minute. This is a natural conditioner and will restore the PH in the hair from using the baking soda. I did not use ACV every time and at about the 10 month mark, my hair was very very dry, so yes, it will happen. The only time you do not need to do it every time is if you have extremely oil hair and scalp.

The sea salt soak should be rinsed out within two hours, whether you use a sea salt soak or sea salt spray method. This can also dry out the hair over time if it is continually left on for too long.

How cool that you found your first knot on your birthday, a very special gift to you indeed. Thanks for posting your journey for others to read, learn and follow.....Enjoy the rest of your journey.....Peace

root size - separating

Dread Maintenance

Hair separates better when wet. It makes the strands stronger with the water in them, less damage if you have to get rough with them for those tough ones.

arrows_of_the_rainbow said:

okay perfect, exactly what I was looking for. I'm guessing it'd be easier to do while my hair is wet?

root size - separating

Dread Maintenance

Baba Fats has posted a video on how to separate mature dreads, good to watch.

root size - separating

Dread Maintenance

Whoa baby, that's a big one in the photo. The recommended size for sections are no more than 1 inch or else they will be fat ones. Anything over an inch takes longer to dry, sometimes 24 hours, and when mature will have more weight to them, pulling on the scalp. The section at the scalp determines the mature dread size. You can probably get 4 sections out of the one in the first pic.

Sorry, not sure what you mean "what do you go by for separating-the root size?" If you mean to use the section where it meets the scalp for measurement size, then yes you do. Those sections will shrink and fatten up to the size where the hair meets the scalp. That is what determines the size.

Some people love the fat dreads, but they do take more care ie:drying

Do I like them? I dont know

General Talk

Hang in there sister

Michelle Michael said:

I think i need to stop looking in the mirror and let go. It would be a shame to take out all the work I put into them at this point. So I could just go with neglect. It is not as easy as I thought to just let go. Want the freedom of dreads. I want to never fight my hair with a brush. I want something different.

I guess I just wanted a little support from the knotted community.

thanks.

Do I like them? I dont know

General Talk

Hi Michelle. Dreads grow with us. Unless they are manufactured, fake, etc, then they WILL look...well...messy in the early stages. We grow within as they grow. Have a 3 year vision in your head on how you want your dreads to look....then sit back at let those 3 years pass you by....what do you know...beautiful dreads!

I agree with Soaring Eagle. If your hair knots easily, maybe try the natural way. Perhaps you will feel better about them.

On a side note, I bet the majority of us have had days when we go...what the hell...I look like shit! On those days I put on a tam, stay away from the mirror and remind myself of the 3 year look.

Dreads are not for everyone. You like how dreads look, but maybe they are not for you? I love dreads, but I also love bald heads on guys (like my husband's), but I would not go bald myself, (although I did once to raise money for a little boys cancer). So liking or loving a look does not always mean it is for you. You can still admire and appreciate things without actually having them yourself.

Look within yourself, we are here for you if you need us. Only you know how it is for YOU.

Peace