Forum Activity for @emma-dawn

Still concerned about my dreads...

Help! Save My Dreads

OK so i have not done anything to my dreads for like 6 months now...maybe longer. Before i found this site i was using alot of wax, gel, twisting, and just about anything else that can harm your dreads. So i have used the wax be gone 3 times but i still feel like they are niot clean. My dreads are getting softer but they are still hard in some spots. I also have a problem with lint in them. I am constantly finding lint stuck in them which drives me crazy. i also have thread locked in them because a salon thought it would be smart to sew in thread to make them look neater. My dreads are looking alot better than before and i have lots of loose hair on the body of the dreads and my roots. I love the nappy look and watching them constantly changing. Im just scared its too late for them to recover. I am ordering some more wax be gone and dread shampoo. But what can i do about the lint in them? I just need some advice and reasurance. I love my dreads and i cant see myself without them.

updated by @emma-dawn: 01/13/15 09:41:22PM

As if loctician salons weren't expensive enough, WAX does more damage than you think!!!

Dread Products

The cost of salon dreads is ridiculous and the damage the wax does to your hair and skin is even worse. Ive had my dreads since September of 2009 and have spent more than $3,000 at the salon alone. My stylist charged me $250 to start my dreads and $150-$180 every two weeks for maintenance. I have just recently found out how much damage it has done to my dreads thanks to soaring eagle. I am now in the process of trying to get all the horrible wax out of my hair and saving my dreads. After doing only one vinegar soak and washing with dawn soap I noticed my skin was clearer than it has ever been. About the same time I started my dreads my face, chest, and back became very broke out. I went to the dermatologist and was diagnosed with cystic acne. Since then I have been to the hospital numerous times because of infections under the skin on my face. Each time surgery was done to remove the infection. I have now realized the wax from my hair was clogging my pores and turning into cysts. Even though the cysts were cut open and packed they came back every time. I was also put on antibiotics every time but it never seemed to help. The last time I went and got one cut out was about 3 weeks ago and I was told I must have surgery on my face to have them removed completely. But now my skin is clearing up very fast and the cysts that grew larger and larger are shrinking. I feel so stupid because I should have known the wax was not only destroying my hair but also my skin. I have scars from the surgeries as well as the terrible acne. These medical problems caused by the wax only add to the cost. My hospital bill for only the last surgery was $1000 so using wax has already cost me close to $10,000. I urge anyone thinking of using wax or going to a salon for dreads to think twice and do research.

updated by @emma-dawn: 02/14/15 02:27:20AM

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

Thanks for all the feedback and advice everyone. I wanted to let everyone know about my progress and add pictures. I have done the vinegar soak twice and washed with dawn soap. I can already tell a difference in my dreads. They feel softer and lighter after each wash. Its hard to squeeze the vinegar out the ends because my ends are tightly rounded and blunt. After the second wash i have noticed some of my ends becoming undone and loose. I put a picture comparing the rounded ends and the ones coming undone. I also added pictures of my new growth and loops and loose hair....

updated by @emma-dawn: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

Thank you so much for Ur reply. How severe do you think the damage will be? Will u lose alot of hair as I remove all of the wax? Since they were cut and other hair was added I feel that the wax may be the only thing holding them together. Also I was wondering if pu tting rubber bands loosely at the roots to keep the long Jew growth separated would be harmful

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

I washed my hair this morning with the anti residue shampoo and it feels better. After really looking at each dread i can see the wax and there is alot of lint in them. I now want to do the vinegar soak. How long do i leave it in? How much do i apply? Is white vinegar ok? And how long do i wash it with the dawn soap? I am very determined to get this wax out!

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

My scalp has never been that bad. Ive never had dandruff. the only thing that bothered me was itching and the pain of it being so tight when they crocheted it.

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

thank you so much! Im going towash my hair tomorrow with the anti residue soap. Should i do the vinger soak the next day? And do i was the vinegar out with the dawn and do i actually scrub them? Also how often should i do each one?

Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

salon and loctician dreads recovery

I started my dreads in september 2009. A loctician at an afriacn braiding salon started my dreads as two twist braids like sisterlocks with beez wax. The cost to start my dreadlocks was $250. I went back to the salon every 2 weeks to get them retwisted. In addition to being twisted my dreads were crocheted once a month. This cost $180 and took about 7 hours. My stylist used different products such as organic locking cream, yellow and black bees wax, and moisturizing hair mayonaise. I was told not to get my hair wet for the first year. After a year my hair was washed once a month at appoinments only. Once my dreads started to lock thin spots were filled in with human hair using the palm rolling method. The human hair didnt match my hair color so my dreads were dyed. Loose hairs and loops were cut off of ever dread also.After about 22 months in i went to a different salon. the stylist there crocheted and twisted my locks with bees wax, dreadheadhq wax and jamacian mango and lime locking gel. I started washing my dreads every two weeks with dreadheadhq shampoo. the stylist attempted to reduce the frizz, loops, and hair sticking out of the body of my dreads by sewing in thread through each dread. Recently i have noticed that my dreads are very dry and brittle. Also some of the dreads are very thin at the root. The last time my dreads were crocheted was about 6 months ago and twisted about two months ago. PLEASE HELP!

updated by @emma-dawn: 02/14/15 03:17:37AM