Forum Activity for @tammikins

having no luck with dreads

Dreading Methods

Your hair is a bit short for starting natural dreads so it might take yours a bit longer than you anticipated because there's just not as much hair to be able to knot and lock as quickly, I can see definite progress with your pics tho. another thing you need to keep in mind is that when you're in the shower don't just let the water beat down on your head and run down your hair cause that can undo your babies as they form... Kinda hold your hair close to your scalp with your hands while the water runs thru, so as to hold the knots in. Also, with the baking soda wash, no rubbing or scrubbing is needed.. just dump it on, let it sit and rinse it out.. PATIENCE is key when you choose to go with natural/neglect locks... Stick with it and you'll see. Patience and peace, brother

having no luck with dreads

Dreading Methods

I'm a month and 19 days in (50 days) and here's what I do.Wash- I use 1 cup of baking soda10 drops of Tea Tree Oil20 drops of Lavender Oil20 drops of Rosemary Oil1/2 gallon hot water, mix this all up in a pitcher and pour it over my scalp and locks in the shower. Leave it on for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse it out really well.Rinse- I use 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil20 drops of Lavender Oil20 drops of Rosemary Oil2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar1 tbsp Cocoa Butter Oil1/2 gallon hot water, mix this all up in a pitcher and pour it over my scalp and locks in the shower. Leave it on for 3-5 minutes and rinse it out REALLY well with warm water. I usually rub my scalp and locks with my palms while I'm rinsing with the clear warm water, just to make sure it's all rinsed clean. The oils do wonderful things for your locks and your scalp (and everyone says that my house and my hair smell amazing!), but if you don't rinse well enough, you'll look like a grease ball when your hair dries.Drying- to dry my locks, I just flip my head over and rub my scalp and roots with a towel and then squeeze my locks to get as much water out as possible. Then, separate the locks and sections from each other and roll very lightly, once or twice just to neaten things up a bit. My hair dries pretty quickly on it's own but on cold or humid days a blow dryer is a good thing to keep around... the last thing you want is a head full of moldy and mildewy dreads..I wash my locks this way 2-3 times a week. On the days that I don't wash, I do still get them wet in the shower. I'll usually just let the water run over my head and rub my scalp a little to freshen up some. Warm water is a better cleaner than nothing at all...Wearing a wool tam is also a good thing. The static in the tam will help your hair knot up and lock quicker. Lots of people wear tams to sleep in or even for all day use. They can be big time useful on days when your locks are being rebellious and you can't or don't want to make yourself look "presentable"... Everyone knows we all have those funky days.That's all it takes. Really. I used Knotty Boy dread shampoo for the first couple weeks, but for real man, the baking soda wash is so much better. It feels like magic on your head. Do the wash, separate any sections and dread babies you see forming and then do nothing. Just let go. If you let it, your hair will amaze you with the things it will do.((Tea tree oil, cocoa butter oil, baking soda and apple cider vinegar are available at any local super market. For the Rosemary and Lavender oils, I went to GNC. The oils may seem a bit pricey ($7-$10 each), but those bottles will last for months and months.))

Where can I find straight up oils for my hair?

Dread Maintenance

I live in a small town without very many varieties for shopping.. The only place I could find locally that has the rosemary and lavender oils was GNC and they're between $8-$10 each for a 1 oz bottle (the first bottles I bought lasted two months, washing 3 times a week, using 20 drops of each for every wash plus 20 drops of each for every rinse). Hope this helps
updated by @tammikins: 07/09/15 11:30:12PM

heyyy xD

Introduce Yourself

If there is one thing I have learned it's this... WAX is BAD, NATURAL is GOODHere's a bit of my experience so far, at 44 days in... My hair was about to the middle of my back, 12 or so inches long, it's on the fine side and it's a little wavy... I stopped brushing, stopped conditioning, and started using SE's fabulous baking soda wash 2-3 times a week, after the wash I rub my scalp with a towel for a minute or two and squeeze as much water out with the towel as I can and then separate the forming locks from one another. That's it... I was super O.C.D. about brushing my hair before I took the leap into dreading, and just for personal gratification I did twist and rip a couple locks in during my first week and I sometimes find myself rolling or twisting gently when my hands aren't busy, but for the most part, I just let go. It sounds too simple to be true, but that's all there is to it. No brush, no conditioner and USE THE BAKING SODA WASH MIX! I hope this helps a little. Good luck with your journey

If you're worried about how you look in public, get a tam, or even crochet one for yourself. Look on youtube and you can learn how very easily (this is what I did, pics of the finished tam are on my page). I'm 44 days in right now and I still have a lot of the loose hairs and such even tho it's all sectioned out and locking quite nicely overall. One thing I can tell you that REALLY helped me, is SE's baking soda wash mix... For the first two weeks I was using knotty boy all purpose shampoo bar and it seemed like every time I washed, things loosened up and there were more stray hairs, very similar to regular shampoo. Then I decided to try the magical land of baking soda and essential oils. I could tell a HUGE difference immediately after the first time I used it (pics of this are also on my page). After I use the wash (2-3 times a week), I dry my scalp by rubbing lightly in a circular motion with a towel (this also helps form knots, which is always a plus), squeeze as much water out of my dreads as possible with the towel, separate and roll very lightly (just for neatness' sake) and that's it. After the first time I used the baking soda mix, locks that were just starting to form and that were still very spongy and loose, almost immediately started hardening and tightening up. If you haven't tried the wash, you need to. Other than that, patience and good luck.oh, about the flat dread... SE is always going to be the best person to listen to in my opinion, but we all have different and individual experiences. Here's a bit of my personal experience with that... About a week and a half ago I noticed that one of mine was becoming flat but I'm not ready for flatness at this point and wanted it back round.. When your hair is wet, it's more workable and susceptible to manipulation, so I used that to my advantage... After one of my washes, I rounded it back out by squeezing it with my fingers and then I wrapped that dude up nice and tight while it was still wet. I left the wrap in for a couple days and when I took it out, "Voila!", back to round. Could work for you, might not. It's worth a try tho, if it's really bothering you.

Non-residue Shampoo

Dread Products

Hey girlie.. for the baking soda mix, you don't have to "soak" your dreads in it.. all you've got to do is mix the stuff up in a pitcher of warm water and dump it over your head. Leave it sit for about 10 minutes and then rinse it out.. I'll normally dump the mix on my head and locks and then shave my legs or whatever and by the time I'm done, it's time to rinse it out... 2-3 times a week, this is what I do in the shower...Wash- I use 1 cup of baking soda10 drops of Tea Tree Oil20 drops of Lavender Oil20 drops of Rosemary Oil1/2 gallon hot water, mix this all up in a pitcher and pour it over my scalp and locks in the shower. Leave it on for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse it out really well.Rinse- I use 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil20 drops of Lavender Oil20 drops of Rosemary Oil2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar1 tbsp Cocoa Butter Oil1/2 gallon hot water, mix this all up in a pitcher and pour it over my scalp and locks in the shower. Leave it on for 3-5 minutes and rinse it out REALLY well with warm water. I usually rub my scalp and locks with my palms while I'm rinsing with the clear warm water, just to make sure it's all rinsed clean. The oils do wonderful things for your locks and your scalp (and everyone says that my house and my hair smell amazing!), but if you don't rinse well enough, you'll look like a grease ball when your hair dries.In the beginning you can skip the cocoa butter oil because it acts as a conditioner and can undo babies, but all of the other stuff is safe to use from day one. Give it a try. It's like magic.

Crystal Bowersox

General Talk

wow. Her singing made me cry. She's absolutely amazing.

Hello Everyone!

Introduce Yourself

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/super-clean-dreads-safe-for USE THIS!get away from the commercial shampoos and try this out. I was using Knotty Boy dread shampoo for a little while, was pretty unsatisfied and then came across this on here.. I noticed a HUGE difference as soon as I got out of the shower the first time I used it. I use it 2-3 times a week and LOVE IT! Should help you out a bunch. Good luck!

ITCHY ITCHY ITCHY!!!

Dread Maintenance

I think I'm gonna have to give the tea tree oil a try.. Something.. cause this shit is driving me nuts.. just staying clean is definitely not enough on it's own.. Thanks everyone, for your replies.. I really appreciate all the help and support I've gotten in the short time I've been around this forum...Peace out, and I hope everyone has a grateful day!

ITCHY ITCHY ITCHY!!!

Dread Maintenance

3-4 times a week.. I can't go more than a day or two without.. I don't think the itch is from being dirty.. I think it's partly from not having put any kind of moisturizer or conditioner on my scalp in over three weeks, I just don't know whats ok to put on my scalp now that I'm locking.. I don't want to end up with residue or buildup or anything nasty in my locks.. I want them to be healthy and have them for a long long time.. j.boy said:

how often are you washing?

most say not to wash more than twice a week..
but it seems that i have to wash at least every other day...receantly ive been adding rosemary to my backing soda wash..damn it feels good...:)