Forum Activity for @calipark

HELP!!! NEW TO DREADS! WEIRD DREADING METHOD?

Help! Save My Dreads

Well I don't fault you at all. I went to dreadhead hq til I found this website, i even went to a loctician for a consultation and she like brushed my hair with a bent comb and ripped hair right out. 5 minutes later I left and said I forgot my wallet for the consultation. She wanted to charge me $100 a session and I'd have to come back every 2 weeks for a year. No worries, your hair will be fine just get the wax out..

Claudia said:

I live inIrelandwith a very low popularity of black people! Therefore black hair specialists and experts basically DO NOT EXIST! Iseriouslydon't know where else i could possibly go

HELP!!! NEW TO DREADS! WEIRD DREADING METHOD?

Help! Save My Dreads

It sounds like this loctician is one of the many self-professed "experts" that use bizarre techniques that always need to be maintained and *of course* you gotta shell out money on a regular basis with their assurance that one day you won't need to. Their methods also happen to be very damaging to the hair and scalp causing traction alopecia.

Wax is horrible for dreads, and prevent dreading. Bad for the scalp, difficult to get out, it traps dirt/moisture/particles, and more importantly, it doesn't assist in dreading - it just glues it together to give the appearance of a mature lock. The locks also turn out super thin and leave a white residue in the core.

I wouldn't go back to that guy, definitely a snake oil salesman using snake oil products.

Hair Gets Greasy After One Day Without Washing

Help! Save My Dreads

Baba Fats hits it on the head (no pun intended).

I use only BS. As long as I use enough baking soda (half cup BS to 5 cups distilled water) I can just rinse my hair with a few bowls of water w/o running it under the shower head which helps dreading a ton. But originally I got oilier quicker and there was so much built up residue from using shampoos and skipping washes, that there was still oil behind so it was really apparent. Now, I'm washing more frequently so build up is taken care of right away and my scalp has adjusted to the baking soda wash.

Your hair may be oilier cause your scalp isn't totally cleaned during your washes, maybe just use more BS and let it soak longer. Don't let sea water stay in your hair for longer than a few hours unless you like an explosion of buildup that takes a couple washes to get rid of. Make sure your tams and/or pillow cases aren't full of oil.

Lastly.. wash less often but get it as clean as possible each wash, take some extra time for the soaks and very very gently scrub your scalp before pouring on the BS mix if necessary. Yeah, you'll have to deal with extra oil which will slow progress but it's worth it. Having a clean scalp and hair, longer, will make up for it. Then it's just maintenence. It does work, it just takes some patience as your scalp adjusts.

updated by @calipark: 07/23/15 06:12:34PM

the Artificial Wind dreading method (theory) :D

Dreading Methods

What's up guys. So I've been thinkin this a long time, but while it's on my mind I might as well discuss it with ya'll.

So we all know movement forms dreads, whether it be taking a hike or walk, changing positions in sleep, wearing a tam, etc... And wind is great for them!

Then I realized - what if, while you're chilling at home doing whatever, you have a fan on you blowing high speed? Your hair would always be moving around and knotting up, as if you're riding horseback in the plains like in the golden days just living your life shampoo and comb free.

That would speed up the process for sure, or am I nuts?

updated by @calipark: 01/13/15 09:40:50PM

HELP

Dread Maintenance

yeah that's too bad some people don't wash their hair for so long.. obviously doesn't dread so oily and it keeps them going back to get them re-twisted shelling out their money like buying snake oil. and getting traction alopecia and damaged hair in the process. *shakes head*

HELP

Dread Maintenance

omg i just thought of another thing, if her hair is really flat to her scalp throughout the day after sleeping it can stay moist near the scalp because there's less of a chance to dry. and the salt+bacteria+moisture can be irritating. so rinsing and drying puffs up her hair and rinses. AND you can dry her scalp occasionally after she's outside playing /w fan/blowdryer if you notice that's the case..

after her dreads loosen up a bit they'll dry way quicker anyways..

HELP

Dread Maintenance

^^^ that. ever taken a really really hot shower and gotten out right away? itches for a while.

make sure you rinse her scalp really really well, and dry it well, maybe with a fan from afar or a blow drier if you're short on time. if she is allergic to mildew or mold and happened to reach her scalp it could definitely cause some bad itching, even just mild itching if she's not allergic. im allergic to both and that happened to me i think on the second week after dreading, just from drying my hair being in a room with just an old wet towel from cleaning up a spill. and having circulating air in a room with mildewy or moldy things actually serves to distribute the spores so if you're in doubt make sure her hair is dried in another room or in the sun. at the time i would rinse my hair every day so the longer your hair is wet in that certain environment the more likelihood there is. even damp carpeting or half-full soda cans can do it.

also, built up sweat and bacteria throughout the day can accumulate so rinsing every day the first month is still a good idea if the dreads dry completely.

good luck! the only things to worry about IMO is washing well, rinsing well, and drying in a timely manner like 3 hours TOPS. if you use a fan or blow dryer (fan is best, really hot air is damaging), hit the scalp if need be by directing the air at it by hanging her head. i know all that is kind of excessive but i had a really sensitive scalp at first and it made the difference for me. all that trouble went away as it readjusted...

edit: oh. change her pillow cases more frequently in case there is built up salts/bacteria from sweat or drool. im not kidding you either lol. told you my scalp was really sensitive..

dry shampoo on my beautiful mess?

Introduce Yourself

What does *_* mean I haven't seen it?

dry shampoo on my beautiful mess?

Introduce Yourself

still ^_^

dry shampoo on my beautiful mess?

Introduce Yourself

Yeah Katie is right. You could also wash less often but you'd have to continue to wash /w the same frequency you have been til your hair is ***somewhat but almost*** oily-enough-to-wash by a week's time. Worked with me as my scalp produces a ton less oil after washing once every 4-5 days, but I'm gonna start washing more often as of tonight because I think the times I waited too long set my baby dreads back. Mine are almost 2 months old and I'm glad there's else out there at this stage that started /w the same wash frequency.

One thing I noticed - if you don't use enough baking soda, the water isn't warm enough to completely dissolve the baking soda, have really hard water, or a combination of those, the baking soda wash does not work very well - infact it brings about a lot of buildup. Which means my hair was extra "dirty" until I used the following technique last week. Bring the water for the wash to a boil if the water is hard, then pour it into a fairly heat-resistant container and not pouring the 1/2-3/4 inch layer of the boiled water in with it. The minerals fall to the bottom when boiling - so you end up with soft water. Put in half a cup of baking soda per 5 cups water once below boiling point, let it cool to a warm but not too warm temperature, then apply. I've done dozens and dozens of washes before and that one cleaned my hair and scalp better than I could ever imagine... Note you can also use distilled water which is still soft, just get it to very warm or right below boiling so the baking soda completely dissolves.

Good luck Hailey!!!!