Does all hair dread naturally?
General Questions
I should add, with your hair texture it will probably happen sooner. Stick with it bro!
Forum Activity for @calipark
Does all hair dread naturally?
General Questions
Not all hair dreads, not all hair dreads equally. But conversely, all hair dreads differently.
I say not all hair dreads because there has been a member about a year ago that waited a whole year and nothing really happened. But that's not really a horror story - she just needed a started method so TnR'd and a year later she had beautiful dreads.
Technically, all hair dreads naturally. A very small percentage of people with soft hair just need very long length. That's the biggest factor - length, with hair texture as an obvious second.
Case in point: I had two periods when I was growing out my hair a couple years ago, where my hair didn't do a damn thing. Suddenly I hit a magic number of 7 inches, and it started tangling even with regular shampoo, when ordinarily it would be tangle free. But I backcombed & tnr'd it and cut it off a week later from a nervous breakdown... Thus I grew it out again and at 6-7 inches of hair I began the journey again. The areas with shorter length are, *gasp*, not surprisingly having a hard time. The areas with longer length are maturing very quickly. Guess it's a waiting game =) at least I'm that much closer to mature dreads... I'm almost at 2 months, and had grown my hair out for 10 months as of October... I'd say just keep waiting and when it gets tangly you're good to go. By 7 inches it should definitely be tangling easy, and with some people the magic number is 5, some 6, some even 8.
Good luck! It will happen eventually, trust me.
Thin Locks
Dread Maintenance
I'm relieved from all the threads I've read that said they don't, beads really do work nicely! Sweet I can't wait to rock them. Sorry for the misinformation =/
Thin Locks
Dread Maintenance
ah very cool Doogie, makes me wonder how differently the resulting congo looks!!
Thin Locks
Dread Maintenance
Well I saw your photos. Absolutely sick dreads btw. After looking at them I can just say many props, let em congo!!!!
Thin Locks
Dread Maintenance
How far along are your dreads?
They should congo no matter what especially if there's a lot of loose hair - just leave it alone. Since there's loose hair, a bead can't really help them just yet. That's more for mature dreads that weren't recently separated. But it's worth experimenting with 3 days on/3 days off just to see. Or a bead only in public since you're worried about the look.
As far as wrapping them... Never works in dreading, never seen it work, and the idea that they would congo without any movement and loose hair just doesn't add up.
Wrapping dreads and wearing beads pretty much only serve to smooth bumps/zigzags.
Also, if they're not very mature, keep in mind they should fatten up to about the same thickness of the section of hair on your scalp once they're fully mature. So with the thicker dreads, if they are the same size sections as the thinner ones, maybe the thicker ones are just a little more mature!
Whatever you do, don't palmroll..
Some undreaded sections - should I TnR them? 2 months natural
Dread Maintenance
cool thanks for the great advice gentlemen. in any case im glad I didn't mess with them then.
Some undreaded sections - should I TnR them? 2 months natural
Dread Maintenance
Hey guys!
I'm almost at the 2 month mark for my natural dreadlock journey. I started out /w backcombing and a lot of them fell out, but the ones that stayed are dreading very nicely. I've been letting the rest lock naturally - it's worked for some sections that rest closest against my scalp when I have to wear a baseball cap for work. But the area around the top back part of my head is having a hard time just-because. The sides on the front are having a hard time ever since I got this job being a dishwasher (had for 3 weeks) cause I have to tie it back in a pony tail, and the sides aren't long enough to complete the pony tail so I have to tuck them behind my ears a lot and they get wet from the steam of the area.
Either way - I was thinking of TnR'ing some trouble sections so they have a better chance to survive the hat issue. I know those sections may just need some extra length to properly hold /w neglect - but I also haven't tested to see if those sections are actually already forming. I'd hate to ruin some progress if there is any that I can't see in the mirror.
Of course, the top of my head is nicely dreading.. I'm thinking I'll get a wool pillow case and tam since I don't have any yet, as I'm not sure if my cotton pillow cases are helping the cause. Since the progress is so much farther along on top I usually just wear a bandana in public.
I guess my question is - does TNR "reset progress back to day 1" on the naturally-sectioned-stage like backcombing does?? Like, can TnR strengthen an existing baby dread/section if necessary with decent results?
Love ya guys. Thanks.
updated by @calipark: 01/13/15 09:40:48PM
New guy: Just looking for support
Introduce Yourself
It sounds cliche - but for real, patience is everything.
The first months progressively suck a lot less as time goes on. Your hair stays cleaner longer because your scalp is accustomed. Buildup issues start to go away as your scalp calms down, and so does itching. No buildup then allows for the roots to dread quicker.. You start to see real progress, more and more as time goes on, and it's second nature to be gentle with them and not touch. It's a slow start but it just gets faster and faster.
The best advice I can give is: make sure to clean your hair properly, don't fiddle with it, let it air-dry /w the help of a fan at long distance (hot air sucks), wear a bandana/tam if it's getting in your face OR if you're paranoid in public, but take it off before bed or going out in the wind. Most importantly - STOP caring what people think. The beginning stages of dreads is misunderstood by nearly everyone, can sometimes be frustrating, looks messy-confusing, and the anticipation/uneasiness of what will happen next can be difficult to deal with.
As time goes by, all of that casually fades away because the beginning is an INVESTMENT for the future and whenever you feel discouraged, envision the mature dreads that you'll inevitably attain. And surely, you'll be very proud of your dreads for all the heartache you went through to get them. And everyone will notice, everyone will see how bold and unique you are for having REAL dreadlocks and wearing your heart on your sleeve even with some of the negative close-minded opinions that will exist about the very idea of dreadlocks. And you'll find yourself loving yourself more and being stronger because of it.
Doing what you want to do, what you think is beautiful and healthy, and being able to spot negative people in your life simply from a dirty or confused look, is very empowering. When your hair is in a messy stage and you go about your business, you know right away who the people are that have good hearts and who don't. I think of it as a filter - you could almost call it a social experiment. It's still, just hair - anybody that can't see past that simply don't have the ability to judge you by who you are as a person. Rather, they dismiss you completely for something as ridiculous as not conforming to social norms and trends. Either way, it's only preparation for the same kind of looks you can get with mature dreads. Except you'll have a whole lot more looks of admiration.
Welcome to the community, brother!
rough dreads
Dread Maintenance
i agree with se.
maybe there's some residue thats makin them feel rough? bs/acv /w essential oils. or neutrogena anti-residue if you want and then wait longer in between washes so your hair soaks up the oils to condition. or use bs/acv and essential oils in between. maybe cut back on sea water if you've been using that.
residue could be making already very-dry dreads get too tight and feel rough. removing that residue could help.
of course if you did crochet or root rub that could be the issue and you may just have to condition & deal with it.