I just have a couple questions(again!)
I always assumed that after washing dreads they would really plump up,but mine almost seem to do the opposite.The day that I wash( sea salt soak before wash, baking soda/tea tree/rosemary wash, acv rinse and cool water rinse) they get alot of frizzies and do have a coarser texture to them, but then the next couple days after I wash they just look thinner to me. This morning when I got up,a bead that I've had on one of my fatter dreads in the back fell out...I have no idea why. My dreadies will be a month old in 3 days, and I know there are times during this process that they will change...so is this normal? At what point will they start thickening and getting fatter and staying that way?!! I guess I'm just confused as to the normal progression that they take(I started with T&R)..... so that if sometimes seeming like you're going backwards is normal, then I wouldn't be concerned.
I hit 2 weeks yesterday, started with T&R and very minimal crochet.After finding this site,I haven't done anything to them beyond seperating and I've washed 3 times so far(baking soda,sea salt). The main questions(concerns) I have right now:
1.I still have weird "scalpy" places showing in the back of my head,up around the crown area...I'm assuming it's just from the way they were sectioned when my friend T&R'd them...but will that go away with time?
2.My end/tips are actually coming together really well on their own, and I'm glad now that we didn't blunt them...but several of the roots are really loosening,especially on either side of my head.Should I totally leave them alone or would it help to put a bead up towards the loose root in those places? I have other beads in, but none as far up as the root area.
3.I do have what appears to be some dandruff, and I have used tea tree oil which has helped the itching.Will the dandruff pass on it's own as my scalp adjusts to the less frequent washing and the tightning of my hair...or should I do something else to get rid of it?
4. Approx how long(with T&R) til the "braided" look isn't as apparant?
I posted some pics in the photo section last week, I will try to post current ones tonight. Thanks again for all the help this site has provided me already
First off, I just want to say that after finding this site,so many of my questions have been answered just since reading through the discussions. I'm only about a week into my 2nd full set of dreads, the first set I had 5 yrs ago but didn't know any better at the time,and they were started with backcombing and wax.Horrible! This time, I had about 6 started through neglect in the back of my head, and a friend of mine did the rest of my head through twist and rip about a week ago. They are doing well,I've washed them once. Through information I found on this site, I was glad to hear that it's common for T&R to result in "braided' looking dreads,but if I understand correctly-that will pass as they lock more? Here's my questions:
1. I'm confused about doing any twist and rip after the initial 1st time. My ends are not holding together,and didn't even really when we initially dreaded my hair,either. Is it okay for me to T&R the ends as more of a maintenance measure, to help them? I'm only twisting/ripping up to the point where the hair is matted and holding together. I hope I've explained this well enough...
2. I know this is a common question,but I'm still confused about the issue of loose hair/crocheting. Should I not be trying to pull the loose hairs in to the dread with the crochet hook? Because if,in the long run,it's going to be damaging--then I won't.I'm just confused, because it seems so many people use the crochet hook,but I've read several posts on this forum that led me to believe it was a bad idea.
3.If crocheting IS bad-- is there anything else i should be doing to incorporate the loose hair? Or will it just on its own, with time?
Thanks in advance, and also for being so helpful to me already. I will try to post pics soon
