Forum Activity for @melanie-barrett

Should I get a trim before I start dreading?

Dreads Hair and Scalp Health

I agree with Joey. My hair locks faster if the cuticle is a little rough and I have split ends.

Dreads and prejudices close to home

Dreadlocks Journey Emotional Support

i think soaring eagle is definitely right. i deal with almost the exact same thing quite regularly. my husband is jamaican and his family is all back home and think most americans are crazy anyway (LOL) so they dont really care but I deal with a lot of flak from people in my neighborhood and other people in our little community that all my other friends know. i know who is real and dont really care what other people say anymore because i know that if i didnt do anything personal or vindictive to them to make them treat me badly that it is their personal issue. whether someone acts hostile because you remind them of someone else or because they make judgements about you without knowing you all adds up to the same thing... they are being just as prejudiced and judgemental based on outward appearances as they might accuse other people of being.

within our local community the most stress i get directed towards me seems to be from the single AA women. my husband says it is because they arent happy with their own lives and i can see his point but it doesnt make it any more easy to deal with. they are basically shooting themselves in the foot though because i am a good friend to have so i dont worry about how miserable they want to make themselves comparing themselves to me or wondering why my husband chose a native with dreadlocks instead of one of them. theyre making themselves look really bad to anyone who is paying attention also when they see these females treating people badly because of their own anger. each individual person has their own issues to deal with, its how you handle them and whether you can move forward in a positive manner no matter who is against you that shows your own strength.

help the site with an almost free site of your own

General Talk

whats up natty!!! i already have site and i use AdWords and it is generating quite a bit of traffic after only a couple days. do you have any banners i can use to link back or is it cool if i scale the header down a little bit so it fits on my page and use that? ive been getting about 20% of my traffic from you and i like your advice about being all natural and want to support your site.

Peace

Melanie/Meliscious

Knotty Gal Creations

Twist and Gel and Wax question

Introduce Yourself

ive noticed that one of the main problems with twisting and mixed hair textures is the base getting puffy and then the whole twist falling apart. if you look at people with curly hair's scalp when their hair is very short you can see that the hair shafts lie in every direction and most hairs come out of the scalp sideways instead of straight out like straight hair. the pattern is almost like a bunch of swirls with some people. if you force the hair to go in a different direction than it naturally grows you can get the little bumps so bad your scalp will weep and get crusty like a baby with crib cap. your body's natural reaction to stress on the root is to produce more oil than normal and to become inflamed, tender and itchy.

if you can find some tea tree oil you can make your own spray to keep your scalp fresh by mixing it with water and maybe a little bit of virgin coconut oil and aloe vera juice (you can get those from whole foods or the vitamin store). if you don't have a medicinal herb store near you our local store does online orders - www.herbsandarts.net . i havent looked at their site lately cuz i usually go in person but if you call them they will answer any questions you have and can process your order over the phone. my friend mave is a master herbalist and makes all their herbal extracts, oils and blends. they have dried herbs in bulk if you want to get some oil and make your own herb infused oils also. if you call the store she is usually there or they can tell you when she will be in. the owner Kaywynn has really long dreads too so she might be able to tell you some of the things she uses.

if you want to get the wax and product buildup out you can use baking soda. it completely breaks down grease and bonds to it so it can rinse out but then you should spray on some hemp oil or a little coconut oil mixed with water on the roots so your scalp doesn't get dry afterwards. All the wax and buildup is holding grime, dust and lint in there and your dreads can start stinkin like mildew or rancid oil after a while if you never wash that stuff out. i used to use wax and to get the buildup out i took a whole small box of baking soda, added enough water to make a smooth paste to the point where there was a little bit of water on top and then put it on my hair in handfuls and worked it through each dread. Palmroll and massage it in with your fingertips to get it all the way into the middle. You want to rinse it out really well too because residue will turn white when it dries. Completely soak your hair in the bathtub underwater if you can to get all the wax out of the middle too. If theres a lot of buildup you might have to do it a few times. Your hair will feel squeaky clean when you get all the product out. You can do a coffee rinse afterwards to make your hair shiny again if you want.

Twist and Gel and Wax question

Introduce Yourself

i had a mixed friend whose hair had a few different textures on different parts of his scalp. to get it to stay twisted in the slicker parts we let it section itself for a few days and then loosely braided the base of the areas (very loosely, only 4 or 5 crossovers and not so tight that it actually looks braided) that were holding together and then twisted the ends into coils with a little bit of pure aloe vera. after a week or so the coils started dreading even though they looked loose at first You don't want to braid a long section or it will look thinner at that point and will be noticeable when they grow out. Well- maintained beginning locs is an oxymoron...It's not an instant hairstyle, it needs to develop organically and the best way to do it is to let the hair section itself in the beginning according to your growth pattern and the planes of your skull. if you section it with a comb you might be forcing hair that grows in different directions into one dread and i have had some friends whose scalp ended up getting irritated from that and ended up losing dreads from the roots being stressed in directions they didn't naturally grow. if you want an instant hairstyle and don't plan on keeping your locs for any length of time a loctician might get you close to what you want but if you want long lasting locs that arent just a fad it takes time and patience.

my husband is jamaican mixed with a little bit of island native... his hair is in really tight curls in some places with almost straight hair mixed in. were starting his hair by twisting the sections that are already separating themselves and back combing just a tiny bit with a natural boar bristle brush, not a comb or anything plastic or metal. it mixes the hairs together enough to make them hold onto each other but doesn't damage the surfaces of the hair shafts.

Knotty Gal Creations - Handmade, OOAK and custom items made with love

General Talk

Hey everyone! Bless. I have seen the site before and checked it for info and now I finally signed up.It's great to see so many positive, beautiful people sharing and helping each other on their locking journey.

I have been making different loc related items including hats, wraps, dreadsocks and jewels full time since 2006. I sell mainly at shows in Denver, community festivals, and craft shows. Most of my original items were rasta-themed can but I make items in any color, fiber or style you can think of as long as you are very descriptive and take good measurements if we aren't able to meet in person because of distance. The online store is set up to accept Paypal. I accept verifiable checks also and will also barter for things our family can use (almost anything) if you are in Denver although cash is preferable. Wish we could pay the internet, phone bill and rent with muffins, homemade pickles and free-range eggs but haven't had too much luck with that so far LOL

I have a small amount of hats and crocheted items available now and a lot of handmade jewelry. I am going to be working on taking pics of everything I have right now over the next week and am setting up an online store on another retail site that I can link you to. I have some basic pics on my Thumbtack posting if you would like to see examples of my work. I do special discounts if you like my fb page also if you are a fb'er but I post all specials, giveaways and things on all sites I use.

Peace - Melanie/Meliscious/Knotty Gal Creations

website: www.knottygalcreations.webs.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/knottygalcreations

online store: knottygalcreations.storenvy.com

detailed business description posting with pics - http://www.thumbtack.com/Accessories-for-Dreadlocks-Long-Full-Hair-Denver-CO/service/224869

updated by @melanie-barrett: 01/19/15 11:13:35PM