Hello! I'm having some problems with my dreads, so I'm really hoping I can get some insight. I started them 2-3 months ago and they've just gotten worse since I started them. I'm using wax and a no residue shampoo. I keep enough wax in so they don't ever feel brittle. I wash them once a week or every 5 days. I've always had scalp problems my whole life, so I don't know what I was thinking trying this out. I have the worst dandruff ever! Instead of itching my scalp, i find the nearest dread and rub it against my scalp clockwise. But there is always dandruff like crazy at the base of the dreads and down the body of the dread. But I don't think that's the worst problem... They're so hairy!! They were so pretty when I just had them back combed. But now hair is coming out of the dreads and it just looks like I haven't washed my hair in forever. I'm a little high maintenance, I guess, so I can't relax about this. I like to have clean looking hair. I know it's possible to have pretty dreads cause I've seen them a couple times before. It's why I decided to get them. Also, I was hoping they'd start to look pretty and be less maintenance than normal hair. I was always a bum about my hair when it was normal. I never brushed it. washed it, let it part itself, let it airdry. But atleast it wasn't dandruffy or itchy. I'm itching like mad right now. Anyway, so here is the really weird part. At the base of my scalp, some of the dreads are very tight. There aren't any loose hairs! Well except for 1/2 inch where its not dreaded yet. But it's only solid dread like that for about an inch of hair. Then they slowly get looser until about halfway down the dread, it's not a dread anymore. It's just straight hair. Then the last 2 inches of hair is somewhat cleaner and more mature dread. So what the heck is going on? LOL! Some days I rub them almost constantly, and some days I leave them be. I was told to wear panty hose on my head when I sleep so the pillow doesn't rub any more hair out. I guess that will work, but it won't fix the hairs already rubbed out. I'm trying to get them looking cleaner really soon because I have to get a job. Oh and this morning i was taking a needle threader to weeve some loose hairs in. But some parts of it look more like a braid than a dread now Sorry this was so long! Hopefully your eyes aren't bleeding by now. Thanks for reading!! edit: I'm using a residue free shampoo. Also I was wondering if it's safe to re-back comb some dreads. I have about 50 and some are ok, but I want to comb the ones that are dead in the middle. -Sad Dreadie Girl :'( Pictures: http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=6xh3.jpg this one feels and looks thin. I'm worried :\ http://img442.imageshack.us/my.php?image=5bh6.jpg what the heck is this?? http://img422.imageshack.us/my.php?image=4zj4.jpg too hairy! http://img422.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3se3.jpg ew. looks so gross that I never leave the house without a bandanna http://img422.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2yr7.jpg straight hair. wax holding it together. http://img422.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1in6.jpg I sorta sewed it all back in with a needle threader. Painstaking...
ok, i've looked over every pic & read everything u said & i can tell u 1 huge problem..the wax..stop using it..get it all out of your hair i also havbe scalp issues myself, but i find using knottyboy mar dread shampoo or dr bronners tea tree oil works welkll (knottyboy ithinkis better) your dreads are actualy comming along pretty good if u just stop messin em up with wax.. u dont gotta sew them back in either, as for the whole pantyhose idea i disagree withthat as well, because sleeping on your dreads will only slowly get them tighter, not looser however ..with all the gunkin your hair they will need to loosen sothey can tighten u can try aloe instead of wax..which will help your scalp as well, just dont use it too often, your best bet for nicer dreads is just wash it like u r..& dont put anythint init
Yeah I was thinking the wax probably is just holding it at a standstill. When I first got the dreads, I didn't wax them that often. But it seemed like once I stopped waxing them for about 3 weeks, they fell apart faster. I've read so many different opinions on how to deal with dreads. Some people say wax em, others say not at all. Some people say don't wash your hair. Others say it's essential. I can't not wash my hair though. I seriously will go insane from the itchies. I don't see why washing is bad, cause every time the dreads dry, they feel really tight! Is there such a thing as too much washing, though? I forgot to mention that 2 weeks ago I went to a salon to have a lock specialist check out my dreads. She said palm rolling is a bad idea until they're a year old. I'm going to loosen up the knots. So I've been gently rolling them between my fingers. They're a little small to palm roll anyway. But yeah, she put a bunch of this gooey gell stuff in. She said the wax was too thick for my hair, so she mixed it with some stuff that made my dreads look perpetually wet. She also twisted them. Every thing I've read says twisting only works on african textured hair. So I don't know if that did any good or harm. But I do know one thing. I can't get the damn stuff out! It's stuck along the base where the dreads are really thick. It looks like dandruff. This is a huge pain, but I'm far too stubborn to give up. Thanks for helpin!
Jep, soaring eagle is right. The loops you see are good, that's were the locking up is starting. Stop using wax and just wash.
as for washing, for you, withthe dandruff & all, try twice a week? use the knottyboy shampoo, its got teatre & rosemaryinit that willk help withthe scalp once u get the gunkoutm when u wash u probly should just concentrate the washing on the scalp, then just rince the shampoo throughthe dreads instead of really sudsing up all your hair
wax works, but lil jar of knoughty boy wax should last 6 to 9 monthst on a average dreading,, minimum.. as far as yer lil,, "imperfections",, man thats what makes dreads you. hell weve named like four or five of dilligafs,, an 2 of mine.. love n light
I don't want to burst your bubble, but your dreads are gonna look messy for a while. I've had mine for almost five months, and they still look like shit most of the time. Get used to it.
Yes, after they are tight dreads they will. But until then (which could be a year or more) they are going to be constantly changing. How old were these dreads you saw? They were probably much more mature than yours are now. Also, it's very hard to get your dreads to look like a specific image of hwo you want them to look. Try to let them do what they want, let them show some character. If you want them to look neater in the meantime (especially for work and interviews) try french braiding them, or putting them into buns. When I'm having super bad hair days, I like to wrap my hair up or put a hat on. It will get better, just be patient
Also, try using a lemon juice/water/sea salt mixture instead of wax. It will help de-fuzzify and tighten your dreads. Aloe is also good for dreads.
lemmon juice can lightenyour hair though in sun especialy or heat..its like peroxide sea salt though will help really get the dreadiness goin &i agree totaly bout just let them have theyre own character..every dreads unique
I often wonder whether anyone reads any of the other threads in this place... ANYWAY... My hair is two years old...I still have flyaways and I still have loopies and kinks in it. That's a part of their character though! I think they are beautiful and perfect in their own way! Another way to get rid of dandruff is to use tea tree oil on your scalp...it will prevent the itchies and the flakies. Definitely forget the wax and don't go back to that salon. They obviously do not know how to work on caucasian hair. Your best bet as of now is to use super hot water and soak your dreads in it to melt as much of the wax out as possible. Wax prevents your hair from knotting...it just makes it "stick" together. Getting the wax out at this point is the most important thing if you want to salvage your dreads. You ahve the potential to grow mold and attract dirt and bugs with it in your hair right now.
Thank you everybody for offering all your suggestions! Well I don't usually post in forums, I'm more of a lurker. A bad one, I guess, because I searched for an hour and didn't find any direct answers to my questions. Sorry for repeating what I now see has been asked so many times before. I've been reading reading reading all day long (slow reader) and I'm now getting an idea of how most people dread their hair. You do a search on dreadlocks and its dreadhead hq this and that. Hard to find another opinion. I almost didn't track this place down. I think I got very lucky. So it's a learning process for me now. I'll be reading a bit more until I can't answer my own questions anymore. Then it's back to bugging you guys! BTW I think johnny clean and all the 'geniuses' behind dreadhead hq should die a slow and painful death. Starting with their locks being chopped off. I washed my hair for an hour and the wax is still in it. I'll have to soak them in hot water. :\
no wax.. and i second the tea tree oil for the dandruff and itchie problem. and I totally agree about the every dread has its own personality. thats what makes this knotty world so cool! Embrace your dreads and have lots of patience, and you will be rewarded. Hair is posed to be hairy!
Hey Well, DreadheadHQ does have a dread tool that will help with loose hairs. Other than that, it's just a natural part of the dreading process. And yeah, dreads are kinda high maintenence if you want them to be "neat-looking". The thing about chopped off hair, it's another way to make dreads, I would imagine just for people who want dreads for fashion, because that method does work fast.
I love DreadHead, but they tend to take other products on the market, stick their label on them, and resell them. In this case, it's a crochet needle. That's it. Just buy a crochet needle, and ignored dreadhead.
