I want neat and tidy cookie-cutter dreadlocks.

I see a lot of people on this forum feel as if you should let all of your dreadlocks have individual personality, and so most of the advice on this forum is geared toward that end. I don't disagree, but what I want personally is some advice on making my dreadlocks neat, tidy, and evenly sized. I look forward to babying my dreadlocks and getting them just where I want them.

Here's me at a couple months. It's not a very clear picture, but my hair is tangling very poorly (it's still smooth and loose, barely holding together), and I'm making no progress at all. I backcombed originally, which fell out, and now I'm trying to neglect and rip apart.

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x83/gladapple/?action=view&current=Photo64.jpg

I'm not suggesting that I want dreadlocks overnight. I want to do them as naturally as possible, with nothing but tangling, washing, and ripping apart--no wax or product. My hair can be messy and fuzzy in the process--I know the locking process isn't glamorous--but I want to do all that I can to make sure that I end up with what I want. I don't want to have dreadlocks for two or three years, and still be fuzzy and misshapen.

Just letting go of washing everyday and being uncertain about my hair has been enough of a spiritual journey for me. So, I'm not asking for a magic trick, but I see many people with even and tidy dreadlocks after just a year or so, and I'm sure there is something that I can do to acheive that end. I don't think it's a crime to be a little vain.

If you were going to baby your dreadlocks into even and manicured ropes, what would you do? What is felting? Do you crochet? What starting method is best for evenness and control? Anything else?

 

Palm roll every time you get out of the shower. Or while you're in the shower. Helps them smooth out.

 

Hmm ... how to control dreads ...

So that pic is u now at a couple months?
Its kinda hard to see cause your hair is so dark

Felting is just adding felt, for color or thickening I suppose.
Crocetting the ends is simple, but really
dosent have much effect till your locked up...

As far as size.. my dreads shrank ALOT at first...
but now alot of them are starting to get bigger.

I'm around 2 months now too, Ive found using a sea salt
spray before I shower helps alot in tightening my dreads.
Otherwise, like Villi said, palm roll em after the shower
when they are still damp.

 

I disagree with the felt statement above. I once heard someone describe felting as simply washing your dreads with soap and very hot water and then simply palm rolling them.

http://www.gfwsheep.com/felting/felt.html had this to say: What is Felt? Very simply, felt is matted wool. Wool becomes felt when it is subjected to moisture, heat, and pressure. (In fact, if domestic sheep were not shorn, over time their wool would felt or "cot".) Hot soapy water makes the wool slippery, and causes tiny scales on the fiber to "open up". The scales prevent the fibers from backing up again after they slide across each other; with agitation, the fibers get hopelessly tangled together. When cooled and dried, the scales close and lock the wool into the tough, durable material we call felt.

so assuming our hair is kinda like sheep hair, that's all you gotta do! just dunk your head into ridiculously hot water with soap, leave your hair in for a bit and then palmroll the steamy lil buggers = )

 

I was just guessing, hence the "I suppose"
But you promped me to summon the google monster.
Heres what I've found.
When searching for just "felting" I found instructions for making wool
into felt. Yes, using hot water and soap.

When searching for "felting dreads" or "dread felting"
I found stuff like this :
http://www.extra-muffins.com/hair/viewtopic.php?t=820
Dread repair using felt?
http://redwolf.com.au/column/opinion/2004/02/dreadlock_repair.html

Who knows, lol

I do know that dunking your head in hot water and soap, is called washing.

 

WOW i haven't been here in quite awhile. All the regulars i knew seem to have moved someplace else. Anyways...Try using beads. When u get a kinky spot in one of ur locks ( u seen to not like the messy look) just put a bead over that spot for a few months. It'll smooth it out. It kinda sections it. that might work if u want "neat" locks.

 

"felting" is likely refering to using a felting needle (serch for it for a description, you can find them at craft store). with it you can incorporate wool into the dread, BUT more importantly it can be used as a tool to dread your hair. In thialand it is commonly used. it works best if there is some knots already in. just press through the dread a lot and it help incorporate knots. unfortunatly it also breaks hair... so if you use it, use sparingly. I found it works really well to rid yourself of loopies and unwanted bumps, thus making your dreads look more "plain." give it a go, just dont use it tooooo much, you've been warned! and dont use it on the ROOTS

 

if you want really neat dreads i would recoment
to search for someone who makes dreads (in return you pay ofcrourse.)
there are alot people who do that! (atleast here are thousands of 'em)
or section your hair en use the back comb method
but ask a friend to do it for you.

if you want really neat dreads it means
a lot of work.
(palmrolling, clockwise rubbing en things like that)
but keep in mind that atleast for the first month,
your hair will be terrible.

 

If you want natural dreads but you do want them sectioned evenly. You can try to just section and put in bands, so you got all little ponytails. Just let 'm in for like 2 months and the hair above and under the bands will lock up. Make sure you don't got the bands which will melt because of the sun!

 

yes,it's metter to have it done by somebody else. why don't you want dreadlocks 'overnight'... doing them by sb may be also natural. i have my dreadlocks done by really good dreadmaker. no wax. just his hands, crotchet and fine crest.

next part is your. if they are to be natty, you have to wash them (i wash mine once per a fortnight or three weeks, depends on the weather. if it's hot better do it more frequently), crochet them (i crochet when i have time so it may take hours, but when somebody is used to do it, does it anywhere when he got a while - in a bus, during boring lesson, drinking bear on th beach), try not to make them stright near the head. i mean - when hair grow, dread them.
i warn, it takes a lot of time to make dreads looking natty (to Make them natty takes much more )
i will enclose some photos when i got some. i'm running out of camera now

hugz

 

I guess you could say we both FELT different about it!

Hi-yo!

 

if you look at my pic signature, my dreads are done using the crochet method , altho they dont look like that now, they are kind of doing their own thing

 

Thanks a ton for everybody's replies. I'm definitely interested in this crochet methods. I've had dreads for months and months, and my hair is still loose, oily, and lank. Hardly any development at all. Can anybody tell me more about crocheting?

 

if your hair is oily, you gotta wash it with soap. oily hair wont lock up very well at all.

 

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