**READ ME** - Dread Newbies FAQ/ PLUS Basic Care and maintenance Guide

post some pics

 

hi, everyone!!! i'm nu 2 dis dread thing, maintenance and all. i always wanted 'em, finally broke down and got 'em in last wk. i went 2 my b.f.'s hair shop n got 'em twisted in. i believe she used sum kind of product called "organic root loc n twist gel" along w/ blk gel. i now need a maintenance routine (wut shampoo, wax or not, tightening gel, etc.). i heard about using a nylon stocking to wash 'em. is dat true? pleez help, i want 2 b able 2 maintain 'em @ home. plus my hair is dyed red so i need sumthin so my dreads don't dry out.

 

It cracks me up that people put so much into something that is supposed to be a natural occurance. Keep all that crazy gel and wax out of your hair!

Dreadlocks occur over time, they are not an overnight experience. Just let them be and separate them if they pull together. I usually do it in the morning when I get up.

Wax won't help, just makes it loook icky. I just wash mine like a normal head a hair with some organic tea tree oil shampoo (tea tree oil is a natural antimicrobial and antifungal that is great for normalizing your scalp.) No nylon or gels.

The best dreads come to those who wait. If you want to research the best ways to have healthy dreads you will find, natural is better.

Soaringeagle...maybe you can give some advice on the color treated moisturizing. I have always found not washing too often is the only thing that keeps me from drying out. But, you are the man on the subject!

Good luck to you k fresh, happy dreading!

 

well you dont want em too moisturized at 1st at least but if they get too dried out 100% pure aloe gel (from refridgerated sectiuon in health food stores)or cocoa butyyer ..or apple cidart vinagar (diluted) can all be used to miosturize
the vinagar mau not be best for coror treatted though so u may wanna use the aloe

wazsh all that crap out..and twists are not dreads..basicly ya wasted yoiur time on that..i hope u didnt also pay for that.
dreads take clean hair and patience
evebn if u backcomb theres no quick dreads you still have to keep ewm clean and be patient
wash with a non residue soap like dr bronners remove all that gunk they put in
make sure u dont have any elastic bands in..and give ek plenty of tume to lock up

 

I was reading this forum alot but couldn't find the answer I needed. So everyone here is saying if you stop maintaining your hair and let it dread, it will. I get that and I believe you but if I do that, how do I get to control the size of my dreads?? thank you!

 

dsomple rip to the size u want well if you go natural the hair will section itself usualy semi thin, if u want emn thinner then they sectyion on theyre own rip a section into q2

nowe if you want them thicker, allow 2 or more to comvine just dont rip m apart

they will tend o start ofg thinner and want to gtab and swallow neighboirse
and become thicker


up tull last june i always tried to keep mimnde from combining but a few did b4 i got around to sperating...then in june i decided 250- dreads were too many toi keep out fro under feet so i stopped ripping and 4-5 thin ones combines intothicker ones in a dozen spots

naturaly u get a combo if varius sizes, this looks more notmal themn the manufactured perfectluy inifoemn dreads with each the same size..
you can control em within a range wether iu desir thin or thick, but keepog exact control to keep em unifoems a waste

 

AWESOME! Thanks Soaring Eagle I mean seriously thank you! I'm following alll of your advice on this forum. Thankyou thankyou thankyou!

 

lol same here ^
i was going to backcomb now i'm curious to go the natural way

 

I've followed his advice " take out the bands and leave it alone" for about a month now and I love it!!! woo hoo!

 

flat congos

some of my congos are really wide and really flat. im thinking of tearing them apart. any advice/information?

 

whats wrint with flat congos?
if u can tear em apart and u wanna then go ahead but if they wont tear apart then why bother..theres nothin wring with flat congos

 

i dont know whats wrong with them. I also dont know whats good about them. all i know is that i dont like them and want to tear them apart.

 

well then tear em apart if u want....awnd if u can..but if theyre too tight..already congos then just leave em and love em

 

Help us out and show a pic of what you are dealing with. You could just be in a phase, remember it doesn't happen all at once!

 

i wish i could, but I have no working camera. they feel a lot more flat than how they look and now there is only one i am considering to rip now that i took a look in the mirror.

 

Well, Here's my deal. I have yet to do my dreads. I have very very straight and somewhat thin hair. I know dreads are for any hair type, but will my dreads look sparing and not as puffy as someone who has thicker hair? Also, my hair gets a little frizzy on top. That's because my hair tends to fall out a bit (stress is a bitch) and the new hair is short, will this be a big issue as well to get into the dreads? I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I need some help!

 

I hear you with the frizzies and the stress thing, I lose mine in patches (school, kids, husband), I have found that it helps puff the dreads if I just push the longer frizzes into the dread near the roots. Wear a wool (mine is flax) hat and leaving it alone! Good luck and have fun!

 

Awesome, thanks. Now, I bought into the wax marketing scheme, I made a purchase before finding out more about wax. I bought a kit from Knotty Boy, mostly for the soap, brush and pre-wash stuff. But it comes with wax, would it be a mistake to use in MODERATION. I'm talking only a few times... I know my hair with be super frizzy because of it being so obnoxiously straight and useless. Any thoughts? Would aloe be a replacement that doesn't build up?

 

wax even once is a mistake that will last forever if you dontr do extreme measures to remove it..
aloe is totalyt safe and rinces right out

 

What's the best method to help dreads lock up? Leave them be? Palm roll? What's your maintenance routine?