I've been told the quickest way to make the dreads dread at the root is to make a hole in the top and thread the dread back through then thread it through again at a different angle and then rub the base of the dread. This doesn't sound like the best method and it has caused some of my dreads to sort of split at the base (i'm hoping they'll merge back together as they grown). It has worked one a few but after a vigorous rubbbing which i can't imagine is very good for the hair. Should i just leave the roots and as they mature they'll start to dread at the root alone. I have a friend who has some really nice dreads (although she uses wax), her roots are really neat with very minimal loose hair.
Hey there Neverstrayed, Here's a link that may help you with your dreading issue ... http://www.howtodread.com/. I checked out your gallery to see if you had any pics posted of your dreads, but I didn't see any. Maybe you could add some to help us help you? Chow ........... Nancy ................ vintage clothing
Strange i do have pics. Try just searching my name rather than clicking on my gallery icon but i definately have some. Thanks for the link, i have scoured them before but just wondered what you guys do. I'm quite dubious about taking advice off websites rather than forums. At least i know on a forum you have real people with real experiences
What your referring to is known as "flipping" Some say it weakens the dread. In my own experience, I flipped one or two awhile back and I can clearly see what ones I did that to. It basically caused a split in my dread, like a button hole. Naturally in the process, my roots have started to knot on their own. Your going to have up to a inch of un-dreaded hair at the root, pretty much, no matter what. And that's not a bad thing, it allows movement, movement = knots.
yeah...thats not such a good website! any site that promotes the use of wax is baaad. edit: sorry, not technically bad, i'd just stear clear from them. you can get all the help you need here, from experienced people
i threaded every single one of mine thru a hole in the root and i hated it. i think it made them much much worse, didnt help the lockin process. youre best to just leave them be =]
The roots will never dread to the scalp and somtimes not at all! If you want natural non babylonian dreads with tight roots at the scalp...you may never get them. Just roll dread at the root clockwise against the scalp for 5-10mins each. and you will have a big ol knot there. OR you could leave them alone, and and faith, and jah will bless you and lock them for you. Blessing and peace. mika
The un-dreaded hair at the base, does it ever lockup, or will it always be loose? I was hoping with time, tangling, and new hair growth the base would lock up as well. Am I wrong?
It may lock up, it may not lock up It is very natural and normal to have 1-2inchs of "un knotted" hair at the scalp. As i say to many people, and i urge them to just love them for what they are, if they knot at the root, great, if they dont, its no big deal, there still yours. You even may have 1 or 2 which does and the rest dont, why, because every lock has it own individuality. If you must help them on there way then just hold the lock about n inch above the scalp, and rub clockwise for 5-10mins until it knots up, and it will. But in my honest and humble opinion, let them be, what they want to be. if they wanna be loose let them. peace love and harmony mika eace:
the hair will dread as it grows but there will be some loose at the scalp that cant be avoidxed and needs no help at all the root rubbing is a waste of time and can do dammage... 5-10 min of rubbing a day thats extreme and in months can cause u to rub em tight off .. just let em grow and they willl take care of themnselves
i think it might be physically impossible for the roots to lock up naturally. the weight of the lock pulls the hair straight and there is hardly any room for the hair to move around. Ive seen people with locks that are tight all the way to just near the scalp and it looks like they have elastics in their hair and a weird grid pattern of hair and skin shows up on their head. im with mikamika, leave it alone, or maybe rub the roots to frizz and tangle them up a bit. if you do decide to rub, be gentle and try not to do it too much or you will damage the hair and in severe cases lose a lock. i tried that root threading crap with my last set of locks. it just pulled the hair tight near the root. nothing was done to benefit locking and there was a hole that resembled two folds of skin in the lock.
If you leave your dreads alone, after days you'll notice they start to tangle together. Especially if you wear a wooly hat. This is when you pull 'em apart, creating knotty goodness. I used to worry about it too, but now, being past 9 months I can see the inches that are just knotting all by themselves, no help at all. And Ive always had poker strait hair. Rubbing your dreads clockwise, counterclockwise, standing on your head, running in circles... while jumping up and down, isn't going to speed up anything. Logically thinking, rubbing and pulling at your roots cant possibly make them stronger. Maybe we all sound like broken records when we say, leave it alone... but honestly... anything other then leaving them alone, is purely personal pacification.
regarding root flipping - I wouldn't do it as I've heard bad things (weakening the dread)... also, from what I've seen it always looks pretty obvious, kinda ends up looking like a braid rather than a dread. regarding the roots being loose - yes, it's typical to have an inch or two of loose hair at the root. Some people wax and twist the roots to keep em knotted to the top, I personally think that's a waste of time... and I personally don't like the look of dreads knotted to the root - looks too severe to me.
At the end of the day everything to do with locks are off personal preference. If have your locks simply for a style that great, if you have them for religious purposes thats great too. If you want the locks to be tight from root to tip thats fine, and there is many ways to achieve this, waxing roots, rubbing roots is just some of the ways. This doesn't mean i condone or use these methods, although they do and will work. If you want your locks to look this way then go for it, but be aware that it is very likely to weaken roots, and if the locks arn't happy they will cause problems, they don't like being forced things. But this may not happen on the other hand. The arguments of rolling roots, rubbing roots, etc etc is a long drawn out debate which is endless. You simply have to figure out what you want with your locks and go from there. Personally my locks are religious purposes, the knot starts about 1 1/2 inch of the scalp, and i love them for that why, because thats the way jah locked them, I bathe them in salt water every now and again, and clean them with a bar made from a plant resin. Just love them, love the journey, and everything from root to tip will sort itself out. eace: peace love and harmony eace: mika
Thank you people. I'm thinking i will leave them. I'm not sure but i have an awful lot of loose hair at the root that doesn't seem to be getting any better and i think the rubbing and flipping may have broken the hair. I do want my dreads to look good and where i work requires i look tidy and professional so i always wear a headband of some sort to hide the roots. I would like to be able to tie them back and not worry. Suppose i'll give it time then
