http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?image=photo0096eq6.jpg that is my hair currently, and I would enjoy having dreads. I did read most of the stickies in here, but I must have a loose grasp on comprehension because i did not really understand most of it, so i have a few questions for anyone willing to answer! 1. How long would my hair have to be for it to start dreading? 2. What would i do about showering/washing and cleaning? 3. are there any tips that would be recommended for my hair? I got the gist of what you're supposed to do..or lack thereof, but, do i just let it grow? Picturing it in my head, it feels like it would just grow outwards in a fro-type fashion. Also, in an unrelated matter, being fifteen, my parents tend to be a little sketchy on letting me get dreads, and i dont even know if they would completely accept the idea, any persuasive ideas? i apologize for taking your time! peace.
its different for different people but generally around 4 inches is when you start to see anything like locks, although i've heard people can see results as short as 2 (that couldn't be the norm though) showering/washing/cleaning is all simple. the products you are using now are probably harsh and on your head. if so, get rid of them and find a soft, residue free soap, the majority will suggest dr. bronner's. showering is your personal preference, but everyday is a good idea to not smell (some people can pull off not showering though, don't think its healthy) some people say that getting your hair wet can slow down the locking process, but your hair looks really thick and curly so you shouldn't have a problem. try using your new shampoo once a week. its different for everyone, and people adjust according to their needs. if you play a really intense sport like football where you're going to have to wear a helmet and everything, you probably will need to wash your hair more often, but if you are less active you won't need to so much. just keep the locks clean. so to sum things up leave your hair alone, eventually it will start to form locks. when that happens just separate the ones that try to combine if you want to keep them small. if you don't do any separating at all you will end up with a big pillow on your head. get rid of your harsh shampoos and try something soft like dr. bronners, or you could try making your own is a baking soda recipe. try washing your hair weekly and adjust as you like. as for your parents, try not to call attention to your hair. locks are clean and healthy and they happen gradually. if your hair just turns into locks overtime, they won't notice as much as if you bug them about getting locks. people have preconceptions that locks are dirty, if they have been living with you and your hair is clean there shouldn't be a problem. what i've explained is called the natural method of locking. hair when left alone and clean will lock on its own. there are other methods of doing it, but since your hair is already short and you will already need to wait a while, there is no point in doing one of the other methods. oh, and buy a tam so when you have longer hair you wont have to go searching for one.
So what you are saying is i switch to a less harsh shampoo (Dr. Bronners) and when it starts to form dreads i pull them apart the width and dread count i would want?
Don't buy that crap about wetting your hair prevents it from dreading. Think about it, when you put a wool sweater in the machine it shrinks up and won't come back to normal. That's the same concept behind dreading naturally. Wash it and it will dread. I do agree with the parents thing. By the time they notice, you'll already be locked up and they can't do much about it. YES! That's it. It is not rocket science. It's been said many times before that the only way hair will dread if you clean it and leave it. Separating, backcombing, whatever are great if you want more control over how it will end up. And it's not gonna look how you want it because it's just how it is. Either way, not fiddling with it too much will result in dreads. :willy_nilly: You've got the perfect length and great texture. Start now, and by next year you'll be on your way to some sick dreads. I'd say let it start to mesh then start pulling when it really comes together. Just so you don't go crazy and get super weak skinny dreads. That's my opinion, anyways.
you got it, just pull them into the size you want. if you start doing it too early young locks wont congo (congo means when small locks join together to make bigger locks) enough and you will end up with skinny locks. this isn't a problem if you want skinny locks, and even if you want bigger locks they can still join together no matter how mature they are in the future, it would just take more patience. no matter what though, its better to wait a little later than sooner so you have more of a lock to work with. all you need to worry about now though is changing your routine, because the sooner you do that the sooner you will be on your way to locks. although this is pretty much implied, it hasn't been said so i'll say it just in case: stop combing your hair if you haven't already.
id just like to say, no question is a dimwitted question.. if someone thinks your q is "dimwitted" they are dimwitted themselves : )
the faqs can be intimidating when you're trying to sift through or absorb all of the information. after all he did say he read the stickies.
Yeah? Wait til you see how clogged up the rest of the forums get when we get the same dimwitted questions asked OVER and over again. People want information, but then, they don't want to read. Go figure.
What if it did? Sorry, but I see this forum as a very useful place filled with great information and people with a great amount of knowledge to call upon. Why pollute it with all the same questions? As long as "dimwitted questions" (i.e. those already answered eleventy-BILLION times in the FAQ and other threads) are permitted, it will cause more experienced users to either depart or post less. It seems moderation on some forums now are more concerned with Political Correctness than actual thread moderation/sorting/deletion. Does it bother me personally? Nope. Does it weaken our community? You better believe it.
well, if a site isn't about jokes, then message boards are pretty much all about discussion and help. since there isn't much to discuss about locks, i dont have a problem answering the same questions, at least we get to chatting this way and getting to the root of different methods and ideas. whatever, you are probably speaking from experience of another community's situation while i am only speaking of things that have no tangible evidence to support them, at least none that im aware of.
Well, I've been on dozens of forums for years and years now. Just saying what I've seen. If you cater to [!] questions, [!] questions you shall receive. TO me, "No news = good news." I would rather see less activity that's of a higher quality, than MORE gee-that-could-have-been-answered-in-the-FAQ activity. Cause at some point, you just end up typing the same shit over and over and over again and it gets old. Without proper moderation, the people with the real answers will get tired and drop off. Ergo, the push to have newbs read more. PLUS! Reading means gathering knowledge, and one of the best things anyone can ever do for themselves is read. To the OP: 1. Several inches. 2. Wash as needed, decreasing frequency as time goes on. 3. Do yourself a favor and read the FAQ.
