I will try my best to describe what I mean. Every once in a while, I get a dread, particularly one that is a skinny dread in a place on my scalp where the hair is not as thick (at my temples, for example) and just a few hairs will PULL so hard it hurts. I try my best to mat the hair at the root, because when the root is matted and thicker, the weight of the dread doesn't pull as much, so those few hairs aren't carrying so much weight. I worry, though, that the pulling will cause the hair to come out - plus, it's a very uncomfortable feeling. If I rip or even cut those few hairs that are pulling, then there's even less hair to dread that particular dread. Does this happen to you? If so, any suggestions? Wrapping the root to balance the weight, perhaps, or....????
Yes, I had to force congo my two dreads at both temples to ones next to them they were only holding on by a few hairs and felt very fragile
Being 30 years old, I can attest to how this feels.. I have 8 dreads on the top of my head that are holding on by mere threads of there former self... I am just going to cut them off eventually and merge them into some others. I have done this with 4 already.. It sucks that im loosing dreads, im going to just grow all the other ones long and swirl them around my head into a dread-hive..
Thanks for the input, folks - much appreciated. My hair is wacky; some of it thick, curly, and dense and locks in a "traditional" way. Then there are those few places where the hair is more fragile and tends to catch, or pull, until it hurts. Some have benefited by congoing; others, congoing seems to make the problem worse. adtOc, actually, for my hair, I'm thinking you might have a good idea there. I'm kinda interested in letting the parts that dread nice and easy to do so, and allowing the strands that don't seem to want to be part of a dread (at least, not yet) free. I have a feeling that eventually, it will all do its thing and as it grows longer, it will all dread one way or another. Again - thanks! And if anyone has anything to add, please do.
I detangled the knots near my face because they were irritating and looked funny, now I just have a bunch of free hair around my face and it's much better.
Interesting - very helpful! Yes, the pully problem does seem to be along my hairline in some places. Maybe the hair there is sometimes too fine to dread comfortably. The rest of it is perfectly happy.
My scalp is constantly sore because of the tighter-at-the-root dread's odd hairs pull so damn hard I've thought about cutting the hairs that pull but then I'm afraid another load of single hairs will pull, then I'll wanna cut more and more then I won't have any hairs holding onto the dread xD Edit: The dreads that do this are at the back, I guess they pull cus I put my dreads up into a pony tail and they take some convincing to go in that direction xD
perhaps you trying to force the roots to tighten is adding to the pulling problem? i have a couple dreads that untill recently (let them congo) were nothing but a few hairs dreaded together into micrrothin dreads that were still 4 feet long and never were inconfy also i have a beard dread that is 2 inches of 1/2 inch thick dread hanging from 2 1/2 inches of only 2 hairs (not exagerating it really is 2 hairs) what i think the issue is your forcing the hairs at the roots to tighten, this causes uneven tightening and 1 or 2 hairs are taking not only the majority of the weight, but also the pressure of the knots being forced right up tight against the scalp i believe ifu leave em alone for 3 months so it grows and gets 1/2 inch or so of movement room you'll relieve that pressure could be wrong but thats what my instinct tells me as soon as u said u trey tightening the roots
i have to go with SE on this one. i get "pullies" when i clockwise rub my locks. tha's why i don't do it too often.
SE, I suspect that you are right on. The ones that are pullies are dreads that contain hairs that want to go one way, but that I have probably tried to force into another direction (sometimes to congo them). Dragonvine, maybe you're experiencing a similar issue with the ones that are hurting for you? I actually did lose one whole, thick dread because I "clipped" some hair that was pulling...and I was being impatient...and clipped just a tiny bit too far into the dread - good-bye dread : ( Folks, I think I needed a kind reminder to be patient. My hair is muppet hair, grows in a bunch of different directions, some of it very curly, some of it moderately curly, and a few strands here & there are rather straight, all kindsa direkshuns. I'm a-thinkin' I need to allow my hair more freedom. Lord, are we ever brainwashed by society! I'm just sooo used to controlling my hair to make it "behave." Don't want to do that anymore. That's my top reason for deciding to dread to begin with - to develop spiritual patience. Thanks bunches and bunches. Namaste, sr
