READY to Dready

or so i think...
(Pardon the ramble, please hear me out )

I almost started the journey a few years ago. Many people encouraged me, but the girl that was going to help me with backcombing insisted that I would look like a crack head due to my bone structure. I didn’t go through with it for a few reasons, mainly because I was about to graduate college and I was very concerned with whether or not having dreads/forming dreads would hinder my future job possibilities. For this reason I opted to wait for a later date.

I regret this decision because I chose to stay in school an extra semester. I am a recent college grad, currently working as a server. I am waiting to hear back for a temp job as a census bureau caller. I doubt they would fire me for forming dreads, but it is something I worry about. I have several tams that could be a godsend for the formation process and to keep me looking somewhat decent in the work place. After this summer, my plan is to teach English in a foreign country, hopefully Thailand or somewhere in South America. So here are my first questios: how did forming dreads/having them now affect your job opportunities? Do you feel limited? Did you feel more limited in the job market when the dreads were forming? Have any of you traveled abroad, namely to Thailand or South American countries, and if so what was the reaction to the dreads?

Those are my main concerns, but I do have a few others. I have fairly long hair as you can see in the pictures. The individual strands are thick, but the overall amount of hair is very thin. I plan on having very thin dreads, and I’ve seen some very thin dreads that look amazing. When I was discussing the beginning of my locking process with someone who might help me, oh about two days ago, she said that it is unlikely dreads will form if you start thin. She estimated needing to start with dreadletts that are about a quarter in circumference. * Mind you, I don’t know if she knows what she is doing, but she is planning on helping another one of my friends start his journey.* anyway if I started with baby dreads that thick I would probably only have four dreads, no joke! So should I give up hope because my hair is to thin or is their hope for thin dreads?

i posted a strange picture to try help you guys see the nature of my individual hairs, i dont know if it helps, but i though what the heck?
and the last picture is the newest picture of my face i have, tell me if you guys need a better one.

once again guys thanks in advance!

 

This guy http://elgarbo.deviantart.com/art/The-English-Teacher-II-136315314

is an English teacher in Thailand I think.

IMO very thin dreads would be more acceptable than thick ones you can totally start with thin dreads although you may lose a hell of a lot of length

 

thanks for the quick response!
that link is inspiring

how much length do you think i might potentially lose? could it shrink up to my chin?

and considering my hair type do you guys think i would want to backcomb or twist and rip?

 

It's hard to say because length loss differs from person to person. An estimation would be shoulder length. It could be less or it could be more. Method is completely up to you just don't use any wax. You should look at Gretaoto's pictures, she too has really thin hair but her dreads look amazing

 

so i have been looking for more detailed instructions on the twist n rip method and i came across this:
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/page/twist-and-rip-method-dreading
it sounds like natrualphilosophy was talking about, and i think it might be the best method for me considering i have thin hair. does this technique look right?

also i have visited these forums before and i think you will all see a familiar face on the right side of the screen

 

I tihnk you will look really pretty with dreads. I believe by saying a quarter size they mean on your scalp... not total hair amount. So you would have many more than four. I have never heard the amount described as that size before, but it seems it would give you pretty small sized dreads... Not totally sure though.

 

lol ughhh

I had success doing thin dreads for someone using the crochet method. she lost little length. BUT lots of people dislike the crocheted look. I think you should use T&R over backcombing, I got very thick dreads from bc.

also, blondie dreads for the win, can't wait to see em xD

 

id say twist n rip, dont section your hair perfectly, just grab bits here n there, youll get looooooooooadddss.. ive got 60 and some of mine are quite chunky (chunky for me, nowhere near as fat as pypes')

 

good to know
any pictures of the crocheted method you used recently?

any pictures of your dreadies or the timeline? also, what type of hair do you have


----------
I won't be starting until I hear that I got the job at the census bureau.

now that this is known, more questions! YAY! (i know, i know )

i do have some probably very repeated questions in this forum...flaming is permitted, as long as you can guide me to a thread that answers it

so first when i start the twist n rip should my hair be somewhat dirty? I don't wash my hair everyday as it is, but I usually put baby powder in it to keep it from looking greasy. I assume I don't want baby powder in my hair while I start the locks. So should my hair be clean or a slightly dirty?

after i've done the twist n rip, how often should i wash my hair? I read the various methods some of you guys use, but I didn't see anyone mention how often you guys do this.

my hair grows pretty damn fast, that being said as my roots come in, how do i lock them? I'm sure that answer is somwhere on HF already, but I haven't come across it yet.

thanks guys, i apologize for all the questions eace:

 

you could always start them bigger, and split them during the process

 

clean

when it feels dirty

you don't

 

No, your hair should be as clean as possible when you dread wash it the night before and dry it. Clean hair = faster dreading greasy hair = no dreads.

As for washing it's entirely up to you. You can wash your hair as often as you want AS LONG AS YOUR HAIR IS COMPLETELY DRY before the next wash.

Constantly damp hair causes mould and smells. I wash mine once a week, twice a week in summer when it's hot.

Your roots will dread on their own it is natural to have between 1-3 inches of undreaded hair at the root. Again clean roots make better friction and faster dreading.

After you've made your dreads leave them alone except to wash them. It is normal for backcombed/twist and rip dreads to completely fall out and you will be tempted to re dread these bits but try not to. Dreads look worse before they look good.

 

thanks and thanks

and since i don't do anything to lock them, does this mean they will dread on their own? I thought if you didn't do anything your hair would begin to grow out normally again.

 

Yes they will dread on their own, no they won't grow out like normal hair unless you play with them too much.

 

my timeline is here:
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=351050

most recent pics are on the last couple of pages, its alot of pages but theres loads of pics and i really detailed the first few months


re starting:

wash your hair first, itll degrease it and remove the oils that make knots slip out or come loose. just dont use a conditioner, and if possible use a shampoo such as dr bronners, or something from lush.. something to get your hair clean, but all tangly and knotty. lots of dreadies like chemical free soaps and shampoos, cause theyre all hippies ^-^ make sure your hair is super dry before you start knotting

i currently wash my hair once a week. when i first got my dreads i did it like every 3 days cause my scalp was hella itchy, but after experimenting with shampoos, mixtures and all sorts, i found something that suited me and now i only wash my hair once a week, if i can be bothered. for you, id say stick it out for a week and then wash them.. you wanna try and train your scalp to produce less oil, cause itll be less greasy

my roots lock themselves. ive done NO maintenance in the past 13 months, none at all. i dont rebackcomb the roots or rip them. theyve just knotted themselves up and dreaded themselves.

hope that helps

 

and what hdh said.. make sure hair is totally dry between washes, cause itll start to smell funky and grow an ecosystem

 

What made you think that?

This is something you have to pay attention to further down the road, but young locks shouldn't hold too much water...

 

you guys are great!!! I am very nervous about how i am going to feel about them when i start. i have this strong feeling, mine are gonna take a long time, more than most. I condition every time I wash, so maybe it won't be that bad.

i briefly mentioned it to my mom, she's known I've wanted to do this for a while now, I just don't see her being supportive since i have a shitty ass job now and unless i get this census job i will be a sincere nowhere man. I am seriously curious as to how you all's locks have affected your career, even if it's a young career, ya know as a server, coffee house, book store type gig, but also for those who have more serious jobs.

i am curious about dying, because this winter i had to start dying my hair. I was a natural blonde, but it started to become dirty blonde and with my pale skin it looked shitty. anyway, how will dying my hair happen or should i just give that up. i was contemplating dying my tips rainbow, but for getting jobs I wouldn't want that to be permanent. I might just forget about that idea. I would on the otherhand, like to keep it blonde, at least for now...how would that happen.

and do NOT hate me, but I must think in advance. If and when i need to remove my dreads is the ONLY option shaving? I found this link on the same site that i posted earlier (with the twist and rip method explanation)
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/dreadlock-removal-method
i KNOW I can't pull off a buzz cut, i can barely pull off short hair for that matter.
~don't think about this question as me getting ahead of myself, think about it as thinking ahead

 

You can dye your hair no problem you'll just have to use more dye. You can also brush them out if you don't like them, even years down the line.