Hey guys, im new to the forums so, er, hello . anyway ive been snooping around, picking your brains for dreads advice and it sounds like going natural is the best way to go, ive been trying to let my hair dread for a month or so now but i have very straight hair so whenever i manage to get a knot a simple scratch destroys it and i swear they un-knot when im sleeping. also i kinda have to tie my hair back for work or put it in a band so that doesnt help with the knotting. The long and short is that ive decided to get them crocheted (?spelling?) in while my hair is relatively short just to get them going. How do you reckon this is gonna go in respect to long term dreading? ie the roots, after crocheting (?) going natural... will they dread well? Ill keep u posted anyway let u know how it goes as i didnt spy anybody else whos done this on my brief forum-scan. sam
Hi Sam :] All hair will dread after some (looooads?) time. If your hair is really refusing to dread and you are not conditioning/softening it with shampoos/conditioners I'd try to help it and make a start - crocheting/backcombing/rip and twist, whatever works the best for you. They should dread by themselves after a while. The only thing is that I've heard that crocheting is very rough on your hair and might damage it quite a bit. I'm all for natural dreadlocks, but I'm under an impression it shouldn't be about telling someone that "it won't count" instead of trying to help another future dreadhead.
yeah i know. make me feel like a cheat a little. but the way i see it, im planting the seeds and then walking away. just wanna know if that will work or if in a years time i will have dreads on the end of 2ft of normal hair.
Im not sure how crocheting turns out long term but from pictures Ive seen on here crochet dreads look pretty neat and tidy ,which is ok if thats the look you want. If you wanted more natural looking dreads I'd suggest maybe twist and rip or backcombing. Obviously neglect has'nt worked for you,but I dont think your the only one it all depends on your hair type ect...Although if you use a residue free shampoo thats meant to help with this method. Lots of ppl on here will tell you to go neglect but tbh I think you should use whichever you feel is more suited to you
yeah i heard that too about crocheting, well even if my hair is messed up from the crocheting it should still help dreads start rite? then one day i can hack off the rubbish and have home-grown left thanks for the replies, ill post pics of crocheting on saturday. gonna be sweet! im going london and stayin overnight in camden yaaaaaaaay!
Of Course It Will Work, All You Are Doing Is Giving It A Kick Start, And No, You Will Not End Up With Dreads On The End, Your Hair Will Dread As It Grows. However There Is One Thing To Keep In Mind, If You Have Fine Hair, Crocheting Will Cause A Lot Of Damage As The Method Tends To Break Fine Hair, To The Point That If The Person Doing It Is A Bit Rough,*not to look at, i mean with the technique* ,The Dread Can Actually Break Off..... Cheers Glen.
Yeah they will dread,but everyones hair dreads at different speeds,some ppl have a 1nch or 2 of root, others dont have any at all and they might still be the same 'age'.
hahahaha. nice, ill ask the guy whos doing it to be gentle, he says hes done it for about 14yrs so im hoping he knows what hes doing.
I crocheted, but only to start. if you dig a little you can see my timeline since the beginning. In hindsight, I probably wouldn't crochet again. It hurts like a motherfucker and Im convinced that it probably restricted normal movement that I would have had, if I had not crocheted. My dreads are tight now coming up on 1 yr 2 months, but I wish they were a bit more loopy and crazy. I get loops in my new growth, but the majority of the hair I crocheted is pretty tidy looking (remember I didn't crochet after I had done it initially). as far as hair breakage goes, I don't really think it affected that too much, but I think it definitely rips hairs from your roots, which is the hurty part. My dreads seem strong enough now. Id say keep going natural, cause eventually it will sort itself out. just depends on how patient you are with them.
from what i've seen crocheted dreads don't seem to do the loopy thing or get chunky or shrink as much. BUT any of the dreads that grow out from the root (and aren't crocheted) might do what i listed above, which might make your dreads look a little off. but depends what your going for. definitely check out pandy's timeline. his dreads are bitchin'
Argh, crocheting is so tempting and this thread has made me think about it yet again. Probably loads of people get it at the beginning - I'd like to have my dreads already. Damn patience. Or even just knowing how long it's gonna take would help. I like to be able to see the finish line. Plus my Mum is so excited about me 'getting' dreadies and it's gonna be hard to explain the mess on my head hardly resembling dreadlocks, when I finally go to visit my family. Waiting for pictures of your new dreadies :] Hopefully their gorgeous appearance won't push me over the wall to the dark side! ;]
I'll go ahead and say this again... crocheting hurts like a bitch! only do it if you are desperate, or get pleasure from pain. especially hurts near your temples. ow!
I had my really short hair crocheted in Thailand last christmas. Most of the ends came loose but the roots got a bit looser then got tighter in a few months. I kinda just twist and ripped the tips since they came undone. Its been over 6 months and the parts that were crocheted are not as tight as the roots which grew out afterwards. For me it just kinda helped to keep my hair sectioned and the new growth dreaded easily. Ill post pics later so you can see what it might look like in a few months. Also i have kinky or wavy hair not really thick.
OK!! so it's a little later than i said but here i am, sitting here.... dreaded. and to be honest im chuffed with them, i thought i would lose a lot more length than i did heres some pics...
http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae256/spazmataz666/dreads/?action=view¤t=dreads007.jpg http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/...66/dreads/?action=view¤t=dreads005.jpg& http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/...66/dreads/?action=view¤t=dreads006.jpg& K so ive never posted pics before i hope this worked... EDIT: bah, i need lessons. any experts about?
