Okay, before I am flamed, let me explain to you that all of those folks here that can go neglect, all natural, and let your hair do whatever it wants, I have a deep respect for you. I however am not in a situation to be able to do that, I have to be semi-presentable at work. (Dreads are tolerable, just not a complete nest of random.) I am here looking for tips and advice from the pros -meaning you- because some of the other forums I've looked at aren't as helpful or knowledgable. My hairstyle is some sort of mohawk growout. It's plenty long (6-8 inches and longer in places) to do a full head of dreads, HOWEVER I want the the majority of my hair to be a bit longer before I go full dreads. I want to be able to pull the majority of the dreads into a ponytail or a wrap. (Right now I've started a few near the front of my head, near my face, in front of my ear (some almost up to next to my temples), they hang below my 'normal' hair.) I'm doing these as a 'trial', I want to know what I'm getting myself into. I'm pretty positive that dreads are what I want, I also want to keep up on these for a while so I know what to do once I'm ready to go full dreadhead so the entire process goes smoothly. I'm using the twist and rip method. I'll probably add a few more here and there as I go. (They're already addicting, haha.) I just had a few questions for anyone out there who has ever attempted partial dreads. My hair isn't as thick as it used to be, but it's not thin either. It's completely straight and it's been a pain knotting up the smaller dreads. And in no time at all I have 2-4 inch loose ends (ends, not roots). I understand that this is completely normal and I should just let them do their own thing, however because there's constantly normal, straight non-dreaded hair rubbing up against them they seem to just fall apart really easily. I put them in almost a week ago, and they aren't really looking any different. (The little thicker one, however, is starting to look more like a dread and it frays at the end a little less.) If I'm bored and notice the little dreads are falling apart I'll re-knot them at the ends. I've read that this is a good thing, and I've read that this is a bad thing. I guess I'm not really sure what to believe. Also, could they be -too small- to knot properly, or at least make it more difficult? I'm interested in hearing what everyone has to say on this one. And before I get the question 'have you washed your hair', well yes. But I pinned the non-dreaded hair up, used the tiniest bit of shampoo (no conditioner) on just that spot, and flipped my hair over the rinse doing my best to keep the little baby forming dreads out of the mess. Then I lightly 'palm rolled' with a towel to help them dry and keep their shape. Any tips, advice, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!
ive noticed that with my hair, thicker/fatter dreads (either backcombed or twist n rip) stay in longer. thinner dreads fall out quite quick in my hair! so maybe try and make the thinner ones fatter? the ends will generally undo quite a lot - mine did, not all of the way, but a good few inches, and then after a few months they sorted themselves out and knotted up if you want instant dreads, low mess, less birds nest, you may want to think about getting them crochet'ed (a fkin retarded option in my view, but i have seen it done and if you want instant no mess dreads, its a good way to go)
Wait, you can have a mohawk, a mohawk of dreads, but not uncombed hair. Some job. Also, your hair is too short to expect the ends to lock up. Hell, they may never knot up unless you force them with a crochet hook. You could try dreadballing (rubbing the tips in the palm of your hand). But, my guess is that they won't last.
Smelly D - Thanks so much for the reassurance and feedback! I appreciate it. I'm okay with having a little bit of 'bad hair day' while they're first forming, especially since the few I have are easy to hide right now. I just don't want then to completely fall out. I'd rather continue twist and rip than go with the crochet hook. I've read it can be very very damaging to your hair. Vigilante - If you had as much time to fully read my post as you did to type up an angry kind of bitchy response, you would see my hair is AT LEAST 6-8 inches long and LONGER in other places (which I've read here 6 inches is good depending on hair type) I had my mohawk almost a year and a half ago and worked a different job then. What I was trying to say is that my hair is uneven and I want to let it grow longer before I go all dread. So if you're going to continue douchebaggery then leave and I'll read feedback from someone less miserable.
Oh no worries, I'm not angry one bit. I always believed what respect we deserve is what we put out there. I'm here to learn from knowledgable people, and carry out civil conversation. I have better things to spend my energy on than tolerate someone's crabby-'tude. Basically if the posting's too long to read, you shouldn't respond.
and twist and rip isnt damaging?! clues in the name haha continued twist n rip or backcombing will be helluva damaging in the future, only do it once and yeah, the knots WILL fall out, but theyll knot themselves back up!
I've had partial dreads (and full). The partials were fun for a bit but a real pain long term because the rest of my hair was constantly trying to join in. Also,the dreads shrunk a lot shorter then the rest of my hair, I'm talking little nubbins compared to waist-length hair, so after awhile, I thought it looked weird. However, I believe my hair shrinks more than average when it comes to dreads, not everyone's hair shrinks as much.
Smelly D - Thanks. I suppose it would be if I continued doing it. So now I'm just not going to touch them. I picked up some baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Hopefully eliminating shampoo altogether will not only make my head healthier but help my hair be not-coated-in-crap and dreads form more easily. I've been wanting to go more 'natural' now for a while anyways. You're awesome btw. You can help the nooblets without being a dick. People like you are the reason I came here. MeowKat - Oh wow, that is quite a lot of shrinkage. If you don't mind me asking is your hair thick/thin, curly/straight? How long did it take for them to shrink so much?
yeah, people have become quite twattish on here recently. hence me going somewhere else, and only dropping in here occasionally i didnt/dont like using baking soda on my hair - it softens it and tends to get rid of knots. i think thats just me though =/ and yes, yes i am awesome
Smelly D - I understand completely. That's why I even said something first-thing in my post. I've read a lot of the stuff on here. And I've seen some really stupid comments. Like 'wow, do you feel better now that you've told off a random person on the internet for no real good reason'? No matter how idiotic some people might be, if they're here seeking help for their dreads, the people on the forums should want to educate them. They are, however, going to be walking around representing the 'dreadhead' community, right? Might as well make sure they know what they're doing so they don't make all dreadheads look like filthy little monkeys. Not to mention I personally believe that all human beings deserve what they put out there. Be a dick be treated like one. Be kind, get the same in return etc etc. Is it really so hard to play nice these days? So you don't use baking soda. I used it yesterday and yes, it did make my hair very very soft. I'll probably ween myself into a schedule where I'm only washing my hair twice a week. I usually go every other day (before attempting these little baby dreads) so it shouldn't be too much of a leap for me. What do you use to wash your hair with?
i wash one-two times a week, maybe three in the summer when ive been working on my allotment, but my dreads are just over 3 years old, so can cope with a lot of washing. (my upper arms however cant) i tried going water only, but i still smelled funky (sweaty ) ive tried, have used, and sometimes still do (once every 3-4 months or so) the acv and baking soda concoction - i dont notice much difference tbh. but i havent done one in a while so i may have forgotten how it feels the shampoo i use is generic, cheap shit, chemical laden, £1 a bottle, coconut scented gloop.. this is what im using atm.. http://www.boots.com/en/Alberto-Balsam-Coconut-Lychee-Shampoo-400ml_1222114/ .. but i also use their raspberry scented one too, cause its divine. i have been known to use bubble bath or lemon shower gel before. desperate times, desperate measures and all that eta - ingredients: aqua, sls, sodium chloride, lots of things i cant pronounce, lots of latin names for plant extracts, lots of benzos and polythings, ooh heres a good one, methylchloroisothiazolinone! so yeah. LOTS of chemicals.
You sure told me. My post wasn't bitchy or angry. I just found it funny that your boss allowed "partial mohawks", and not young knots. Sorry you didn't like my answer about your hair length. But, I stand by it. It'll take a while because your hair is straight and short. Oh and fuck off.
My hair is fine, but there's a lot of it, and wavy (not curly, but curls easily). The top layer of my hair shrunk very quickly... over a matter of months.... but that doesn't count the YEARS of seemingly non-growth because they just got more and more compact. My hair shrunk from over 2 feet to about 6 inches. Fun times.
