After waiting patiently for my hair to grow out, I finally did it! My sister backcombed them for 8 hours yesterday so I could get a jumpstart and now it is a waiting game. These are a bit thicker than I wanted but I anticipate that they will fall apart and loosen up before they work themselves out again, correct? I am hoping, I can somehow split some of these up without redoing them. Any advice? I have really thick straight hair and a ton of it....
lookin good! theyll tighten and shrink down, theyre still puffy from backcombing. you can rip them apart, which would be easier to do now while theyre fresh and new, or you could wait a while and see how you like them. my backcombed dreads are just over 3 and a half years and they shrunk down so much that im now joining a lot together in congos to get fatty dreads
I have really thick straight hair too. When they're back combed they end up with a lot of space between the hairs. Assuming you didn't use wax, there should be some squishyness to them. As they get older that squishyness will go away a little because there will be less air space. People often refer to new backcombed dreads as having a sideshow-bob look about them, but they'll settle. Everything will tighten up and they'll get skinnier - dreadlock ageing is like regular human ageing... only backwards.
I actually just took a shower and (used Dr. Bronners on my scalp, let it rinse off down dreads) they have settled down a lot. I palmrolled them to help maintain shape. They are certainly still locked and none fell apart, so far so good. I did not use any wax at all. I honestly do not care for the blunt tips that are on typical dreads, is it possible to have dreads with wispy ends? Just curious.
Of course it is possible for wispy ended dreads.... maybe doing some research into the different methods of attaining locked hair will help your knowledge. There are a heap of threads on here with people using different methods too.
Sorry, I am very new to this. I have been reading some. I have two kids that keep me busy and sometimes I don't have time to sit down and research every aspect but I will make it a point to scour the forum a little better when I do have down time.
I think you're off to a great start and should let them go! They look like they will be whispy anyways. Whispy is more natural. Most people get whispy ends if they don't blunt the tips.
a lot of mine are still wispy-ended, but others have blunted themselves. or flip at a weird angle and look like a claw. also, a lot of people dont really see the benefit of palm rolling. your dreads will flatten and curve and get rounder and get squished and all sorts. all part of the fun
I have some information on blunt and whispy tips here: http://lazydreads.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/loose-hair-roots-and-tips.html Whispy ends are usually the easiest to attain because they tend to go that way by themselves.
That blog is incredibly helpful! Thank you! It has now been just a few days and I still love them! My kids are having fun placing beads on them so that makes it a fun bonding time. I have the urge to wash my hair so I think I will tomorrow morning before work. I think I will try the BS wash this time. I work with kids and I had a ton of questions today and a few compliments. You have to love the honesty from kids! A few of the adults were a bit taken back but that was to be expected living in such a conservative town.....
i dont think BS washes should be done early. in my experience they make my hair soft and silky, and dreads are more likely to fall out. this may not happen to you, but it does with me!
i have short hair, but i have been braiding one lock of hair for 2 years now, and half of the braid have turned into dread. i never thought of having dreads, i was very happy with my one, long braid, but now i changed my mind. so, i'm not sure what to do next, should i undo the rest of my braid and then back combed it, or what?
Glad it helped. I'm constantly adding bits to it and new posts so remember to check back later! If there's anything that you can't find an answer to feel free to leave a comment and I can point you in the right direction, or write up a new article for you.
