A newb and his baby dreads - day 1!

I've been wanting to lock my hair up for years, but I've only really considered it this past year...and then I decided to finally go through with it last night...thanks mostly in part to all the wonderful information here I've found lurking the past few weeks.

I've always had incredibly unmanageable, frizzy, thick, coarse, wavy hair...and I've almost always had it long, to me it just made sense to go ahead and lock it up...dreads are so beautiful and compliment my way of life SO well...I could not be happier.

Here are some pictures of before, and after, - and hopefully as time goes on a timeline so you guys can see how my progress goes. : )

My plan is 75% backcombing until the 25% neglecting can take effect, and so far I'm very pleased.

Chronological order





and the finished product...



I'm literally running out the door as I post this, but I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the community with you groovy lot.

I go by Morgan, I'm sure it'll be nice to meet all of you.

 

I think you're cute, both with and without dreads
welcome to the forum!

 

Nice start, now wait a while and let them mature and don't get discouraged if they loosen up.

You said you've been lurking for a few weeks, did you read the faq? (this isn't an accusation) I'm just curious if you did and if you found it easily or not. I'm assuming you did because you haven't asked any dumb questions (yet)

 

Awww they look lovely

 

Very nice. Though, I'm curious about what you means by "75% backcomb, 25% neglect"...

Does that mean you are only backcombing 75% of your hair, and leaving a quarter of it in its natural state?

I hope this doesn't mean you will only continue backcombing 75% and leave 25% alone. Never re-backcomb, if this is what you're thinking.

I know it's arguing semantics here, but most here will say you can't call backcombed hair "the neglect method"; you can say you neglected it after backcombing.

 

I read the FAQ probably a dozen times lol, and shamefully skimmed most of the threads up to page 15 or so.

I still have some lingering questions though;
I essentially live on the beach, and I'm aware that swimming in the ocean kind of helps the entire process - so my question is this; is it too early to go jump in the ocean? If I am able to, what sort of steps should I take after I get out - I'm assuming towel dry and then some palmrolling.

and secondly - about the hairwashing, as it is I probably wash my hair once every 5 days...it doesn't really get greasy, can I continue like this and just sub in baking soda or that one Dr. something shampoo? I also vaguely recall someone saying to mix it 12:1 water:shampoo - is that accurate?

and the method...with the 75/25, I was just kicking the process off with the backcombing and then the neglecting.

One small issue, so to speak, I have a dread or two that are worryingly loose about 1.5" total off of my scalp....should I leave it and just let it lock w/ normal neglect or mess with it?


Thank you for the warm welcome, it's truly appreciated. : )

 

yes, swimming in the ocean does help, and it's not early to do it now just dry them gently with a towel (to keep the sections, dreads will come undone anyways) or better yet let them airdry.

you can wash your hair as often as you like to. If you go with the baking soda mix it watter (you can use a bottle and then pour it over your head), I haven't tried Dr. Bronners and when I use shampoo I notice my dreads a little too loose and puffy after so maybe it's better on more mature dreads.

leave it alone, half or more of your dreads will come undone anyways, you will notice some progress around 5-6 months

 

it's not too early to do anything. i'd certainly rinse your hair. i just wouldnt want old ocean hair. and make sure you get it dry.

you can wash as often as you want with whatever works for you. i prefer bronners diluted 12:1.

1.5" of unlocked roots is normal and good. you don't want them uncomfortably tight and they need to be able to move and lock up.

 

Little update!

After my beach adventure, 4/5 of my dreads came undone from how beautiful they looked and I'm unsure as to what, if anything, I should do about it. I'm not distressed by it whatsoever, I would just like to gather some opinions from you guys as to what I should do next.

At this point do I just palm-roll, or back comb what I can again?


Andddd, I just got out of the shower from my first home-made deep cleanse...well, I mean the ACV / baking soda / herb mix is still in my hair and I've yet to rinse it out, but it feels freaking wonderful.

 

Just leave it it'll go back together. And don't backcomb it, that's like re-starting it over again

 

Methinks You Should Take Your Own Advice....

Just A Thought....



Cheers Glen.

 

If you had read, my posts, you will find out why. I was not happy with my sets. Which is why I am going natural. I am sick of explaining.

 

Go to the beach again, go swimming. I don't know where you are, but if you're somewhere warm, there's nothing better for dreads than sitting in the sun / sea air and letting them dry. I don't see any need either to wash them out immediately afterwards as long unless the water's really scummy (in which case you probably don't want to be swimming in it in the first place). I really miss not being able to go to the beach, you're lucky.

They will get loose, it's normal, unless you constantly manipulate them, which in the long run may not be a good idea. Look up some people's timelines here that have backcomed / twist+rip (amicalish, luxie, smellyd are a few that I can think of right now that have good timelines) it should give you an idea what to expect.

You might want to think again about using ACV when they're young, it can be conditioning which won't help.

 

http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=351050&f=209 may have some ideas (plugplugplugplug)

 

I live in Florida, so the beach is pretty much accessible daily...thankfully.


I kind of got addicted to the habit of palmrolling, at this point will it hurt my progress? Should I stop it completely?

It's kind of turned into a habit now, like chewing your fingernails or something...I just do it absentmindedly.

Are there any tricks or methods that I should be using to speed the process along?


Thanks again, you guys and ladies are absolutely wonderful.

 

Get A Pure Wool Pullover *sweater* And Slip It Over Your Pillow....

Rumour Has It As You Toss And Turn In Your Sleep, **and during lovemaking*

It Helps Accelerate The Locking Process.

I Have Used One Now For 2 Years, And Use It For One Week, Then Turn It

Inside Out for The Second Week, Then Wash It....

Good Luck On Your Journey, For The First 2 Years Your Hair Will Be Different Every Day....

Sit Back And Enjoy The Ride....



Cheers Glen.

 

you do know that falling apart and becoming loose is part of the process, right?
do nothing next, cept wash.

 

you look good with and without!

 

and a minor update!

I've been partying way too much this past week and haven't really had the time to post, but I'm happy to say that progress is being made. : )

From what I can tell there's probably about 18 little baby dreads starting to take root, and I'm absolutely ecstatic.

WTF CAN I DO ABOUT THE DANDRUFFFFF?!

I already had a minor dandruff issue, and it's gotten a little worse...not enough to drive me insane, but who likes dandruff lol? Anyone have some tips or advice?

Thanks again you lovely lot.

 

You look stoned.

I think they'll suit you well.

About dandruff I'd suggest finding your washing pattern and sticking to it, be it never using soap, using it daily, never doing dedicated washing but always being in the ocean, etc.... just don't throw your scalp a curve and it SHOULD settle out, at least for me.

Also...... stop touching your hair