pics comparing methods wax/;no wax backcomb/neglect other methods etc

post your pics with details of how ya started em, whgat sorta maintanance ya did how long ya had em what products and methods ya used and any other details of your journey ya feel can helpo others decide on what methods to try in theyre journeys.

i'll start




natural dreads 18 years
started em before i ever heard of backcombing or any other methods
some in the back were started just by sticking in beads or doing hair wraps
some stubburn ones near the front were kinda trweased into submission (with fingers only)

a couple in the very front were made on a long road trip when the loose hair was botherin me blowin in my face i just tied a knot in the ensd and did the root flip type thing but not tight, just maybe 5 or 6 flips in 6 or more inches of hair just to hold em in 1 sectiojn then let timne do theyre thing (not recomended methid but if done loosely shouldnt be harmful)
and 1 or 2 were created using i guess the rip and tear method but were done sorta absentmindedly when bored
98% though were just left alone and formed on theyre own..
in the beginning i used just normal bar soap for 1st few months then switched to normal shampoo
after a few years started using conditioners sometimes, even at times a conditioner that you leave in made for horses tails ..
probly was a mistake but proves that your dreads can forgive some semi heavy residue although its not the best

i never palmrolled other then just playin with em with my fingers absentmindedly
i did seperate em semi often but a few congod b4 i got to em
never crocheted or felted or root or tip rubbed never did clockwise or counterclockwise or anty sort of rubbing
in fact besides washing once a week or so hardly spent any time doing anything to em
average time spent workin on em 1 hour a week washing.. 3-5 min a week seperating em

oh i guess should mention they started with 2-4 inches (maybe 6 in back) my hair was very thick and had a mind of its own
i did wear a hat alot the 1st several months..

lately i use either bronners or the deep clense (baking soda)
i do have some frizz and fuzz on each dread, but never cared enough to bother with aloe or anything (especialy not wax..yuck)

i guess that was pretty thourough
ok your turn post your pics and methods and product history

oh 1 other thing worth mentioning
in summer i get very overheated, so dump water over my head alot to cool down, so my dreads are damp to wet much of the time im out in the heat..because theres never been wax though i never had any problems with mold or mildew and they still smell just fine

ok now your turn
(and if your dreads came out nasty and caked with wax dont be ashamed post anyway, the purpose is to learn from eachother)

 

i dont have old pictures, but i took those yesterday. I started mine with backombing and thats the result. I got them for 2 years almost i think. im sorry for the bad quality of the pix

 

I just posted this on knottylocks haha

I wanted dreadlocks since I was about fifteen, but didn't dare to do it, because I thought I had to cut my hair after and didn't know if that would suit me. So I cut my hair short first.. I now wish I wouldn't have done that, because my dreadlocks would be so long if I wouldn't have done that haha.

This is how I started my dreadlocks. I backcombed them with the wrong comb and they were more like ponytails than dreadlocks. I combed everywhere, at home, at school etcetera. It took me about 2 weeks. Half of them fell out after a few days



After a week I asked someone to help me with it, she put some wax in unfortunately, but luckyly only a little bit, and I washed it out after a few days. This was the result:



A few months later I started dying them, I like the pink the most, 8 months old here:



Then they started to grow, the pink came out, and after one year together with my brother:

 

I didn't like the reddish colour and outgrowth so I dyed 'm back to brown, my realy haircolor. And also combed out the blunted tips. This is at 1 year and 11 months at the beach:



They are still growing at the moment, and this are some recent pics at 31 and 32 months:





I like the whole journey the most, seeing them change in time. Getting loops, seeing them getting thicker, seeing congo's form and all that stuff.

 

WorldPeace, your dreads look amazing! Thanks for providing so many pics, I really like the one at 1 year 11 months with you in front of the beach

I have a question - why did you comb out the blunted ends? I've only had dreads for about 7 months, but my tips are still really curly/messy, and i hate it!
Do you have any ideas about how to create tight, blunted tips? I tried the tip rubbing thing but that doesn't seem to work very well.

Did you crochet your ends or did they just come out that way over time? If so, how long does it take?

Sorry for all the questions, hehe

 

Me at just over 2 months looking like a wild man, I believe I was actually smiling.




One of the better bits:



Some of the wankyer bits:

 

And the top / back of my head:




I sectioned / backcombed them which promptly fell out. My hair was very long to begin with and has since lost about 1/4 of its length. It's very matted at the roots and I've had to start ripping the dreads apart at the base.

When I first started I waxed them twice but now I know better and like to think they are completely wax free. Wax was a horrible experience, it takes ages, its sticky as hell and you look like you have rats tails for hair. I also had to keep convincing myself I liked the smell.

I had washed them a total of about 5 times up until last week when I bleached / dyed them which required about 4 washes over 2 days.

 

The blunted tips didn't suit me anymore.. it didn't look nice I thought.. I felted 'm with a felting needle, but it ruined the hairs..

 

bumping cause we got some new waxy dreads i hope post

 

bump

 

this thread just got bumped, bitchesss
okay we need more posters on here man.
eace:

 

hahaha rat tails! thats the best description for waxy dreads ive heard yet lol

 

Mine are almost 8 months natural here. and it's been about 2 years I think since I last cut my hair. All I really do is wash them maybe once a week or so with a mix of baking soda, tea tree oil, and water. works great and makes them feel super clean. oh and I go swimming a lot too(salt and fresh water).

 

Well I first got my hair done back in february of this year, back combing only, with some wax, luckily only a small bit, the wax slowly dispersed and this is them after 3 months ( the day after some maintenance
Unfortunately its quite old and is just showing my hair

Peace of the grove /|\
Alex

 

^^ those dont look too waxy but still can sorta tell
just slightly though
really hope some ppl though who used it regularly post

 

Yeh Im staying away from wax
Come on guys, lets see some really waxy dreads

 

you wanna see some really waxy dreads?
Well, here's a picture of mine the day they were born:

greasy, huh? Okay, maybe it's not that clear in the picture - but it was almost disgusting how greasy they were.

It's been 7 weeks now and I haven't used wax since, here's how they look now:

The wax is almost gone, but I can't seem to get it out entirely. Now it's just gone fuzzy!

 

they look alot better now even fuzzy they will tighten over time and aloe can replace waxd to control fuzz healthily
but even the before pocs dont look 1/2 as bad as some of the waxy messes weve seen here

 

really? I seriously can't imagine more greasy dreads!
I am going to try some salt water and aloe vera, I hear that is pretty effective and healthy as well

 

Yeh try some of that Your dreads look gorgeous.
Anyone know how much salt to lemon juice & water?
/|\ Peace of the grove
Alex