Stopped backcombing n only one time use of Wax.. now what do i do?

Okay so i been taking everyone's comments into consideration.

havent washed my dreads since sunday, havent washed my scalp since tues.
still a little wax in my hair, just a little. i still have rubberbands at the roots, thats only because i was told to keep them in by my friend that did them and she has done many many dreads. Also it keeps them in place very well and i dont look like a mess when i go to work. ( just what i think, but maybe i should take them out i dont know, and what the big deal is if i keep them) .. Im using aloe for the frizz, no more wax.. I backcombed for the first week on my full head and for two weeks for my 7 bottom ones. I talked to another friend from chicago, she said STOP backbombing im going to mess up my dreads and they will end up being so thin and ill end up getting rid of them with in 2 years like her friends did..

I do have really great knots from backcombing, but now im lost...

So now this is whats going on:
No backcombinb
No wax
Less washing
Aloe to keep frizz down
but took only one rubberband out

NOW WHAT HELP

lol i didnt want lectures before, now i need it lol..

 

Nothing. Seriously.

 

Just make sure your hair doesn't eat those bands- or they don't melt and get gross .. I guess. I wouldn't want them for those reasons

...and be patient

 

Yeah the one i took out was already getting icky.. im going to take them out this weekend. N yes i think im just going to do nothing, besides the aloe and palm rolling, and pointers on how to keep the roots kinda tight when i take the rubber bands out?

 

Oh yeah what naedhippie says don't leave them in too long. Contrary to popular belief I actually found bands to be helpful.

 

Okay maybe ill keep them in for just a little bit longer lol, im not ready for my hair to go crazy wild, till i can wear a hat. Its summer but by sept. it will be chilly enough for a nice black rasta hat.. Then my baby dreads can go wild.

 

stop thinking so much, i dont think you understand dreads, leave them alone, all thats required is stopping congos, after that stop worrying and thinking about them, enjoy your hair

 

No more than 3 weeks mind coz they start eating them. Yeah you should stop thinking about them coz then they'll lock up faster. Mohair beenies ftw! (Unless you're vegan).

 

I have to worry just a bit.. Or ill have to get rid of them, if i dont keep them simi neat at work.. So till i can wear a hat, i have been worrying.. When sept. comes and i can wear a hat everyday then, like i said my baby dreads can go wild and i wont be so worried about it..

 

I wear a head wrap - a bandanna or some other light weight head gear on my head quite often in the summer heat, can you wear that stuff to work?

 

When I first came here about a month ago, I was knowledgeable as to everything about dreadlocks, but I still worried like you do. EVERYONE here will tell you 'relax, give them time, and dont mess with them.' And that really is the best advice there is. The key is to stop caring if you look like a mess, and think about how cool your hair will be in a few years if you give it time to do what IT wants to do, now what you want it to do. I loosely backcombed, just enough to section it, no rubber bands, no wax, no palm rolling or tip rubbing, nothing. Just let them be, that is all there is to it. Wash your scalp when it needs it. Thats about it.

*rubber bands....for me, I thought about using them. My dreaded brother told me not to mess with it, more harm done than good, and I put a few in on the first day of two week backcombing experience, and on the second day, those 'hair elastics' had already melted into a big goob on my hair. Gross. Plus, they are just about the tackiest things ever. do you want to look like a tourist on a Caribbean vacation? If you do, put on your socks and flip flops, grab your camera, and rock those rubber bands. Otherwise, take them out.

 

Okay, on the rubberband part..

N yes those beanies are the Shyat

 

Yes i was wearing a head band and when i went out on the weekend too, but then i realized thats what was causing me an itchy scalp, i get pretty sweaty on my daily walks with the dogs. So kinda falling out of options beside keep the bands in for a bit longer and keeping my dreads in a bun.. then i let them down when i get home and sleep.

 

Also, you might need to cut them off, because they've had wax in them

 

LOL ...

 

there is no absolute way to do dreads, so I'll just share with you what I do and offer my reasons.

I wash my scalp every 2 or 3 days, clean hair dreads faster since it can tangle better... oil from your scalp will hinder the process. There's no need to wash too often though. I'd say anywhere from a couple days to a week. I know there are people that go longer, but personally, I could never go for more than a week without washing my hair. Plus, mine is partially dreaded, so the undreaded hair gets oily after a couple of days.

I backcombed initially, but there's no need to keep backcombing continuously, doesn't really do you any good. In fact, you're the first person I've ever heard of that continuously backcombed. Main reason I backcombed was to section the hair and to give it a little of a head start. If you're too rough you can break hairs though, so that's probably why your friend said it'd make your dreads thin if you kept on.

I didn't put any rubber bands at all, for one, they can become tangled in your dreads and you may end up stuck with rubberband bits in your dreads, not to mention, they hinder movement, which is what causes your hair to dread, friction and room for the hair to move and tangle. Also, my hair is bleached white and I didn't want to risk staining my dreads, which rubberbands can do as well.

I don't use wax... I just don't see the point in it at all... Hair tangles fine without it, looks better, and you don't have to worry about trying to get it out latter (which isn't always easy since wax is water resistant.) Aloe works much better for smoothing down frizzies, but I don't even use that, I just accept the fact that frizzies will happen. If you do, be sure to wash it out within a couple of days or it can go bad and start stinking... it is vegetable matter afterall... comes out easily though.

As far as any other advice, I've been wearing a wool beanie to bed at night and it seems like its helped them tighten up some. I'll occasionally palm roll if I get bored while I'm watching tv and maybe clockwise rub, but its pretty rare that I do, its more of a "I like to play with my dreads" thing than a "I need to do this" thing. That's about it.

Pretty much, the only advice I can offer that applies to everyone is...

WAIT.

nothing is going to give you dreads but time.

 

...and some kind of hair or hair substitute

 

oh, and the dread fairy

 

Thank you, im glad u also put how long to keep the aloe in before washing.
very helpful



Time is not problem once i can wear a beanie to work with out sweating like crazy, im all good on the dreads going wild.

 

...and that special dance and chanting the sacred verses iggy: