dreads - 3 weeks old

my dreads are 3 weeks in on this journey and holding together well. i did some reading on another dreadlock website and for anyone wishing to take this journey, i highly recommend reading what they have to say about dreading your hair. after reading the horror stories about using wax, i am even more thankful i didn't have any desire to put the wax in my hair (it just sounded wrong to me from the very beginning to put wax in to get hair to tangle, intuitively it didn't make sense.

after reading this site, i am not going to do any more palm rolling or back combing (did you hear that sigh of relief? that was greg since he was my minion for this task) and i will just pull the dreads apart daily. i'm also going to start sleeping with a wool hat or sweater over them...i may take an old wool sweater and refashion it into a sleeping cap. this is supposed to help them tighten up more.

i put lots of bling in them....mostly beads and some copper wraps that help to separate the dreads and hold some together and help them tighten up.

i did my first actual washing today using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. they held together well and soaked up water like crazy.

dread questions from my readers:

Dreads are cool looking, but I don't get it. Seems like at least as much work, so what's the point?

once they are established they are not any work at all. and for me, who has hair that constantly tangles, dread management is a piece of cake compared to constantly combing, pulling, etc. to get it tangle free. i'd rather rub them in my hands once or twice a day for a few months and then not deal with them any more than to have to spend an hour a day for the rest of my life combing and detangling. :)

for some, it IS more work, especially those who have stick straight, never tangles hair. :) they would have to spend a lot of effort to get them to stay in. and then, i guess the point would be just they like that hairstyle. or spiritual since dreads are rooted to several different religious beliefs...sufis, rastafarians, etc.

some people just go straight for the 'never gonna brush again and see what happens' mindset which can take years and is unpredictable.

I've heard it is difficult to keep them clean - is it? You make it look sooo easy.

actually it is not hard to keep them clean. you have to be careful what type of product you use on them but really, they only need to be washed 1-2 times a week (i doubt i'll even wash them that much because i generally only washed my hair every 7-10 days). i've only washed them once since i started them and that was really only a salt water rinse.

as for products, no conditioner is needed. in fact, conditioner will sometimes make them fall out. most people use the apple cider vinegar/baking soda aka no poo method, dr. bronners or a shampoo bar specifically made for dreads. i'll most likely stick to the no poo that i've used for years off and on mixed with my own bar soap and dr. bronner's which is how i washed my hair before...

i may be biased but i like the smaller dreads and think they look really great when put up in a bun or other up-doo type and have seen lots of people wear them professionally. also wraps are good for covering them up and are lots of fun!

i'm having lots of fun making copper decorations and adding beads...so much more fun than plain hair that always looked like a rat's nest anyway! lol i've gotten greg involved in working on them every night and they are shaping up quickly for me.

So how did you get started; the friend who braided your hair?

actually, the braid step is only necessary if you have stick straight hair...i didn't need to do it but my friend just did it that way and we found out after the fact...

having a friend is VERY helpful though...section off your hair to the size you want your dreads. start at the back/bottom and work your way up and forward. you can either section off everything first and rubber band them to separate or just do one at a time as you go...but then you need a fine toothed comb and some aloe vera gel is helpful too but not necessary....back comb a section and then palm roll it, using the aloe for this step to help hold it together. continue on and on and on until they are all done....for the top, if you want a part down the center then do either side otherwise, have the friend go all the way across the top from one side to the other. if you want to have some bangs or wispies around the face, leave those out...

there are several websites and videos out there such as knottyboy.com and dreadheadhq.com...they all will talk about using wax...i didn't choose to use wax because i've read a lot of bad stuff about it and lots of regrets from using it and since my hair is naturally curly, it didn't need to extra hold together for the beginning.