one month of dreads

wow! it's been 4 weeks already and i am loving not having to brush/comb my hair! my only maintenance is pulling them apart occasionally, usually while i'm watching a movie in the evening or reading blogs. these pictures are a little messier than usual because i'm just waking up and haven't had time to separate them. they are also due to be washed.

there are a bunch of crazy, kinky curly dreads going on right now...i think they are partly because the back combing is relaxing and partly because of my naturally curly hair. the dreads are also flat and i find myself rolling them in my palm occasionally to fluff them.

i've washed my hair once using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. i added some rosemary essential oil to the vinegar rinse. they soaked up the water and it was hard to dry them out initially but because the ends are not blunt, the water started dripping out from them. i've read that natural tips are good for getting the water out while blunt ends hold it in more. it was a nice day outside, breezy and warm so i spent a good deal of time out there and they dried fairly once i did go out.

i took out the dreads closest to my face and divided the one on each side in to 2 dreads, adding in a good portion of my bangs that were driving me nuts. i like them better now that there is just a few strands on each side.

and for those who say you have to cut off your dreads to get rid of them, here's a photo of a woman i found via another blog who combed out her dreads after having them for 10 years! i'm curious to know if she has straight hair or curly though...it looks straight in the bangs area that was not originally dreaded. i imagine straight hair is easier to comb out than curly hair. doesn't matter though because i hope to keep these babies for many decades to come....although i can be wishy washy so we'll see!