Dreadlocks! :)

octopusike

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My wife and I decided to start our dreadlocks. We are not going for those nasty dirty dreads. We use a residue free shampoo, a scalp moisturizing spray and for that crazy itch that happens once in a blue moon scalpotin. The residue free shampoo takes out residue. When I started using it it actually took out the residue from the last shampoo I used. My hair was really really clean before and now it's almost surgically clean. I thought dreads would be easy, but they are more work then I ever imagined. I use a small amount of dreadwax> which absolutely washes out. I also use a crochet needle meant for dreads. I'm going to keep em for a year and see how it turns out. My wife's are about 3 weeks old. We started mine the week before Christmas and due to last minute shopping and work we were able to finish the rest on Christmas. Here's a link. Please only good comments. People with bad comments can save them for yourself as I will just delete them anyway. Its just hair and just for fun.
 
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My daughter started her dreads about 10 months ago. She did it the right way. She has thin white girl hair and the initial dreading took ten hours and tons of painful backcombing. She uses all the pro stuff and the wax really helps keep the bumps down. Wide beads also help. She is ultra careful about keeping them clean and in good shape. Here's a recent picture. I call her Medusa in this pic.

Good luck with yours. Looking forward to your updates.
 

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I can no longer grow my hair on my head. It falls out faster than it grows in the middle of the top but I did grow(well started) dreads twice. Once while in high school and they stunk. I did it the real way. It lasyed about ten months until my job told me to get rid of them or I was gone and then I tried again just after 9/11and that lasted until I recalled to active duty. I went the natural way but if I had it to do over, I'd go your route.
 
Awesome, thank you for sharing your daughter journey. I did not mention we backcombed as well. I slept about 90% of it. I can relate to the pain. The crochet needle closer to the scalp is just about one of the most painful things I have felt. A guy at my work has said it's alot worse then the pain of his tattoos. Thanks for the pic as well. Looking pretty good as shows her patience to get where she is. The whole patience thing is going to be the learning curve for me. I'm good with patiencefor a few weeks at a time. Months... Time will tell. We get alot of silly names. Medusa has come up a few times. Ha ha ha. For hoalejohn - sorry about that whole job thing. My employer is fine with all hair for the most part so I lucked out. Hopefully you have worked up the ranks or moved on to another employer. I'm pretty good at following the rules but always trying to push boundaries. Thank you for your service to help our freedoms. I figured it's a good time to start going them before I get to old. Not sure if I'm set to go bald myself. I really like the fact that with this route I can shower anytime I want. Off to work I go. Happy new years all!!!!!!!!
 
Nice, I hear the ocean water and sun help make for the best dreads. I have a lock accelerator that has seasalt, but I have some sort of intallerance to salt water. I can only be in the ocean for a few minutes. If I'm in the water to long my face swells up like Mike Tyson himself beat me up. The accelerator on my hair was like acid on my head. So random. Thanks for the compliment. Hopefully they end up real nice.
 
I'm mixed race and after the Glastonbury festival my friends bet me to grow some, I did so and ten years later they were halfway down my back. I washed my hair on a regular basis, but one hot summer I decided they had to go as they acted like hot blankets.
Some were about an inch thick and when I looked at them in cross section they looked really manky all dead skin and dandruff.
By their very nature they weave crap up from your scalp into the centre, so no amount of washing can get to them.
My next comment is not meant to be racist in ANY way, but I just think they look weird on white folk, just my opion. I did used to get lots of attention from Granny's asking me if they were real and how did I make them.
When I cut them of, we sewed them onto a red gold and green woolly hat and my sun wore them to the town carnival and ended up in the papers, with his new found fame he took them to school and sold lots of them for pocket money. Anyway good luck with them, the hardest part is keeping them separated at the beginning until they get longer.
 
With a website like dreadheadhq and that shampoo it's possible to get almost all scalp exfoliation and dirt out. Most shampoo has residue witch draws in good and bad things. The dreadheadhq soap bring oils dirt and exfoliation out. Sort of like if you get a bowl of water and shake pepper into it. The place one dot of dish soap on your finger and touch the center of the water. It's shoots the pepper to the sides. Add that to a hair pick in the shower with shampoo to get the roots and help exfoliat it's not really an issue.
I live in Utah and there's not aw hole lot culture so I like to help beat the misconceptions. Anyone's hair would naturally dread if unkept. I've seen several people that are plain bad looking with dreads. Some natural dread outright freak the hell out of me. But I've also seen some dread that look awesome. Just depends on the person. If worse comes to worse ill give them a buzz. My hair grown so fast and right i into a fro. My only shot at somewhat straight hair. I've banded up the roots after the backcomb then the tips so I'm just dealing with some minor looose hair that we will dread ball back in. Thanks for the luck and crossing my fingers.
 
One thing my daughter learned as her dreads locked was she wished she had used rubber bands closer to her hair color. As the dreads lock, they tend to latch to the rubber bands and pieces of the rubber bands were absorbed into the hair leaving black specks. They have since all been removed, but if she had used lighter bands they wouldn't have shown.

She has to look somewhat conservative at her job, so she has acquired many different tams and hats. She also ordered clip on brunette bangs. She's wearing them in this picture with a dark hat. Her dreads are currently pink.
 

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I've head of Rubberband horror stories. Mine are shiny and are on loose so I just bring them back to the roots at the end of the day. Hope they all come out for her. Luckily my jobs alright with all hair types. Still prefer to place them in a tam for now. Her hat and hair idea is really really cool. I'd have never known. You'll have to ask what type of dye she uses as my cousin is looking for a dye that works well in dreads for me if you wouldn't mind.
 
What is the attraction of dreadlocks????? I kind of get it with some kinds of unruly hair or for religious purposes but as a general hair style I don't understand the attraction. Whats up?
 
I asked my daughter what she does for color and this is what she texted back. In the last year she has had her dreads green, blue, neon pink and currently salmon.


I use "blondor" at the roots. Always need to bleach b4 dying a wacky color. Darker the hair to start the stronger developer needed. To strip fun-colors out i run bleach/shampoo blend thru, letting it sit for a while.
I've been using Paul mitchells inkworks. I also have used special effects and manic panic.
 
What is the attraction of dreadlocks????? I kind of get it with some kinds of unruly hair or for religious purposes but as a general hair style I don't understand the attraction. Whats up?

Just like any hair style people like different looks. Once dreads are established, they are a rather simple hairdo to have. The work is in the first year. After that they can be maintained with minimal care and kept clean and sanitary. You can style them in different ways, worn up in a bun or down. My daughter can lasso all of her dreads with one by winding it around the rest and tucking in the end.

I'm not real fond of the look, and when she first propossed getting them I envisioned matted globs of hair with mysterious microscopic creatures crawling thru them. Living in southern California I have seen many surfers do it the au-natural way resulting in me wanting to escort them to a barber and a bath for a good scrubbing. But I hoped my daughter would take a cue from Whoopee Goldburg and have decent looking ones that were kept clean and bug free.....and she has.
 
Some time off at work and I'll finally have the chance to make a new update dread video finally! Probably have one up in the next week or two.
 
Far out, and props to you guys for grooving to your own style.

I considered dreds at one point, but I think I prefer my hair the way it is. I've had it beach-style long since I was about 7, and after a brief period of trying to look "professional" I'm back there again. Feels mo bettah to me this way. It may not be corporate, but it's me.

Dred On!
 
Hiya guys...I always thought dreads were so cool, until I got older and something changed in me. But still, I have no qualms about what others do as long as nobody gets hurt! Anyway, I was watching 'Rocky Leon' vids on the tube and not only does he have a head of hair, but he's a great uke playa as well. Go take a look see! One of the ones I really like is on the ferry ride and he is being taped by a french girl he met...He really gets going at the end, he can really jamm out!
 
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