~~ Dready Mamas 2012?~~ - Page 3

[delicate_sunshine]

Wow!!  I love how this thread has taken off!  I had a friend help me do mine using twist and rip, and they're pretty frizzy but I think I'm just going to let it go for a few months and see what happens... like maybe use this as a jumping off point for going natural.  Can you do that?  Haha, I hope so because I am.  Like pp said I decided to go with this hairstyle because it *seemed* low maintenance, but getting into it it looks like it can be even higher maintenance than normal hair.  I'll probably just separate congos and wash it with baking soda for maintenance.  Maybe spray with salt water occasionally.  Love to you mamas!!

[Chicky2]

After the first 6 months, mine started being ALOT less maintenance.  I don't strive for perfection, though.  At 8 months, all I had to do was separate a few in the wash, and that's it.

[koru]

Chicky2, they look awesome! I'm so looking forward to the low maintenance phase, too! I can only imagine how lovely it will be in 6 months when I'm not worrying about them locking up properly. My dread wives did me good, though. These babies are tight! The one & only dread that seems a bit loose is one that I started. I was feeling left out and just needed to try it after all my reading & researching. Haha! I can't imagine doing them ALL myself. Kudos to those of you who start your own. My arms were tired after about 5 minutes of backcombing ONE dread. I actually did about 3....but the one is pretty lose. 

[koru]

Ok, one more question. My scalp is SO itchy! What to do, what to do? Spray my scalp with a diluted tea tree oil solution? Scratch with a pick? I've been doing the latter but it's worse than ever tonight. Argh!! I'm hoping to not wash until Sunday....working my way to once a week....but maybe I just need to wash? 

[dinan6]

koru, I used tea tree oil and lavendar oil in water as a spray to hit those itchy spots. It took my scalp a while to adjust to having the dreadies. :)

Also my dreads would loosen up and then start tightening up. I remember thinking some of them were going to come out but they stayed put. Also my ends cam loose but I just let them be some of them sucked up into the dread, some stayed loose but it all worked out in the end. I love your length. In the beginning I washed every 3 days. Now almost 2 years in I'm washing every 4 days. HTH.

[delicate_sunshine]

Is there a reason to wash so often with dreads?  I was only washing once a week before I had dreads because I had switched to baking soda/apple cider vinegar a long time ago and my hair just adjusted to that.  Should I start washing more now?

[Chicky2]

I think you should wash when you think you need it.  Everyone's hair and scalp are different. I wash about once a week.  My skin is dry, though, and I simply don't need to wash more often.

For itching....ugh.  I hated that part!  It will happen off and on for awhile.  Mine did it again last week.  I didn't ever do anything special.  You could try the tea tree oil, or you could take a nice glob of aloe and rub it right into your scalp.  It WILL get better.  Be patient and scratch, lol.

oh, and someone upthread asked about ends....Some of mine I never did anything to.  Some of them I used a child's beading needle (plastic).  I would open up the eye of the needle more and put the wispy end of my dread thru it.  Then I would pull the end up into the middle of my dread.  If the end came out the side, I would do what is suggested for the roots in that video I posted.  Worked great!  I think I even wrapped some ends w/embroidery floss after I pulled it up into the dread, just to secure it for awhile.

My arms ached like crazy when I dreaded my hair!  I was very determined, though.  Took me 2 days to complete them.  I think I started w/about 43.  I need to count them now.  I'm curious....

[yippiehippie]

I feel like mine were easier the first few months, then got harder! When they were newer there were no loops and looked nicer, then they starting looping and that, combined w/frizz made me need to roll them and put them back more! Also, they were shrinking which made them so much thicker and so looked messier. So I'm still kinda at an awkward stage b/c I really have so many loops and haven't wrapped any. I'm gonna spend some time with them, crocheting hairs back in, rolling all of them, crocheting my ends in. Then hopefully they'll look good. I haven't left my hair down in public for months, I always have it covered or back so I really need to do something! It's hard not to neglect them;)

As for washing, I rarely do...not good for any type of hair. When I do I normally just spray ACV on, leave for a bit and rinse. I haven't even used BS for months. No smell, I don't wash DS's hair either unless need be...we're just not big soap fans around here and, no, we don't smell!

Koru - I wouldn't worry about them coming out so much, if they're itchy that's prob b/c they're so tight, right? Just keep palm rolling, if you want to wash them I highly doubt it would cause them to come out. Better, though, just rinse them, I do that every shower.

chicky - thanks for the pics, great dreadies!

[canadianhippie]

Hey beautiful mamas!

Im wondering if you have decided to put locks in your children's hair, or known other mama's that have?

Thanks so much

[koru]

Yippiehippie, not what I wanted to hear. Haha! This past week I've spent more time fiddling with my hair than I had the previous few months & have been looking forward to less maintenance. What are loops? When the hair knots up does it literally get loopy? Some of my dreads have little loops because of the twisting & then backcombing but it doesn't really bother me. I love that they're all so different. A few dreads in the back underneath are pretty thick because they didn't twist at all. I didn't want them all to be so big & puffy but I love that I have a few chunky ones hiding in this nest. 

Today I did something I read NOT to do but couldn't resist. Many of my dreads were loosening near the scalp so I backcombed a bit more. I'm not sure why you're not supposed to do that but it just made sense. It didn't seem to harm anything & they look better & more knotty albeit frizzy. I think they were so loose because of the oils on my head from not washing. I was washing my hair every 3-4 days before dreads so after 5-6 days my scalp was pretty sebaceous. I spent almost an hour washing, palm rolling, fixing a few with backcombing & then taming the frizz with aloe & more palm rolling. Again, so much more than I've ever done with my hair! I love it, though.

Canadianhippie, I've been joking with my kids about who'll be the first to request dreads. So far, they're steering clear. Ha! But here are some adorable photos of kiddie dreads....

http://www.knottyboy.com/gallery/?g=3

[MonstersMomma]

I love all the great info in this thread.  I think I might just start adding them slowly myself.  Thanks for the input! :)

[mamareba]

Supercute website with the baby dreads! thanks koru! 

I just wanted to add that I went for um, maybe 3 years with CRAZY looking hair! the natural process was a LONG one... but I loved it!

I do attribute doing it natural style to my ability to keep my dreads for 10 years... and with no end in sight! 

word of warning... I have heard that backcombing at the scalp can cause problems... like detachment ... anyone else had experiences with this or heard of it? I've never backcombed... just something I've heard.... 

Let's see some more pics! 

Here's a pic of mine... maybe year 2? 

[MamaInTheDesert]

I love everybody's dreads. I've been wanting my own for years, but haven't had the resources to get them done ($$ or knowledgeable friends). I had an epiphany the other day though that the girls in my social group now would probably be down for a dread party. My birthday is in May, and then we all go on a big camping trip in August either one of those would be an awesome time to have some help putting them in. So dreads coming sometime this summer!

[koru]

MamaInTheDesert, knowledgable friends are not necessary. Seriously! For mine, I did all the research, forwarded a few youtube videos on backcombing, and let 'em at it. One thing we all learned in the process is if you backcomb without twisting, the dreads are wider & shorter. If you slightly twist while doing it, they'll widen to about twice the size but not much more.  Also, it takes quite a while for the initial knot to form by the scalp. Be persistent! Once it starts knotting (which you'll feel), the twist & backcomb runs smoothly down the hair.  I hope that makes sense!

Mamareba, I've read that about backcombing, too, but I can only believe that there are more factors than a technique alone that lead to detachment. Type of hair, amount of backcombing, nutrition, etc. I know a guy who started his dreads with backcombing & he's going strong after 4 years! I can only hope my story will be the same. 

[MamaInTheDesert]

Originally Posted by koru 

MamaInTheDesert, knowledgable friends are not necessary. Seriously! For mine, I did all the research, forwarded a few youtube videos on backcombing, and let 'em at it. One thing we all learned in the process is if you backcomb without twisting, the dreads are wider & shorter. If you slightly twist while doing it, they'll widen to about twice the size but not much more.  Also, it takes quite a while for the initial knot to form by the scalp. Be persistent! Once it starts knotting (which you'll feel), the twist & backcomb runs smoothly down the hair.  I hope that makes sense!

Yeah, until the last couple of years, I've been mostly hanging with dudes and chicks that don't "do" hair. But I've been acquaintances with this larger circle of friends. Now the tides have shifted and I'm cool with a lot more of the females, and a different cross-section of them. I remember last year at the big camping trip that a lot of them were sitting around doing fancy braids in each other's hair. Before, I didn't even know someone I could trust to section my hair. These mamas could definitely get em done, and would probably have a good time at it. I think I'll talk to a few of them and see about getting 3/4/5 of em together for my birthday, rather than at the annual camp out. It would be sooner, AND it would be a great get-together for "my day."

I also wanted to tell you, koru, that in particular your pics and story of your dreads were really inspirational. I'm hoping my dreads turn out half as cute as yours.

[koru]

Oh my goodness....my dreads are a mess today! These early days are going to test my self-discipline, that's for sure. I feel like my dreads have disappeared & have been replaced with a ball of frizz. I'm oh so tempted to primp today & use a little wax to tame them. I've tried aloe but what I have is not 100% straight from the plant but rather a 99% aloe with some other gunk so I'm not so sure about it. Does anyone use aloe from a bottle? And what brand? Only 2 days ago I said the frizz didn't bother me. Oh, the difference a day makes.

MamaInTheDesert, thanks for reading about my journey. I can only hope my blog post will help someone else realize it's not that difficult & will take the plunge. Well, backcombing is not hard. Doing it au naturale takes must more patience!

[dinan6]

Koru it's not the initial backcombing that I think is so bad. It's the continuation of the backcombing when they loosen up that may cause weak roots and breakage. I backcombed some and twist and ripped some. On those really fuzzy days I just wore a head band eventually they are not so crazy but that first year is a lot of craziness. It's funny because now mine tame down a lot and then on the wash day they get all fuzzy and I love those day now. Someone once told me I would miss the craziness of the first year and they were right. I do miss that constant change the dreads go through. I love the natural method look. I myself did not have the patience to do it but had that bit of craziness even with the method I used and now I miss it.

[canadianhippie]

Originally Posted by koru 

Canadianhippie, I've been joking with my kids about who'll be the first to request dreads. So far, they're steering clear. Ha! But here are some adorable photos of kiddie dreads....

http://www.knottyboy.com/gallery/?g=3

lol that's too bad

Ive seen those pics, they are precious

I posted here about his hair, but no responses yet! Thought maybe some of you dready mama's would have some good advice. Im worried he's too young for it

[koru]

Ah yes, I understood that about the backcombing. I've definitely read different things about it....do it once & hide your comb, backcomb & palm roll after each washing (until knotted), etc, etc. All things in moderation, I guess. :) My dreads are not quite 2 weeks old & I've already backcombed a few because they were significantly loosening, starting at the root. I'll have to read some more on this, though, because I definitely don't want to lose any of my hair!

I hope to get that "love the fuzz" phase. Haha! I wear bandanas or head wraps whenever I go out because they still look so wild when they're hanging down. I like it....but I don't want to shock anyone too much in these early days. Once I'm confident all my circles have seen my medusa head, I'll probably wear them free more often.

Dinan6, love your profile pic! 

[yippiehippie]

I've never backcombed, so can't comment on that. I read twist and rip was the best/safest besides neglect for initial dreads so that's what I did and it worked very well (though I have course, curlyish hair, so anything wouldve' worked OK I'm sure;)

I will say that crocheting works very well for maintenance. It makes an amazing difference when you're feeling like you can't leave them down!

Koru - you asked about the loops. Yes, the drive me MAD, most dreadies love them b/c it means they're locking well and it develops uniqueness. I hate them though b/c I have SOOO many! I'll probably end up wrapping them, but it's just one more thing to do. I can't wait until I don't have to worry about them and can leave them down, I always heard this was around a year, but no such luck for me:( I'm thinking, though, if I would have paid more attention to them in this first year I'd have an easier job now!

Don't want to scare anyone, I still love them and promise a pic soon!