Dready Mamas - End 2008 - Page 2

[Blucactus]

DH is becoming a dreadin' pro!!

Working on the dreads as I type this...This thread has become a journal of sorts to me too since I'm not recording the process anywhere else at the mo. Last night I took apart two of the three huge mats at the top of my head (probably 6-7 dreads worth between the two, plus probably 5 out of the big one on the other side I haven't tackled yet) and DH sectioned them and rolled one, and is working on the rest now. They are coming along really quick at this point bc my hair is like velcro where it was naturally matted and ripped apart. At this point it sticks to itself like velcro, it's pretty funny. And DH is getting better and better at backcombing and rolling them & tucking the little ends in as he rolls them.

Oh, and ow.

[Melly24]

So I'm working myself up to start on my dreads and set a date to do them, but have a few questions about what to expect. Hope some of you can answer them for me please.

I get dandruff now that i've never been able to get rid of. Have incredubly dry skin all over so suspect it may just be dry skin on scalp too. Is this likely to worsen with dreads? Is there something I can put on scalp to help?

I have very thick wavy hair. I was thinking of dreading bottom half one day and then next half day after as it will no doubt take ages. Is this feasible or will undreaded hair matt into existing dreads overnight and make it harder to do?

[turnipmama]

I am by no means an expert so don't take my word on this but I do have a theory....since you wash your dreads less than normal hair, I would think that your scalp would be less dry since you aren't constantly stripping the oils, however I can imagine dnadruff stuck in dreads would not be fun. Maybe someone with more experience can weigh in on this?

[Blucactus]

Originally Posted by Melly24

So I'm working myself up to start on my dreads and set a date to do them, but have a few questions about what to expect. Hope some of you can answer them for me please.I get dandruff now that i've never been able to get rid of. Have incredubly dry skin all over so suspect it may just be dry skin on scalp too. Is this likely to worsen with dreads? Is there something I can put on scalp to help?I have very thick wavy hair. I was thinking of dreading bottom half one day and then next half day after as it will no doubt take ages. Is this feasible or will undreaded hair matt into existing dreads overnight and make it harder to do?

Shouldn't be a problem over night. My hair took weeks & months of neglect for everything to mat together.

[pookahjade]

Well I made it 9 days before I just had to wash my hair. I went and found a natural residue free soap, washed, rinsed forever to make sure it was all out, and spent about 1.5 hours blowdrying. time consumong but worth it. my dreads are nice and soft, none of them came undone and no more itchies. yay i love my dreads.
:

[Nemesis]

So much dread love here!

I just finished washing and I am fluffy and 80s looking! Overall, I think my hair is dreading up okay. The roots are all matted and weird right now, but I think I need to have an hour or two with DH so he can help me roll them after I wash. I try to do that by myself, but I can only really do the front and top.

I will maybe post a picture soon. I am loving my hair.

[MoonStarFalling]

I found a new hazard of having dreads. No less than four times in one night I woke up with my cat's claws stuck in the dreads on the back of my head. Very annoying.

DH put like 10 dreads in the back. Actually I ended up doing the back combing because for some reason he can't figure it out. He counted and said I have 32 in all now. I still have lots of hair on the underside that is not really long enough to dread. I like having mixed hair anyway so I'm not sure I will worry about it.

I have several loops that I have a love hate relationship with. I took a crochet hook to them one day but they popped right back!

[bemommy]

With much hesitation my mother has agreed to help me backcomb and roll next week. SO I'm hoping for some dreadies by this time next week :

[sammysmammy]

Great to see the dready mamas alive and well on Mothering This tribe helps me sooo much,I really miss it when everyone's quiet!
My dreads are about a month and 1/2 right now...I started with simple neglect and waited til they started forming/matting together on their own then I started ripping those apart and forming more with twist and rip method.I find that they are tighter and better "formed" for my hair than with backcombing and ultimately with less shrinkage than backcombing also.We'll see
I have a few questions,now that I'm in this journey a bit farther:


I have ALOT of loopies and pretty crazy looking bumps and nooks and crannies goin on(I did read this seems more prevalent with twist and rip yet is it ever avoidable?!!)....what do you do for those whacko loops or do you just leave them alone?

I am still washing my hair fairly often,I tend to have oily hair so I actually feel like my hair will lock up better if I wash frequently rather than not,because of my "normally oily" hair type. I am only using a wee bit of shampoo(if any)and I use either Burts Bees pomegranate shampoo or Burt's rosemary mint bar shampoo.Bronner's always seems like it leaves major residue even after I rinse 75 times! Do you think at any point this wil have a negative effect on my locking process,or do you just wash based on your hair type?

I have a really hard time doing anything with the back of hair,so alot of it is not formed,just messy frizzy matted How do you all form your dreads in the back of your head?

When I rip any apart it seems almost immediate that the hair closeby is trying to "marry" the freshly ripped portions...the velcro analogy someone used is very accurate! I don't see how ppl are able to have nice, even,spaced or symetric dreads due to this factor.I don't really want them to be symmetric,but the constant love affair between the dreads is kinda funny.Will there ever come a point that I'm not having to constantly rip them apart from each other?

Thanks for all your wisdom,oh dreadie queens:

[majikfaerie]

oh wow. i never noticed there was a new thread. gotta remember to post a link to the old thread for those who only check subscriptions

some boards on mdc allow photos, some dont. i think it might be a new feature they're trialling. there's a little icon on the post box that looks like a picture of mountains, use that.

oh, and my dreads did grow in spurts.

sorry i ddn't read past the first few posts.

[turnipmama]

I am also doing neglect/twist and rip and I have tons of crazy loops and stuff. I am leaving them alone, I think after a few months they should settle into the dreads. Hey, it gives em' character right?

As far as washing I have actually been pretty happy with DreadheadHQ dread soap (just do NOT use their wax or anything) once a week or so. Your hair may be oily now, but it will adjust to less frequent washing if you give it a little time. But your right, clean dreads do better than dirty ones.

The back of my head is pretty messy. I am doing this on my own so my dreads are in no way uniform but I like them that way. I do hope the back of my head forms a little better with time, we'll see. And yes, my dreads have a constant love affair with each other!:

[OrganicSister]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Welcome, Sarah!!!

I waited about 10 days. I have heard anything from 4-5 days to two weeks. Pretty much, as long as you can stand it!

OrganicSister suggested making a spray from apple cider, water and rosemary oil and that has helped a lot with my scalp being itchy.

Glad that helped!!

I waited 2 weeks with my first wash. Tried to go longer but I couldn't put it off.

I've been pretty neglectful of my dreads lately. Haven't even checked them out to see how that's going. Just too much going on to pay much attention. I did switch back to Dr B's *bar soap* and it does so much better than the liquid or no poo for me.

[Nemesis]

I am feeling great using baking soda and vinegar for washing. I have about 2tsp baking soda in a squirt bottle with water, then rinse with 10:1 acv/water and rosemary oil.

I have been washing about every 4 or 5 days, my head is really itchy right now.

[bemommy]

Well they are in. I'll get some pictures up soon.

[Blucactus]

I really need to get some pics up... It is finally 'noticable' without a doubt that I have dreads. I have been wearing them in a ponytail with a headband, or sticking out under a bandana (the front/top is still messy & some of it undreaded and some if if self-dreaded and the sections are messymessy). All the family and friends I've seen this week have noticed & acknowledged that they noticed, it's been a funny week dread-wise. Guess I am 'out'!

[majikfaerie]

LOL bluecactus. it's a bit hard to be in the closet with dreads!

[Nemesis]

I've been pretty frustrated this week with my dreads. It seems like my hair is really knotted/thick near my scalp, but not dreading really. Just a big mess. DH is helping me to separate, roll, etc... in the evenings. The last four inches or so of my hair is just normal, straight.

And my head is super itchy all the time and I have awful dandruff. *sigh*

[Blucactus]

Originally Posted by majikfaerie

LOL bluecactus. it's a bit hard to be in the closet with dreads!

LOL indeed. True. But I had pulled it off this far, because a bandana and a messy bun was pretty typical for me anyway, and there were enough not-formed that you couldn't really tell, and the ends are still rather hair-ish and curly. In fact, it was funny, because I've been letting them develop since early July and hiding them (not really, but basically. I was getting used to them and confident with them myself before I had to fend off naysayers and I also wanted to make sure they were 'working' and I was going to keep them) and all of a sudden, I have a head full of dreads and everyone's like, WAIT, when did you get THOSE?
Haha.

[Blucactus]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

I've been pretty frustrated this week with my dreads. It seems like my hair is really knotted/thick near my scalp, but not dreading really. Just a big mess. DH is helping me to separate, roll, etc... in the evenings. The last four inches or so of my hair is just normal, straight.

And my head is super itchy all the time and I have awful dandruff. *sigh*

I have dandruff too. I'm not sure what to do about it.

The ends of my hair is trying to stay normal hair too, in spite of our attempts to form it otherwise. DH rolled them all on the weekend and they looked AWESOME, but now the ends are coming out and being curly again (which may even look funnier than your hair coming out straight at the ends! ) and all of them are having some major fuzzies going on. We are at the point where they CAN look pretty good (if rolled) & I feel ok/good about wearing them out and about. I will make sure we roll them the morning of or day before picture-heavy events like my son's upcoming birthday, thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

[Blucactus]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

I've been pretty frustrated this week with my dreads. It seems like my hair is really knotted/thick near my scalp, but not dreading really. Just a big mess. DH is helping me to separate, roll, etc... in the evenings. The last four inches or so of my hair is just normal, straight.

And my head is super itchy all the time and I have awful dandruff. *sigh*

My DH is helping me separate and roll, as in I sit in front of the computer and he does it all. He has just put so much time into them that he is way better than me. Plus, it's hard to reach my own hair and get just the right angle for rolling.