# DIY dreadlocks



## mkirby

I've been considering them for awhile...I love how long hair looks, but it's always bugged the living shit out of me so I've cut it off. It's grown to about the shoulders now and is really irritating because it tangles so easily . Are there any good reasons why I shouldn't go with dreads? If not, anybody have good methods for getting them going at home?


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## spud

put all ur hair in a wool hat for about 5-10 days till strands start to make their own seperate groupings then take each one and tease it and just rub it around a lot of people use bees wax to help them stick together but ive found that spit works for me then you take the seperated groups and with each one and put them between the index finger and middle finger of each hand and go in circles back and forth one hand on top of the other this should help them "lock" needless to say dont brush it or wash it for a while and if u do wash it use lava soap or something like that will dry it out but deffinetly bar soap im currently slowly working on some myself and all this has worked best for me


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## enocifer

I've been on the road for several years with dreads, and never gotten bugs. It's a myth that you can't wash your hair, but I'll admit I don't shower that often anyways. Goin' on 3 weeks now. Basically, you just fuck with your hair to get it to dread. it's a hell fo a lot more convenient than regular hair, you never have to worry about brushing your hair, and it's way low maintenance. Go for it. Here's some history on dreads: Everyone thinks the Rastas strted it, but the Sufi holy men dressed in patchwork robes, had dreads, and wandeed from town to town begging. Suifism was a spiritual tradition derived from Islam originally, though it claims to be non-religious, just spiritual. Identification with God & all that. The Hindu holy men of thousands of years ago also had dreads and dressed in rags. They predated Rastafarianism by quite a bit.


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## finn

Well, lice are basically impossible to get out of dreads, but you can still save them after you cut them off and sew them back in after boiling them (you can use wool dye to color it, since you're already boiling it, right?). Also, sometimes dreads can get a bit out of control and prevent you from massaging your scalp or can pull too much on individual strands, both of these things may require you to cut them off, else bald spots can appear... Those are the main issues of dreads that I know of.


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## Ravie

ive never had any problems with dreads. they're fun and you can put shit in em. you just seperate them as you feel comfortable, one by one fuck that shit up. its like jacking off your hair. if it doesnt naturally take, you can use dread wax or bee's wax. check out youtube for visual help on the actual dreading process if you need it. remeber to dread the roots first and make sure your part is comfortable because theres no chaning it after you start.


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## katiehabits

DON'T USE WAX!!!! if you use wax it draws the dirt & moisture into the center of your dreads & that causes them to stink, mold, & get heavier thus causing them to pull on your scalp, break off or just make your head real heavy. salt water helps keep dreads nice. so swim in the ocean motherfuckers!


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## Ravie

eh, just a suggestion. i never used wax or anything on my dreads.


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## mkirby

I've heard good things and bad things about dread wax. I think it probably depends on your type of hair and how often you wash it, that kind of thing.


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## tothewind

Everytime I've had them, I've found wax to actually make mine separate more than it did hold them together. Other friends of mine, however, have had much better luck with wax. I find that just washing the everloving shit out of your hair at first so its like straw is the best way to start. Then just rubbing and rubbing and rubbing with a wool cap on, makes a nice huge matted mess, and then you can just pull em into groups and tighten em up a bit. Wrapping the tips in floss helps keep them from splitting back too.


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## Ravie

outch....


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## Cardboard

Don't use wax, or any product really.
You will want to strip your hair, I generally use a mixture of water, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Maybe 1:10 on the vinegar to water ratio, and a little bit of salt and lemon.
soak your head in this, then wash your hair out with straight water (you might have to do this a few times).
When your done your hair will be dry and frizzy, kind of like you just bleached it (without any difference in color).
Separate it into the size dreads you want, they will be about half again as big around as just the hair that you separate, so keep that in mind.
Then, take the individual sections, twist them one way, pinch them at the tip, and slide your fingers back towards your head. over and over and over....
You can also use a dread comb (I usually just use cheapo flea combs from pet stores) to back comb them, start at about 1 inch from your head, so the base is really firm and tight.
After they are in, a really small crochet hook can be pushed in and out of them over and over to tighten them up, and draw in the lose hairs.
Don't use shampoo or soap in your hair for about 6 weeks after this, the oils will stick to your hair, making it harder for strands to stick together.
I have always done my own dreads this way, and have given them to a lot of people. I have tried a lot of different ways, and found that this is the most effective (maybe not the easiest) method.
or, if you want to be traditional about it, just don't do anything to your hair at all. Dreads came into play with people who believed that letting go of all material desires would bring enlightenment, this included hygiene.
good luck, remember, dreads are permanent, and if you ever want different hair your going to be bald first.


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## mkirby

That is sad...but Arrow, I love your stories. You really should write a book. I'd buy it.


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## Cardboard

ArrowInOre said:


> Ha ha ha I beg to differ on that permanent thing, if they are short enough or fresh enough they can very easily be combed out. Ok ok, so half way through you can get the urge to CHOP them off, but they can be undone........sometimes...


Yeah, totally, for about the first 6-8 weeks you can comb them out, but expect to lose about half of your hair in the process.


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## Gary

Cardboard said:


> Don't use wax, or any product really.
> You will want to strip your hair, I generally use a mixture of water, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Maybe 1:10 on the vinegar to water ratio, and a little bit of salt and lemon.
> soak your head in this, then wash your hair out with straight water (you might have to do this a few times).
> When your done your hair will be dry and frizzy, kind of like you just bleached it (without any difference in color).
> Separate it into the size dreads you want, they will be about half again as big around as just the hair that you separate, so keep that in mind.
> Then, take the individual sections, twist them one way, pinch them at the tip, and slide your fingers back towards your head. over and over and over....
> You can also use a dread comb (I usually just use cheapo flea combs from pet stores) to back comb them, start at about 1 inch from your head, so the base is really firm and tight.
> After they are in, a really small crochet hook can be pushed in and out of them over and over to tighten them up, and draw in the lose hairs.
> Don't use shampoo or soap in your hair for about 6 weeks after this, the oils will stick to your hair, making it harder for strands to stick together.
> I have always done my own dreads this way, and have given them to a lot of people. I have tried a lot of different ways, and found that this is the most effective (maybe not the easiest) method.
> or, if you want to be traditional about it, just don't do anything to your hair at all. Dreads came into play with people who believed that letting go of all material desires would bring enlightenment, this included hygiene.
> good luck, remember, dreads are permanent, and if you ever want different hair your going to be bald first.



youve got the idea


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## Beer Mortal

Im happy my my hair naturally dreads.
I dont have curly hair but for some reason my hair dreads up nicely when I leave it untamed and backcomb it.
Recently ive started growing a rat tail, i wanna make it real long and bead the end after it dreads, any suggestions? tips on rat tails?


Funny story, back when i had tiny dreads my dreads practically engulfed the wooden beads I put in them
Hungry dreads lol


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## mkirby

doing the dreads today!


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## wartomods

my is either short ( least maintnenece hands down, you dont comb it, it drys quick), or a jewfro


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## wartomods

use this kind of soap to wash the hair, it will dry it and make it less "oily", you dont want to leave soap residue in the hair, you just wash it completely.


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## mkirby

So th e dreads went okay, had a mishap with pretroleum based wax but I scrubbed it all out and now I'm going to use knotty boy. Silly me. I should've learned by now that given the choice between something petroleum based and something hemp based you always pick the hemp.


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## seke

Cardboard said:


> Don't use wax, or any product really.
> You will want to strip your hair, I generally use a mixture of water, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Maybe 1:10 on the vinegar to water ratio, and a little bit of salt and lemon.
> soak your head in this, then wash your hair out with straight water (you might have to do this a few times).
> When your done your hair will be dry and frizzy, kind of like you just bleached it (without any difference in color).
> Separate it into the size dreads you want, they will be about half again as big around as just the hair that you separate, so keep that in mind.
> Then, take the individual sections, twist them one way, pinch them at the tip, and slide your fingers back towards your head. over and over and over....
> You can also use a dread comb (I usually just use cheapo flea combs from pet stores) to back comb them, start at about 1 inch from your head, so the base is really firm and tight.
> After they are in, a really small crochet hook can be pushed in and out of them over and over to tighten them up, and draw in the lose hairs.
> Don't use shampoo or soap in your hair for about 6 weeks after this, the oils will stick to your hair, making it harder for strands to stick together.
> I have always done my own dreads this way, and have given them to a lot of people. I have tried a lot of different ways, and found that this is the most effective (maybe not the easiest) method.
> or, if you want to be traditional about it, just don't do anything to your hair at all. Dreads came into play with people who believed that letting go of all material desires would bring enlightenment, this included hygiene.
> good luck, remember, dreads are permanent, and if you ever want different hair your going to be bald first.




Soak the hair in a mixture of water and conditioner for about 3 hours. Then try to comb it out. If it doesn't work, repeat. If it STILL doesn't work. The you are right and you will have to chop them off.


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## Sage

wartomods said:


> use this kind of soap to wash the hair, it will dry it and make it less "oily", you dont want to leave soap residue in the hair, you just wash it completely.



What kind of soap is that?


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## Sage

Like those hemp/wheat,etc ones?


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## RnJ

I had a friend put in three dreads a few days ago. Two were done at the top of my head, kinda where the hair splits. I took those out because they just looked so awkward, sitting like turds off the top of my head, on top of the rest of my hair. I kept the one that is right in the middle, in the back, tucked underneath my other hair. I think it looks a lot better.

Anyway, aparently I have very straight and thin hair, making it hard to dread. We used a bit of some beeswax-based footbutter to help it stick. The dreads were very soft after we made them. I understand I'll have to leave them for two weeks, and twist and backcomb them some more. It's been 2 days of such, and it hasn't seemed to get much better. Is this normal? She's not a pro, so I'm not confident it's gonna form as it should.


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## RnJ

So I took that one out too, and redid it myself in the back right corner of my head. It's a little tighter than the first fiew and am gonna soak it in salt and lemon juice tonight...maybe even put in another one once my hair dries.

Everybody keeps mentioning wool hats. Is a cotton toque/beanie fine?


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## Smallredbox

I used this site back when I was doing my old set, it showed me the way:
knottylocks.tk


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## angelenesdreams

i've been a dreadhead for almost 2 years now (plus i mod a dreadlock forum) and i can tell you:

1. NEVER use wax. it collects dirts which sticks to it, and yes, moisture can become trapped inside and grow mold. you do not need to buy any products to create dreads. they are free. you can do the wool hat thing, or just leave your head alone and in time mats will form. rip them apart to form sections, and keep them ripped to avoid growing a giant "beaver tail". beautiful dreads don't happen overnight...it takes time. =)

2. you can wash when you want to, no need to wait for _x_ weeks. i myself only wash them once a week, perhaps every 10 days. you can use ordinary dish soap, such as Dawn, watered down. no need to buy any special shampoos. 

3. dread aren't always permanent and you don't have to shave them off. some are able to comb them out with conditioner as stated above, and if not, you can cut all but 5 inches off and easily comb the rest out. no need for baldness. 

4. you don't have to shave to remove lice.

many ppl have taken something that's totally free and made it into a big business with useless products. on the internet, you are made to think you have to wax and use special shampoos in order to have dreads when in fact that shit can ruin them. don't be one of the suckers. it's a hairstyle as old as the human race. =(


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## Mr. Expendable

ArrowInOre said:


> Let me tell you a short short story about my last set of dreads (It's very sad, so for fans of dreads, you may want to cover your eyes.)


... Arow... that's a horrible story... I have a rat tail thats more than a foot long and i've had it for a very long time so just thinking about that scares me... but I'm not content with the end of your story is spray paint what the other guy used and wouldn't all his hair fall off too and those are probably answers you couldn't answer but it did make for a great(but sad) story.... 

and as to whom posted this all I can say about dreads is my rat tail took forever ad was a bitch to dread... I originally had it braided and just left it alone for a long while... then as it began to grow out the top dreaded eventually i decided to dread the rest and became horribly frustrated... tried every way but my hair was just too stubborn... eventually i just tied it off and waited for it to dread it's which ,with a lot of patients, turned out beautifully...

P.S. this is off topic but recently i decided to cut off all my hair which can be seen in my avatar thing and found out I was completely infested... I had a whole colony of ticks and lice... it was weird because i never noticed them till all my hair was on the ground swarmed with those fuckers.... someone freaked out when they say them and I just laughed... I mean they didn't bug my and I didn't notice them so they must have been some smart little squatters


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## angelenesdreams

some hair-types seem more stubborn to dread then others. like i said, i mod a dreadlock forum, so i hear all kinds of stories and learn so much. it seems thick & silky hair-types take much longer to dread then thin and frizzy/curly hair-types, which tend to dread up much more quickly. but you are right...in the end, you have to have patience. =)


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## RnJ

I have fairly thin hair, and it's very straight. I've put in a total of 6 or 7 dreads, only 2 of which are still in, because they typically just fall apart. And even those are kinda frizzy on the outside. I'm pretty close to giving up with putting any more in. I just feel like I'm having to try to hard. Or I'll just wait til I meet someone who knows what they're doing and won't charge a hundred bucks. Actually, if I don't dread it, I'm thinking of just cutting my hair and looking "respectable" again. I'm getting slightly bored with my shag.


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## JonnyDrainpipe

Dunk your head in salt water then when it's almost dry rub in some fine campfire ash, it's good for fine, straight hair that doesn't "frizz" easily.


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## MiztressWinter

I have actually been giving this some serious thought. I have very VERY long black straight hair. It's about 2 inches from the start of my ass crack now. I'm leaving thursday to hit the road indefinately. And I'm wondering, how in the world am I going to keep up with my freaking hair on the road? My hair gets oily easily after a couple days of not washing it. It also matts up really easily. I know that on the road I would end up having to keep my hair in a permanent bun because it would get dirty oily and nasty and the only way to keep the tangles out will be to brush it all out and forever keep it in a bun. Which makes me feel like..what is the purpose of having all this damn long hair to have to tie it up in a bun ALL the freaking time. I've been concidering dreads because once they were in it would be so much easier for me. And I could leave my hair down all the time =) I've sported synth dreads many times and liked the look, so why not real ones? And honestly I like the fuzzy unkempt look of real ones better than the perfect look of synth ones. 

i'm wondering how long they would be due to the extremely long length of my hair? I'm also just torn on how to start them. I'd thought about the wool cap thing, but my biggest fear is ending up with HUGE massive matts that I couldn't get to rip apart right, and instead of having nice seperated and formed dreads, I would have big massive clumps in my head, which I personally don't want. I don't expect them to be perfect like fake ones (all the same exact size etc) but i just dont want super HUGE ones or really oddly parted ones. I'd personally be happy with lots of smaller ones, that were nicely seperated. 

Any advice? I'm clueless. Also, I have bangs. Obviously I'll be keeping those. Betty Paige with dreads? yep it's possible!


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## wildboy860

the grease / oil will neutralize in your hair after about a week of not washing it. the wool hat method is prolly more preferable for people with shorter hair. your gona want your hair sectioned of by combing it into equal squares then backcombed, ripped and twisted. then backcombed again.


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## MiztressWinter

Alrighty that sounds good. Yeah I've got a LOT of fucking hair! This is gonna be a JOB! I need to find me some hippies in New Mexico to help me


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## carnytrash

Here's a link with all sorts of useful info, tutorials and photos.


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## angelenesdreams

whatever you do, please please please don't use wax in your hair. some ppl swear by wax, some ppl have had their 'locks destroyed by it. 

washing dreadlocks everyday isn't practical because the more they mature, the longer they take to dry, and if they remain damp in the centers for days and days on end, they could mold. my locks are 2.5 years old and about as thick as fingers and they take allll day to dry, so being out in the sun is very healthy for them.

what you could do now is start training your scalp to stop producing so much sebum (the oil) by spacing your days out until you can easily go a full week or two without your scalp becoming oily. yeah, the first two weeks are always hell, but it DOES remedy itself. some ppl swear off soap/shampoo forever, only water rinsing (and swimming helps too) and they claim their hair has never been so healthy in their whole lives. now i'm rambling, but read this thread, lol.

you could backcomb/twist and rip as suggested, but if your hair tangles so easily on it's own, why not consider the patience method? just stop brushing and allow your dreads to form on their own according to the natural lay of your hair, but keep them ripped apart from one another so they don't form one solid dreadlock.

dreadlocktruth has many tutorials and links to videos that you might find useful. =)


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## RnJ

I'm wax free, and even with the palm-rolling, my 5 half-decent dreads I've got so far are a little frizzy and not very tight at all. And yet, I prefer this to the feeling of waxy hair. I wash my hair on average about once ever 4 or 5 days, more often when I'm working full days in the sun and very sweaty. I rinse my hair with about 2 tsp of baking soda in a container, which i fill with about 2 cups of water in the shower. This leaves my hair tangly when wet, but not tangly when dry. Unless you put it in a hat, in which case it tangles up nicely reader for dreading. I'd imagine if you didn't have as straight of hair as me, that it would probably help the natural dreading process. I still need to back-comb, because the only part that naturally tangles for me, enough to start locking, is the back of my head, and not in a way in which I can pull my hair apart to form dreads.

I've never experience problems washing my hair on a regular basis with baking soda, even from the start. It's probably the added stuff to shampoos that is not good for dreads. If you want to do the baking soda wash method, and DO want to keep your hair smooth and a little more "conditioned," I've heard that you can rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar, but I've never tried that. Just make sure to rinse the soda our first, because, well, baking soda and vinegars kinda react...and I have no clue what that may do to your hair.


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## angelenesdreams

sure, you can mix baking soda and ACV, and even throw in a few drops of tea tree oil and lemon juice, if you like...rinse well! =)

some ppl like using a salt-water spritz as a locking accelerator. it lightly coats hair and the tack causes friction, and in theory, allows hair to dread faster. i dunno if this really works or not, though. i personally hate the salt on my scalp because it's so drying, so i have used aloe _juice_ (not aloe gel) instead. spray lightly and allow to dry, and it won't irritate your scalp, or so they say. =)

i love dreadlocks.


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## ShadyShaw

Guys/Gals dont put any of that crap in you hair!!!! none of it! do what myself and my friends do, 6 egg whites in a bowl and some honey (just feel it and guess when the honey is thick enough to hold in place. apply it 2 your head( i dont suggest doing this alone because it gets messy) then twist and keep twisting and twist some more.then let it chill for a week. and hop in the shower. iv done this too my hair plenty of times, i have hair straighter than any1 i know... its so straight all the highschool girls are jealous and wanna know where i get my striaghtner, i use that stuff and it turns my head into a work of nappy art, that i can only get rid of by buzzing my head.. 

1) 6 egg whites ~ honestly dont know if thats right, but it is how i did it!
2) Honey ~ i used organic honey not sure if it made a differnce or not.
3) mix apply to head
4) immediatly start twisting your hair
5) when you head turns as hard as a rock in a week , hop in the shower and Boom theres your dreads~ if it dont look right you didnt twist enough


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## BrittanyTheBananarchist

when u are going to dread it before doing so u should take some baking soda add sum water to it make sure its not too pasty. just enough to let it run thru ur hair . put in on ur hair let it sit for about 5 to 7 mins and it will take all the build up products out of ur hair. this will make it so ur head is lighter when u get dreads.


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## Shark

okay well since everyone else is sharing there dread stories mine aswell share mine. Just tried dreads last week, I got some crazy curly black hair that'd be perfect for dreads. Its about 4 inches from my ass crack as of now. Havn't had a haircut in 4 or 5 years by now. Wanted something new and I wanted to get dreads. I had my bro section everything out and we went and bought some dread "butter" and backcombed and palm rolled the shit out of 19 of about 26 dreads. It took over 8 hours to just to get 19 out of 26 sections. I didn't like how they were coming out. The ones on top got really thick and didn't look right and I was already missing my old hair so I was just gonna get it shaved but with alot of conditioner and untangler they brushed right out. I'll try again but I'll do it naturally next time. But hey, if you don't like them after your done you might be able to save your hair like I did. I still kinda wish I would have just kept going. Oh well.


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## BrittanyTheBananarchist

hey so i was wondering if i should start dreading them after i straigten my hair. i have really curly hair and i would think the dreads wouldnt look as good if i dreaded it when its curly but another thought is that if i start dreading them when its straigt once im done and once i eventually get my hair wet will it tighten on my scalp if it trys to curl up? just a thought but i am not sure. been thinkin abt tht for a while now . any thoughts?


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## Shark

wash your hair first with no shampoo or conditioner. just rinse it all out really good then just take a blow dryer and dry your hair completely through. you have to get your hair as dry as possible. after its all dry take a brush and get it was FRIZZY as possible. then just section out and back comb. straight hair isn't very good for locking up dreads but its possible.






watch these, they help me out for the most part.


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## roadohio

i'm working on dreads at the moment, i have naturally curly hair and i havent combed it or anything in 9 months or so, it's on its way to dreading itself! looks pretty good, although not dreadlike yet. more like a mixture of fro and long jerrycurls.


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## 614 crust

mine is about halfway there. give it another month or two and they should be looking decent


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## eachandeveryhighway

Sleep under bridges for a while.


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## Spinelli

I read that if you wrap yer dreads up soak them in Isopropyl alcohol and leave it to sit for ten minutes that will kill lice. Also crochet hooks can tighten up yer dreads check it out on youtube.


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## leggo_chinowski

My favorite dreads came from going to a GWAR show and then I didn't wash all the blood,pus, ect out of my hair, cause it was like a momento and I had had such a fun time. Then I noticed that my hair was bonding into dreads... and so i pulled them apart, and had crazy shit-locks of all different sizes and thickness,ect. one of them stood straight out from my head like a coolio thingie, and it wouldn't lay down, and I had this one kid who always followed me around telling me i jad the coolest looking dreads he'd ever seen....(of course my hair was long at the time of the show, and is naturally oily and curly so that helps....)


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## thisisme

www.dreadlockssite.com
seriously the guy who runs this site has dreads down to his feet. he knows whats up. i suggest you check it out


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## thisisme

BrittanyTheBananarchist said:


> hey so i was wondering if i should start dreading them after i straigten my hair. i have really curly hair and i would think the dreads wouldnt look as good if i dreaded it when its curly but another thought is that if i start dreading them when its straigt once im done and once i eventually get my hair wet will it tighten on my scalp if it trys to curl up? just a thought but i am not sure. been thinkin abt tht for a while now . any thoughts?


oh one more thing, curly hair dreads way easier than straight hair. if you already have curly hair it wouldnt make any sense to straighten it before trying to dread it. i would suggest letting your hair naturally lock. thats just me though. itll be the strongest and healthiest if you just let it do it naturally as opposed to say backcombing or crocheting which makes the hair weak and brittle.


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## BrittanyTheBananarchist

well i did dread my hair and i think it did it quite well. either way if i would have straightened it or not one it would have gotten wet it would have curled on its own. i mostly just let them lock up i just seperated them so that i would have consistant dread sizes. other than that just put a small amount of beez wax onem and let them do their thing. the results were just as i wanted them to be.


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## katbastard

never use wax!!!!!!!
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/
like thisisme said dude knows what he is talking about


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## carnytrash

katbastard said:


> never use wax!!!!!!!
> http://www.dreadlockssite.com/
> like thisisme said dude knows what he is talking about


 
Totally agree with this, and in case it hasn't already been posted, here's a link to a LJ community all about dreads:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=get_up_dread_up


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## DaisyDoom

I'm trying a new(I think so anyway) technique with dreading. What my husband calls "Breads". Take a section of hair and split in 3 smaller sections. Backcomb each of the 3 sections and braid it then backcomb it all together but just a bit. I've had this set of dreads for about 3-4 months and so far they are dreading quite nicely...which is hard for my hair because its so fine and straight. You can't really tell that they were braids and i was able to keep most of my length.


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## crazy john

you gotta get a comb with strong ass teeth that are close together ( a metal one would work good if you can find it) and you section off your hair into squares between 1 and 2 inches. then, starting by ur roots, begin to comb your hair down towards your head in really small strokes and work your way up the section. once you have done this, you can take it a step further and get a crochet needle or somthing similar and poke the fuck out of the dread. then rubber band the base, the tip and wherever else on the dread you want and after a few weeks you should be able to take the bands out if you want and the dreads should be pretty well locked up and ready to roll


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## Nym

ive had multiple sets of dreads....
i just dont brush them out or use conditioner.....
let your hair go crazy and then twist whats seperating...
works for me.


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