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?

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[Ravie]

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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Ravie]

outch....

 

[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.

 

[mkirby]

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

 

[Cardboard]

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.

 

[Gary]

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

 

[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

 

[mkirby]

doing the dreads today!

 

[wartomods]

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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[seke]

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.