Creating "Test" Dreads

[MirandaJoy]

Hello Folks,

I don't have my dreads yet. My hair is super short... like... pixie short pretty much. I'm working on growing it out right now. So my hair at the front (my fringe) is the longest at about 6 or 8 inches. Right now I shave my hair at both temples and all my hair is swept over to the right. I intend to grow my hair out, form my dreads, maintain my sidecuts and keep my hair swept over, if it continues to cooperate. 

Anyway, I'm wanting to start a few test dreads on the right side of my head, under my loose hair. For a couples reasons. First, I want to feel what it's like to have a few dreads before I commit to a head full of them. I'm an all or nothing sort of person, so if I'm going to do this, I intend to do it for the long haul. I want to be 100% certain it's what I want. Secondly, I know I don't want a bunch of short dreads sticking straight up on my head, so until my hair is long enough that they would be able to lay down more, I'm not going to do them all over. Lastly... and most embarrassingly... I am still a little worried about what some of my friends and family are going to think. It's just so different from anything I've ever done before and I don't actually know anyone that has dreads. I want to start some "secret" dreads, just to prove to myself that It's a good idea before the whole world knows. 

Do any of you guys have pointers for starting short dreads? Partial dreads? Test dreads? Secret dreads? 

Thanks guys, I have felt very welcome on here so far.

Miranda Joy

P.S. I tried adding a couple photos of my hair currently, but for some reason they were really small and turned on the side, I could not find a way to edit that. So any help there would be great.

[Deleted]

Hey there!

Um...yes, I have these...partial dreads, hehe "secret dreads" (well, secret at one point Um...I'm sure you could learn a lot from the rest.

tbh, I'm the only one that I know of, here with partials...i wish there were more of us. Oh, also, I'm the one that doesn't have photos so...sorry I can't be a visual model for you.

Funny, not wanting them sticking up all over your head...um, I think (especially with short hair) it's gonna do that a bit for awhile. I actually had long hair, but the bumps would stick out from underneath (in the beginning...like week two or so with my method, and lasted about a week or so...)

um...hmm pointers? let me think...

oh haha first thing I learned...#1) it's gonna be a looooong time keeping this secret. I mean, dreads can take months or even a year to fully form. If you're cool with this, then that's step one. I must add though, that I think the partials will be easier to hide if you go more neglect. (honestly, I am experimenting with this right now...adding a few more dreads. I get so antsy and figetty though, so I've backcombed and palmrolled and tied them up just so I could find them amongst my undreaded hair-well...actually, all of my hair is currently dreading, but I intend to take some out.)

woah! sorry this is getting so long!I am just ecstatic to meet another possible partial dreader!

#2) now I don't want to discourage you, but it is actually very hard to do washing, because you have to wash and dry dreads and undreaded hair differently. You should definitely get a residue free shampoo and wash all the hairs the same...but the aftercare is possibly different. I think...and well I have done it, is you can use like a leave in conditioner for the undreaded hair to keep it from tangling with the rest...but don't shower with conditioner.

um... just drying. well, you can probably air dry...but sometimes, like in winter, you'll need that conditioner or maybe like an oil (coconut or I now use avocado oil) to keep the dreads from drying out...oh wait! oil on dreads, conditioner on non-dreads only!


ok, that's plenty to get you started. again, sorry so long!

[MirandaJoy]

Thanks @vacantalleyways, I appreciate all the advice and experience sharing I can get. I know that any newly forming dreads are going to be messy and bumpy and will stick out at times. I just want to avoid looking like a hedgehog. As far as keeping them secret, it's not like I'm trying to actually hide them from anyone. I'm 27, so it's not like I have to worry about getting in trouble with my parents or anything It's just that I want to be able to hide them if I want to, until I'm absolutely sure I want to commit to a full head of dreads. I'm probably not going to be flaunting them around, though I'm actually really excited to get started with them. Also, I'm not exactly sure what my work's policy is on dreadlocks. I wear a hat anyway so I don't think a few partial dreads are going to be a problem.

So, this is a question I have, is it really ok to put oil on dreads? How would that be any different than conditioning them? I use coconut oil as a deep conditioning mask from time to time and I use argon oil almost daily. I rely on these things more than showering with conditioner because my hair tends to get too fine and wispy if I condition too much in the shower.

[twistroot]

Hi! When I wanted to start my dreads last year, I realized I was going to have to wait a few weeks because I was about to be in a wedding. I really didn't want to have to wait to get started, but didn't want to be in the wedding with dreads that were new and might be in some crazy stage of development. So, I did dreads on the bottom layer of my hair and left the hair on top undone. It was a pain to try and comb the hair on top without snagging the baby dreads on the bottom, but the dreads actually added body to the hair on top and my hair looked awesome at the wedding. I dreaded the whole thing the day after.

My hair was probably about as long as yours and I had an undercut in the back. My hair shrank SO MUCH when I dreaded it and it got into the loopy phase.....I ended up buying tons of cute headbands and dreadbands or it would stick straight up. Now it's longer and looks better but I have also grown the undercut out and it's not quite long enough to dread. So, I run around most days with two dread pigtails that also have the loose hair from the undercut stuffed into them. I have people tell me they like my dreads all the time, even though mine are short!

[MirandaJoy]

twistroot, Your dreads in your photo look so cute! That's kind of what I want mine to look like, but I feel like they won't look like that for awhile. I would love to see your timeline! Ive seen so very few short dread timelines.

So, I might need a little advice when it comes to sectioning. Tonight I sectioned off two spots, just to figure out placement. They are braided for now and I think I like the placement. But I'm a little unsure about the side. Everything I've read says to make them about 1 inch square. I've not actually measured them but I think they are about 1 inch. But the certainly are not square. How does one even DO that??? And the braids are really thin. It just doesn't feel like much hair. But If I add more hair to the point that it feels thick enough, I'm going to have like a 3 inch base to my dreads. No bueno. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm going to leave the braids in for a couple days, just so I can be sure about the placement. Then I'm going to take them out and either twist and rip or back comb.

[Deleted]

Not quite sure exactly why oils are ok. I mean, but they are natural oils, just like your hair naturally produces. If the dreads are new, the oil will definitely make the dreads knot less, which is haha knot (not) what you want, as a conditioner would. The difference is that conditioners will leave residue. I think oils...I mean, too much and they will build up, but most of it will...evaporate? Or like get absorbed into your hair? I'm honestly not too sure. Just know conditioners are bad...again, except with partials, sometimes you want a leave in spray you strategically place in the undreaded hair.

Oh! Some others have mentioned aloe vera for smoothing out hair...the pure gel from the plant. I myself haven't tried this yet though.

-----------

Yourother question. Haha I was just saying how that "square" notion makes me laugh! Mine are not square. They are whatever I clump together naturally. I started with larger sections, ended up splitting one (they get thicker). Now I have started some newer thinner ones...because they are at the nape of the neck...and I guess I have less hair there. I think in circles tho. Haha I never like comb sectioned mine, then again, I dont have the skill to do that nor someone helping.
I keep, I don't want to say pimping but ...I think james has a really good example for this carefree attitude...I mean his set Is really amazing...then again, that took years to get going. I didn't have patience. The set I noticed first was kondzio s. He did very similarly to me..not sure how he sectioned tho, tbh. I want to say another freeform example was kells...again, these aremy observations. I found some timelines I liked and helpful folks but i havent studied all of them yet. I know hmm forgot the username...did squares, but she is not on here much and...look at jades timeline. She did this bricklaypattern, if you really want to get fancy.

k, best!

[dave]

People just say squares/rectangles as they naturally 'fit' alongside each other. If you did circles then circles don't fit exactly next to each other without gaps (like tetris) but in the end, they will be cylindrical to some degree however you do them (rectangles will be more like ovals)

As for the thickness of dreads - they thicken up over time due to hair that would have 'usually' fallen off your head being trapped. The dreads, it is said, will form to be as big as the root section eventually, so that is why it would be bad to start with 3 inch sections unless you want chunky monsters

Essential oils are fine in small amounts (I usually make a spray bottle, 1L, with about 100ml lemon, a few tablespoons of sea salt and maybe 10 drops of oil, which will last me a few months of spraying. Oils get absorbed whereas conditioners kinda form a layer over the hair itself (and the nasty chemicals get trapped in dreads due to their contact nature)

Aloe gel can be used for special occasions - weddings/interviews, but be sure to wash your hair after, as it is a biological substance that can technically rot/go bad.

As for one of your first points - I started mine at around 7-8 inches, and you can see on my timeline how much they stuck out, but they settle after a couple of weeks. I started with backcomb which is probably the preferred method for short hair (and TnR for longer?)

[kells]

Im not freeform at all, Im backcomb and TnR.

However I did the test dreads thing, too. I originally only put one dread in, then two, then like four, six, etc. For me it was kind of a pain to keep my dreads separate from the rest of my head while conditioning and stuff. I had all my test dreads in the same area though so that made it easier.

For sectioning I pretty much just grabbed little bits of hair and backcombed them. I kiiiinda wished I sectioned better, but in reality sections dont really matter. I have a dread that is the most round on my head and the section is literally just a line or really thin oval of hair. They'll naturally become cylindrical over time.

And just a note, I dont even know if you were considering this or not, but if you backcomb or TnR your hair, do not, DO NOT put rubber bands on the end. Just dont. I left mine on for 6 months before I took them off and I think it really hindered my dreading process and made the ends of my dreads really super weird.

Other than that, dreads are really just a waiting game. I often suggest that people just forget they have hair for a while and just let it do its thing.

[MirandaJoy]

May 4, 2016 12:26:41 GMT kells said:

And just a note, I dont even know if you were considering this or not, but if you backcomb or TnR your hair, do not, DO NOT put rubber bands on the end. Just dont. I left mine on for 6 months before I took them off and I think it really hindered my dreading process and made the ends of my dreads really super weird.

Other than that, dreads are really just a waiting game. I often suggest that people just forget they have hair for a while and just let it do its thing.

I was going to put bands at the base of my test dreads just to keep the sections in place for the first week or so. Do you think that is a bad idea? Thanks for all the pointers, by the way.

[Dreadlocktruth]

If you only put them in loosely (trying to remove tight bands can result in you snapping hairs off) then it won't realistically do any harm but leaving them in longer than a week isn't a great idea because the movement is needed for the progress to happen.

[MirandaJoy]

May 4, 2016 14:47:52 GMT Dreadlocktruth said:

If you only put them in loosely (trying to remove tight bands can result in you snapping hairs off) then it won't realistically do any harm but leaving them in longer than a week isn't a great idea because the movement is needed for the progress to happen.

Ok, thanks for the pointer. I think initially bands will help just to keep the section in place. We shall see.

Last night I sectioned off three strands and braided them in place for now. Just to be sure I like the placement. I took out one this morning because I didn't like it. I'm going to try and T&R them tonight. I know that back combing is the recommended method for short hair, but I'm going to try twist and rip first.

Here is the placement of my two sections. How do they look size wise? The base is about the size I want. Is it better to start out too small instead of too big?

[Deleted]

I think the section size is good. It is all relative though. Others will comment.

for bands, others might disagree AND there is risk cutting into the hair, but I am doing bands now and then gonna just cut them out later.

oh and what macabre said about the week thing...although I may do longer...like after 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 washes. Idk

[alethionaut]

I didn't section. I just tnr bits that went together, and did it by myself without a mirror or anything and I think they've probably sorted themselves out.

I kept bands on for a few washes then removed them, and when I split a few fatties I banded them for a short while as I let them go neglect.

Really it's just a waiting game. I'm on 15 months now...

[Deleted]

ditto! hehe (except I'm only near 5 months...eh, and I only did one t7r and the others were backcombing/crochet)

yeah yeah! the same with the fattie!

[MirandaJoy]

Thanks for sharing your experience! It makes me feel like I'm not alone while trying this.

I got bored at work today and twist and ripped one of the sections. I left the band on at the base while I did it so I wouldn't loose track of where the section was supposed to be (I had no mirror). It turned out even better than I expected! It's holding together so well that I took the band off when I was done. I'll probably put a band back on when I go to wash my hair again. But right now it's holding. I didn't get my roots super tight, which I hope won't be a problem. But on the plus side, my scalp doesn't hurt and its laying pretty flat. The tail end is loose. I might go in and back comb it tonight.

Take a look. My first baby dread!