Post by Dreadlocktruth on Aug 22, 2017 19:57:35 GMT
How Much Length Will I lose?
This varies from person-to-person and often depends upon factors such as your hair type but, generally speaking, most people lose up to 50% of their starting length during what is known as the "shrinkage" stage. This occurs because your hair is knotting up and compacting together and so it is this process that creates the solid body of your dreads. As the hair is pulled inwards, you might also find yourself experiencing "loops" and "bumps"... this is completely normal and loops usually disappear as they get sucked into the dread.
When Will My Dreadlocks Start To Look Like Dreadlocks?
For most people, significant changes begin to occur around the one-year mark. You only have to look at our Timelines forum to see how different most people's dreads look a year on. This is because they're been going through the shrinkage and tightening and gaining the character that makes them such a fun hair/lifestyle whereas, when you start a set, you don't really 'have' dreadlocks yet... you've just given them the shape in which to grow.
My Dreadlocks Are Messy! How Do I Keep Them Tidy?
It's important to know that it is absolutely not necessary to do any sort of tidying or maintenance to your locks other than washing; dreads form perfectly well and healthily without maintenance and usually look more natural and charismatic. However, some people will want or need their dreadlocks to be neat and tidy for work, occasions or personal preference.
If your dreadlocks are still very young (up to around 6 months), then some mess is inevitable for most people. You will likely have loose hairs coming from your roots and dreadlocks and some may try to join together at the root. Here's what you should (and shouldn't!) do:
Loose hair
Many people worry about keeping loose hairs tucked into their dreadlocks. If your dreads less than roughly 6 months, the best thing to do is to forget about them for the moment. To do any sort of maintenance to dreadlocks, you first need a solid base of knots which you probably don't have when they're so young. Without this base of knots, any maintenance you do will most likely just fall out again quite quickly and look just as it did before. In this situation, people often think that more maintenance is needed but this is not true - the fact that it fell out is a sign that your hair is not yet ready for maintenance! Repeatedly maintaining your hair (especially if you're using a crochet hook or something similar) is likely to cause damage to your dreadlocks that you will suffer the effects of later.
If, however, you think your hair's ready for some maintenance then there are a few common techniques used. The most popular has been mentioned already: crocheting. A crochet hook is a fine, steel hook using primarily in knitting. People often use a crochet hook to pull loose hairs through the body of their dreadlocks. If you choose to do this, be careful! Do it gently and do your absolute best not to shred your hair. We generally don't recommend crocheting for this reason.
The better and safer alternative to crocheting is to use a sewing needle (you may need a slightly wider eye than a standard needle's). Thread your loose hair into the eye of the needle and pull it through the dreadlock in the same way you would with a crochet hook. The benefit of this method is that your hair is not at risk of being torn or shredded by a fine hook.
Palm-rolling is another popular thing to do when trying to deal with loose hair. Palm-rolling does give a temporary impression of neater dreadlocks but it has little, if any, lasting effect on the appearance of locks. Palm-rolling may cause your roots to weaken due to the stress of being twisted vigorously. If you do choose to palm-roll, be sure that you aren't doing it too roughly and do bare in mind that it may not have a permanent effect on the loose hairs.
You should never
Burn your locks, cut/shave loose hair, apply any sort of adhesive such as wax or glue or use a felting needle. If you have heard of a technique not listed here and you're unsure whether it will be helpful or damaging, please ask on the forum - we will let you know if it is safe!
Loose roots
This is the next common worry, that new hair growth won't dread without maintenance. This is a myth is should not concern you. New hair growth will dread just as naturally as the rest of your hair and will be sucked into your dreadlock roots as it grows. Some hair between dreads may take longer to do this, but they will eventually either join the nearest dread or form a new, baby dread! If you want to keep the roots tidy, you can use a sewing needle as described above.
Don't worry about the root of your dreadlocks being loose. If your hair was dreadlocked too close to your scalp, it would be painful when you moved your head due to the tension. Almost everyone has an inch or two of loose, or looser, hair by their scalp for this reason. If you leave your roots to do their own thing, the hair will dread at a comfortable distance from your scalp.
You should never
Root flip. Root flipping is a technique that involves feeding a dreadlock through its root and pulling it through the opposite side. Doing this will cause a weak spot in the lock that is unlikely to ever properly knot up - it has no benefits.
My Dreadlocks Are Joining At The Root! What Do I Do?
This particularly affects young and developing dreadlocks, but is likely to occur throughout the lifetime of your dreadlocks.
You may find that some will try to combine and join together at the root as one; these are normally called congos and you can either separate the dreadlocks again or allow them to grow out as one thicker dread with two tips. You may notice a thicker dreadlock will take slightly longer to dry, but there's no other advantages or disadvantages to either choice - it's pretty much entirely an aesthetic decision. Some people prefer to keep congos, others will prefer to stay on top of separating the roots.
If you do want to separate the roots, the most important advice is that you should never use scissors to cut roots apart! Using scissors will cause a weakened area where your lock may be thinner. The way to separate two dreadlocks is to rip them apart. While this sounds a bit vicious, it is in fact harmless and will allow you to keep your locks separated with no side-effects.
To do this, you take the dreadlocks that are trying to join together in each hand and gently pull them in opposite directions. This makes the knots causing the congo slip and untangle and you'll probably hear a ripping sound as you do this - but don't worry! As mentioned above, this does not inflict any harm upon your dreadlocks. If you have a particularly stubborn or well-formed congo developing, ripping is easier when your hair is wet so if you have difficulties it's often easier to wait until you next wash your hair to try again.
HELP! I Have Lice! What Now?
Don't panic! Whilst getting lice can be a horrifying experience for dreadheads, the good news is that you won't have to shave your head to restore normality. The following post from our forum contains treatment advice originally posted by former DreadlockTruth moderator moonshyne:
How Do I Combat Dandruff/Itchy Scalp?
If you're experiencing an itchy scalp and/or dandruff it could caused by a number of different factors; the sudden change in washing behavior, your shampoo, your body chemistry, your diet, psoriasis, etc. The dreaded itchies are also very common for people in the first year of locks. Here is a list of easy and natural home remedies:
• Essential oils (Lavender oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, margosa oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, avocado oil and German chamomile oil) are a wonderful option. You can mix two or three of these oils in equal parts and add some water, then rinse scalp with the mixture using a spray bottle to help ease the itching. Or you can spot remedy with one.
• Boil a mixture of chamomile tea and a couple of rosemary sprigs (chopped) or some lavender. Cool and strain the mixture and rinse the hair with this solution.
• If your scalp is a bit sore from scratching and you are in need of some extra relief, use a squeeze of lemon in a quick rinse. Take a fresh lemon, squeeze the juice into a large cup and fill the rest with water, then pour it over your scalp. The lemon is a good astringent and if you have any small cuts in your scalp there are natural antibiotics in lemons.
• Aloe vera gel is also a great quick fix for itchy scalp and easy to wash out. You can get it direct from a leaf or store-bought.
• Massaging the scalp with a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water is fantastic for reducing itchiness as well as improving general scalp conditions considerably. Mix about one part Apple Cider Vinegar to three parts water.
You can also see some shampoo recommendations for dandruff/psoriasis in our 'How Do I Wash Dreadlocks?' section.
How Do I Remove My Dreadlocks, If and When I Decide To?
Fear not! Though some non-dreaded heathens would have you believe it, you do not in fact have to shave your head to remove your locks should the right time come. It is definitely possible to comb out dreadlocks, both very young and very old (provided you have a fine-toothed metal comb, a LOT of conditioner and even more patience), although it's unavoidable that you will lose some length in the process. On average, you can probably expect to spend several hours on one medium-length dread so taking your time is the key.
Slowly work the conditioner into the body of the dread and use your fingers to gradually force the hair apart in a kneading, squeezing motion to work it apart. The aim is not to undo the lock but rather loosen the knots so that your comb will be able to find more purchase without ripping through tightly-joined hairs. Continue doing this, alternating between the conditioner on your fingers and the comb for the whole dread and, many hours and a couple of sore finger tips later, you should have one down and however many more to go. You'll also find a lot of hair coming out of the dread that wasn't attached to your scalp, as dreads retain a lot of the strands that we'd normally lose in our day-to-day, whilst showering etc. Best of luck!
Here's our good friend LazyDreads back to expand on our subject once more:
This varies from person-to-person and often depends upon factors such as your hair type but, generally speaking, most people lose up to 50% of their starting length during what is known as the "shrinkage" stage. This occurs because your hair is knotting up and compacting together and so it is this process that creates the solid body of your dreads. As the hair is pulled inwards, you might also find yourself experiencing "loops" and "bumps"... this is completely normal and loops usually disappear as they get sucked into the dread.
When Will My Dreadlocks Start To Look Like Dreadlocks?
For most people, significant changes begin to occur around the one-year mark. You only have to look at our Timelines forum to see how different most people's dreads look a year on. This is because they're been going through the shrinkage and tightening and gaining the character that makes them such a fun hair/lifestyle whereas, when you start a set, you don't really 'have' dreadlocks yet... you've just given them the shape in which to grow.
My Dreadlocks Are Messy! How Do I Keep Them Tidy?
It's important to know that it is absolutely not necessary to do any sort of tidying or maintenance to your locks other than washing; dreads form perfectly well and healthily without maintenance and usually look more natural and charismatic. However, some people will want or need their dreadlocks to be neat and tidy for work, occasions or personal preference.
If your dreadlocks are still very young (up to around 6 months), then some mess is inevitable for most people. You will likely have loose hairs coming from your roots and dreadlocks and some may try to join together at the root. Here's what you should (and shouldn't!) do:
Loose hair
Many people worry about keeping loose hairs tucked into their dreadlocks. If your dreads less than roughly 6 months, the best thing to do is to forget about them for the moment. To do any sort of maintenance to dreadlocks, you first need a solid base of knots which you probably don't have when they're so young. Without this base of knots, any maintenance you do will most likely just fall out again quite quickly and look just as it did before. In this situation, people often think that more maintenance is needed but this is not true - the fact that it fell out is a sign that your hair is not yet ready for maintenance! Repeatedly maintaining your hair (especially if you're using a crochet hook or something similar) is likely to cause damage to your dreadlocks that you will suffer the effects of later.
If, however, you think your hair's ready for some maintenance then there are a few common techniques used. The most popular has been mentioned already: crocheting. A crochet hook is a fine, steel hook using primarily in knitting. People often use a crochet hook to pull loose hairs through the body of their dreadlocks. If you choose to do this, be careful! Do it gently and do your absolute best not to shred your hair. We generally don't recommend crocheting for this reason.
The better and safer alternative to crocheting is to use a sewing needle (you may need a slightly wider eye than a standard needle's). Thread your loose hair into the eye of the needle and pull it through the dreadlock in the same way you would with a crochet hook. The benefit of this method is that your hair is not at risk of being torn or shredded by a fine hook.
Palm-rolling is another popular thing to do when trying to deal with loose hair. Palm-rolling does give a temporary impression of neater dreadlocks but it has little, if any, lasting effect on the appearance of locks. Palm-rolling may cause your roots to weaken due to the stress of being twisted vigorously. If you do choose to palm-roll, be sure that you aren't doing it too roughly and do bare in mind that it may not have a permanent effect on the loose hairs.
You should never
Burn your locks, cut/shave loose hair, apply any sort of adhesive such as wax or glue or use a felting needle. If you have heard of a technique not listed here and you're unsure whether it will be helpful or damaging, please ask on the forum - we will let you know if it is safe!
Loose roots
This is the next common worry, that new hair growth won't dread without maintenance. This is a myth is should not concern you. New hair growth will dread just as naturally as the rest of your hair and will be sucked into your dreadlock roots as it grows. Some hair between dreads may take longer to do this, but they will eventually either join the nearest dread or form a new, baby dread! If you want to keep the roots tidy, you can use a sewing needle as described above.
Don't worry about the root of your dreadlocks being loose. If your hair was dreadlocked too close to your scalp, it would be painful when you moved your head due to the tension. Almost everyone has an inch or two of loose, or looser, hair by their scalp for this reason. If you leave your roots to do their own thing, the hair will dread at a comfortable distance from your scalp.
You should never
Root flip. Root flipping is a technique that involves feeding a dreadlock through its root and pulling it through the opposite side. Doing this will cause a weak spot in the lock that is unlikely to ever properly knot up - it has no benefits.
My Dreadlocks Are Joining At The Root! What Do I Do?
This particularly affects young and developing dreadlocks, but is likely to occur throughout the lifetime of your dreadlocks.
You may find that some will try to combine and join together at the root as one; these are normally called congos and you can either separate the dreadlocks again or allow them to grow out as one thicker dread with two tips. You may notice a thicker dreadlock will take slightly longer to dry, but there's no other advantages or disadvantages to either choice - it's pretty much entirely an aesthetic decision. Some people prefer to keep congos, others will prefer to stay on top of separating the roots.
If you do want to separate the roots, the most important advice is that you should never use scissors to cut roots apart! Using scissors will cause a weakened area where your lock may be thinner. The way to separate two dreadlocks is to rip them apart. While this sounds a bit vicious, it is in fact harmless and will allow you to keep your locks separated with no side-effects.
To do this, you take the dreadlocks that are trying to join together in each hand and gently pull them in opposite directions. This makes the knots causing the congo slip and untangle and you'll probably hear a ripping sound as you do this - but don't worry! As mentioned above, this does not inflict any harm upon your dreadlocks. If you have a particularly stubborn or well-formed congo developing, ripping is easier when your hair is wet so if you have difficulties it's often easier to wait until you next wash your hair to try again.
HELP! I Have Lice! What Now?
Don't panic! Whilst getting lice can be a horrifying experience for dreadheads, the good news is that you won't have to shave your head to restore normality. The following post from our forum contains treatment advice originally posted by former DreadlockTruth moderator moonshyne:
This is cheap, effective, and does not require you to chop off all your lovely locks!
To start, pull your dreads up and try to bun them up if you can, or at least pull it into a high ponytail. Use about a half bottle of rubbing alcohol (70% or higher) or however much it takes to cover your scalp. Don't worry about soaking your dreads, because the fumes will kill them (the lice) as much as the alcohol itself. Tie a plastic bag or wear a shower cap tightly around your head for about 30 minutes. It'll itch and its annoying and stinky, but it'll kill the bugs. Rinse it out, and watch the bugs fall out.
Now, you'll have to do this again in about 3-5 days because the alcohol only kills the bugs, not their eggs (remember, most of the actual lice shampoos don't kill the eggs either...) so you'll have to do this process over again to kill any newly hatched critters, before they have time to reproduce. At this point you really should be lice free, though I would suggest you do it yet again in another 3 days....just to be on the safe side.
This is a cheap, easy and very effective way to get rid of lice. It has never once failed us. Just make sure you do it in a well ventilated area (we don't need you passing out on alcohol fumes), and it helps to have a friend or relative to help so you don't accidentally pour the shit in your eyes. That shit ain't cool. Also, no smoking, as alcohol is highly flammable. (don't want you head to go up in flames, do you?) And ta-da! Lice free, for under 5 bucks, and without having you sacrifice your lovely locks! The alcohol rinses out with no residue, and it'll disinfect any wounds you have on your scalp due to scratching. It will dry out your locks if you have to do it very often, but not anymore so than any of those harsh shampoos would....this is nothing a little aloe wouldn't cure.
one more note...using tea tree oil in your hair acts as a lice/insect repellent. Dr. Bronner's makes a soap with tea tree oil, and that's what we use. You can also buy it as a fancy, overpriced spritzer to spray in your hair. I think you're better off with the soap, personally. We also use tea tree oil in the deep cleaning concoction. I've read that rosemary also acts as a lice repellent, though I've never used it myself.
The beautiful part about this treatment is that no matter how often you use it, it's guaranteed to work....Lice may develop resistances to poison, but they damn sure can't resist BREATHING! And that's what the alcohol does...it suffocates them. This will also work on undreaded hair, but you'll have a bit of a hard time with it because the dreadlocks tend to soak up the alcohol much better than straight hair will.
The only folks I would advise against this method would be folks with serious breathing problems, or young children...I mean, common sense tells us that young children+plastic bag on head=disaster. Plus, I'm not sure how safe it is to use full strength alcohol on little kids.
And....that's all! I hope this info might eventually be helpful to someone!
To start, pull your dreads up and try to bun them up if you can, or at least pull it into a high ponytail. Use about a half bottle of rubbing alcohol (70% or higher) or however much it takes to cover your scalp. Don't worry about soaking your dreads, because the fumes will kill them (the lice) as much as the alcohol itself. Tie a plastic bag or wear a shower cap tightly around your head for about 30 minutes. It'll itch and its annoying and stinky, but it'll kill the bugs. Rinse it out, and watch the bugs fall out.
Now, you'll have to do this again in about 3-5 days because the alcohol only kills the bugs, not their eggs (remember, most of the actual lice shampoos don't kill the eggs either...) so you'll have to do this process over again to kill any newly hatched critters, before they have time to reproduce. At this point you really should be lice free, though I would suggest you do it yet again in another 3 days....just to be on the safe side.
This is a cheap, easy and very effective way to get rid of lice. It has never once failed us. Just make sure you do it in a well ventilated area (we don't need you passing out on alcohol fumes), and it helps to have a friend or relative to help so you don't accidentally pour the shit in your eyes. That shit ain't cool. Also, no smoking, as alcohol is highly flammable. (don't want you head to go up in flames, do you?) And ta-da! Lice free, for under 5 bucks, and without having you sacrifice your lovely locks! The alcohol rinses out with no residue, and it'll disinfect any wounds you have on your scalp due to scratching. It will dry out your locks if you have to do it very often, but not anymore so than any of those harsh shampoos would....this is nothing a little aloe wouldn't cure.
one more note...using tea tree oil in your hair acts as a lice/insect repellent. Dr. Bronner's makes a soap with tea tree oil, and that's what we use. You can also buy it as a fancy, overpriced spritzer to spray in your hair. I think you're better off with the soap, personally. We also use tea tree oil in the deep cleaning concoction. I've read that rosemary also acts as a lice repellent, though I've never used it myself.
The beautiful part about this treatment is that no matter how often you use it, it's guaranteed to work....Lice may develop resistances to poison, but they damn sure can't resist BREATHING! And that's what the alcohol does...it suffocates them. This will also work on undreaded hair, but you'll have a bit of a hard time with it because the dreadlocks tend to soak up the alcohol much better than straight hair will.
The only folks I would advise against this method would be folks with serious breathing problems, or young children...I mean, common sense tells us that young children+plastic bag on head=disaster. Plus, I'm not sure how safe it is to use full strength alcohol on little kids.
And....that's all! I hope this info might eventually be helpful to someone!
How Do I Combat Dandruff/Itchy Scalp?
If you're experiencing an itchy scalp and/or dandruff it could caused by a number of different factors; the sudden change in washing behavior, your shampoo, your body chemistry, your diet, psoriasis, etc. The dreaded itchies are also very common for people in the first year of locks. Here is a list of easy and natural home remedies:
• Essential oils (Lavender oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, margosa oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, avocado oil and German chamomile oil) are a wonderful option. You can mix two or three of these oils in equal parts and add some water, then rinse scalp with the mixture using a spray bottle to help ease the itching. Or you can spot remedy with one.
• Boil a mixture of chamomile tea and a couple of rosemary sprigs (chopped) or some lavender. Cool and strain the mixture and rinse the hair with this solution.
• If your scalp is a bit sore from scratching and you are in need of some extra relief, use a squeeze of lemon in a quick rinse. Take a fresh lemon, squeeze the juice into a large cup and fill the rest with water, then pour it over your scalp. The lemon is a good astringent and if you have any small cuts in your scalp there are natural antibiotics in lemons.
• Aloe vera gel is also a great quick fix for itchy scalp and easy to wash out. You can get it direct from a leaf or store-bought.
• Massaging the scalp with a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water is fantastic for reducing itchiness as well as improving general scalp conditions considerably. Mix about one part Apple Cider Vinegar to three parts water.
You can also see some shampoo recommendations for dandruff/psoriasis in our 'How Do I Wash Dreadlocks?' section.
How Do I Remove My Dreadlocks, If and When I Decide To?
Fear not! Though some non-dreaded heathens would have you believe it, you do not in fact have to shave your head to remove your locks should the right time come. It is definitely possible to comb out dreadlocks, both very young and very old (provided you have a fine-toothed metal comb, a LOT of conditioner and even more patience), although it's unavoidable that you will lose some length in the process. On average, you can probably expect to spend several hours on one medium-length dread so taking your time is the key.
Slowly work the conditioner into the body of the dread and use your fingers to gradually force the hair apart in a kneading, squeezing motion to work it apart. The aim is not to undo the lock but rather loosen the knots so that your comb will be able to find more purchase without ripping through tightly-joined hairs. Continue doing this, alternating between the conditioner on your fingers and the comb for the whole dread and, many hours and a couple of sore finger tips later, you should have one down and however many more to go. You'll also find a lot of hair coming out of the dread that wasn't attached to your scalp, as dreads retain a lot of the strands that we'd normally lose in our day-to-day, whilst showering etc. Best of luck!
Here's our good friend LazyDreads back to expand on our subject once more: