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mothers, culture, wax, washing, wraps, beads and rubber bands, congos, loops, tams

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mothers, culture, wax, washing, wraps, beads and rubber bands, congos, loops, tams

" QUOTE "
Lunatic 3051 wrote:

mothers, culture, wax, washing, wraps, beads and rubber bands, congos, loops, tams

my own multiple subject master post. I'll share here all the info I have on these subjects.

Mothers:

By mothers, i mean anyone in a position of power to tell you that you can't have dreadlocks.Bosses, mothers, spouses, etc. probably don't understand the meaning for you wanting dreadlocks. Dreadlocks,popular to contrary belief, are not dirty, nasty, or smelly (in most cases) Dreads can be washed just like any other hair style. It's still hair, after all. Hair does not have to be dirty to lock up, in fact the exact opposite is true. It is harder for dirty hair to lock up faster than clean hair. there's nothing different about locks than other hairstyles, besides that it is knotted. Nothing wrong with a hairstyle that looks a bit different, eh? I'm sure your parents, had some variation of a 'counterculture hairsyle' be it long, hippie hair or a beatle cut, why can't you?

Culture:

Only black people can have dreadlocks. False. Dreadlocks are a black culture icon and you are stealing or immitating black culture by having dreads. False. This is one of the most popular myths heard by non-dread folk. I am a white anglo-saxon and my ancestors had dreadlocks. Do you know why? because they didn't have combs. Every culture has had dreadlocks at one time. I can trace my roots back to the Celtic people, who lived on the Brittish Isles and grew matted hair with the help of mud and clay. To them it was symbolic of manhood and success in battle. So if you want dreadlocks, don't steal them from somebody else's culture. Steal them from your own.

Wax:

Everybody has their own different opinions about wax. Some on this board will tell you that wax is bad. Others will tell you that wax is good for the dreads, and others will tell you that it is not harmful or helpful.
In some cases, with improper use, wax can cause rot in the dread or buildup which prevents knots from forming. If you use wax on your locks, here are a few guidelines you should follow:

Don't overuse it.
Make sure to wash it ALL out.
Don't blowdry it in because it's harder to wash out and may buildup, preventing knots from forming.
Wax doesn't create knots, it holds down loose hair while in the beginning stages of locking up, so you can look *'presentable' for work, school, church, etc.
Wax is good on dry, brittle hair to give it life and shine because of the vitamins in it (knottyboy brand not dhhq)
Don't leave it in for longer than a few days as it can hinder the locking process
Don't believe everything you read from Knottyboy or Dreadheadhq.
Don't believe everything you read from members of this site (including me-you don't really have to trust me on this)
Experiment and form your own conclusions.
Report to others your success stories or your Horror wax stories, but please don't randomly bash wax or wax companies.
Dreadheadhq wax contains White Microwax, which is a petrolatum based wax, which is very bad for creating locks.

Washing:

Some people with dreadlocks wash their hair. Some don't . The ones that don't wash their hair, however, don't have oily hair. Why is that? It's because the less often your hair is washed, the less oil your scalp produces. If you wash your hair every night, your hair will probably create oil faster. If you wash your dreads once a week, they will not be as oily. It is a good thing to wash dreads, as it creates knots and keeps the hair clean.

A word about SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfates)
This has been covered in other topics before, so I'll just include the basics:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a coconut-derived acid that is very harsh and is used in a lot of soap and shampoo products.
Soap companies will include it in 'all natural products' because is a derivative of coconut.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can cause certain birth defects in pregnant women.

Wraps:

A wrap is when you take a bit of string or yarn and wrap it around your lock, thereby binding the lock and helping it to forn knots without constricting it too much. The most common types of wraps are Hemp wraps and Wool wraps. When you have a hemp wrap, you should be careful when bathing or getting it wet, as the tight hemp may hold moisture in for longer than you'd like. It's good to hit it with the blowdryer for a little bit when you step out of the shower. Don't leave in hemp wraps longer than a week. Wool wraps, on the other hand, are the best for helping you create knots. When you wrap your hair with wool, or wear a wool hat, tiny little wool fibers can fall off the hat or wrap and roll around in your hair. Some people think this is good and some think it is bad, but while wool is in your hair, it has a tendency to grab other hairs and knot up to them, joining hairs together. This is why when somebody creates dreads using the rub and rip method, it is recommended that they use wool.

Beads and Rubber Bands:

Beads serve a better purpose than just decoration. Yes, they also look nice on dreads, but beads can be used for a number of different problems. They help lock up like the wrap does, they can cover up and even correct inperfections in dreads, such as loops, holes, fat spots, kinks, and any other type of problems.

Beads can also serve to give form to naturally forming dreadlocks. While some may argue that putting a bead in your hair isn't totally 'natural', I have heard of people putting beads in their naturally forming locks to help them form or keep them from joining or 'congo-ing' with others. Rubber bands, on the other hand, are a different story. While nearly everybody agrees on beads, there is a split decision for rubber bands. Some say good, some say bad. Rubber bands, if used, are best on new dreads when there is a fear that they may come unraveled or unknotted (Best on tips and roots). And though rubber bands holds the hair together, they're not necessarily constructive to knotting. They hold the hairs together without letting them move. Also, if left in the hair for too long, they may rot and sink into the dread, dying the hair black an disentegrating into a messy goop.

Congos:

For all the new dreadheads out there, congos are when two dreads grow and knot together. Congoing apears in naturally formed locks and can also be made with beads, rubber bands, stitches, wraps, or any other thing that binds dreads together at the root. The two (or three, or four, etc.) will grow together into one larger dread with multiple 'tails' or ends. Some may even want to congo the whole dread to another instead of just at the roots. This doesn't always work, but the results are usually very interesting.

^multiple dreads fuse into one^

Loops:

Got new dreads and worrying about loops? Loops are the best thing for new, young dreads. Loops form when one half of the lock tightens faster than the other. This almost always happens, and loops should be welcomed with open arms. Eventually the loops will dissapear, the dread will shrink some, and all will be back to normal. Beads, wraps, and rubber bands also help to cover up loops until they go away.

Tams:

Tams are hats for dreadlocks. Instead of pushing the locks down and constricting them, tams hold them in a large loose hat and allows them to rub up against one another, helping to improve the locks (tams can also help create congos). Tams can be used to hide locks from other people, keep locks out of your face, or just to keep them off your neck in the summer. Tams are usually made of either a light material such as acrylic for the summer, and a heavier material, such as wool for the winter. Some even suggest that tams are good for sleeping in when locks are new.

*I use the word presentable because dreads never look nice. Not to somebody who doesn't understand and can't appreciate the beauty of locks. Not to those at work, school, or church, at least.

I hope some of my advice is useful to you, especially the n00bs!

---
R.I.P. Dario Ujlaki (12.10.1983. - 19.12.2007)