Random Dreadlock Maintenance

[RUC4]

I wanna hear from the bluelighters with dreads. What do you do for maintenance?

I have had mine for 8 years and I’ve done everything for my self. I made them myself and I twist them myself. I don’t use wax or any other products. I’ve tried crocheting, but I couldn’t really get the hang of it tbh.

Well, next week I’m meeting with a Loctician for the first time ever. And she’s going to do her thing. She said she would take care of the new growth, cause there’s a lot of it, and clean them up. I ask her if mine were bad since I’ve been sick and not been totally caring for my dreads like I used to. She said not to worry.

Bluelighters with dreads- do you see a Loctician? Do you maintain them by yourself or have help?

 

[CFC]

I'm surprised NOBODY else at BL has dreads?

 

[Cheshire_Kat]

I have long, long hair, down to my belt in back; but dreads are an order of magnitude more work to keep up

 

[RUC4]

I'm surprised NOBODY else at BL has dreads?

Me too! I would think there are more of us. Maybe move the thread . To a forum that gets a lot of foot traffic ?

 

[RUC4]

I have long, long hair, down to my belt in back; but dreads are an order of magnitude more work to keep up

It’s much less work if you factor in all the brushing and washing for regular hair. If you add up all the time spent taking care of regular hair, it’s nowhere near how much time I spend on my dreads … but I’m a super low maintenance dreader. Mine are natural and I twist them once a month or every few weeks. I wash them once a month. If I have it, I use a cleaning spray. When I lived by the beach, I would wash them in the ocean water every week or so.

For those of you not familiar with dreads on white or mixed race people, you don’t want them to stay wet or keep getting them wet. Mine take about a day and a half to 2 days to dry. You can get mold in them which isn’t pleasant. Also wet dreads are Super heavy. I’ve been growing mine for 9 years. They are pretty long.

This is the first time I’m seeing a Loctician. So besides washing once a month and twisting every few weeks, I don’t do anything else to them. Super easy hairstyle.

 

[sohrah]

Lol not the Rasta based crowd you thought we were? I had dreads in high school briefly like a couple months at most before an ex friend from the old city I moved from sophmore year robbed me when I visited I can't blame him heck I wrote up a bogus contract and had a kid sign it who lent me a grand was gonna buy a sheet and grow stuff making the money back fully intended to pay this kid back lol he had no friends pretty much in lunch I would sit with him at a table just him and I he really like my company apparently to the point of trusting me with his money anyways so that crushed my spirit and he commented on my dreads when the deal took place when I realized he was robbing me I think I started crying and cut them off like a bitch ass poser or something Idk man I stopped being a hippy at that point now that I think of it and became a wigger like I was in middle school which seemed to change how people interacted me with to suit my ego more for the rest of high school

dreads usually signify a lifestyle that doesn't revolve around ego at least if they have any connection to a Rastafarian value system best wishes

That being said I kind of was posing trying to be a big hippie seeing all the dreadheads at jamband shows I venerated people with them when I started high school my mom paid for me to have them put in at this African salon downtown way more admirable to do them yourself but even then if you find a Loctician you get along with and like them or their work no shame in that game anyone can have dreads for any reason basically even if only aesthetic I think they look great and when some work is put in to take care of them they are hair art brighten up the scenery just seeing nice dreads for me anyways

 

[Nurse Ratched]

I'm sure your dreads are pretty, smell nice and are kept up.

But after watching you tube videos of people cutting off, combing out, or reorganizing their dreads I pretty much look at dreads now as unsanitary. Not only did people find big patches of stinky mold but insects ( dead and alive ) dust mites, food particles, and other things that were just kind of gross to find people picking out of their dreads. I know a lot of dread lovers think that their hair completely dries, but it does not. It feels dry but deep down it's still moist and well.......the mold just grows and is never washed out because it's too deep in the dread. I've stood behind people in line that wear their hair like this and I can see things sticking out of their dreads and on occasion have smelled the musty smell. So while they appeal to some, my take is that the wearer can never really know what is in there unless they are combed out once in awhile.

I know there are some dread lovers that are anal about taking care of them but many are not. Once your hair has knotted and frizzed up and you can't comb or brush it out some just think that throwing some water and shampoo on them once in awhile is good. That hairstyle needs daily attention and really good hygiene.

 

[Mysterier]

I believe @iLoveYouWithaKnife rocks or rocked dreads for a period. I haven't seen her around in a while, though.

 

[CFC]

Me too! I would think there are more of us. Maybe move the thread . To a forum that gets a lot of foot traffic ?

It was about to drop off TL front page which is why I moved it here. Cuz once they leave page 1, they're rarely seen from again unfortunately.

 

[neversickanymore]

A show girl I was seeing for a bit had whole slew of dreads she serviced on multiple tours... musicians, sounds engineers, etc she was talented and got paid well, 200+-- 300 an hour for many clients and it came with some nice perks. God, she was such a groupie though.

 

[neversickanymore]

But after watching you tube videos of people cutting off, combing out, or reorganizing their dreads I pretty much look at dreads now as unsanitary. Not only did people find big patches of stinky mold but insects ( dead and alive ) dust mites, food particles, and other things that were just kind of gross to find people picking out of their dreads. I know a lot of dread lovers think that their hair completely dries, but it does not. It feels dry but deep down it's still moist and well.......the mold just grows and is never washed out because it's too deep in the dread. I've stood behind people in line that wear their hair like this and I can see things sticking out of their dreads and on occasion have smelled the musty smell. So while they appeal to some, my take is that the wearer can never really know what is in there unless they are combed out once in awhile.

I know there are some dread lovers that are anal about taking care of them but many are not. Once your hair has knotted and frizzed up and you can't comb or brush it out some just think that throwing some water and shampoo on them once in awhile is good. That hairstyle needs daily attention and really good hygiene.

Hey Nurse.. What weight percentage of your current pillow do you think is made of some of these things if its a few years old?

NSFW:

Your pillow alone may be home to 40 million bed mites. (To them your head is just one large oily bon-bon). And don't think a clean pillow-case will make a difference... Indeed, if your pillow is six years old--which is apparently about the average age for a pillow--it has been estimated that one-tenth of its weight will be made up of sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites and mite dung.”​

― Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything

well thats much better then 40% rotting dead skin.. much away little buddies

That lot lizard rank smell is something else though.. I think its a phenomenon of utter hygiene collapse.. spun scent.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

I'm surprised NOBODY else at BL has dreads?

I just don't maintain them. Hell, I didn't even ask for them.

 

[moonyham]

Hey Nurse.. What weight percentage of your current pillow do you think is made of some of these things if its a few years old?

NSFW:

Your pillow alone may be home to 40 million bed mites. (To them your head is just one large oily bon-bon). And don't think a clean pillow-case will make a difference... Indeed, if your pillow is six years old--which is apparently about the average age for a pillow--it has been estimated that one-tenth of its weight will be made up of sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites and mite dung.”​

― Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything


well thats much better then 40% rotting dead skin.. much away little buddies

That lot lizard rank smell is something else though.. I think its a phenomenon of utter hygiene collapse.. spun scent.

Your pillow isn't attached to your head 24/7, can be washed and replaced as needed. Also, dustmites are least of anyones worries. For me it's the mold. While it may be possible to have clean*ish'* dreads I've certainly smelled enough to not want anything to do with them.

Personally after some ive been around I find dreads revolting and theres nothing more gross to me especially when it comes to sexual partners.

And 6 years LOL I've never had a pillow that long. I replace them yearly, and rotate between them so I'm not using the same one every night.

 

[kiely]

I just don't maintain them. Hell, I didn't even ask for them.

 

[neversickanymore]

Your pillow isn't attached to your head 24/7, can be washed and replaced as needed. Also, dustmites are least of anyones worries. For me it's the mold. While it may be possible to have clean*ish'* dreads I've certainly smelled enough to not want anything to do with them.

Personally after some ive been around I find dreads revolting and theres nothing more gross to me especially when it comes to sexual partners.

And 6 years LOL I've never had a pillow that long. I replace them yearly, and rotate between them so I'm not using the same one every night.

You wash your pillow.. how? Your allot cleaner than me.. your not covered in dead skin are you? How are you smelling all these dreads?

Some dreads turn me the fuck on unless they sprout from an idiot.. dreadies can get little clique tribal.. kinda like tung stretching and other shallow body modification in tribal history.. but sure looks hot as fuck on some people.

 

[moonyham]

You wash your pillow.. how? Your allot cleaner than me.. your not covered in dead skin are you? How are you smelling all these dreads?

Washing machine, hang out in sun. Some can't be, so you just leave on clothesline for a few days of rain and sun.

And yes, I probably am a lot cleaner than you.

How am I smelling? Not hard.. Waiting in a checkout line behind someone with them? Sitting in a restaurant and they are at next table? And I've had people swear their dreads don't stink but they do.. They just can't smell their own stench.

 

[neversickanymore]

Washing machine, hang out in sun. Some can't be, so you just leave on clothesline for a few days of rain and sun.

And yes, I probably am a lot cleaner than you.

How am I smelling? Not hard.. Waiting in a checkout line behind someone with them? Sitting in a restaurant and they are at next table? And I've had people swear their dreads don't stink but they do.. They just can't smell their own stench.

But given the properties of a pillow.. and the situation you describe.. well what pillow won't mold in that situation.

"cleaner" is an interesting term. What do you smell like? Can you smell your stench?

 

[moonyham]

But given the properties of a pillow.. and the situation you describe.. well what pillow won't mold in that situation.

"cleaner" is an interesting term. What do you smell like? Can you smell your stench?

Never had issue keeping my pillows clean. Like I way I don't keep them more than a year anyway.

I have an incredible sense of smell that I'm yet to find anyone can beat so you are probably barking up the wrong tree here. I smell things many others don't.

I smell like a healthy human that washes themselves properly atleast once a day.

 

[Xorkoth]

Me too! I would think there are more of us. Maybe move the thread . To a forum that gets a lot of foot traffic ?

I'm quite sure there are plenty more... but most BLers either don't know this subforum (LAVA exists), or they don't check here much or at al.

 

[TUFKA-Sleepwalker]

Hey RUC4,
I laughed at your comment of dreads being less work than usual haircare.
In my case it was the other ways around.
I'm white and a white mans hair is created and structured differently compared to negros hair.
Dark hair tends to lock in the other hair when twisted.
.
When I went for dreads it was a LOT of work.
I used beeswax and had to stich them to keep them solid.
And my hair grows crazy fast.
So every 2 weeks i had to tear the hair from my scalp and add the new hair to the dreads.

It was fun when i had them, but halflong hair is my thing now.
And come on, im not 30 anymore.