Happy Dread-Day!

One month ago I got my dreads back-combed and crocheted in Portland by the amazing Stephanie over at Akemi Salon. She’s quite the dread goddess (she really is a goddess) and has a huge following all over the net! So it’s been a month and I’m truly happy with my dreads. They are pretty frizzy and crazy and at times I wish they look better but I love them just as they are and I feel so comfortable with them, I don’t regret it at all. Part of the process is the frizz, the flaking, the itching, etc…so in time they’ll get better and my scalp will adjust.

I’ve been washing my hair with baking soda, water and apple cider vinegar, which makes for great shampoo and conditioners. Read more about that here. I also bought a special dread shampoo, just to see how that works and I like it. Been washing my hair as often as I did before, so that’s good for me cause I didn’t have to adjust to not washing as often. You see, I have very curly frizzy hair, which takes days for the oils in my scalp to reproduce, so washing my hair once or twice per week is pretty normal. Plus, you know all those hair products strip your oils off? Anyway, I got my dreads done without any products, and there are certain things you can do to help tame the frizz, but I’m just going to deal with it and get used to it. I came across this website that talks about how crocheting you dreads and twisting them can mess up your scalp and break your hair, so I’m dropping everything and just letting them be. They said it should take about 6 months for them to start dreading on their own, so I’ll try to be patient and enjoy the ride.

I added different beads too, some days I have a few, some times I add more or just none at all. They’re pretty fun and it helps pull the dread down and add some weight to my hair. Love ‘em!

So, here are some pictures so far, as you can see they don’t look much like dreads, but that’s cause they haven’t really stuck together, so I have lots and lots of loose hairs and curlies at the bottoms, which I really like and so does the hubby :)

So why did I get them, you ask? Well…there is no great answer to this. I have always wanted them and it made more sense to get them now, more than ever. Plus, they help me feel more at ease, not having to worry about having to find some product to tame my hair…makes life easier for me, just dealing with one all natural shampoo…and that’s it! Plus some water & a few drops of essential oils to help with irritation and that’s the end of it. Pretty sweet, I must say.

Well…here are the pics…the back side right now is a mess, but I’m not too worried about cause I know they’ll get better. I’ll be posting updates from time to time, maybe in a couple of months I’ll do another one.

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