| A Little Dreadlock Wisdom |
| Lessons Learned..daez 2007... I |
| FFrom the day I began my sojourn to grow dreadlocks I was single minded in my purpose...I was determined to grow a beautiful head of locs and I would have them no matter what! If you've read any of the things I went thru to get to this point you know it hasn't been an easy journey...but it really truly COULD have been if I had followed my instincts from the beginning...See, instinctively from being a naptural headed woman I KNEW my hair was designed to do what it's doing right now...sprouting locs! I just didn't want to believe it could be as EASY as it is...I mean, how could anything so BEAUTIFUL form all by itself?? RIDICULOUS!!! Then in late 2002 I started sprouting all this new hair from at my roots...hair that grew in from the root damage I had done by obsessiviely latchhooking my locs... When the new hair started sprouting I didn't do anything to it...I just observed it, to see what it would do when left alone to it's own devices...I had around forty of these new sprouts coming in... and the first thing I noticed was the texture was kinda like kinky baby hair...the same texture my hair was pre-locs...then I noticed something that kinda blew me away...it started locing alll by itself! By then I had started my just chillin' faze...no twisting..rolling...latching...I had a TON of new growth at the roots... |
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| New babylocs on top sprouting out... The texture is soft but the hair is totally separating and locing all by itself! No twisting rolling or latching is being done to help the process along... |
| Notice the massive new growth at the roots... all I was doing is shampooing and separating the locs from each other...I'd apply a conditioner IF I felt I needed one...EVEN with all the new babylocs growing in! Nothing stopped the process from happening... |
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| In my tradition of keeping it real, this is one of the few pictures I took in 2004 after I had the stroke and heart attack...You can see one eye is larger than the other from the stroke..my face had kinda dropped on one side but it doesn't show much in this picture...my hair has really gotten gray...I don't look well...BUT!!! I wanted to at least take a picture or two to show how my loc journey was evolving...you can see how much new growth I have and I am very obviously NOT twisting it!!!....One thing I HOPE you can see in my eyes is PEACE.....I was going thru some heavy duty physical drama at this point...but my spirit was free and I felt a sense of calm and peace like never before....ya know why? Because I was blessed to be alive!!... |
| Once I realized my hair really WOULD loc all by itself I started a whole NEW journey...this time I was determined to avoid ANYTHING unnecessary when it came to my dreads...I had quietly been making products at this point for a couple of years when I had the stroke and heart attack within a day of each other. I'd been studying the properties of oils and butters to find out what affects they REALLY have on naptural hair and specifically on locs, instead of spinning rhetoric based on results that came from simple observations from peoples usages. I had to find out why some people could use products that are made of beeswax on their locs and have absolutely no problems while other people have gummy nasty build up....why is it some folks can use shea butter based products with no issues when others can't?....When people email me with questions I wanted to be able to answer them honestly... knowledgably and truthfully....Here's some of the answers I concluded... |
| When you start the process of beginning dreadlocks the first and foremost thing to remember is this: IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME...I've said it over and over again...it takes patience and time, because it's literally a process of teaching your hair to matt and STAY matted. When you grow ORGANIC dreads know there are many different ways to do it. You can simply wash your hair...separate it into the size of individual loc you want by gently pulling them apart..or you can do it by using a wet wash cloth while your hair is wet from freshly shampooing or wetting it down and massage in a circular motion...this also helps separate your hair into individual locs because it follows your natural hair pattern. In following your natural hair pattern the locs may and probably WILL be different sizes...but that's cool, because that's what makes locs so unique...no two locs are the same!! There probably won't be a huge difference in the size of them, but they won't be identical...When growing organic dreads you can also simply wash your hair and allow it to separate on it's own..and it will...again, following your hair's OWN pattern...Right now, if I didn't separate my locs I would have very few locs because my hairs natural inclination is to "hug"...if I allowed them to hug they would eventually "tree" or "join" into a couple of giant dreads with long tails...which may or may not eventually join together... |
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| In this picture taken in May 2006 you can see how the two locs in the very front had "treed"...they were'nt fully treed though, and I was able to separate them easily...If I had left them like this much longer though it would have been a trip trying to separate them.. Once you begin to freestyle/freeform, you have to decide how much you want to do to your dreadlocks. The shorter layer you see are the babylocs that started at the end of 2002 in the first picture. As you see they thickened up and actually formed and developed to be the same size as the rest of my locs. It was a strange thing to watch happening after all the drama I went thru early on in my journey.... Notice how my dreadlocks have now compacted and tightened up...the ends are no longer loose and there is no doubt I have fully matured locs now... |
| daez 2006 |
| My locs are so long now I can no longer sit at my computer and take pictures with my webcam the way I used to be able to because my locs are so long I can't get all of them in the shot. So now I pretty much have to get someone else to take the pictures..or learn to use the camera timer...duhhhh!!!!! |
| Some things about using products in your hair...you DON'T have to twist your hair with anything to have locs! I know that the majority of people want to have perfectly neat parts and perfectly groomed locs...it's human nature to desire it, and believe me, I've been there...Take a good look at the picture of those babylocs in the first picture...the ones sticking straight up in the air at the top of my head. Now remember...I'd been growing my locs for almost 3 years at that point...So I had locs that were mature and then a brand new crop of babylocs...what to do???...I treated my whole head exactly the SAME WAY...babylocs and all...I realized that if I felt like conditioning my mature locs I'd have to condition my babylocs...they were all over my head!! I knew that the process of locing was going to take place no matter what I did...I also realized it was going to take as long as it was going to take...so pampering the babylocs and mistreating my mature locs wasn't going to work. The only answer was to treat my WHOLE head of hair as ONE... |
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| When I began making products I discovered that the reason people with LOOSE natural hair were able to use shea and other butters to soften and moisturize their hair without buildup and people who wear dreadlocks weren't able to use them is because they wash their hair a lot more than dreadlock wearers do. Shea butter really does soften your hair, and there were too many locing products on the market that used it that worked that didn't cause buildup...I had to figure out how to get the benefits without the buildup... |
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| daez 2007 |
| If you are fond of using shea butter you CAN use it...but while I won't give you my recipes I will give you some pointers to help keep you from jacking up your hair and keep from getting build up. One major key is to gently melt or soften the shea butter and mix it with light oils...a SMALL amount of shea butter! When the shea butter is at room temperature mix it with the light oil and whip it with your mixer...make a whipped butter...use more OIL than butter...this way you get the softening benefits of a whipped butter that moisturizes your locs without causing buildup...I don't recommend twisting your locs with it, because even while you are reading this I can see your mind clicking (LOL) and you will end up over using it...it's for a MOISTURIZER....not to be used daily...only as needed!! If you DO get any buildup, you made it wrong wrong wrong!!! REMEMBER...a little shea...a LOT of oil...it should be like those tubs of butter or margerine...it will add sheen to your locs...add moisture...you can spritz your hair first or afterwards...massage it through your locs and even on your scalp if you want. Some good oils to use that are light are Sweet Almond and Jojoba oil...you can use Olive Oil but it's a little heavier but it works fine..and is easily accessible...whip it until it's light and fluffy... if you have any questions email me |
| When you shampoo your dreadlocks make sure you do a checklist of things. Here is mine...I always make sure I wash my locs early enough in the day so that they have plenty of time to dry. I NEVER EVER go to bed with wet hair!!! When you shampoo, wet your hair throughly to give the shampoo a chance to foam and do it's job...massage the shampoo in first at your scalp to release all the dead skin and debris and rinse throughly...apply MORE shampoo, this time focusing on your locs...massage the shampoo into your locs to remove any product...odors or anything that may inhibit the health and beauty of your dreadlocks. Take your time and enjoy this experience...this is your chance to truly get in touch with your dreads up close and personal, to know which ones are weakest and need extra TLC, and which ones are strongest...it gives you the opportunity to feel your scalp to see if there are any thinning areas or bald spots...if babylocs are sprouting or if you have a sore tender spot on your scalp find out what it is...if your hot water runs out fast turn it off while you are doing the loc and scalp inspection...save it for when you are ready to rinse...and that's the next step...RINSE RINSE RINSE!!! rinse until your locs are almost squeaky clean!!! And then RINSE one more time! If you use a conditioner that has to be rinsed out apply it now...wait the allotted time and rinse it out...repeatedly.. if you use a leave in apply it and you are done!... My hair is extremely THICK...thicker than I even knew in the early years because first my locs weren't mature and my locs hadn't firmed up completely...second I'd jacked them up with EXCESSIVE latchhooking and caused rootbed damage and breakage...when the new hair grew in and I allowed it to do it's thing I finally found out what a HEALTHY head of locs really is...and that's what I now have. My hair is also very dense, and because of this, if I didn't allow my hair to dry fully I would breed mold and mildew in it from the moisture left by excess water left on it. My hair is so thick I can't simply run my fingers thru my dreadlocks...I HAVE to separate them...so imagine the mildew and mold I'd have stinking up my hair if I didn't dry it fully... |
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| Are you palm rolling your dreadlocks...so is Raymon!! He gets his locs palmrolled once a month by Pooh...When I took this picture he needed to get them done and a few days later they were...Notice how much new growth he has...it's not necessary to have perfectly neat locs in order for them to look nice anyway....you don't have to obsess when you see new growth, in fact it's better for your roots because it doesn't weaken them from excessive rolling or twisting!! Give your dreadlocks and new growth room and space to grow and expand to keep them healthy and strong...Remember the more you twist or palmroll the more likely you are to weaken the rootbed. The more mature your dreadlocks are the older parts actually become kind of fragile in a way. They aren't going to literally break off, but you do better not to manipulate them excessively because the hair begins to wear with age.... |
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| RAYMON 2007 |
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| After I shampoo my hair, I squeeze as much water out of my hair as possible and then I take a very thick towel and wrap it around my dreads...those microfiber towels don't do a THING for my hair!! I have to squeeze even MORE water out with the thick towel...sometimes I have to use TWO towels to end up with my hair just being damp...then I apply a special conditioner I developed to my locs and massage it into each loc...I wrap a dry towel around my dreads like a turbon to absorb any water that may be left, focusing on the scalp...if my locs are still damp in a couple of hours I lightly blow dry the ends...my hair is fully dry and I separate each loc gently...sometimes I section them off into four sections and then twist them together, stick a long hairpin in the whole thing and put my satin bonnet on...and call it a day!! I know my process sounds like a LOT of trouble...but it's not...I consider it my pampering time! I don't go to spas...or get massages...or get manicures and pedicures or any of the other stuff we women like to do to pamper ourselves...I make my own products so I don't splurge on fancy perfumes...I'm not into the DIVA thang...or brand names...I invest all my extra money right back into my business...so my splurge is to pamper myself with TIME...the only thing worth having..(LOL)... |
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| COREY June 2006 |
| daez June 2004 |
| daez early-mid 2003 |
| I've long subscribed that beeswax is "da debbil"...the reason I felt that way is because when I was early in my journey an absolutely wonderful woman named Estella used to palmroll my locs with beeswax...she would shampoo my hair and scrub my scalp clean...and then she would take a heaping glob of beeswax and apply it to each babyloc then palmroll it...when I would walk out of her house I'd have a greasy head...a greasy face and neck...my hair would be greasy...my top would be greasy...the beeswax would be sitting on top of my locs like vaseline...thick and globby...and anything I TOUCHED would end up with beeswax on it!! When I'd get home I'd blow dry my babylocs to try and melt the beeswax down because it would just be sitting on top of my head and look so thick and jacked up I couldn't stand it! When I put the heat from the blow dryer on it it melted the beeswax of course...which made an even BIGGER mess!...I'd have MELTED beeswax everywhere!! My son-in-law Raymon went to the same sweet lady, Estella, at the beginning of HIS loc journey, and the same thing happened with him...greasy beeswax everywhere! I think I went to her for a month or two and quit...Raymon hung with her longer...for probably five months I think...the thing is, he never had any build up in his locs and neither did I...perhaps it was because each and everytime she prepared to twist or palmroll our hair she shampooed the ish out of it!!! I gave up on her because I just couldn't take the itchy greasiness of the beeswax...Raymon didn't like it either...However beeswax was what my son Corey originally used to start his first set of dreads and he curiously didn't have bad buildup in them...in fact his major problem was hand-in-locs disease, not buildup, and once I dogged him out about it so bad he finally got over that issue (LOL @Corey!)... When I met Mark years after I stopped seeing Estella and realized she was still maintaining his dreads a couple of things became quite clear...and there are a LOT of people who will read this and totally disagree with me...I get it..but hear me out...Sister Estella was still maintaining Marks dreads with beeswax true enough, but she had switched to an ALL NATURAL beeswax...when your locs reached a certain point, she stopped using the massive amounts she did in the very early stages and started using a very MINUTE amount.... to be continued |
| Corey's new babylocs...he chopped off his locs after his divorce...I'll be posting what his locs look like now 6 months later his own page...he is starting a new life.. with a new head of locs and a new attitude towards locing...will it work... |
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