how?

and how long will it take?

Ignore Tati, she’s obviously very narrow-minded and ignorant.

Take a look on http://www.dreadlocks.com/ there’s a lot of advice on getting started, and maintaining.

And don’t let people talk you out of it, dreads look great.

or would it be easier to knot up with different lengths of hair?

as someone who’s hair was all completely different lengths, and used wax,

nah it doesn’t have to be, your locks will probably just be all the same length but it doesn’t matter or really affect how they will turn out as they all mature at their own pace anyway,

also as someone who used wax for 4months,
I can’t advocate it’s use,
it almost ruined my hair, (some locks are nearly stick stiff) I washed most of it out with several methods, it is very hard to get out though, and doesn’t help them mature despite what you hear,

using any method to start them is good enough alone, if you need to smooth them over (the only thing the wax does anyway) use pure aloe vera,

I’m surprised people still say to use it, especially someone who’s been doing hair for 20years,
I’m not a biased natural fan, however, its use never helped me, only affected me negativly
please read up on it, (hydrophobic substance in your hair = bad idea) especially with locks.

Any tips on how to make nice clean straight dreadlocks?
No eggs, honey or anything.

Chelsea covered the basics pretty well, except she did not properly warn you about wax and build up…

Wax is a hydrophobic substance no one irregardless of hair texture needs it. So when you go to wash your dreads if you use wax it can not be removed easily with water and shampoo the wax will repel the water and create pockets of oil, wax, dirt that hinder the dreading process and prevent the hair from drying completely, eventually causing mold and mildew growth. If you absolutely need something to keep the frizz down to keep your dreads presentable looking then use all natural aloe vera gel from the health food store it can easily be washed out with water and conditions locks without causing buildup.

The fact is that there are several natural product/chemical free ways to make and maintain nice dreadlocks;
Backcombing, backcombing with crochet hook, two strand twists, latch hook/interlocking method (google the "nappylocks tool" for this method), rip and twist, organic free form.

There are 3 main groups of dread wearers; the "all naturals" they look down on ANY method other than organic and tell you that every other method will produce crappy dreadlocks they are elitist and some are kind of cruel, the "went with the first method a company told me to do" mostly younger kids who did not do enough research and end up using that harmful wax or quick chemical dread perms they usually end up cutting their dreads because of the damage, and third "chemical free, but still neat/tidy" use methods that take a lot of initial blood sweat and tears they use only residue free or low residue products like aloe, witch hazel, essential oils and so on.

There are pros and cons to each of them, and with all methods there is room for error if the method is preformed wrong then it may very well damage dreads. That is why it is important to do enough research on your chosen method. For example the latch hook/interlock/crochet/flipping dreads through their roots method (its all the same technique just different names) has a bad reputation OUTSIDE the african american dread community where it is used successfully very often. Many people attempt this method and do it incorrectly leaving gaps or crocheting the hair too tightly/close to the scalp causing pain.

The key with this method is to remember the criss cross/vertical-horizontal crochet pattern from the ends of the hair towards the scalp. That’s why i recommend the nappylocks tool & directions pamphlet for this method you can order it online it does work on any hair texture if done right, you can also look up visuals of this method/results on youtube. It tends to create slender locks with a slight semi braid pattern along each lock.

Personally i recommend the backcombing & crochet hook method (a very small gage crochet hook must be used to avoid damaging the locks). It works on all hair textures and you can wash them pretty much right after getting them. For visuals on this method go to youtube and look up a video poster user name; "skillteacher" his tutorials are amazing and the process and results he shows speak for themselves.

This site has the best real life experiences, results, and directions… It is a bit "all natural" bias but most users there are friendly and accepting of different methods. They also show/warn you about wax and "johnny clean" who’s company (dhhq) carelessly makes money off of selling a bad product.

http://www.dreadlockssite.com/

Good luck and remember do what is healthyist and best for your.

I’m not sure about getting them, I’m still considering it, but if I were to do it, how do you make it so you have lots and lots of really really tiny ones, not the huge chunky ones? or am I crazy and are those braids?

i’ve had mine for 4 months and i love em…don’t get em if you aren’t positively sure you want them. they’re hard to keep at first. have you researched? knottyboy.com is a good website…but you don’t necessarily need all those products to have successful dreads. when i first made mine i did em in 1 inch sections and now that they’re tightening they’re about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. i think they’re the perfect size but if you want to go smaller than that it might be hard. i say that only because when you do maintanace it’s a lot of work and it’ll take a lot of time when you do your upkeep. knottyboy has a fantastic gallery of dread photos…all shapes and sizes. good luck…feel free to email me and let me kno how it goes. i’m more than happy to share any tips or info that i’ve learned and gained. good luck!

I have short hair, that’s starting to grow out and I’d like to do dreadlocks but I don’t know how to nor do I really want to use a salon to help start my dreadlocks. Is there a (cheap) easy way to start making dreadlocks, while having short hair?
For people who are wondering about my race, I’m not white, I’m Hispanic-British and once more, I don’t want to go to a salon. I’d prefer natural dreadlocks over salon dreadlocks.

There are several at home affordable and natural (by natural i mean chemical free) options to start dreadlocks…

There is the back combing method; section hair off as desired then tease/back comb into matted sections, palm roll sections into cylinders, if desired add a small amount of aloe vera gel (the natural alcohol free kind) to each dread, then palm roll again.
In another variation of this method a very small crochet hook is used by poking it in and out of the pre back combed/palm rolled section pulling/pushing the left over loose frizz inside the lock. (this variation creates instant fairly mature locks quickly that you can wash very soon after they have been installed). Look up "skillteacher" he is a user on youtube that has very informative detailed visuals on this method.

Rip and twist; section, back comb slightly then pull apart the one section into two and repeat in a criss cross pattern until you reach the scalp, palm roll.

If your hair is curly you could look into the wool rubbing method where you literally rub a wool or other coarse piece of fiber around your scalp until the hair begins to section itself off into knots. (this method produces random sometimes messy results).

For a very simple and very neat/tidy method you could simply section your own hair off, put it into small regular three strand braids then tie them off with tiny metal clasp free elastics at the ends. This method takes a bit longer to fully lock but your hair will stay fairly neat in the mean time, also your dreads will have a slight braid pattern left over on them for a while.

One last method is the interlock method, this is usually done with a tool you can make yourself (look up interlock dread lock tool on youtube) or there is a company that sells them at affordable prices online look up the "nappylocks tool". This method makes very neat dreads on ANY hair texture that you can wash after only one week (again its hard to explain in words look up visuals of the method on youtube).

Whatever method you use tie them down at night for the first 2 weeks with a scarf/bandanna. Wash them at least once a week with a clarifying shampoo that has been diluted half with water so it spreads and rinses from the scalp easily. Clean hair dreads better than dirty, oily, slippery hair. Also wait for your dreads to dry completely before you go to bed, if not your damp hair/scalp may not evaporate in time thus causing mildew/mold. And don’t use traditional cream rinse conditioner on them for at least one full year.

Oh and please DON’T USE WAX ! It doesn’t matter what kind, all wax is a hydrophobic substance (repels soap and water) and attracts oil, dirt, bugs, and sometimes encourages the growth of mold & mildew. It doesn’t create locks, just smelly dirty candlesticks. Aloe gel is an alternative if you really want a product to help keep frizz down, it is natural, water based (so it washes out easy), and moisturizes locks without weighing them down or causing build up.

I heard that you could beeswax but not from a very reliable source so idk.

First of all, I would like to clarify a few misconceptions about dreadlocks!

1. you need to wash your hair. you just have to use a different type of shampoo and not use conditioner. the shampoo you need is residue-free.

2. if you have dreadlocks and decide you dont want them anymore – you dont have to shave your head. With a lot of patience, they can be brushed out, but with saying that – the more mature they are, the harder it will be and some trimming of the end may be required.

3. you dont need to go to a salon to get dreadlocks. You will spend big bucks, and when you walk out of that store – you still won’t have dread locks. They can never ever be instant – dreading is a process. Your hair will simply resemble dreadlocks. You would be better off doing it yourself, by either going natural or backcombing your own hair (which is the method most salons use anyway). I also have to point out that many normal hair salons, really have no idea on how to create or maintain dreadlocks themselves. Hairdressing courses never focus on dreading techniques. You could go to a proper dreadlock salon but as i said, the exact same result can be achieved at home for $15 instead of $500.

4. You dont need to use wax. Wax is used more as a glue for the first few months and doesnt really do much to encourage the natural locking process. Hair needs gaps and holes to weave in and out of which is how knots are created. Can you imagine trying to push a strand of hair through a chunk of wax? it just doesnt work. And with the wax, if you use it incorrectly you will end up with mouldy, smelly dreads.

So if you think I might be on the right track and wouldnt mind saving yourself a few hundred bucks and would be prepared to keep this hairstyle for at least a few years (because dreads can take up to 2 years to actually become proper dreadlocks. 18 months is usually the norm though), then go and invest in some residue-free shampoo and a metal lice comb or metal flea comb and some small hair rubberbands.

Start of with clean, recently washed (with your residue-free shampoo) and fully dried hair. then section your hair off with the rubber bands. 1/2 inch squares are great for thinner dreads or if you want the thicker dreads then you could do 1&1/2 inch squares. Doesnt necessarily need to be squares but you will minimise the chances of flat dreads down the track. so, start off with one section and holding the section out with one hand, begin to comb the hair backwards towards the scalp with the lice comb. Start at about 2 inches from the scalp and just gently comb backwards and only allow a couple of hairs at a time be allowed to slide up towards the root. Continue to work on the first 2 inches until that section is really well knotted, then continue on the next 2 inches and so on until that section is fully knotted. Be aware that you will have about an inch of undreaded hair at the roots and also at the tip. If your hair was fully dreaded to the scalp, you will cause a lot of damage and also be in a lot of pain as the dreads will constantly be pulling on your scalp. You cant really do too much to the tips this early on because you can try to sew them back into the dread but because your backcombed hair hasnt actually started locking as yet, then the tips will continue to come out from being sewn in.

Then, after all the sections have been completed, give them a good palmrolling and continue the palmrolling every day. Just put your dread in between your two palms and roll back and forth vigorously. it will help them to become round and also encourage the loose hairs to get back into the dread.

Wash your dreads frequently (at least weekly), and dont go crazy with dread products. you really dont need them. You could make your own locking accelerator though and just spritz on to your hair (avoid the scalp) every couple of days. just get about 2 tablespoons of sea salt, the juice of one lemon and put in a spray bottle and fill with hot water, shake up and allow the salt to dissolve. then just keep the liquid in the spray bottle and apply when needed.

hope this helps.

Same rate. Dreadlocks are a hair style, not a hair product. For your hair to grow faster, you would need a hair product specifically designed for that idea; the product is supposed to get into the roots to make them work faster.

To make dreadlocks, you basically twist a section, backcomb it, repeat that many times, and then twist again and seal with heat (for synthetic hair) or a special product. It does not get into the roots and therefore does not affect hair growth.

How do I make my hair into dreadlocks, but only temporarily for one day

you can.
you will need a tub of wax, hair gel and hairspray.

mix the gel and wax together into a paste.
tease your hair and spray with hair spray.
then rub it thick on one half of your head.
twist your hair ( so they look like dread locks)
do smae with other side.

it will last untill you wash out your hair next.

( to wash your hair put a large handfull of conditioner in and brush it in before you have a shower )

i’ve heard that you make dreadlocks by washing your hair with soap instead of shampoo and conditioner. So, if you get it all tangled and matted first with soap, can you wash it right thereafter and keep the "mess?" and does the soap make your hair smell unclean?

you can make dread locks many diffrent ways. check out this site.
www.dreadlocks.com

I’m hoping to put a single dread in the back of my hair, soon.
I was wondering how you put it in, i want it to be sorta thick.
Also, do you know if there are anyways that it fades, so you don’t have to cut it out, when i eventually get sick of it.. because it’s going to be in back of my head, on top, not hidden underneath.

Also, do you know of anywhere to get a bead with a big enough hole to fit over dread?

If you buy hair wax (not a greasy one though) and twist your hair, that will make a dread. If you don’t twist it often, eventually the hair that grows in will not dread up. (so you can cut it out if you want) Lemon juice will clean it naturally since its hard to shampoo a dread.
Hope this helps.