How did you make your dreads Jonny Clean? - Dreadlocks FAQ's

I actually get this question a good bit.....Why I haven't added it to the FAQ sooner, I have no idea. =] My dreads were started with the exact method that's explained on our site. All the techniques, methods, tips, recommendations and products we talk about on the site were used and followed closely. We actually did a good bit of experimenting during the process and we updated our older instructions to include what we learned along the way. My current dreads locked up at around 3.5 months. I expected them to get as tight as my first dreads did. My current dreads (the ones I've had for the last 7 years or so) were started from 1/2" sections. It turns out that the max tightness has a lot to do with the size of the dread. Very thin dreads will not be as tight as thick dreads, even when they are fully mature. Once I figured out that they had already gotten as tight as they could get, I stopped waxing them. (as we recommend) That was at 4 months. They never got super firm like thicker dreads do, but they did continue to improve until they were fully mature. The more hair a dread has (the larger the sections), the faster it will mature, if everything else is the same. My first dreads were THICK and they reached full maturity in about 5 months. They were started the same way, except for the improvements we later made to our instructions. One difference is that our wax formula changed, so less wax is used than before. The A-B routine has also made locking faster and since wax is only used until the dreads tighten, the time wax is used is also less....aside from those differences (and smaller, cleaner sectioning) the process I went through to create my original dreads was the same.

I only had about 30 dreads the first time around and they were very large. They looked cool and I did love them, but after 4 years I decided to re-start my dreads and make them thinner. I wanted them to dry fast since I love swimming and windsurfing and other things that get my dreads wet. I was also tired of my really wonky sections. They were all over the place and I had some "gaps" that I felt looked sparse. I had also bleached my original dreads a lot. This looked cool but maintaining the bleaching was a pain and I wanted my dreads to be natural and chemical free. Sloan and I were also working on a dread removal product (Dread Zasta). At first it was going to be the only product we sold that we had not personally tested and used on our own dreads.....but after a lot of delays I eventually bit the bullet and combed my dreads out with Dread Zasta. It was soooo hard to make up my mind to finally do it. One thing that made it easier was knowing that I could re-dread may hair and not have to wait for it to grow back out after shaving it or cutting it short! =]

I used 1/2" sections when I re-did them. Sloan took her time and made them perfect. The result was 130 dreads!  They've been growing ever since. =] Would I do it again? Yes. But I would go with slightly larger sections.  My hair is bone straight white boy hair. With 1/2" sections I have to clockwise rub a good bit to keep starting new knots as my hair grows. If they were just a little larger, 3/4", they would require even less maintenance. I've combined some of my smallest ones, which together,  are now my largest ones, and I've noticed that they lock with less help. Sure, I should have made them a bit larger, but by having experience with larger dreads and smaller dreads that are much more challenging to lock, I've learned a lot more about making and maintaining dreads and I'm able to help people through situations that I wouldn't otherwise be able to, so I'm really thankful for that.

On a side note, when Sloan was choosing her sections I talked her into 3/4". And man they are perfect. It's true, I'm a bit jealous. =] So that's the story of my dreads, both sets!