Right now my locks are pretty fun: they're still short enough that they can stick just about everywhere when I want them to, but long enough that they'll point more or less down when I ask really nicely.
They're about half-locked, so there's more to go to make this locky thing happen. Of course, how to take the next steps is going to be important, particularly if I want to do explore the options in anything approaching a systematic fashion.
stop trying to fix them. the more you work on them the longer it will take for them to get really tight..after a year or two you can blunt your tips if they dont do it on their own
That's what Cherubim666999 said on my
six-month dreadlock update video. It's an argument I've heard before. Messing with them, including the usage of products like wax, slows down the process. I'd be better off letting time, and the compression of many nights of sleep, do the work. Naturally, they will lock on their own if I just let things be.
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| An after-and-before shot. |
Ignorance is bliss
I didn't know any of this when I started my locks. All I knew was how a metal comb could put the locks in, and how using wax to keep them compressed (frequently at first but reducing in the number of applications over time) helps accelerate the process, leading to the tight, stray-hair-free locks I was looking for more quickly. I knew that there was an alternative; I had considered and discarded a full neglect method as an option. The only thing I didn't know about at first was the controversy.
Wanted: Doctorate of Dreadlocks
So I started waxy, then
I gave wax up. By October
I wanted my wax back, because my hair felt like it was falling apart. That could also be a sign that wax is bad news in the first place, but I didn't have enough evidence either way. People swearing up and down that wax is good or bad is terribly interesting, but what I really wanted was some actual
research on dreadlock techniques and their effectiveness.
So that's my plan for the new year: I'm going to go back to using wax on half my head, and leave the other half be. I'll still wash the whole head as always, but the right side will go back to an alternating cycle of one week of wax, one week of palmrolling, futzing with the crochet hook, and generally screwing around in the hopes that I can make the locks tighten up faster.
It won't be exactly scientific, but at least it will be systematic. In another six months or so I should have some idea of which method works better.
. This probably isn't a bad thing, because I'm finding it's harder and harder to rinse it out on the first try. As wholesome as it is, I'm going to move to a baking-soda based shampoo once that stuff is gone, and use it on both sides. I'll post the recipe for it and the vinegar rinse at some point.
