Comment: from rosie
Time: September 10, 2008, 12:16 am

wow your dreads are really coming along
looking good
and you have collected some really cool photos in your inspiration gallery
keep up the good work
xxx

Comment: from Katie
Time: January 20, 2009, 5:08 am

Ah wow. I just checked out gallery, it was great. You took some really good pictures, where is it that you live? It is really pretty.

Comment: from Amy
Time: January 23, 2009, 1:28 pm

thanks i live in norway

Comment: from Emil Østergaard
Time: February 21, 2009, 11:24 pm

Taler du også norsk så?

Comment: from Amy
Time: February 22, 2009, 10:41 am

lol ja litt!

Comment: from Josephine
Time: April 4, 2009, 1:44 am

I am in awe of your dreads. They’re gorgeous!
I’ve been wanting to get my hair done for ages now.
But I was wondering, what method did you use? I’m thinking I’m going to go for the old-school backcombing, but I’m not exactly sure. Thanks. :]

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 6, 2009, 10:54 am

Thanks Josephine

Yeah mine were backcombed, which turned out fine. Twist&rip is quite a good method too I think. What’s your hair like now? Length etc ?

Comment: from Josephine
Time: April 6, 2009, 5:17 pm

Ah well. My hair is nothing special. I have fine, blond hair, with a slight wave. It’s about 12-13 inches long, a couple inches past my collar bone.

Comment: from white boy
Time: April 9, 2009, 2:28 am

awesome, now all you need is a nice handsome, young black boyfriend and you will look super hot.

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 9, 2009, 6:32 am

your dreads are coming along pretty awesome. but I’m confused if backcoming is the method when you use a metallic comb then I have absolutely what the method used on me is called… which basically knotting up you hair with something kind of like palm rolling and tightening over and over the first time I gott em [when I was 13 jejeje] that was about it but the second time… which is now… we tightened and shaped them afterwards with hmmm not sure about the word in english but those hooks you use for knitting except much smaller gauge so that leaves me confused as to what the method I used is called… which is pretty much the method almost everyone uses here

oh Yeah I forgets Im from Mexico so maybe se method gres out of having to dread people with really thick at most wavy hair….

anyways My dread are barely about a month or two old so I really envy you… my hair is what they call blond here but what is called light brown elsewhere and Ive been wanting to paint my dreads purple but I guess I have to wait a while to use peroxide to lighten my hairs natural tone and well Ive already painted them without doing so and they just ended blackpurplish

anyways cheers on the awesome dreads like they say here, among other things… estan chingonas las rastas

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 9, 2009, 10:19 am

Lol er yeh thanks for the tip white boy.

Michael I think maybe you used a crochet hook? Backcombing is with a comb, where you push the hairs up against their natural direction. Perhaps the first time you did them it was with the twist & rip method? Did you twist the hair, then pull it open, then twist again etc until knots had been pushed up the hair?

Do you have to continue to use the metal hook on your dreads now, or not?

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 10, 2009, 12:21 am

well that depends tis not really necesary but does give them a pretty clean look for a couple o days but its not really necesary unless you are fixated on having the tightest of dreads which remind me I have to go buy a new one

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 10, 2009, 10:54 am

I’ve heard that you can see a really obvious contrast between the hair you have used a crochet hook on, and the part left natural - is this true? You said it’s the method everyone uses where you are - do you know anyone who has had dreadlocks for many years, and regularly used a crochet hook on them? Have they had any problems with damage?

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 10, 2009, 11:25 am

lessee hmmm….

its true that theres a big difference between the natural ones and the other ones… mostly tightness usually the ones crocheted will be tight and not too flexible, mine for example stick out into a directin and its pretty hard pointing them elsewhere which usually results in having htem point in all directions also the texture and look is different one in which you have used a crochet hook on will have a better, rounder, uniform shape to them whilst natural ones tend to be loopy an stuff also crocheted ones look knitted

crocheing is most popular method here mostly on account of being able to round the tips
adriana has had her dreadlocks for little under two years and theres nothing worng shes even dyed etc.
maira and aileen I have no clue as to how long just have the vague idea that theirs are over 3 or 4 years old and no big problems though maira who is in her third set and has had this one for more than four years told me that if you do it to often and too rough the dread will end up becoming thinner cause like it or nor you end up wearing the dreadlock down and if you dont really know how to do it occasionaly ripping some hairs out

also if you know how to crochet or whatsitcalled correctly the method to tightening and combing dreads does not include passing the hook through the middle of the dread you usually just pass it through a couple of hair in the sides

sorry that Im not that good at explaining

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 10, 2009, 6:14 pm

Don’t worry, you’re explaining fine

I’m just curious because I’ve heard many bad things about using this method on dreadlocks…but not actually from anyone with experience in doing it. And most people I know of who have used the crochet method, haven’t had their dreads for long enough to see what the damage may be.
So if you had been crocheting your dreads for a couple of years, then decided to stop, would the difference between the old and new hair be really terrible, or would it look ok as the new hair became tight?
Do you know anyone who has photos online to compare differences, and see the effects after several years etc?

You said the dread becomes thinner eventually…is this from broken hairs or what? Will the dreads fall out eventually do you think?

Sorry for all the questions…I have seen so many arguments about this, mostly because no-one seems to have photographic proof of their theory

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 10, 2009, 8:04 pm

let me check if I can find any pictures but I dont think they have uploaded any so Ill have to take them myself

yeah they do become thinner form some breakage cuase when pulling your hairs you sometimes pull too strongly also the thining from the damage and the fact that some people just want dreads that are tight as heck

and well I havnt really seen anyone who has stopped crocheting since most people I know who used the crochet method have kept up doing so until now so I cant really help you there

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 10, 2009, 8:05 pm

I forgot Ill post the pictures in hipforums when I gettem so its easier for everyone… but thatl bee around next week

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 10, 2009, 9:10 pm

Yes do that! Do you reckon that, like most dreadlock maintenance techniques, it will kill your dreads if you do it obsessively, but is ok in moderation?

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 11, 2009, 2:09 am

yep thats me opinion exactly

but personally I dislike the fact that after tightening they tend to stand… they dont look as natural but the roundness is nice!

Comment: from Amy
Time: April 11, 2009, 9:36 am

The standing must depend on length though. It’s just that a lot of people start the dreads with quite short hair so there isn’t the weight to pull it down.

So I guess you think natural/loopy bumpy dreads without round ends look really bad then?
Do you know what influenced your idea of how dreads should be?

Comment: from Michael
Time: April 11, 2009, 11:29 pm

actually I do like loopy bumpy etc dread its just that Im lazy and Id rather have them done in a day than several months… there isnt one I prefer both have their ups and downs for example I like the loopiness but I dislike the ends of natural dreads

not really when I was… more of a kid… bout 10 or so… i would constantly go to the Chopo which is basically a flea market here in Mexico… but its kinda theme based on rock/punk ands recently rasta/ska/skate etc and while there I used to see people with all kinds of dreads and eveyrtime I saw them I wanted my own…. though I thought they were braids or suchlike back then

Comment: from mel
Time: May 25, 2009, 10:07 pm

hey amy! waiting for an update and some new pics chicky!!!!!
hope all is well with you

Comment: from Amy
Time: May 26, 2009, 12:53 pm

Eek I’ve become very camera-lazy! Just turned 11 months as well! Maybe I’ll get my act together again soon

Comment: from Sweden
Time: June 3, 2009, 10:20 pm

Hi you must be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. You meant to have dreads =) Good reading by the way, I’m ready to do my first dreads.
/Viktorsson

Comment: from mel
Time: June 9, 2009, 4:38 pm

iv been having a do-i-really-want-dread-locks crisis again. going through some old pics of un-dreaded hair and thinking i look kinda hot (ahhhh, vain little me), but then arguing with myself, like, NO! this is what got you into trouble in the first place! LOL! my dreads are 6 monthes old now. they’re about as long as yours. really fuzzy on the ends, but other than that rock hard….. but…. but…. well, the indecision is just me. maybe i need a dye job or something….. i just keep imagining the swish and shine of my long un-dreaded hair…. sigh…. i have to give them at least a year this time before i do anything drastic. i’m such a retard!
i wanna see some pics Ames!!!! hope all is well
ciao!
Mel

Comment: from Amy
Time: June 9, 2009, 5:37 pm

Keep the dreads Mel! They’ll swish when they’re a bit longer

Comment: from Shaun
Time: June 10, 2009, 1:53 am

your dreads are wicked btw.

but i was wondering did your hair shrink up a lot when you dreaded it or did you cut them to make your hair length all evem?

Comment: from Amy
Time: June 10, 2009, 9:21 am

Hi Shaun,

That would be 100% shrinkage… grr! My undreaded hair would have been super long by now! I think the shrinking has stopped now though

Comment: from Shaun
Time: June 11, 2009, 3:58 am

hmmm
thats a lot of shrinkage!
thank you :]

Comment: from Laurence
Time: July 2, 2009, 3:30 pm

Hey!

Love this blog, was exactly what i was looking for.
my dreads are struggling at the moment. Every day i try to pull dreads apart, but they just keep trying to eat each other and turn into big fat dreads! should i just rip the connecting hairs or try to pull them out?
I also have pretty curly hair and alot of my dreads are curling into each other and forming balls and fat lumps. Ive pulled some of these apart but they keep curling. Should i just leave them?

Any help would be awesome!
Greetings from Australia

Comment: from Patrice
Time: July 8, 2009, 2:20 pm

Your hair looks beautiful! I have been contemplating dreads for years. I have brown hair with lots of gray roots, uggghhhhh! I dye the roots every three weeks. I went black and fushia about two years ago which looked so cool. Wide stripes at the crown ~ VERY high maintenance. I want to dread, but color first, blocks of blonde and fushia with my natural brown. Qustion: when the gray roots come in, I should have no trouble keeping them brown right?

Comment: from Amy
Time: July 21, 2009, 7:50 pm

Ok I’m a bit behind on replies! Sorry! :p

Laurence, you’re doing the right thing as far as I know. I guess beads might help to keep your dreads away from each other for longer, but can’t think what else to suggest. Maybe try starting a thread on the dreadlock forum here: http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/forumdisplay.php?f=209 perhaps someone will be able to help more than me!

Patrice, dying dreads is fine…but I don’t have experience of dying grey hair - do you need a special type of dye? Well either way, the act of dying dreadlocks is straightforward, you just need to be extra careful about rinsing all the dye out afterwards

Comment: from Sarah
Time: September 19, 2009, 1:42 am

Hi! You have beautiful dreads

I had a question about length. On a before & after type deal.. how much shorter would you say your hair gets once it’s been dreaded? I am thinking of getting dreadlocks but I don’t want them too too short; my hair right now is about two inches past my collar bone at its longest point. How short do you think it would get? I’m guessing maybe to collar bone, maybe a bit lower.

Comment: from Shirl
Time: October 3, 2009, 4:59 am

Wow! I finally find someone who has had major shrinkage too! Our hair was exactly (well, from what I can tell without actually measuring it :oD ) the same length before and after, and after, and after. I can’t believe the length I’ve lost compared to so many other gals who started out with longish hair and had it stay that way. No big bunches of dreads wrapped up on the top of my head for a long while, I’m afraid. But I don’t feel so…..cheated, now that I’ve seen very similar results for the first time.

I’ve only had dreads since mid February. I’d crocheted those in with the Nappylocs kit and didn’t like how they were looking (through no fault of the company, I must say). So, I undid them all (Like almost 60, ugh) and backcombed them starting mid April. I don’t have an exact birth date for them, 5-1/2 months give or take a week. Kind of like getting a dog from a shelter; you just give it a random one based on the vet’s guess of it’s age. LOL

One thing I’ve found really strange - I henna’d them about 5 weeks ago, and since then I haven’t had them try to eat each other. I keep checking to see if they’ve started attaching, and they’re not. Coincidence? I can’t see anything that’s changed, visibly, other than the color. Things that make you go hmmmmm.

Comment: from Z-Balm
Time: February 26, 2010, 8:34 am

Dreads look pretty natural on you, very nice especially liked the black n’ whites towards the end, dramatic affect much?