DREDS: MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU FOLKS WITH LOCS

I've followed up on the advice you gave me and I have a lot more questions for you. 

Two strand twist - How big is the riskof unraveling?  They don't look secure enough to stay in until my hair locks.  Anyone start their locks this way? 

Braid locks - I think they are going to look weird later on.  Two different textures once there is alot of new growth.  What do you think?

Three strand twists - This looks like the best option to me.  I think they will stay in better than two strand and look better as they grow out than braids.  What do you think? 

Back combing - I saw demonstations of this on Youtube.  There were versions with and without twists.  The twist version takes on the look of real locks immediately.  Anyone have experience with this method?

Last item: Locking products, leave in conditioner, bees wax, or natural locking?  - There are a lot of passionate opinions on this.  Absolute do's and absolute dont's all in conflict with each other.  How did you start yours?  

Thanks all! 

Hi MSW
I haven't gone back to check your previous posts on the subject to I'll just stick to this one.  I just recently did a big chop on my locs of 6 years.  When I started I only had about 3" of new growth after I chopped off the relaxer so my stylist started mine with the comb coil method and palm roll for maintenance.  For the first few months of maintenance most of the coils unraveled during my shampoos (drove me nuts but they eventually stayed...and I have very coarse thick hair)
From what I'm told a two or three strand twist works better for those with longer hair.  I'm not quite sure what back combing is (I'll check that out on the tube)

I've seen people who start their locs with braids and I absolutely dislike it.  The ends will always look like braids.

products, what I've learned over time while starting locs you shouldn't condition your hair because it softens the hair, hence my coils unravel ling every time.
After your hair locs I see no reason not to use conditioner, just pay close attention when rinsing to ensure that it rinses out completely.
Bees wax A BIG NO NO.  While it will speed up the process of locing, you will never be able to get the build up out and it attracts dust and dirt (which is what helps the hair to loc).  My mother's hair is loced and she used beeswax up until a couple of years ago and to this day when she washes her hair and and rings it out beeswax comes out. ugh!

I loved my locs, they were below my shoulder blades when I cut them.  One of the reasons that I did so, other than the fact that I wanted to grow a great big ole afro is that I was being cheep and decided not to go to my "loctician" and go to the cheap salon around the way where they didn't practice hair care and every time she would twist my roots she would pop hair from one loc to the next and while no one could see what I meant because my hair was so thick, I could.

Sooo my best advice is to choose a salon/stylist who practices hair care.

Good luck

The last post was just asking how to start locks so I could do some research.  Thanks for sharing your experience.  My hair is to the base of my neck in the back when twisted. 

By its texture, I suspect my hair will have the unraveling issue too.  Coils are not an option as they unravel daly without washing when I've worn them.  I'll have to retwist evey morning.  I have friends who are locticians and my nieces too.  (One is a liensed stylist who also does locs.)  I just want to have a clue before I commit to a method.

Thanks especially for the bees wax tip.  All I can say is ewwwww.  

Two strand twist - How big is the riskof unraveling?  They don't look secure enough to stay in until my hair locks.  Anyone start their locks this way?  I think anyway you start your locs they stand the risk of untwisting if you continually wash and condition your hair.  I didnt wash my hair for four months when I started my locs.  Sounds like a long time, but it helped with the locing process.  When I finally got my hair washed, I loved it but it did not unravel at all.

Braid locks - I think they are going to look weird later on.  Two different textures once there is alot of new growth.  What do you think? I cannot stand when people start thier locs with braids.  I just do not like how it looks after its locs.  You can tell the difference.

Three strand twists - This looks like the best option to me.  I think they will stay in better than two strand and look better as they grow out than braids.  What do you think?  See my answer to the first question

Back combing - I saw demonstations of this on Youtube.  There were versions with and without twists.  The twist version takes on the look of real locks immediately.  Anyone have experience with this method? Do not know what this is.

Last item: Locking products, leave in conditioner, bees wax, or natural locking?  - There are a lot of passionate opinions on this.  Absolute do's and absolute dont's all in conflict with each other.  How did you start yours?  Do not and I repeat do not use beeswax because of the build up.  You can tell the people that use beeswax because of the white buildup in thier hair.  I hate the way it looks.  I have used so many products on my hair trying to see which one is best and I think it all depends upon your hair texture.  So just see what works for you.  Its trial and error.  Locs are a serious job at first, but its well worth the work once your hair locs and grows.  You will love them and you will hate them but you will not want to get rid of them once you have them and they grow so beautiful.  One thing that help my hair to loc is using color in my hair because it dries the hair out.  But be careful because it can make your locs thin out if you use it too soon.  Also, I never could grow hair while growing up.  My hair was always short but once I got locs it grew like a weed.

Happy locing.

PS. Dont think too much about it and do too much research, just do it and I am telling you, you will not be sorry you did.

Thanks for the good info.  My hair grows pretty fast so I think locs will work well for me.  Folks have suggested I live with twists for awhile as a trial run.   However I start them it will NOT be with braids.  
Below is locing by backcombing twists on youtube.  I think this may work best for me with three strand twists. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V61Cvr-sE18&NR=1

I'd never seen the backcombing method, but it makes so much sense. Its probably the only way I'd be able to get my hair to Lock up. Right now I'm in microbraids because I wasn't excited about chopping off my relaxed ends, but this might be a way for me to keep my length once I take this down.

Thats what I as thinking.  My hair is all nappy but its thin, fine, and not very tightly kinked so it unravels easily.  I think this method would make it lock better and look best as it locks. 

To give you an idea of my texture, the pic in my profile was taken this summer.  I haven't had a relaxer since early spring and that pic was a wash and go with a little leave in conditiner ie. lazy hair day.  Everytime I think about dreads I shudder at the thought of that fuzzy phase before my hair locs and with doing hot yoga a few times a week, twists/coils would just slip out.  Maybe if I was bad ass enough I could just rock a fro....we'll see.

Your hair may be a lot harder to loc than mine being wavy vs nappy.  Check out the first two pics in my album stuck in the 160's.  That's wash and wear same as yours.  I think it will loc with back combing if I avoid conditioners.  Not so sure if its just twisted.   

Now see, I love the texture of your hair. I wish I had more curls like you instead of wimpy waves.