Congos are my biggest problem. They're painful to rip apart, and involve more maintenance (even after cutting). New, small dreadlocks are usually the ones with this problem. I find that this is a big problem for people with lots of dreads (more dreads = more maintenance). I have heard of people sleeping on silk pillows. Silk prevents friction between dreadlocks. I sewed myself a scarf for sleeping. With my dreads wrapped in silk, they stay tight after maintaining and reduced congoing BIG TIME.
I will be selling these scarfs for $20 soon. I know $20 seems high, but silk can run up to $10 a yard at the fabric store. I will be posting a picture soon. If anyone is interested in buying a sleep scarf, please let me know. Im not sure how it will sell, and I don't want to invest money in silk if they wont sell. Much Mahalos.
Congos are AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteI used to like thin dreads, and so mine were made (backcombed) thin. Now, three years later, I want fatter dreads so I'm starting to congo them.
I used embroidery thread or beads, placed at the root, to encourage dreads to grow together as one. I've made quite a few congos this way! I think thread works better because beads can and do slip. I also make crochet sleeves for this purpose - http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGeologyShop?section_id=11484380
Congos can be prevented by ripping the dreads apart when they start to join, so when you have baby dreads, especially after washing, it's a good idea to have a feel around and find whats joining what, and gently pull them apart. I know people who have also used scissors to try and cut down the 'middle', but they also nearly cut off a dread..