i'm no hair expert, so i cant vouch for how good bleach is for your hair... but... i bleached my hair a few months back and it helped my dreads tighten up ALOT. my hair was ultra healthy before i dreaded it, so i think the drying out from the bleach worked wonders on them. on the other hand, since they dreaded up alot more, i got a good inch or two of shrinkage. so if you're concerned about the length to begin with, maybe bleaching wont be the way to go. if you do decied to bleach, the key is to RINSE RINSE RINSE. you dont want that icky stuff staying in your lovely locks!

happy dreading!

Hey PH,

Perming your dreads will loc them faster as well. If you're interested in using extensions I recomend using real hair (this can be quite expensive but worth it) because it's real it will last as long as your own hair and look better too or synthetic hair (can be cool but won't last that long...but could last long enough until your own hair gorws to a length you like).

I know how to create both and if your interested I can share with you how. I started mine with synthetic then removed them once my hair got long enough. Doing it yourself is harder for sure but can save you oodles of cash!...just shoot me a note on my home page. The process for both is time consuming and requires some skill (and slow breathing!) so if you don't have either I suggest you pay someone to do it for you (sometimes it's just so nice to let someone else do it!). I know the Hair Police are most proficient but also the most expensive but if you don't mind the investment I highly recomend them. They can be found in most major cities.

Good luck!
L

i know how hard it is to be patient with growing hair but i think it's worth it. all-natural dreads are the best and you've already gone through the first 4 months (some of the hardest). also short dreads are cute -- and when you put them up they stick out and get all spikey looking. plus it's pretty sweet to go through all the stages of dreading and they'll be more fulfilling in the end.
i strongly suggest bleaching or dying and also going in the ocean (if you can) - these will make them shrink up but they will also make them thicker and more solid.
after a couple of months my dreads shrunk up to about half their size but after a year it's about back to it's original length.
so don't lose patients!! this is probably one of the most awkward times for your dreads and if you just stick it out you will have beautiful hair!
you can do it!! good luck :)