The products are designed to either speed the locking process, control the locking process (to some degree), or manage the wildness while the hair locks.

Truth is, hair will lock all by itself. You don;t NEED to do anything at all.

That said, my take (others will differ)...

1) Yes, they dread by themselves. No, you don't need to rub or twist (though you certainly can to speed things along). Wax will hinder the locking process, so I wouldn't use it on my roots if I were you.

2) Ditch the wax and use the gel. It's mostly just aloe.

3) As long as you like.

4) Palm rolling helps control & speed the locking process, and keeps your dreadies tamed a tad.

5) Yes....many recipes right here on this tribe if you search.

6) Ocean water works primarily due to salt. No need to bottle it, just mix water & salt and soak those babies!

Now post some pics, man!

I really wish you could make a memorable post section on Tribe. these questions get answered so much...

1. Do the roots dread up naturally over time or do your have to do that clockwise rubbing thing for them to come together? I've just been waxing and twisting so far.

Your roots will dread naturally over time. They're usually the last part to dread, along with the tips. If you want them close to your head, yes you need to do the clockwise rubbing thing. You have Caucasian hair, I'm assuming? Twisting will not work, especially with wax. All that will do is make them look neater. With white hair you need to create that kinkiness. The friction from clockwise rubbing helps do this.

2. I've been using knotty boy dread wax and have a jar of knotty boy tropical tightening gel that I haven't used yet, how long should I use the wax for (I've heard the horror stories and disadvantages associated with wax so don't want to use it for much longer).

You can stop now. You can keep using it forever. Just remember that a lot of that crap can stay in your hair, and all it's really doing is making it look neat. If you keep using it, use less than half the recommended amount! The tightening gel is another story. It really doesn't tighten for crap, but it is a much nicer alternative for maintaining neatness. (It also washes out in one wash, unlike wax.) If you have dark brown hair, make sure you're careful with how much you use, as it can give you white flakes.

3. How long should I use the tightening gel for? I'm probably going to start using in in the next month or so.

Again, you can use it as long as you'd like. You can never use it. It's a matter of preference.

4. Do you need to palm roll? Like is it a must or is it just to get them to dread up faster? What are the main benefits of palm rolling?

Palm rolling is the key to neat, even, lovely dreads faster. However, you don't need to do it. The benefits are neatness, a nice uniform thickness, and more mature dreads faster.

5. Can you make your own tightening gels from home made products? Any good recipies? I've heard of salt, lemon, rosemary, etc?

I would check through this thread for gel recipes and stuff. I'm sure there are tons. Honestly, for tightening...just sea salt in water, sprayed on after wetting your hair will be great. You want the mixture to taste like tears. If you want it to smell nice, a few drops of the essential oil of your choice is fine. Tea tree or lavender are popular, partly cause they help with dry scalp flaking and dandruff. Rosemary is nice if you want your hair to get a bit darker.

6. Can you bottle ocean water for applying to dreads and keep it at home for a while? Or will it start to go funky and smelly if its ocean water in a bottle at home for too long?

I'm sure you can, but you can make salt water just as easily at home. Ocean water works well for tightening up hair because it moves around in the water. So unless your tub has a wave machine there really isn't a difference between the ocean and a homemade sea salt mix. In the end it's just salt, water, and friction. Wash your hair, spritz it with salt water and palm roll. Same thing, less seaweed.

And yes, that water will get funky unless you boil it. It's ocean water, besides salt, there are all sorts of things living in that stuff.