How to start dreads: Sectioning?

      Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog. If you read my first post (and hopefully you did), you know a little bit about me, my dreads and what I learned from starting them a bunch of different times. I want to try to guide you on this dreadlock journey ahead, and provide you with the knowledge you need to have them look the way you want. Like I said before, dreads aren't for everyone, and they take an immense amount of patience, but once they're started,  they can really turn out. If you're still seriously considering dreadlocks, that's great :) Maybe they're for you. And if that's the case, read on!

      If you've read up a little bit on dreadlocks or watched a few how-to videos on YouTube, I'm sure you've heard the word sectioning. Some say sectioning is really important, and some don't even do it. First let me explain what sectioning is, and how to do it before I give you my personal opinions on whether it helps or not.  Sectioning is the process of creating the blueprints for your dreads to grow into. It's done by taking a comb and marking small squares or circles on your head establishing where the dreads are going to be. Most people with salon dreads have them done this way, and use a grid (or pattern) to map them out. Here are the most common grids to use, although in no way are you limited to just using these.

      It looks a bit funky, but if you take your hair piece by piece, and tie each end off with a rubber band, it'll end up looking the way it's supposed to. This is what your hair would look like if you sectioned them, but haven't dreaded them yet.

      Another really important thing to remember is the size of the grid ovals or squares you make. Most Salon dreads and professionals say you should have half inch sections for dreads, but it all really depends on how thick or bulky you want your dreads to become. I wanted really fat dreads, and I "sectioned" my hair into rough 1-1.5 inch squares. My dreads are pretty huge now, and they keep getting bigger with age, which I kind of like because I prefer natural looking, fatter dreads. If I were to go back, I would only do one inch squares (because my dreads are HUGE at the root). This is however all a preference, and no small thing will decide the fate of your dreads, so don't worry too much.

These are dreads that have just been finished that are sectioned. 

      Once the hair starts maturing, she would cut the rubber bands out and the roots would become dreads as well. If the hair is mantained, then you will be able to still see the sections of hair. 

    In my opinion,  I don't think sectioning is THAT important in dreadlocks. It changes the overall look, and depending on what. You want them to look like, you may want to try it. But if your just going for that natural look, grab some hair and start dreading :)