first attempt! EDITED more pictures help!

[sashyy]

hiya
been looking on here for techniques on making some double dreads out of synthetic hair and have failed on my first attempt, just wondered if anyone can give me some tips no what im doing wrong
also does anyone have a good tip for splitting the hair once its out of the packet, i tryed to get a section out and it just matted up really bad?
i got a section of hair and back combed it to what i thoght was enough,
got a deep tray full of boiling water and twisted the dread as i put it into the water and left each section in for about 1 maybe less mins, and i ahve left it to dry and have ended up with this -




i know its only my first attempt and need practise but i think i need some help!
ps sorry massive pictures!
EDIT
after reading comments ive nearly made one fall, just thought id ask how they are looking!

[CherryLex]

Looks to me like you just need to work a little on backcombing. The sections where it's thinner or has bigger lumps is just where you need to even out how much your ratting up the hair. What I do is start at the top and rat it up a bunch & then work my way down/around the dread to even it out. If you find a lump, just try to work it out & up and consistently feel through the dread to make sure everything is "even", if that makes sense. Once or twice while I'm backcombing I'll twist the dread down & see if I need to attack a particular area to make it thicker or thin it out.
This process also helps smooth out the loopy bits if you want a smoother appearance. And know that for most this is stuff that just comes with time & practice
Doesn't look bad for a first attempt though! keep it up!

[IKickShins]

CherryLex pretty much covered it, but I just wanted to add that you'll know when you're done backcombing when your dread is noticeably tapered. It should be relatively dread shaped before you even twist it

[CherryLex]

So true!
I call them "fluffy carrots" to my husband

[plum poison]

it also looks like the dread hasn't been smoothed out as its twisted.
KK only needs a few seconds of heat really to mould into the initial shape you tell it.

one idea that you could use is only sealing half the dread at a time, secure it half way down the dread to something maybe outside or over a sink/bath (somewhere you can splash water about), twist and smooth down the dread, at the same time making sure it doesn't fold on itself. pour some boiling water over it (then retighten the twists and pour over again its surprising how much it shrinks) maybe use some pliers to protect against scalded fingers. (i swear i'm steaming off my fingerprints at the moment!). repeat all the way down the dread and release the dread and repeat for the other side!

hope that's given you another technique to consider. i just spent £30 on a steamer and its proven invaluable.

[co0kie_x]

does anyone have a good tip for splitting the hair once its out of the packet, i tryed to get a section out and it just matted up really bad?

i had that same problem myself, i found it quite easier if i laid the hair out over a table and pulled it apart, i still seem to waste alot of hair tho

[CherryLex]

you know, once I open the pack I hang the loost hair on a post and then split it into 1 or 2 dreads worth as I work through it. I don't really lose much hair and it helps keep it from tangling up. I have a shelf that has 4 posts at the top and that lets me hang 4 different colors at a time if I'm working on a multi-color set.
Back when I first started I noticed if I set the hair down on the floor or a table that's where I started to have problems.

[IKickShins]

I have a towel rack in my work room that I use for seperating hair. When its hanging up nice and straight like that, it doesn't tangle as easily. I've also got a hook taped onto one end to hold dreads steady for backcombing (for DEs I just use a binder clip to hold them onto the hook). Works really well as long as you use wall anchors to hold up the towel rack

[LizSherman]

You've got the idea, but you need to smooth out your backcombing a bit more If you get too many lumps in one area, just pull it apart and smooth it down. Keep at it! =D