Even if you only have one dread, you need to at the very least keep them CLEAN and keep them SEPARATE! Dreadlocks, whether you have one or one hundred, always have a tendency to want to “eat”/suck in any loose hair around them. Unless you want to end up with mega-dreads you need to regularly run your fingers through your hair around the dreads to make sure none of the hair you want left loose is getting tangled into the locks.
There are as many different kinds of dreadlocks as their are people WITH dreadlocks. They ways in which to achieve a dreadlock hair style are numerous and have many variations. It’s important to mention that despite what many people will have you believe, no one way of dreading your hair (natural vs. others) is better or superior to another. Some methods are less damaging that others, however. Likewise, one’s reason for getting dreads isn’t better or superior to another’s either. Just like everything else on my website, while this information is well-researched and based on our personal experience is STILL just one opinion. We encourage all readers to take the time to research and discover some things for themselves. But some things just AREN’T worth the risk, in our opinion. Those things are marked with an asterisk in the menu above. Likewise, we do have our own opinion and preferences, too. We prefer a combination of Rip & Twist and Crochet, if you’re curious!
As much as we would love to get our hands on your hair and help put in some sweet locks for you, it’s much more important to us that you be able to do it in the way you feel is right for you. So, please have a look around this section and soak up as much knowledge as you can. Please keep in mind that if you are NOT going the natural/freeform method and are planning to start your own locks at home that you should read the pages on Sectioning THOROUGHLY! Sectioning is the foundation of your dreadlocks, so give it a good read to make sure that you are giving your locks the best start and best life possible!
Even if you only have one dread, you need to at the very least keep them CLEAN and keep them SEPARATE! Dreadlocks, whether you have one or one hundred, always have a tendency to want to “eat”/suck in any loose hair around them. Unless you want to end up with mega-dreads you need to regularly run your fingers through your hair around the dreads to make sure none of the hair you want left loose is getting tangled into the locks.
The dread perm is a technique that was created and made popular by the Hair Police in Minnesota. There are a few different variations of this technique out there. One variation involves perming the hair by wrapping it around perm rods and applying the perm chemical for a set amount of time and then rinsing … Read more
We can’t recommend AGAINST interlocking enough! It may seem like an easy way to keep your locks tidy-looking, but it usually does NOT work out well in the long-run. When silky, Caucasian hair is twisted against itself (such as with interlocking or braiding) the hair either does not lock at all, or it takes a VERY long time to do so. ecause of the nature of how interlocking is done in some individuals, interlocking will case dreadlocks to split from the roots and, in severe cases, be difficult or impossible to fix. Some also believe that when interlocking is used to tighten new growth that the hair gets pulled too tight and causes too much tension on the hair at the roots leading to potential hair loss or thinning. However, by far and large the biggest issue we come across with dreadlocks that have been interlocked is how unnaturally dense interlocked growth becomes. This leads to the dreadlocks holding a lot of excessive product (soap and/or wax, even if residue-free) and moisture ultimately leading to issues with mold (a.k.a. “dread rot”).
Although crochet is more typically used for placement of dreadlocks in conjunction with another method done first as a “base”, occasionally, crochet alone may be used for the placement of dreadlocks. This is most typically the case with kinky, afro-type hair which takes to the locking process very easily and doesn’t require as much “work” … Read more
Twisted dreadlocks are really only suitable to kinky or coily hair types. Twists are very ineffectual for locking up mixed or Caucasian/silky hair types. Even for kinky, afro-type hair we prefer other methods which are much sturdier and withstand the necessary care required to keep them clean and healthy. Although we don’t currently offer this method, … Read more
We do not generally recommend backcombing. Many people use this technique as it is the easiest, most easily learned technique. However, we feel other methods (Rip & Twist) are much better. Backcombing involves the use of a dread comb, as mentioned earlier, to arrange the hair perpendicularly along a central strand of hair (see diagram at left). However, because of this arrangement, over time (like everything else on our planet) it is affected by gravity and the ‘knots’ can, and often do, begin to migrate downwards. This leads to loose, undreaded hair in the middle of a dreadlock or the entire unraveling of a dreadlock altogether. The use of rubber bands can help prevent total unraveling, but not the development
The Twist & Rip method of creating dreadlocks allows for much more control over the quantity and size of the dreads-to-be. It involves first sectioning the hair according to the size and quantity of dreadlocks you want. Then each section is twisted (in whatever way the twist-er is comfortable or familiar). The ‘twist’er separates the … Read more
Okay, everyone. We have a secret to tell you. To dread heads worldwide it is a source of great celebration. Are you ready? Here it is: clean, dry hair will dread ALL BY ITSELF!!! That means in no uncertain terms that the only thing you need to do to get dreads is wash your hair. … Read more