Give Yourself Dreadlocks
Giving yourself dreadlocks doesn't require much more than dreadlock wax and a lot of patience. You can have dreadlocks put in at the salon, but doing them yourself at home is more natural and much less expensive. Plan to spend several months forming the dreads and more time keeping them in good shape.
Contents
Steps
Making the Dreads
- Start with clean hair. Making sure your hair is clean and residue-free makes the process go faster. The natural oils that build up in your hair make it slippery, so it's better to start with hair that has been freshly shampooed.
- Don't add conditioner or any other products to your hair after shampooing.
- Be sure your hair is completely dry before you start.
- Section your hair into squares. Each square of hair will become a dreadlock. It's up to you to decide how large or small you want the dreadlocks to be. For a neater overall appearance, plan to make each dread the same size.
- Use a wide-toothed comb to part your hair and delineate the squares. Hold the squares apart from each other by using small rubber bands.
- One by one-inch squares create standard medium sized-locks. 1/2-inch squares create small, elegant locks. Keep in mind that the more squares you create, the longer it will take to dread your hair.
- The sections and rows in between the squares may be visible in the finished dreads. To avoid a patterned appearance, fashion the squares in a zig-zag or brick lay format so that the finished look is more natural.
- Backcomb the hair sections. Hold a section of hair straight up from your scalp. Starting about one inch from your scalp, place a fine-toothed comb in the section of hair and tease it down toward the scalp. Repeat this "backcombing" technique several times on the same section of hair until it begins to puff and pack up at the roots. Continue backcombing the same section of hair in one-inch increments until the entire section has been backcombed toward the scalp. Secure the end with a rubber band.
- As you backcomb with one hand, use the other hand to gently twist the section you're working on. This keeps it in shape and assists with the backcombing process.
- Continue backcombing each section of hair using the same technique until all of your hair has been backcombed. Having a friend help out speeds the process along.
- Use the same patience and care with each dread. If you rush through the last part of your hair, you'll end up with uneven-looking dreads.
- Secure the dreads. Each dread should have a small rubber band securing the end. Place a second rubber band on each dread right next to the scalp. The two rubber bands will hold the dread in place as it matures.
- Wax the dreads. Use a natural dread wax or tightening gel to keep your dreads from fraying or frizzing. Apply the wax or gel to the entire length of the dread, taking care to cover the whole strand but remember less is better. If you choose to wax it need only be done every 2-4 weeks.
- Many people with dreads do not use a dread wax or gel because they believe it obstructs the dreading process. Use at your own discretion.
Helping the Dreads Lock
- Wash your hair with residue-free shampoo. Washing your hair regularly will help the dreads continue to get tight and smooth, a "locking" process that takes at least 3 months to complete. Use a dread bar or another shampoo that doesn't contain perfumes and conditioners, which can build up in your dreads and cause them to smell.
- When you wash your hair, concentrate on your scalp. Don't over handle the dreads themselves, since you don't want them to start to fray.
- Wash your hair in the morning so that your dreads have time to dry. If you go to bed with wet hair, mildew and mold can grow there.
- Moisturize the dreads. Use a mixture of oil and water to spray your dreads every few days to keep them from drying out and fraying. Use an essential oil like tea tree or lavender. Don't add too much oil, or your dreads could look greasy; a spritz every few days is sufficient.
- Don't use vegetable oil, olive oil, or other food-based oils on your dreads. They'll get absorbed into your hair and turn rancid.
- Special dread moisturizer is available online.
- Tuck in the loose hairs. Going about your daily routine will inevitably cause some of your hairs to become loose from the dreads. Use a crochet hook or a tweezers to tuck the stray hairs back into the dreads.
- Roll the dreads and blunt the ends. To maintain the smooth shape of the dreads, you can roll them between your hands periodically. Make the ends look rounded by smashing them against the palm of your hand to encourage the hairs to roll up into the dread.
- If you like having wispy ends, there's no need to blunt the ends.
- Don't overdo the rolling, or the dreads will be more likely to unravel.
Practicing Long-Term Maintenance
- Remove the rubber bands. As your dreads completely lock, you no longer need to hold them in place with rubber bands. Remove the rubber bands from the roots and the tips of the dreads after about 3 months.
- Rub the roots. As your dreads mature, the individual hairs begin naturally knotting onto one another. The new growth that comes in will be straight and unknotted, so you'll have to do a little work to incorporate it into the dreads. Use your fingers to rub the new growth, section by section, to encourage it to knot up with the rest of the dreads.
- It's not necessary to rub the dreads too often; as your dreads mature, the new growth will naturally knot up about an inch from your scalp.
- Be careful not to overwork the hair at your roots, since you may cause it to start falling out.
- Keep shampooing. Oils and residues built up on the scalp keep the hair straight, preventing it from knotting up with the rest of the dread. Keep the new growth clean and dry so it naturally becomes part of the rest of the dread.
- For natural and cheap cleansing use about 1/4 cup of baking soda on your very wet scalp.Massage your scalp very gently.To remove build-up and dirt from the dreads themselves rinse or submerge your dreads in a 3:1 ratio of water and apple cider vinegar.When done rinse your scalp and dreads very very well. You don't want anything left behind or it can cause odor.
Tips
- If you ever want to lose your dreads there is an alternative to chopping off all of your hair. Some companies (Knotty Boy, for example) make emergency dread removal kits that untangle and deep-condition your hair. Your hair will probably need to be trimmed afterwards to get rid of split ends, but the dreads will be removed.
- Many things can be done to decorate your dreads. They can be dyed, beaded, and felted to spice your locks up.
- To avoid the "wet-dog smell" stereotype of people with dreadlocks, do not begin to dread your hair until it is dry, otherwise you will begin to acquire a musty aroma.
- Palm roll your dreads in one direction while they're still damp. Water is a dread's natural gel/wax. Dry after twisting and they'll actually stay if you've twisted properly.
- Do not worry, all hair can and will lock without products or work. Just sit back and let your hair do its thing.
- The entire dreading process will make your hair seem shorter. The average length is about one third of your original length.
- Customize your dreads by wrapping them or adding beads.
- Use Vital Goods shampoo bars. They are completely residue free and 100% natural.
- Do not use wax. It slows down and can potentially prevent the locking process altogether. If the hair is held in place to make it look neater, it can't move and therefore cannot lock up.
Warnings
- Only use rubber bands for sectioning. Remove them before backcombing. If left in, they become very difficult to remove.
- Do not pull on your dreads after they've been in your hair for a while.
- These methods and tips are best suited for straight, wavy, or loosely curled hair. These methods can unnecessarily damage afro textured hair. Do further research about dreading your specific hair type before starting the locking process.
