Caucasian Hair
There are a couple methods for tightening roots
1. Crocheting– this really shouldn’t be used for tightening roots, you should only use it to get rid of loose loops. But what you do is stick the dread through the loop and pull it through; it’s kind of like sewing.
2. Clockwise Rubbing– In my opinion this is the best way to tighten roots, what you do is, rub the dread against your scalp in a clockwise motion. It has done wonders for my dreads.
First you need to find out where the smell came from. If it’s just a moldy smell it’s probably because you don’t dry your hair well after washing them. Or if you sleep when your dreads are wet. But you probably just need to wash your hair.
Some shampoos can be really bad for dreads because they leave residue behind on the hair, which can lubricate the hairs and cause the knots to fall apart. Residue is not a problem for normal hair because normal hair is straight and free flowing, whereas dreads and braids are a little harder to rinse well because they hold residues much easier because of the way it is tightly packed together. The residues can also cause itching and irritation on the scalp because they build up and the scalp cannot breath.
It’s a good idea to use a shampoo that doesn’t leave anything behind when you have dreads. It is more important to use a shampoo that doesn’t leave anything behind when you have dreads rather than when you just have normal hair because dreads hold a lot of stuff that usually falls out of normal hair when you brush it. The stuff will build up in the dreads and will cause the dreads to break down, loosen, and fall apart.
You should make a habit of washing your dreadlocks every 3 days, but really, you can wash them as often as you like, but you should wash them at least once a week.
Of course you can wash dreads, actually dreads tighten faster when they are clean, so the more you wash the tighter your dreads will become.
Conditioner will always lubricate the hairs and loosen the dreads, because that’s what it’s supposed to do.
Elastics are really good for dreads, they help the dreads form the way you want them to and keep loose hairs in. And if you palm roll them while you have them in it will actually dread the hair.
The rubber band at the tip is used to help keep the dreads together when they are new and it helps the tip lock up once the dreads are tight. If it is just a regular rubber band then you should just leave it there until it falls off, but if it is one of those super Scunci elastics then it will never fall off, you should take it off after three months.
The best way is to put a bead over the lump and take it off in two months.
The best way to tighten them is to palm roll them. Palm roll has amazing affects.
You should pull them apart and then put a rubber band around the loose hairs, wax them and palm roll. And keep an eye on them, because if it happened once it can happen again.
I tried it once, and I didn’t like the way my hair looked afterward, it looked really unhealthy and singed, a lot of the hair broke off, and it smelled so bad. The tips didn’t have the blunt look I was looking for either they just looked fried. If you are going to do it make sure you don’t have any wax or products in your hair, most hair products are very flammable. But I got the best results just rolling the tips in my palms.
Sports and sweating will not hurt your dreads. If you are involved in a water sport where your dreads will get very wet, very often, then you may want to use a swim cap while they are new.
Washing your hair on a normal basis will keep your dreads from growing bacteria. But if you do have bacteria growing in your dreads soak them in rubbing alcohol and wash it out. This will kill all the bacteria.
How do I dread my roots as they grow? Use the clockwise rubbing method. Rub the dread against your scalp in a clockwise motion.
You should use the crocheting method. Just thread the dread through the loop and pull it through, kind of like sewing.
There are a couple herbs you can take to make your hair grow fast
1. Horsetail- the is the most effective one
2. Salmon oil
3. Vitamin E
You could use gel and put twist in your hair. Or you could add loomed dreads to your hair. Or make silky dreads.
You can, and you can keep the sides short if you want, or let the sides grow out and dread them later.
backcombing is a lot like teasing hair except you leave the hair teased. It is basically pushing the hair towards the scalp.
You should start with the back and bottom of your head. Backcombing is a skill and you get better at it the more you do it. So the last ones you do will look the best and you want your best to be the ones people see and your worst to be the ones hidden. So it only makes sense to start in the back. A good idea when starting dreads with the backcombing method is to get some synthetic hair and backcomb a dread or two to get the hang of it before you start on your head.
Yes there is. You can mess up while your backcombing if you push to much hair forward at a time. Some people get confused and push all the hair forward at one time. You should hold the hair taught and only push about an inch at a time. You will only push a few hairs into the dread at a time. But it is a long process and you should know if before you start.
I personally think this is a painful time consuming way to make dreads. Not to mention it is not very effective.
I haven’t had a problem with getting a job. But I’m in fashion design, so most people expect me to look different. As long as you go in with a positive attitude, nice clothes, and don’t live in a close-minded town you shouldn’t have too much of a problem. Sometimes, when I first meet people they have this idea that I am a drug using, problem causing, antisocial person, but then I talk to them and they loosen up and find out that I am not what they thought. The key is, don’t take offense and jump on them with anger, realize that you are more open-minded then they are, and show them that you are a great person, with an awesome personality. You might have more of a problem if you were in real estate or something where first impressions and clean-cut people are important. You should check out the book Don’t Worry, Be NAPPY! How To Grow Dreadlocks In America And Still Get Everything You WANT!
I’ve heard that if you soak the dreads in rubbing alcohol for 30 minutes and cover the dreads in a plastic bag and then repeat in one week then it will kill the lice and their eggs. I haven’t had lice before so I haven’t tried this so I don’t know if it works for sure, but it’s worth a try, because dreads are part of you and you do not want to give them up easily.
If your hair is a very light blonde then it’s really easy. If not, then you have to bleach them first. I have heard of people using regular household bleach, but I have never tried it and I don’t think it’s a smart idea so I do not recommend it. Go to Wal-Mart or Sally’s and get the cheapest hair bleach you can find. I have used Clairol and it worked great. Some bleach will make your hair turn orange, but this one turns you hair a very light blonde. Let the bleach sit in the hair for a while, because you want to make sure you get all the hair, and make sure you squeeze it into the dread when you do it, otherwise the dark hair will show through. Make sure you wash all the bleach out, and wait a day before coloring your hair, because your hair may be very delicate right after you do it. When applying the color, do it the same way you applied the bleach, squeeze it in the dred locks to make sure you get all the hair you can, and make sure you wash all of it out.
You can see pictures of dreadlocks in the pictures section of this site.
You could use gel and put twist in your hair. Or you could add loomed dreads to your hair. Or make silky dreads.
Well there are many different ways to make dreadlocks, I personally think that the backcombing method is a very easy, clean, and effective way to start dreads. This method allows you to make nice clean sections, so the dreds will all be the same size and you won’t have any problems with some of them having to much and some of them not having enough hair to lock up.
But there also many other ways to start dreads. Some people start dreads by not combing and washing their hair. They call this the neglect method, for those of you who have not started your dreads yet and are considering this method, let me please say that this is not a fun or rewarding way to make dreads. Your dreds will not be in nice sections, some will lock up and some won’t. The dreads will itch and they will probably smell bad.
Yep, your hair will dread, you will probably want to use the backcombing method because you will have the best results. The hair might slip out a little, if you don’t backcomb the dreads tight enough, so make sure you do, and make sure you put rubber bands at the tips.
Absolutely not! Actually you should wash your hair and dry it before you dread it because it will dread faster, and easier.
I recommend not using conditioner for about a week before you dread, because it can make the dreading process easier.
It depends on which method you use. Check out the methods section in FAQ Part 2 to find more information about the method you want to use.
It depends on which method you use. Check out the methods section in FAQ Part 2 to find more information about the method you want to use.
Actually there are. Here are a few tips.
1. If you have really straight hair you can give it more texture by braiding it for a couple days before you dread or getting a cheep perm from Wal-Mart.
2. Don’t use conditioners on it for at least a week before you dread.
3. Get the items you will need to dread a head of time; you never know what could happen at last minute.
4. Bleach or color your hair, but don’t use the conditioner that comes in the box. This will make your hair holds the knots better.
It depends on which method you use. Check out the methods section in FAQ Part 2 to find more information about the method you want to use.
It depends on which method you use. Check out the methods section in FAQ Part 2 to find more information about the method you want to use.
It’s up to you; the pluses of a dread perm are that they look like dreads right after you make them. The down side is the price, the maintenance, and the fact that you will have to cut almost all your hair off when you don’t want them anymore.
Yes, you can let your braids turn into dreadlocks. And yes, it will work, but these are some things you should expect and know about before you choose this method.
1. The dreads will not be as thick as they would if you were to use another method such as backcombing. When you backcomb the dreads the hair is teased up and down and across and every direction, so it makes a thick dread because the hair is scattered everywhere. But when you let the braid turn into a dread the hairs will be side by side, so the dread will be a lot thinner. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have thin dreads if you use the backcombing method, because you can, it’s just another way to have thin dreads.
2. The dreads will probably have a lot of loops, lumps, and bumps. The hair is side by side, so nothing is holding them in one place, so one side of the braid my pop out of the dread and cause a big loop or bump.
3. The dreads will probably never look smooth. I’m not saying all dreads formed this way will by wavy and lumpy and loopy, you may have dreads that have formed this way and they look great, good for you, but most people who make dreads this way will have a big problem. You will be able to see where the hair is braided, because the only way to cover up the braided part is to have the loose hairs knot and dread over the braid, and you probably don’t have enough loose hairs to cover the entire braid.
Extensions are hair that is braided or dreaded into your hair to make your dreads fatter, or longer. Most salons can put them in your hair, but you should check around and see how they put them in. It is better if they dread it into the hair, because if they braid it in the braided part never dreads and it looks really funny, but if they dread it in it looks like your real dreads.
I personally think this is a painful time consuming way to make dreads. Not to mention it is not very effective.
Well that all depends on how much work you want to put into your dread locks, if you start your dreads with 2 inches of hair, then you will be putting a lot of work into them but they won’t really look like dreads. If you start your dreads with 5 or 6 inches of hair then you will have a much easier and rewarding experience with making dread locks.
You should make a habit of washing your dreadlocks every 3 days, but really, you can wash them as often as you like, but you should wash them at least once a week.
Conditioner will always lubricate the hairs and loosen the dreads, because that’s what it’s supposed to do.
There are a couple methods for tightening roots
1. Crocheting– this really shouldn’t be used for tightening roots, you should only use it to get rid of loose loops. But what you do is stick the dread through the loop and pull it through; it’s kind of like sewing.
2. Clockwise Rubbing– In my opinion this is the best way to tighten roots, what you do is, rub the dread against your scalp in a clockwise motion. It has done wonders for my dreads.
Aloe Vera can be used in dreads to condition them, but it will not help the dreading process.
Regular beeswax is very brittle, it will be really hard to put on the dreads unless you melt it and then put it in. But as soon as it dries it’s just going to chunk off, and leave little pieces behind, that will hold dirt and make black spots in your dreads.
Honey is very sticky and it is not very thick so it will just coat the hair like gelatin would and not help hold the knots together in the dreads. It also attracts bugs and dirt.
The only thing Aloe Vera can be used for in dreads is to condition them, but it will not help the dreading process when the dreads are new.
It’s really not a good idea, most of the things you could use like eggs, honey, and glue will really mess up your dreads and hair, and you will probably have to cut your hair off.
You can use the DreadHeadHQ dread shampoo, Knatty Dread cream, and Knotty Boy products on already dreaded hair. I do not recommend the Knotty Boy shampoo, though, because it has all kinds of added scents that leave incredible amounts of residue behind.
It depends on which method you use. Check out the methods section in FAQ Part 2 to find more information about the method you want to use.
Well that depends on what wax you are using, if you are using a pomade wax (like Murray’s beeswax, which I do not recommend, it is greasy and they will make your dreads fall apart) you will have to use a lot because it does not hold the dreads together.
If you use the Dread Head, or Knotty Boy you will be using a finger full of wax on each dred (depending on how thick the dreads are and how long they are).
There are many different products out on the market that say they are intended for dreadlocking hair, but that does not mean that they actually work. Any wax that has the ingredient of petroleum is bad for your dreads, it will make your dreads feel nasty and it will make your dreads fall apart. There are 3 waxes that are appropriate for dreadlocking hair:
1. DreadHeadHQ wax
2.Knotty Boy
1. DreadHeadHQ – this is my favorite wax. It has a really strong hold but it’s not overbearing or greasy and it washes out in warm water.
2. Knotty Boy – this wax is pretty good over all. Decent hold. Its main problem is that it’s greasier than it needs to be and the hold, while long lasting, isn’t that strong. I also think the smell of their wax is a bit much. At first I was like mmm yummy, but after a week or so I was like sick to my tummy.
Icky! Wash the dread locks really good, and soak the moldy part in rubbing alcohol. The reason mold begins to grow is because the dreads aren’t getting dry, make sure you squeeze the water out of your dreads when you wash them, and towel dry them or use a hair dryer.