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How to make dreadlocks

Step by step guide, how to make dreadlocks.

Step 1
First thing you need to do is wash your hair with your dreadlock shampoo. Remember to take a 'before' picture.
You may need to wash it twice to make sure you get it super clean. This will make backcombing even easier later.
At this point, there is no need to dry your hair completely. The next step is sectioning and when your hair is damp, it will be much easier to work with.
Keep it moist: Sometimes the hair will dry before you finish parting. Keep your hair moist while you part, with a spray bottle.

 

Step 2
Sectioning gives you a lot of options. By sectioning you can determine the size, shape and location of each dread. Sectioning can seem like a lot of work. It will take some time, but we recommend it. If you do not section it, there is a tendency to end up with some dreadlocks much larger than others and with awkward distance.
Many people become too preoccupied with the visible cut lines that come when dividing. But the cut lines do not remain visible in mature dreads as one might expect. Some people consider each row just as bricks are included in a wall. This makes splitting a tooth more tricky, but it is an option that some people really prefer. Once your dreads start to mature it will not make much difference which way you have used.
Next, start at the front by starting to divide your hair into sections, dividing the lines into squares. The distance between them will correspond to section size. When creating each section, use an elastic band to hold it together. Put the elastic about a cm from the scalp. It just needs to be tight enough so that it holds the hair in place until you are ready to toupee, and loose enough that you can move or remove the elastic easily.
Put an elastic band on each section to keep it separate so that it does not get caught in the dreadlocks you need to make. You do not have to worry about whether sections and rows are visible in the finished dreads, as the dreads grow and become thicker the division will not be noticeable. Try to keep the size of the sections as uniform as possible. The amount of hair in each section naturally determines the size of the dread.
The amount of hair the size of a pencil is good for dreadlocks of average size (about 1/2 cm in diameter). If your hair is very fine, the size of the section can vary, so the diameter of the hair can be smaller than a pencil so as not to create sections that are too large. Sections that are too large leave unnecessary space between the dreads. We recommend keeping the sections between a 2 - 3 cm.

 

Step 3
Now is a good time to spray your hair with some Tightening / Texturizer Spray. Grab a towel and go outside.
Wrap the towel around your neck and flip your head forward. You need to spray on your hair in the direction away from your scalp. If it stays on your scalp it is not a big problem but avoid it if you can. The reason you only need to get spray on the hair is that it has a drying effect on the hair and makes the surface of the hair rough. This natural drying is great for the purpose of creating nodules in the hair, but on your skin it tends to feel itchy, like swimming in the sea and not rinsing its hair afterwards. So if you happen to get a part on your scalp and it feels itchy, just rinse it with plain water.
You do not need to make your dreads completely soaked, but they should be wet with the spray when you are done. If you can, dry them with a hair dryer so that the maximum amount of spray stays in the hair. If that is not an option, then you can just towel dry it. A hair dryer is ideal because you will be able to get them completely dry quickly, which you will need before the next step.

 

Step 4
Then it's time for ritual it self :-) To make the dreadlocks.
They can be made in several ways, so find the method that works for you.

We recommend the following methods, click on the link and see how to do it:
Dreadlocks made with Back Combing
Dreadlocks made with the Twist n Rip method
Dreadlocks made with crochet hook


Step 5
Once you have made a dreadlock, you can finish with an elastic band on the tips, but it is not needed if the dreadlock is well tight. Tighten the tip as much as you can with the comb before putting on the elastic. Once most of the dreadlock has matured a bit, it will be tight enough for you to pull the loose hairs at the tip - into the end of the dreadlock with a loose hair tool. (this is only if you want round ends) The tip will then drip nice and tight. This is the fastest easiest way to round the tips seamlessly. It’s hard to say how long you have to wait to do it, usually sometime during the second month, though a little longer for thin dreads.

 

Step 6
It is a good idea to check your dreads and make sure that the backcombing of all the dreads is done well and then maybe tightened with a crochet hook. Often people get a few friends to help back combing and these of course have a few "learning dreads". It's pretty unlikely that every single one of your dreads will be backcombed perfectly on the first try. By reviewing them and correcting those that are obviously bad now, it will save you time later. Just look for any dreads that have large areas of loose hair and with few or no knots. If you can slide your fingers through or spread it slightly apart, they need more backcombing. The best way to do this is usually just to start combing at the hair roots, just like you did when you started and comb all the way until you reach the tip. You need to remove the elastics while doing this. This is called re-backcombing.

 

Step 7
Now that you are done with each dread you need to get started with palm rolling. Not just a few times, but really getting to the bottom. The more you Roll, the nicer and tighter dreadlocks you get. Try to give them a good round of palmrolling every day and every time you get a little Gel or wax in your hair. Nothing will help them tighten and compress into mature dreads faster! I recommend palm rolling them each for 30 seconds every day if you can. Of course, this is not always possible, but a little is better than nothing.

 

Read more about palm rolling and how to do it here.

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