Dreadlocks: An Introduction

Hello there!

About a week ago, I gave dreadlocks to my very first paying customer. I have done several sets in the past, but they were for close friends, and it was very much a learning process.

These were my dreadlocks, the day after I got them.

Again, at about a month and a half old.

In the process of making Zach's dreads, using wax :(

This is my friend Zach, after about 4 and a half months.

 

 
My boyfriend's dreads immediately after completion!

Evan's dreads after I discovered the felting needle.

This is what Evan's dreads look like today, after 9 months. Pretty freaking awesome.

 While this milestone was understandably pretty exciting for me, it also got me thinking about how little people really know about dreadlocks. While most people my age probably know at least one person with dreadlocks, it is surprising to hear some of the ridiculous assumptions made about this unique 'do. I've had people ask if you're supposed to put honey or toothpaste in them, if you get them from not washing your hair, and the general consensus is that they are disgusting and dirty.

The first thing everyone should know is that they are not any dirtier/cleaner than regular hair. It is true that there are some people out there with gross dreadlocks, but I can say with confidence that there are a lot of people out there with really dirty gross hair that isn't anywhere near dreadlocks. The truth is that you actually need to keep them quite clean, or you're going to be waiting for a long time for them to lock up. Think about it; grease is slippery, and slippery hair is not going to hold knots. However, most people with regular, unlocked hair tend to over wash it, so the once every week or two washing might seem insufficient. When you don't wash your hair with commercial shampoos, you don't have to wash as often, which I explain in my very first blog post. Eventually, your hair can get to the point where you never have to wash it with anything except water, whether or not you have dreadlocks. This is admittedly a little easier when you have dreadlocks, because you don't really have to worry about your hair looking greasy in the transition phase.

The other thing I hear all the time is that dreadlocks are for lazy people who don't want to have to do anything with their hair. It's true that you can get a set of dreadlocks, never touch them again and try to let them work themselves out, but they're most likely going to look like ass. If you want dreadlocks that actually look maintained, there is a lot of work that goes into them, especially when they're fresh. Until your dreads are mature (at least a year old) they are probably going to require more time than you spent on your hair before you had dreads. They will want to grow together at the roots, so you'll have to take time to keep them separated. You're going to get a lot of loose hairs at the scalp, so if you don't want a big fuzz ball, you have to tuck those hairs in, and I really recommend a felting needle to help keep those hairs inside the dread, and not popping back out in a couple hours. You really have to make a habit of rolling your dreads to keep them round and rubbing the roots to make sure they grow in as dreads. There's lots of videos on how to do this stuff, but I would recommend ryanoriley1 on youtube. He obviously did a lot of research, because he gives a lot of really sound advice, and he talks about pretty much everything to do with dreads, and he also posts really regularly, so you get a chance to see the locking process, and realize that it's normal for dreads to look a little rough at first, and still turn out amazing!

One more really important thing to know is that you shouldn't ever put any substance in your dreads if you can avoid it. Big dread product companies like DreadheadHQ and Knotty Boy are usually the first links that come up on google when you're trying to find information on dreads and they do have a lot of sound information. They are, however, trying to sell something, so they try and make it seem necessary to use a lot of products, when they're not only unnecessary, but can be really harmful. NEVER EVER USE WAX. Please. Just trust me. It's uncomfortable, it looks bad, it will NEVER come out of your dreads, and it can cause it to smell weird and the worst case scenario is that it can grow mould inside the dreads and then the only solution is to cut them off.

Sad waxy gunk that stays in your dreads forever :(

 The only "products" I use on dreadlocks is baking soda for washing (occasionally), and maybe some saltwater to help it lock up a little faster (optional). You can use a lemon juice/water spray to lighten the colour, and there's a lot of different beads and ornaments you can buy, or even make. I would absolutely hate to see someone spend the time and effort that go into having dreads, only to have them ruined because some idiot told them to put toothpaste in their hair.

These are just a few main tips that I put down here. I could really go on and on. I'm probably going to do more posts in the future, and if anyone has any questions or suggestions for future posts, PLEASE let me know! my email is brett_bonk@yahoo.ca, or you can comment below. I would really love to get some feedback.

Catch ya later,
Brett