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Miss Bodyline's advice column

Growing Dreads

Dread locks have been around for a long time. Over the years people have come up with a number of ways to make them.
The look is easiest achieved on hair that is very curly naturally with lots of texture but can be created on straight hair. One method used to achieve the dreads is with a dread perm. This is done by backcombing the hair, twisting it into sections, applying solution and deliberately over-processing it. The hair is then twisted while applying a wax or pomade. The client is advised not to wet the dreads for the first month. They can be washed every two weeks after that.
Conditioner must never touch the hair and it should never be combed. Wax is applied weekly
Since dread perms are purposely very damaging to the hair, some Dread Lock enthusiasts recommend taking the time to create the Dreads by hand, teasing and twisting with beeswax to lock them in and keep the hair lubricated. Fully dreaded locks develop over time and can take anywhere from six months to four years. Formed by the constant movement, the hair continues to tangle until a mat is formed. Hairs that, otherwise, would fall out naturally stay in the lock causing it to thicken. The wax is not water-soluble so the air may be shampooed to keep it clean. It should never be conditioned or combed.
If you force the hairs together they won’t be stuck in the same manner as when its shape has been assumed by itself. If there was a quick way to do that (nature still rules) this page wouldn’t be around. The order the hair assumes by itself is stabile and if one tries to change that the hair will try to resume the last stabile state. That’s why it takes time to get the hair stabile in a different state, both if you want to make or unmake locks, it won’t happen smoothly. Anyway, the point is to get the hair as irritated, tangled up and messy as possible so that it dreads by itself.. This is however not the whole truth as healthy hair will sort it itself out and untangle itself naturally. It is a great advantage to have thick hair, long hair or curly hair (or all three for that matter) simply because it gets fussy and tangled up much easier then.
One often wonders what happens to the new hair that keeps growing - hair grows from the root so it will sort of be tied up in one direction and stuck anchored in the head in the other. A result of this is that it never gets the chance to sort itself out and inevitably dreads itself. This doesn’t happen without any problems, in fact “flaps” are a common problem (more about “flaps” and such later) and it takes time (half a year - a year, or longer) until it works fully and nicely.
You cannot “make” dreadlocks, rather grow. Someone having created their dreadlocks from scratch in some way (could be comb or crochet) in just a day or so don’t have, according to the definition, dreadlocks since you easily (well there’ll be some work) can get the hair back to “normal” again if only a day has passed. If you force the hairs together they won’t be stuck in the same manner as when its shape has been assumed by itself. If there was a quick way to do that (nature still rules) this page wouldn’t be around. The order the hair assumes by itself is stabile and if one tries to change that the hair will try to resume the last stabile state. That’s why it takes time to get the hair stabile in a different state, both if you want to make or unmake locks, it won’t happen smoothly. Anyway, the point is to get the hair as irritated, tangled up and messy as possible so that it dreads by itself. This is however not the whole truth as healthy hair will sort it itself out and untangle itself naturally. It is a great advantage to have thick hair, long hair or curly hair (or all three for that matter) simply because it gets fussy and tangled up much easier then.
One often wonders what happens to the new hair that keeps growing - hair grows from the root so it will sort of be tied up in one direction and stuck anchored in the head in the other. A result of this is that it never gets the chance to sort itself out and inevitably dreads itself. This doesn’t happen without any problems, in fact “flaps” are a common problem (more about “flaps” and such later) and it takes time (half a year - a year, or longer) until it works fully and nicely.
It is said that the best Dreads are started short, about five or six inches, and grown long
Instant long swingy locks can be achieved with the use of Dread extensions that are woven in while creating the style and eventually become a permanent fixture.
When considering this fashion trend the reader is asked to consider that, once
fully dreaded, the mats cannot be removed and do not “grow out”. They must be cut out. If you are not willing to make the commitment temporary Dreads, for a
special occasion, can be created using the same technique, substituting gel for
the beeswax. With careful combing to remove the teasing, these Dreads may be
washed out

 

Until next time,
Miss Bodyline.