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You don't *HAVE* to do anything! Bumps, loops, and zig-zags are completely normal, expected, and even can be a good sign! They are what happens when a part of you dreadlocks tighten up before another right next to it. Think of a set of blinds with only one side pulled up; One side is tight and scrunched together and one side fans out and sticks out funny. This is the perfect metaphor for loopy dreads!
Some folks like the character that loops bring to the dreadlocks and, in fact, celebrate them. For these folks, obviously, the course of action they prefer is to do nothing. Most loops eventuall…
Obsessing over frizz???
First of all, it's important to realize that frizz is COMPLETELY normal and expected!!! We always say that everything with dreadlocks is two steps forward and one step back. Although your baby dreadlocks may have started off looking super sweet, over the next few months, they are going to turn into rebellious toddlers and get a bit crazy. If you are a client of ours, this stage is pretty minimal and once you return for maintenance, we will reign in all that frizz and you'll leave looking super neat …
Well, first of all take a deep breath! You're probably pretty freaked out right now and every itch is making you feel like grabbing a pair of clippers and shaving your head a little bit. But don't worry, there are plenty of ways to treat lice with dreadlocks (contrary to what you may have heard) AND, there's a good chance you don't have lice anyway!
First of all, let's make sure it's lice to begin with. Many folks confuse the appearance of the white tips of the fallen hair follicles with nits. They are especially visible with darker here (as pictured below), but the main difference is that, w…
As mentioned on the page about Washing, you should only wash your locks 1 - 2x per week. If you're someone who is really active, it can be really challenging to limit yourself to so relatively little when you are sweaty and feeling a bit gross!
The first thing you'll want to invest in is a good, WIDE head band to wear while you work out. We've heard very good things about Bondi Bands (which are available for purchase HERE). Bondi bands in particular are made of a moisture-wicking material that will help wick sweat away from your neck, hairline, and scalp (where it is covered) to help prevent …
We're happy to place as many or as few dreadlocks as our clients want. However, it is important to care for one dreadlock just as well as you would a whole head of dreadlocks! Over the course of my career the idea of not locking up the full head has become increasingly popular and as such my understanding of the best ways to care for it have changed significantly over time.
To start, even if you only have one lock, it is crucially important to (at least) keep them CLEAN and keep them SEPARATE; from both each other AND from the loose hair surrounding them. Dreadlocks, whether you have one or…
The good news is that you can treat them almost just like your normal hair -- you can wear them up, wear them down, and you can wash them. You do not need to wash the dreadlocks themselves when you shower/wash your hair, but rather simply focus on the scalp. We recommend using either a highly diluted version of your normal shampoo OR a residue-free dreadlock shampoo (which is much better) and simply lather with your fingertips and rinse. Your synthetic dreadlocks will accumulate build-up like natural dreadlocks do so residue-free shampoo is best. You may need to experiment to see what brand an…
We do not start new dreadlocks on children any younger than 8 years of age. Not only are most children disinclined to sit for such a long period of time as is needed for the placement and maintenance of dreadlocks, but prior to this age we worry that a child will not have a full enough understanding of the commitment and work involved in having dreadlocks. The journey of having dreadlocks is sometimes uncomfortable and even painful if they are to be properly cared for and maintained. We don't want to put any children through this without their full comprehension of what they are getting into!
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This is a loaded question and unfortunately the answer is 'everybody is different'. However, the circumstances by which people lose length with the method(s) we use is at least fairly predictable.
The first thing to know is that we cannot dread split ends! So if you have super long hair that you haven't gotten cut in a few years, there is a good chance that you will lose a fair bit of length since the wispy, broken split ends you have I will recommend you trim off since I can't do anything with them. The alternative to that is to pull the ends in and round them off. If you have split ends you…
It's possible to dread hair as short as only 3" long, but they would be some crazy, spikey dreads! A length of at least 5-6" is preferable for putting in new dreads. If your hair IS still on the short side, but you just CAN'T wait for your hair to grow out, it is possible to put in extensions on hair as short as 3". Knots are less likely to migrate out the ends if your natural hair is at least 5-6", so although 3" is the minimum we do STRONGLY recommend waiting until you have at least 5" of growth for us to work with, especially if you are NOT adding extensions!…
Whatever you do, AVOID USING "TRADITIONAL" DANDRUFF TREATMENTS (such as T-Gel, Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue, etc.)!!! The products commercially available for treating dandruff at the store have tons of ingredients in them that are detrimental to the health and longevity of your locks. Check out the page on shampoos & soaps to learn more.
The first thing we would suggest is to check out the question about itchiness. If your dandruff has only just started, more or less, since you put your locks in these measures will help to treat the itchiness that accompanies dandruff. Also, here i…