Dreadlocks, how to make them and take care of them?

Wearing dreadlocks means choosing to adopt a unique style, often associated with the Rasta community. In addition, dreadlocks also suffer from many prejudices that tarnish their reputation. However, having beautiful dreadlocks requires patience and meticulousness! Find out right away how to make dreadlocks and how to take care of them!

The origins of dreadlocks

A little bit of history to start… You should know that a dread forms naturally when the hair is not disentangled for a certain time. Moreover, wearing dreads and having clean hair are not incompatible!

Although dreadlocks are systematically attributed to African peoples, Egyptians, Vikings, and Celts also wore this trendy hairstyle in antiquity. And these were not peasants, but high-ranking members, often royalty.

dreadlocks

How to make dreadlocks?

Before you start

Making dreadlocks takes a lot of time. It depends on the density and length of your hair, but know that several hours are necessary! Sometimes it is even advisable to do them over several days, starting with the lower strands.

You should also know that you will lose length. Indeed, the locks of hair are deliberately tangled and crimped. They are therefore more compact, but shorter.

Finally, if you have the opportunity to get help to make the dreadlocks located at the back of the skull, it's better!

The method to make regular dreadlocks

There are several techniques for making dreadlocks, including the one that involves doing nothing at all. All you have to do is let your hair grow without ever combing it. Over time, knots form and eventually form natural dreads. However, this method requires at least 6 months to get the first dreadlocks.

We share with you the most effective method to obtain very compact dreads in a few hours.

You need:

A comb with very tight teeth. Lice comb is ideal.

A special dreadlock hook.

Small rubber bands.

The first step is simply to style your hair and divide the locks that will become locks, using rubber bands. This is the time to choose the thickness and the place of each of them. The goal is therefore to carefully divide your mane and tie each strand to define them precisely.

Then, get a lice comb and start backcombing the wick. This term means brushing from tip to root. Over time, the hair will collect towards the root and begin to form a dread. Do not hesitate to insist and continue until the entire wick is compact.

dreadlocks

Finally, now take the hook. This tool allows you to gather the small flyaways in the dread and make them more defined. To use it is very simple, just go back and forth quickly by pricking the dread. This is the longest step that will test your patience. Stinging for several minutes is sometimes necessary to obtain a nice regular dread.

How to maintain dreadlocks?

Maintaining dreadlocks is an almost daily job, just like taking care of long hair. Indeed, they must be transplanted regularly using the hook to maintain a nice shape.

Hair regrowth also requires using the hook and twisting each strand between your palms about once a month. This is essential for the dreadlocks to start well from the hairline. The application of a fixing gel is recommended to discipline the new hair and embellish your dreads.

In addition, to moisturize your dreadlocks, you can apply shea butter from time to time, making rotational movements of the hair. In addition to nourishing the hair, the gesture makes it possible to "style" the locks.

How to wash dreadlocks?

Wearing dreads doesn't mean you never have to wash them! Once or twice a week, you can wash thoroughly with a suitable shampoo. Crimped then tangled, the hair is damaged and dried out. Nourishing shampoo with special soft and sulfate-free dreadlocks is therefore essential to avoid having brittle hair.

When you wash your hair, the goal is not to try to put shampoo in every strand. You just have to go over the surface of each of them, without rubbing too much.

It is possible to wash your locks with a washcloth so as not to get them too much and save time drying. Indeed, the dreadlocks being thick, they take a certain time to dry. To speed up this process, you can wrap your mane in a dry towel and let it sit for as long as necessary.