Let's talk about Dreadlocks!
CREATING THE RIGHT SIZED DREADS FOR YOU
For medium sized locs we will section your hair into approximately 1 inch x 1 inch areas & start the dreadlock process at the nape of your neck. Medium sized locs will generally give you 45 to 60 locs depending on the thickness of your hair. This is only an approximation as everyone is unique.
The dreadlocks will fatten up to about half the size of the section within a few months. At first the sections will look big and the locs tight and small - this is normal and what you want. After a while they will reveal their true size!!
At Dreadlock Nation we strive to create your dreadlock dream and turn it into a reality. We will discuss the overall look you are wanting at our first chat and I am always happy to receive inspirational pictures as well.
QUOTING
You will always be given a quote and all quotes will be honored. There is nothing worse then surprise costs at the end of a session. So sit back and relax and watch your dreadlock dreams unfold.
MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
Maintenance for root regrowth is to essentially clean up the area and make your locs look amazing! A maintenance appointment can take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours depending on the condition of the locs, how long it's been between maintenance sessions etc.
Your first maintenance session after your install is at no cost.
It is always up to you how much time you leave between maintenance sessions. Some people will make 4 or 6 weekly appointments to keep their locs neat, others will wait 3 months or more or whenever they see the need to have their locs maintained.
In between your maintenance sessions try using Tea Tree Shampoo weekly and monthly palm rolling while your locs are slightly damp.
Salt sprays are great and can be made at home and used daily. (Be careful not to get too much salt on the scalp as it can cause itchiness).
REPAIR
Fixing lumps, fixing new dreads that have been installed badly, fixing broken locs, with the Dreadlock Nation method most locs can be fixed or replaced.
Pulling in loose hairs. Remember regular palm rolling while locs are slightly damp will help keep lumps under control. Unless you love your lumps of course!
CHANGING DREADLOCK SIZING
Yes! This can be done.
Are your locs too thick or too thin? It is generally possible to change the size of the loc. Unfortunately some techniques used to install dreadlocks means this cannot be done.
EXTENSIONS
I love extensions!!!!!
When I do use extensions I usually use synthetic hair. It is up to you what you want to use for your extensions and I will always respect that. Something to consider with the 'human hair trade' it can be a very unethical and something that I personally do not want to contribute too.
When making extensions for dreadlocks it has been my experience that synthetic hair stays in extremely well compared to human hair extensions. Not only is it a lot cheaper and has no ethical-related issues, it does not 'fray' or need any maintenance like human hair does.
The downside to using synthetic is that it can't be coloured. Also synthetic dreads can feel a bit stiff until dreads have been washed a few times.
Buying ready-made dreadlock extensions online can be risky. This is because most people who make dreadlock extensions from synthetic hair don't actually 'dreadlock' the hair. Instead they simply twist the piece of synthetic and steam to seal it.
The result is a 'twisted dreadlock' that is not matted in any way, rather than something created personally for you by Dreadlock Nation.
DIFFERENT DREADLOCKING METHODS
There are so many different methods to create dreadlocks, I have listed some popular methods below for you to think about before deciding which method is best for you. At Dreadlock Nation we only use a comb, crotchet hook and your hair to create beautiful natural dreads. This method allows the dreads to thicken up as they mature, will not cause dread rot due to product, benefits by minimal length loss (2cm approximately) if you want rounded ends.
· Backcombing and wax – hair is backcombed to near-death then palm rolled with wax. The problem here is the backcombing shortens the hair to less than half its length, and then the backcombed hair is so fat that when your dreads start to grow out naturally from the roots the backcombed hair is much fatter than the actual natural dread. The wax is sticky and attracts dirt and dust. It also prevents hair from drying out and can cause ‘dread rot’.
· Dread perms – hair is once again backcombed to near-death (shortening and fattening unnaturally). Perm solution is applied, cloth is then wrapped around each ‘dread’ and secured with pipe cleaners. After about 45 minutes the perm solution is washed out and wax is applied. The result is hair that is clumped together and fried to the end of its life rather than dreaded. Perm ‘dreads’ can be literally pulled apart, as they are not properly ‘locked’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9uEPlIEnm8
· Rip and twist – as the name suggests this is nasty! Hair is sectioned, twisted and ripped (pulled apart), twisted and ripped repeatedly. Not only does it rip and break hair but it also creates little lumps/knots throughout the ‘dread’, which does not allow the hair to mat up naturally. Please Google this method and what happened when lice entered the hair, trust me you don’t want this to happen to you!
· The Thailand method – this method most people learn from YouTube. I like the Thai method, I think it’s a good way to dreadlock – but after using this technique I wanted to both speed up my process and actually help the hair to really form a ‘dreadlock’ more than what that technique was doing. The Thailand method is quite similar to what I call ‘felting’ in my method, but they do it a bit differently from the way I do. I personally don’t use this method entirely because when I was using it I thought it was missing something – they do no matting or crocheting, they are my additions.
· Threading – some salons do nothing but backcomb, palm roll and then tighten with thread/cotton…. Kind of sewing them tight. As you can imagine this does not allow the hair to lock-up naturally and you are stuck with thread in your hair. A lot of salons say they use thread that dissolves over time but I have never heard of someone’s thread dissolving – ever.
· Neglect – This is hair that is quite literally left to its own devices and often unwashed and dirty. (I think this is where the dirty dreads stigma was created). There are a few reasons why this is no good. Hair is not sectioned properly so the dreads (if they form) will be growing randomly often in big clumps that looks more like a birds nest. Also, unwashed and uncared-for hair will most likely not dread especially if the person has an oily scalp, as oil is not conducive to dreads.
· Interlocking – For some reason I detest this method more than any other. Maybe because it is a method that I see the most, and maybe because once hair is interlocked in 95% of the cases it does not dread and cannot be fixed. Interlocking is when the tip of the dread is threaded through a section of the base (root) of the dread. This in effect creates something akin to plaits, or a bit like a chain-link. Because of the links the dread is not able to mature and mat and ‘fatten up’ on its own, therefore what you will have is a skinny ‘dread’.
There are probably lots more methods out there, but these are the most commonly used.
