Growing and Caring for Black Dreadlocs
Dreadlocks are a very trendy way to wear black hair but many people are unsure of how to grow this hairstyle of how to care for it.
Dreadlocks get better with time and for many people this hairstyle is a form of self-expression, creativity and dedication.
Any type of hair can be made into locs but people with fine straight hair might prefer to cultivate smaller, thin locs so they have more of them.
How to Grow Dreadlocks
If you want to create locs, first you must wash your hair and use a stripping shampoo to remove the natural oils.
Avoid sticky products like beeswax unless you want dirty, stringy hair.
Salt water from the sea or made up at home with some vinegar added can help your hair loc faster without having to use wax.
The easiest way to grow locs is to not comb your hair any more. Thick hair will take between three and six months to loc. Fine, straight hair types might take a year.
Rastafarians grow their locs in this way and some end up with small ones, one big one or locs of varying sizes.
If you don't have a lot of hair to begin with, a loctition can loc your own hair and add loc extensions to give you an instant loc mane.
You should separate your own hair from the extensions daily so your hair doesn't wrap around the locs. Dread extensions should be worn for three or four weeks at a time only.
Another method to grow locs is to twist the hair in a two strand twist or three strand braid. The root section needs to be retwisted every few days or every week to keep it tight.
Many dreadlock wearers use oil, wax or cream to help hold the dreadlock in place until the hair holds the style on its own.
Don't use beeswax though, because it makes the hair greasy and attracts lint, dirt and even bugs.
How to Care for Your Locs
A lot of people think that dreadlock wearers never wash their hair but this is not the case and it is an important part of dreadlocks care.
Don't wash the hair for the first month though, else the locs won't start matting properly. You can use a herbal spray during this first month to clean the hair so the scalp gets cleaned and doesn't get itchy.
After the first month you can use a shampoo but make sure you rinse the hair well afterwards so that you won't have bits trapped in the loc which will cause flaking and itching.
The most important thing to know about dreadlocks care is to keep rolling them in order to tighten the roots.
Make sure your hands are clean before doing this and examine the roots before twisting. Remove any bits of debris before twisting the hair.
Canned air is a good way to clean your locs. The nozzle is like a fine straw so you can push it into a loc and blow the air through.
Don't spend too long on any section because the air is very cold and can freeze the hair.
Cover your locs on windy days, when cleaning your house or in dusty places. Keep your home as clean and dust-free as possible.
Using an allergy filter does half the work for you. You should keep your locs as dry as you can when you aren't washing them because wet locks can suffer from mildew or mold.
Lint is easier to remove from dry locs than damp ones.
Adding Color
If you want to color or bleach your locs, this is possible but it is recommended that you visit a salon.
It can be hard to remove every last trace of dye from inside the locs and any not rinsed out properly can cause hair damage or breakage.
