DREADS ARE ONLY AS DIFFICULT AS YOU MAKE THEM BE!!!!
I'm not sure how many times I have had to say this to people, but its true. For example, if you are OCD and need them as perfect as possible, then yeah, they will be a total pain in the butt. But, if you are laid back and not too worried, then they really wont take much work. It all depends on you.
That being said, sometimes it just doesn't matter how chill your vibes are, you need to look presentable. Say you have work, or your girlfriend/boyfriend is taking you out for a nice date, or you have some holiday/family reunion shindig that you have to go to, I can help.
First things first, you gotta wash those dreadies. Yeah, I know the stereotype, dreads are dirty, you cant wash them, yadda yadda yadda (thanks seinfeld.) but honestly, thats a whole bunch of garbage. Once your dreads are mature, you can wash them as often (or as little) as you like. Its how you wash them that really matters. When washing your dreads, you need to use residue free shampoo. A lot of dreadlocking companies (*cough* Dread Head HQ *cough*) will try to get you to use their brand of shampoo because they claim it is the best for your dreadlocks, but Walmart sells plenty of residue free shampoos that are more than satisfactory. If you are all organic and such, then Bronners sells natural type shampoos. Or you could just use baking soda and water as a no-poo shampoo. But bottom line, residue free, and nothing conditioning. Residue gets trapped inside the dreads and can cause mold and other gross stuff.
When you are washing, you should saturate the dreads in water, then pour shampoo in your palm and lather it up, all nice and frothy. After that, squeeze the shampoo into the dreads as if your dreadlocks are sponges. Be gentle but thorough. Then, let it sit for a bit, and wash it out. To wash it out, you need to squeeze the shampoo out of your hair while your hair is under the shower stream. Squeeze, squeeze, and squeeze some more. Even if you think you are done, keep going. Don't stop til' every last sud is gone. I usually squeeze each dreadlock individually so I know I got everything. Then, give them a quick palm roll while they are still wet, and presto, they are ready to be dried.
I don't suggest blow dryers unless you are pressed for time and need to be dry. They just damage you hair so gosh darn much! And they make your dreadlocks really hot and since dreadlocks are kinda warm to begin with, it can get sweltering and uncomfortable. I opt for putting my hair in a towel and leaving it for about 15-30 minutes, and then after I remove the towel, I squeeze my dreads with the towel, palm roll a tad, and then -TADAAAAA!- all clean and shiny.
After this, I palm roll in some aloe vera gel (natural, not bottled) or some Murrays Loc Lock Gel. Be generous. I let the gel dry into my hair, and then I throw it in a pony tail and get on with my day. Sometimes I make a sea salt and tea tree oil spray (mix a tea spoon of salt into a regular sized spray bottle with some warm water and a drop or two of tea tree oil) and spritz it onto my still wet dreadlocks so that it helps my dreads get rougher and produce more friction, thus helping them lock up. Don't over do this though, or your scalp will hate you.
Products wise, I would say the number one thing to steer clear of is wax and anything lubricating. Wax is gross and sticky and makes dirt and debris stick to your dreads and makes you look all dirty and unclean (and since washing is sorta a hassle, who wants to look dirty after all that work put into getting clean?) and also, wax is not water soluble, so its hard to wash out in the shower. And I'm sure you understand why I say nothing lubricating, right? Because if you have anything lubricating in your dreadlocks, then the hairs wont have friction and wont lock up. Simple as that.
Now, crocheting is often talked about in the dreadlock community, and honestly, I don't have any negative thoughts on it as long as it is done in moderation. Too much can mess up your dreadlocks by breaking up the hairs and punching holes into the dreadlocks. If you are interested in crocheting dreadlocks, there are tons (and I mean TONS) of tutorials on youtube about how to crochet your dreadlocks.
So, this wraps up my maintenance page, if you have any questions, my email is lilipaddd9996@gmail.com, send me an email or drop me a comment below, hope you found this informational enough!
Happy Dreading and Maintaining!
-Lili Locs
I'm not sure how many times I have had to say this to people, but its true. For example, if you are OCD and need them as perfect as possible, then yeah, they will be a total pain in the butt. But, if you are laid back and not too worried, then they really wont take much work. It all depends on you.
That being said, sometimes it just doesn't matter how chill your vibes are, you need to look presentable. Say you have work, or your girlfriend/boyfriend is taking you out for a nice date, or you have some holiday/family reunion shindig that you have to go to, I can help.
First things first, you gotta wash those dreadies. Yeah, I know the stereotype, dreads are dirty, you cant wash them, yadda yadda yadda (thanks seinfeld.) but honestly, thats a whole bunch of garbage. Once your dreads are mature, you can wash them as often (or as little) as you like. Its how you wash them that really matters. When washing your dreads, you need to use residue free shampoo. A lot of dreadlocking companies (*cough* Dread Head HQ *cough*) will try to get you to use their brand of shampoo because they claim it is the best for your dreadlocks, but Walmart sells plenty of residue free shampoos that are more than satisfactory. If you are all organic and such, then Bronners sells natural type shampoos. Or you could just use baking soda and water as a no-poo shampoo. But bottom line, residue free, and nothing conditioning. Residue gets trapped inside the dreads and can cause mold and other gross stuff.
When you are washing, you should saturate the dreads in water, then pour shampoo in your palm and lather it up, all nice and frothy. After that, squeeze the shampoo into the dreads as if your dreadlocks are sponges. Be gentle but thorough. Then, let it sit for a bit, and wash it out. To wash it out, you need to squeeze the shampoo out of your hair while your hair is under the shower stream. Squeeze, squeeze, and squeeze some more. Even if you think you are done, keep going. Don't stop til' every last sud is gone. I usually squeeze each dreadlock individually so I know I got everything. Then, give them a quick palm roll while they are still wet, and presto, they are ready to be dried.
I don't suggest blow dryers unless you are pressed for time and need to be dry. They just damage you hair so gosh darn much! And they make your dreadlocks really hot and since dreadlocks are kinda warm to begin with, it can get sweltering and uncomfortable. I opt for putting my hair in a towel and leaving it for about 15-30 minutes, and then after I remove the towel, I squeeze my dreads with the towel, palm roll a tad, and then -TADAAAAA!- all clean and shiny.
After this, I palm roll in some aloe vera gel (natural, not bottled) or some Murrays Loc Lock Gel. Be generous. I let the gel dry into my hair, and then I throw it in a pony tail and get on with my day. Sometimes I make a sea salt and tea tree oil spray (mix a tea spoon of salt into a regular sized spray bottle with some warm water and a drop or two of tea tree oil) and spritz it onto my still wet dreadlocks so that it helps my dreads get rougher and produce more friction, thus helping them lock up. Don't over do this though, or your scalp will hate you.
Products wise, I would say the number one thing to steer clear of is wax and anything lubricating. Wax is gross and sticky and makes dirt and debris stick to your dreads and makes you look all dirty and unclean (and since washing is sorta a hassle, who wants to look dirty after all that work put into getting clean?) and also, wax is not water soluble, so its hard to wash out in the shower. And I'm sure you understand why I say nothing lubricating, right? Because if you have anything lubricating in your dreadlocks, then the hairs wont have friction and wont lock up. Simple as that.
Now, crocheting is often talked about in the dreadlock community, and honestly, I don't have any negative thoughts on it as long as it is done in moderation. Too much can mess up your dreadlocks by breaking up the hairs and punching holes into the dreadlocks. If you are interested in crocheting dreadlocks, there are tons (and I mean TONS) of tutorials on youtube about how to crochet your dreadlocks.
So, this wraps up my maintenance page, if you have any questions, my email is lilipaddd9996@gmail.com, send me an email or drop me a comment below, hope you found this informational enough!
Happy Dreading and Maintaining!
-Lili Locs
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