How to Do Short Dreads Without Wax

Hair wax is not needed to grow short dreadlocks.

Growing short dreadlocks can be a fun project if done properly, but you have to take the proper steps for the hair to turn out right. Although hair wax can help speed up the process of dreadlocking hair, usage of it isn't actually a required step during the dreading process. In fact, keeping all chemicals out of your hair during dreading is actually preferable. Instead of using wax, you can simply bind the strands by twisting them into a cylindrical shape.

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo
• Blow dryer
• Comb
• Hair clamps or rubber bands

Instructions

1. Wash and dry your hair the night before starting the dreadlocking process to strip all dirt and chemicals from it. Use shampoo, but no conditioners, then dry your hair by hand and loosely braid it and leave the braids in overnight. The next day, remove the braids and blow dry the hair or brush it out to induce frizziness in it.

2. Comb your hair into 1-by-1-inch sections, and hold each section in place with a hair clamp or rubber band. Stagger the sections like rows of bricks instead of making them perfectly parallel. Then remove the rubber band or hair clamp on one section of hair in the back of the head.

3. Hold the tip of the section of hair away from the body, then place a comb in the hair about an inch from the scalp and comb the hair back toward the scalp, instead of the normal manner of toward the tip and away from the scalp. This should cause the hair to begin to tangle. Don't comb more than an inch at a time, or the hair could start forming loops.

4. Place a rubber band on the root of the section of hair and another one on the tip after combing the section inward for a minute or so. Then, instead of using wax, twist the hair into a cylindrical shape by rolling it between your palms. At this point, the hair should appear significantly shorter than the other, untwisted sections.

5. Repeat the process for each section of hair. Although this task can be completed by one person on his own, this can make it an awkward and time-consuming process. Having two or more people complete the work could speed up the process significantly. After twisting each section, let the hair grow out for a few months until short dreadlocks form.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a residue-free shampoo the night before starting the dreading process.

• The entire process of sectioning off hair, backcombing and twisting it can take about four hours if done by one person.

References

• Knotty Boy: How to Make Dreadlocks