How to Grow Good & Clean Dreadlocks
Whether as a fashionable style or for religious purposes, dreadlocking hair is a labor-intensive process. To correctly establish dreadlocks, you have to start with short hair of about 1 inch in length. A common misconception is that the hair has to be dirty, but in fact it needs to be clean, dry and residue-free from the start. Dreadlocks also should be kept as clean as possible and can be safely washed every two to three days once they have been fully established. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Growing Dreadlocks
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1
Wash your hair with the residue free shampoo, making sure to rinse thoroughly. Allow the hair to dry completely before moving on to the next phase.
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2
Separate the hair out into small sections of around 1 inch and secure it near the scalp and tip with elastic bands. Once done, the whole head of hair should be sectioned out, giving a knobby appearance.
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3
Remove the elastic bands from one section and apply a small spot of dreadlock wax to the hair. Rub the wax in and start to twist the hair together in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction, which ever is easiest. This will cause the hair to tangle together and create the starter dreadlocks. Repeat this process with all of the separated sections one at a time until all the hair is dreadlocked.
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4
Twist the hair and reapply wax as the hair grows, making sure to stick with the same twisting direction. The hair will otherwise grow out straight leaving just the first inch dreadlocked.
Washing Dreadlocks
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5
Cover your dreadlocks with a clean pair of nylons before stepping into the shower for cleaning. This will keep the locks together and hold them in place for washing.
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Apply a residue-free shampoo, preferably a specialist dreadlock cleaning product, through the nylons to the locks. Rub the shampoo in gently, working it along the length of the locks. Avoid vigorous rubbing as this can loosen the locks.
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Remove the nylons and rinse the locks thoroughly under the shower head. Do not rub them, just allow the water to remove the soap. The nylons will hinder the rinsing at this stage and are no longer needed to protect the twists.
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8
Squeeze each dreadlock between your palms from root to tip to try to express as much water as possible out of the hair. Once no more water is coming out, wrap the dreads up in a dry towel to try and remove any residual water. Dreadlocks need to be as dry as possible to avoid mildew developing.
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9
Reapply wax to the dreadlocks as needed after washing to bring any loose hairs back into the locks. As the dreadlocks become more established, it is less likely that they will loosen and need to be waxed as often.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear a pair of clean nylons over the dreadlocks when you sleep at night to make sure they do not become unraveled.
In the early stages of dreadlocks, only wash them every week or so. Once established, twice a week should be adequate to keep them clean.
References
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