How to Keep Dreads From Fuzzing

You can keep your dreads from fuzzing with proper maintenance.

Keeping up beautiful, healthy dreadlocks can take a fair amount of work, compared to other hairstyles. Preventing dreads from fuzzing is one of the primary concerns for most people, whether they have new or mature locks. There are several basic methods to keep your hair tight and fuzz-free, although you may have to tweak these steps based on your specific hair type.

Things You'll Need

• Clarifying shampoo
• Sea salt spray
• Dread wax
• Spray bottle
• Essential oils
• Aloe vera

Instructions

1. Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo that does not contain any conditioners. For those new to maintaining dreadlocks, this can seem counterproductive. However, any buildup of conditioners or other products in the hair prevents it from locking tightly, and can result in fuzzing. Keeping your hair clean will ensure your new growth locks up with the rest of your hair.

2. Clean your hair gently. Scrubbing your dreads, even if they are mature, or scalp can lead to fuzzing. Work in the direction of each dread to prevent frizz and keep your locks tight.

3. Squeeze, not rub, each dread with a towel, removing as much excess water as you can. Water can cause new growth to fuzz up and loosen mature dreads, resulting in more fuzzing. Wet locks are more vulnerable, so you must dry your hair carefully. Rubbing them can cause the dreads to loosen and small hairs to break, resulting in fuzzing.

4. Spray sea salt spray on your roots to prevent fuzzing at the scalp and help tighten existing dreads when your locks are still wet. This helps new growth lock up more quickly.

5. Let your hair air dry. You can wrap them up for about 30 minutes in a towel to soak up extra water; this can be especially useful for longer dreads. However, do not keep dreads wrapped for long. The faster they dry, the tighter the locks will be.

6. Apply dread wax lightly to each lock to decrease fuzzing. Work your way slowly through each dread, making sure not to overload your hair with product. Once you have coated all of your locks, briefly run a hair dryer over your head to heat the wax up, allowing it to penetrate your dreads.

7. Place a few drops of essential oil in a spray bottle and then add water. Mist this very lightly over your hair to moisturize your dreads and decrease fuzzing -- do this between washes. For very fuzzy dreads, mix a drop or two of essential oil with aloe vera and rub the mixture into each dread.

References

• Dreadlocks: How to Maintain the Perfect Dreadlocks
• Dread Goddess: Overview of the Basic Problems Maintaining Dreads