How to Make Dreads

Learning how to make dreads I'm sure is a lifelong process. As you meet other people who have dreads, they will share their experience and what has worked for them. What you are certain to learn is that not everyone starts their dreads the same way, nor do they use the same type of maintenance routine.

I am more interested in learning how to make dreads using a more natural approach. This term itself "natural approach" can even be disputed. When I say "natural" I mean that nothing was used to hold the dreads in place, other than nature.

Dreads have been around for thousands and thousands of years. Long before the hair brush was even invented, people let their hair grow how it naturally went... and these were dreads. So the secret to learn how to get dreads is simple... don't do anything at all.

Whether you have poker straight hair or super curly hair, there is a good chance your hair will naturally dread if you stop brushing. And don't worry about enduring months of not washing your hair... that is simply a myth. If you use proper soap, you can wash your hair every second day if you want.

The process of not brushing your hair and using residue free soap to achieve dreads can take a week to start and three years to actually achieve a full set of locks... perhaps even longer.

Many wonderful sets of dreads have been created in this manner. The hair will more than likely separate itself into natural size dreads and create wonderful natural dreads with bumps and loopies to make them all look unique.

The only maintenance is called "ripping and tearing". This involves ripping the hair at the root to separate the dreads better so that you are not left with a big matted knot on the top of your head.

You can start dreading your hair with this method at any length, but you will notice considerable gains at around the six inch mark.

I am certain you have met someone that gorgeous dreads that you were drooling over and they explained how easy it was for them to get their awesome set of locks using X type of Wax and Y type of Locking Solution with Z type of Setting Hair Hold Goop. Yes, they may look good, but many times, wax is not used correctly.

When you visit these sites, they profess that the only way to achieve dreads is by using their kits... this is absolutely false. I am not saying they do not produce good looking dreads, I am simply saying that the kit, and all the "extras" are unneeded.

Dreads are the natural state for almost all hair (some will not dread, but I would wager that it's about 5% of the world population). These products simply help the dreads look better faster... but this carries a major draw back.

The wax is often times stuck in the dreaded hair and this is not a good thing. Wax is almost impossible to remove from hair if has been overused. Also, because of the nature of wax, it does not allow hair to properly lock up. Hair needs to be clean and stripped of all extras to be able to complete this process. It all makes great logic.

So, you will not find any further information about learning how to make dreads with wax on this page. There are sites that are filled with this info. All I ask is that you love your dreads (and I know you will!).

Backcombing was the method I used to achieve my dreadlocks. Although I love the look of dreads creating themselves, I wanted to get started on the job and get the dreading going. I did not want to wait a few months for the dreads to start up. And since my hair was fairly short, it would have taken longer using the natural method.

Some people like to separate the hair prior to beginning the backcombing. This will insure that the sections are evenly spaced with roughly the same amount of hair. You can use small hair elastics to hold the sections.

Alternatively, you can grab sections of about 1 inch in diameter and start dreading. My hair always falls in a specific part, so I wanted to make sure it was dreaded using the same part. That was the only planning that was done to my hair.

I have different sized dreads and I personally prefer the randomness. This is a very personal choice, so put some thought into it. =D

You can wash your hair often when you have dreads. Dreads prefer to be clean because it allows them to lock up faster, so please do us all a favour and wash your hair. lol

You want to look for residue free shampoos. There are many different types to choose from and Dr. Bronner's seems to be a favourite. I have personally used the Knotty Boy Bar Shampoo and am enjoying it so far.

There are many other home inventions that people have created using herbs, baking soda, salt water and much more. Perhaps in the future I'll add more to this page, but I think I will leave this information out for now. Just google "dread herbs" and you will find a wealth of information.

I was my hair every three days and it never seems to get oil or smell. If I workout, I was it afterwards.

If you decide to use the backcombing method to get your dreads, you can purchase either a flea brush or dread brush. Feel free to search around at local pet stores to see if you find better prices.

Dreads take a long time to look good. When I say a long time, I mean a long time. The only thing that creates a perfectly locked dread is time. You will have a lot of frizzies and unlocked hair even if you use backcombing method it will undo and lock up and undo and lock up.

If you do not like the idea of having a head of mess for a few months, do not bother getting dreads. These are not a temporary hair style and you do have to "suffer" (or enjoy it as many of us do) through the awkward stages.