How to get Locs?

A dreadlock is a name given to a section of hair that can tangle or knot after consistent manipulation by Rastafarians. Stretching the hair causes it to tangle until eventually, what was once normal hair becomes twisted together to form locks which are then tied into the head. The fashion of matting your hair together to form dreadlocks is gaining vogue in recent times, but such a style is hardly a product of the last century.

These dreadlocks have been associated, historically speaking, with ancient Aztec, Senegalese, Rastafari, Buddhist, and even Greek cultures. They are mostly linked to African identity, history, and traditions, but people from various races tie up their hair in fashionable dreadlocks.

Natural Matted Hair vs. Dreadlocks - parameters

Having dreadlocks is different from the hair that gets matted naturally. Natural dreadlock is a common occurrence due to lack of hair brushing. However, the twists, tangles, and knots that form in such a case, are different from an intentional dread-locking of your hair. Of course, dreadlocks can be formed by every kind of hair but the formation period and the extent of manipulation. Of course, the texture of your hair plays a huge role too.

These parameters are often different for each individual. The way and the extent to which your hair forms dreadlocks is possibly different from that of your peers, and it is likely to be a hundred percent unique to your situation.

The roadway to matured dreadlocks

Good hair care and maintenance is an important part of having dreadlocks, but it does not begin until they have matured and formed. When your locks are maturing, you must take care of them in a different way than when they are fully established. During the maturing period, you will need to assist in locking your hair by setting it up in loose braids or twists.

Unlike hair texture, hair color is not static; it will gradually grow and change over time. Although hair and scalp conditions may vary, and some people may experience faster or slower growth rates (depending on the texture and start their locks), the process itself remains the same for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, or gender.

Growing Dreadlocks

1. The first and one of the essential steps is to allow the growth of hair. Two to three inches should suffice if you let it grow freely during the proto-stage. An added advantage of this measure is that the ease of starting your locks off is directly proportional to the amount of hair you possess in its natural state. Furthermore, your hair will shrink more while installing shorter dreadlocks, especially if your hair is straight. 

2. Secondly, be sure of the perceived thickness of your dreadlocks. Of course, such as a matter regarding the style you prefer. Go about this stage by picking images of friends who have dreadlocks, whom you can admire, and whose size you can examine. As a re-iteration of the preceding step, an important thing to keep in mind is that you can achieve bigger sections when you let your hair become longer.

3. Make sure you have a world-class shampoo for rinsing your hair with. Unlike hair that grows naturally long and thick in the absence of conditioning, you would prefer dreadlocks that form on dry and clean hair. Such a state of your hair makes dreadlocks form faster, rendering the idea that hair must be knotted or dirty for dreadlock formation a myth. Did you know that the residues and oils delay and hamper the process of locking rather than hastening it? The third step is followed by a more nuanced and consistent treatment of your hair.
 
4. In this fourth step, consistently keep your sections parted to prevent intermingling. This measure is essential in ensuring versatility in stylizing when the dreadlocks have finally become mature. For this step, one of the most convenient aspects would be a long-ended rat-like tail. Make sure you create a unique pattern that alternates within and between each row, similar to the stacking of bricks in a garden wall. Figuratively, your hair is your garden, and make sure it blooms!

We have almost reached the end!

5. In the fifth step, you must get around to deciding on your methods to start, to know how to take care of new dreads and how to keep dreads thick and growing.

Ethnicities, textures & dreadlocks

• Afro-textured hair verifies the myth that Afro-hair is suited for the formation of dreadlocks. Although the crochet method is still well used, feel free to use double-strand twists, comb coils, or even braids. You may also look into how you can ascertain how to maintain dreadlocks with crochet hooks.

Back-combing remains the best method for creating dreadlocks in Caucasian, straight hair. A finely toothed metal comb teases the strands of hair till it forms tangles in itself. Of course, go by each strand till a knot is created. Straight hair dreadlocks maintenance is also the most well-known, as numerous hair care sites and blogs would tell you.

• Asian hairstyle is the most difficult to form dreadlocks in as it is the straightest of all textures. It is even straighter than the Caucasian type, and tangling and matting would be the last thing your hair would be looking forward to doing. Much manipulation is necessary while forming dreadlocks on Asian hair, so the instant method of crocheting would be optimal here. Feel free to check out how to maintain crochet loss as well as crochet dreads.

You can dread your hair without wax, even though wax is commonly applied. We do not recommend it despite the possibility of a fresh twist that may afford your dread. Do you know why? The long-term application of dreadlock wax is highly detrimental to your hair, and it attracts lint while also causing eye-sore-worthy build-up in later stages of dreadlocking. If you must use a product or artificial means for dreadlock formation, go for a holding agent. Natural holding agents and organic ones are especially the most recommendable as they hold the hair in place for a while instead of opting for a permanent solution. Aloe vera gel is a well-used holding agent. You may also use flaxseed gel and castor oil – none of them would cause perennial harm to your hair like dreadlock wax might.

• Have a palm-rolling session but only go for this after finding a starter loc method that manages to fit your type of hair. Create and install your first dreadlocks, but such is not going to accomplish much in speeding up the process of forming dreadlocks. It will help compress loose hairs while also starting the cylindrical shape of locks in the right manner. Did you know that every time you roll your locks with your palm, it would help them maintain their shape?

1. In the pre-final stage, your hair would be a little damp, at least ideally. The style needs to be set off under a dryer. The sudden interchange of the warm and the cold, the dry and the wet, would fix your hair smoothly while also setting them.

You may find yourself asking – are dreadlocks high maintenance? How often do dreadlocks need maintenance? Well, the answer varies as per your hair, and at the last stage, you may feel some unraveling. However, this is expected since the locks have just been formed and are not fixed perennially in place yet. You may want to get some dreadlocks maintenance products for any while as you wait patiently. 

Conclusion

Getting dreadlocks is as much of a journey as a destination that often requires daily maintenance and dreadlocks root maintenance, and we hope you enjoy every process of the way. If the knots unravel, follow step five again to redo the tangles. How to fix crochet dreadlocks or even how to do dread maintenance will vary from person to person. Of course, the process may seem long and often difficult but trust us when we say that it will be worth it. So do not be intimated and begin getting your style of dreadlocks!