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Dreaducation
I am so excited you are here to explore these dreadlocks I have created just for you! Here you will find all the information you need to know about my dreadlock extensions. I have written, and recorded so much information for you so you can feel confident that you know everything you need to know about my product before you invest in this new you! This includes information about the material I use, products to use, washing your hair, installing, and so much more! Read AND watch the videos for maximum education! Don't hesitate to chat with me if you have more questions!
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About My Dreadlocks
I am VERY passionate about the dreadlock method I have designed! I have spent many many hours designing a dreadlock that will look beautiful and natural all while maintaining a soft feel and light weight! The material I use is synthetic hair which means it is not absorbent like human hair. Human hair absorbs liquids and materials over time and deteriorates. Synthetic hair is just plastic so the dreadlocks stay extremely clean and strong! This also means they will not get damaged or deteriorate, and will have a LIFELONG life span! I know you will absolutely LOVE these dreadlocks because I have designed them so that they are the ones doing the work! They are light, airy, and soft, with open ends when you get them! A full set on average weighs only 9-12 ounces! As you wear them, THEY DREAD THEMSELVES. I have explored many different ways that I might want my dreadlocks to be and I have found that what I love is when these dreads become their own by themselves. My method allows them to be light-weight without density which allows for maximum flexibility during styling and wearing! They will form a PERFECT webbing around them over the first weeks of wearing them and this is what creates the "dreaded" look without the thick knots inside the dreadlock. I know you will love these dreadlocks so much and I am so excited for you to be here!
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Installing
Installing your dreadlocks is definitely something anyone can do! There are so many ways to do it, but I will show you the way I prefer! It allows the dreadlocks to lay flat against the head rather than poking out! As far as the braid itself, perfection comes with time and practice if you are doing it yourself. There are a few things you want to watch out for when installing! You might have to experiment a couple times depending on your scalps sensitivity and hair type. You want to make sure you do sections that can hold the hair with even tension. This means it's best to do square sections to make sure the tension on all the hair is pulling evenly to the middle. You can do triangles on top if you feel you have thicker hair and there is enough hair in the braid to support the dreadlock! If you do thin rectangles, it can pull tension differently and cause irritation and your roots may catch on things more. This will also cause more tangling at the roots.
Take CLEAN sections when you are installing! Get a comb and make each sub-section clean and straight! It minimizes tangling at the roots and makes the removal process so much easier! You also need to make sure that your sections have enough hair to support the dread! It's kind of hard to explain how much this is, but if you have extremely thin hair, it's probably best to leave your hairline out of the dreadlocks and take bigger sections throughout your head. This might take some experimenting, but overall just make sure each braid has enough hair to support the dreadlock. You don't want to cause unnecessary tension on baby hairs! If you get itching or bumps, you will know next time you need bigger sections or to not do your braids as tight! As far as tightness, you don't want it to be extremely tight, but you want it to be very clean and secure at the root. This will allow you to have them in for maximum amount of time. If you install too tight, you may get irritation bumps, or a slight headache due to excessive tension. The better the install, the more longevity you have with your dreadlocks before removing! To help with a clean and secure braid, I like to spray the section with a little water before I braid so I have some grip on the hair and all the baby hairs get in!
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Maturing Process
Watch video!
The maturing process is a BEAUTIFUL thing! What I have found that I love most is when dreadlocks organically dread on their own and become unique to you. When you receive your dreadlocks, they will be soft to the touch, and have open ends! After just a couple of weeks you will notice a webbed netting begin to form around your dreadlock. This is what allows your dreadlock to be light-weight and flexible while still having an absolutely beautiful, natural dreadlock appearance! It is important to me that you are comfortable while looking fabulous which is why I have designed a dreadlock that is not itchy on your scalp or skin!
For the first couple weeks while they are maturing, you want to make sure you are careful around velcro and zippers (and anything they can catch on easy) to make sure they aren’t tugging on your dreadlocks before they form their netting! While they are maturing, they will get stuck together and that is totally normal! Some hairs will come out as well, that's also normal! Every 1-2 days for the first couple weeks, go through your dreadlocks and separate them to make sure you don't have any in the back that are forming together! When you separate them DO NOT pull the hairs out of the dread! Just hold the dreads and break the hairs that are stuck together (watch video)! To help the hairs get back into their place after getting stuck together, twist the hair around your finger in the same direction of the dreadlock and when you get to the end, rub the hairs back into place with the dreadlock (watch video)! At the beginning they will be slippery at the ends, but after about 3 weeks they form some grit and will rub together perfectly! This also will speed up the maturing process!
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Keeping Your Hair Healthy
There is ALWAYS a way to damage your hair with anything you do! Bleaching your hair is damaging, but there is a healthy way to do it! Straightening and curling your hair is also damaging, this is why we try to do it less often and also use good products! Likewise, there is a healthy way to wear dreadlock extensions and an unhealthy way to wear dreadlock extensions! It is so important that you are using a professional shampoo sold from either a salon, or your hairstylist! Don’t buy anything online! Go to your hairstylist for a recommendation or a local salon and buy a moisturizing shampoo. If you use a drugstore shampoo (Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc.) there will be ingredients in the shampoo such as parabens and silicones that create build up in your hair. Because your hair is in a braid with these dreads, you can get weak spots in the kinks of the braid and your hair can break off when you take your dreads out! Especially if your hair is bleached while you have these dreadlocks in, I highly advise using professional shampoo! If you go swimming in chlorine, try and wash your hair immediately after. If you can't wash, at least rinse under warm/hot water to open your hair cuticle and help the chlorine come out of your hair. If you go to the beach and your hair gets salt water in it, do the same thing! The salt water and chlorine dries your hair, so you want it out as soon as possible. Don't freak out if you can't, just try to wash soon after! Especially if you are someone who is at the beach/pool a lot!
You also need to make sure you are keeping up with removal! I recommend removing your dreadlocks every 4-5 weeks. Every day we lose 50-100 pieces of hair. When your hair is in the braids, your hair will still be shedding every day! After 4 weeks you have lost over 2,000 hairs and probably more! Your hair has also grown at least a half inch and is probably loosening at the roots, but also all of your hairs that have shed are starting to tangle together at the root. This is when you need to remove them. It's important to remove when this happens to prevent additional hair loss while brushing out any knots that have formed by leaving them in too long! If you go too long without washing and your scalp isn’t used to it, you will get itching. If you are constantly itching, it can put tension on the hairs and possibly cause them to shed. If you need to wash more to avoid itching then start with washing every 4-5 days instead of every 7-9 days until your scalp is used to it! Mixing lavender essential oil (Doterra or Young Living) with your shampoo will relieve your scalp from the itching and will allow more time between washes if you have a hard time stretching your washes!
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Washing Your Hair
How frequent you wash your hair is something to experiment with on yourself over time! It is important to find the balance between keeping your scalp clean and not washing too much! If you wash too much, your roots will tangle faster, resulting in you needing to remove them sooner! It is important to avoid getting build up on your scalp. If you don't wash before you get scalp build up, it will be hard to get a clean scalp until you remove your dreads! Build up results in more itchiness and when you remove your dreadlocks, you will have more resistance because of the build up in your hair! When you first install your dreads, start with washing once a week. Depending on how often you're washing before your dreads, your scalp may start to itch within 3-4 days until it gets used to the oils. To help train your scalp to produce less oils, you'll want to try and wash a couple days after the itch begins. If you can't make it to a week for the first couple weeks, try to go 4-5 days and add a day every other wash until your scalp lets you wash once a week! You can do this until you get as far as two weeks if you want! If you get lavender essential oil from Doterra, (I recommend Doterra, but Young Living is second best. Do not put any essential oil in your hair unless it is 100% oil. Doterra will be best for your hair.) you can put some in your shampoo bottle or in your hand with shampoo when you wash. This will relieve the itching and help you go longer between washes! If you have irritation on your scalp or get any bumps, this lavender oil will also help relieve that discomfort. Try not to wash more than you need to to help prevent tangling at your roots with the hairs that have shed. Itching is normal, but not everyone gets it. It all depends on your scalp's sensitivity, the oils you produce, and how often your scalp is used to being washed! You want to make sure you are using a professional *moisturizing* shampoo sold from a local salon, or from your hairstylist! It is important that it is a moisturizing shampoo since you will not be conditioning your hair! Don’t buy anything online or at a drugstore! (see “keeping your hair healthy”) It is important to make sure you do not condition your hair in the shower because you will get build-up in your hair and the dreadlocks! Your hair receives all the oils it needs from your scalp so don't worry about shampooing anything except your scalp. You aren't washing to clean your hair, you are washing to clean your scalp!
Make sure to not use dry shampoo. It won't ruin your hair, however, it is unnecessary build up in the dreadlocks and on your scalp and you simply don't need it! Make sure after swimming in chlorine or getting in the ocean that you wash your hair soon after. If you can't wash, try to at least rinse your hair with warm/hot water to rinse the salt/chlorine out of your hair!
When washing, I find it easiest to section my dreadlocks into 4 sections! I do a top bun, two sides, and back! I run each section under warm water individually then massage shampoo onto the scalp. Warm water opens the cuticle and will allow for a deeper cleanse! You can use your nails to help clean your scalp and make sure to leave as much moisture in the ends of the braids as possible. Wash each section two times while in the shower! I like to rest my dreads on my shoulders while I wash because they get pretty heavy holding all the water! Wash in the morning to make sure it is not wet when you go to bed.
Washing the dreadlocks themselves doesn't need to be every time you take them out, but definitely doesn't hurt to freshen them up! You will fill the sink up with water and put 1/4 C of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of baking soda! Toss the dreadlocks in the sink and squeeze them around for about a minute and then let them sit for 10-15 minutes! Rinse the dreadlocks really good and fill up the sink again! If you feel you want to wash them a second time, repeat this process. If not, fill up the sink again with water and the dreadlocks and do the same thing, but with regular shampoo. This just refreshes them and adds a fresh scent to them! They won’t smell like vinegar after, so don’t be scared of that! Once you have rinsed them, dry them as much as you can in a clean towel (not your body towel) and hang them on a rack or lay them on a towel to dry! If you hang them on a rack, put a towel below them because they will drip for a while! It’s very important when you are drying them to keep them hanging or laying straight or they will take the shape of their position! If you want them to be messy and kinky, you can definitely shove them in a bag or box, but if you want them to stay straight, make sure to store them straight, especially when they are wet and drying!
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Removing Your Dreadlocks
The time to remove your dreadlocks and prep for a new install varies from person to person. The average person will be ready for a move up every 4-5 weeks! You will know you are ready to remove your dreads when your roots are 3/4” - 1" grown out, and/or you have noticed your roots are starting to tangle/knot from natural shedding. If you notice they got loose fast, it is more important to remove them when they begin to tangle rather than being loose. I recommend washing them 1-2 days before so they can be clean when you brush them out. If there is a lot of oil it takes longer and there is more resistance. Make sure your hair is 100% DRY before you remove them! When you are removing them, break the elastic and undo the braid. If you have undone the braids and feel your hair is still a little damp from your last wash, then blow dry it or wait until it is 100% dry to comb them out! Your hair has elasticity so when it is wet it stretches like a rubber band. If you are brushing out wet tangles, especially if your hair is chemically treated (perm, bleach), then it will snap and break. It is important it is 100% dry before brushing out!
Once you have removed your dreads you will brush out your hair until you get a clean pass so you don’t get any knots when you wash it! I recommend using a comb for this process and starting from bottom to top with each row. Start from the ends and work towards the scalp! If you use a brush to brush it out, make sure to go over your hair with a comb before you wash to ensure you have a clean pass and won’t have any knots when it gets wet in the shower. This will ensure you won't be brushing out tangles with wet hair. Remember, during this time you have lost over 2,000 hairs from natural shedding, so don’t freak out when you have a ton of hair that you are combing out! I recommend leaving them out at least 2-3 days to give your scalp a break and to make sure you get 3-4 good washes in that time with scrubbing your scalp really good! You can also just do 4 good washes in one shower and that is just fine as well!
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