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Your Guide to Dreadlocks

Looking for something different in a hairstyle? How about Dreadlocks? Made famous by legend Bob Marley, dreadlocks have been around since ancient times. Actor Johnny Depp wore them for his role as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean and actress Whoopi Goldberg wears them in every day life. Even New York City runway models like Christian Dior have been seen sporting them onstage for fashion shows. As difficult as they may look, dreadlocks really aren’t and can even be accomplished at home. Here’s How:

The easiest way to create dreads is to use beeswax rather than a dread perm, since perms can be damaging to hair. Be advised however, the matting can’t be removed and your hair won’t grow out. You’ll have to cut them out of your hair. If you only want temporary dreadlocks you should use a styling gel instead of the beeswax.

· Begin by shampooing and drying your hair.

· Once hair is clean and dry, section off hair evenly using ponytail holders. The width of the strands is up to you. If you want very small dreads, ¼ inch strands are a good choice and for an average dread, 1 inch.

· Starting at the back of the head, take one of the sections and coat it with either beeswax for permanent dreads, or styling gel for temporary ones.

· Next, twist the section of hair between the palms of your hands beginning about 3 inches from the scalp. Continue twisting down to the end of the hair.

· Using a fine tooth comb, take the rolled section and tease it from root to tip by sliding the comb up and against the direction of hair’s growth.

· Continue with the twisting method until you have done the entire head of hair.

That’s it!

If you have permanent dreadlocks, you will want to wait at least a month before you wash your hair or the dreads could fall a part. If you absolutely have to wash your hair before then, you should apply beeswax to the dreads to help hold them together. After the first month, you can then wash the dreads every two weeks. Under no circumstance should your permanent dreads be conditioned or combed. Apply beeswax once a week to keep the dreads in place.

If you have opted for temporary dreads, you can remove them by saturating the hair with a conditioner and then removing the matted tangles using a wide-tooth comb. Finally, rinse the conditioner and then shampoo and condition hair as you normally would.

If you have short hair, but would prefer to have longer dreadlocks, you can add dread extensions that can be woven into the hair. This however, is best left to a professional stylist. Enjoy!

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