Dread Myth #2

For any of these Dread Myths, feel free to ask questions in the comments if there's information about dreads you want to know.  I'll take responsibility for looking up the answer and reporting back to you.  I'd hate to bore you with a whole lot of information you don't want to read, so your questions can help direct the next few blogs.

Dread Myth #2
How You Make Dreads

After I tell people I'm not going to get dreads by just not washing or brushing my hair (see Dread Myth #1), most people then ask if I'm going to braid it, put honey/glue/dirt/wax/etc. in it, tie it in knots, or twist it.

All of these methods can work, although some of them are more gross than others.  Different methods of creating dreads work differently for different types of hair.  The two strand twist method that looks so fantastic works best on African American hair, so that’s not an option for my super straight Pantene ProV style hair.  What I will be doing (and what my friends who are coming to my dread party will be helping with) is backcombing.  I’ll wash my hair, let it dry, and then begin the adventure.  Because I want all the help and support I can get in making my own dreads, I purchased a kit from Dreadheadhq.com.  This kit includes a few things like “lock peppa” and “lock accelerator” that I’ll put in my hair before I get started, I think they are supposed to make my hair have a bit more texture and not be so slippery.

dreadheadhq.com

Then my wonderful helpers and I will divide my hair into about 100 rubber-banded sections.  Then we take these metal combs that came in my kit (you can use a regular rat tail comb, but they tend to break after a few dreads I guess) and gradually comb the hair towards the roots, forming a sort of cord/knot thing.  That will take about an eternity.  Then I’ll rub a small amount of wax onto each dread and work it in until it’s invisible.  The wax is supposed to help hold the loose hair in place until it starts to knot on its own.  After I’ve done that to all 100 dreads, I’ll palm roll all of them individually, and then maybe I can go to sleep.  

Contrary to what I initially expected, dreads are not always a low maintenance hair style.  Maintenance on dreads is actually really high the first few months.  Every time I wash it I’ll have to rewax it, and I’ll probably spend a fair amount of time every day working in loose hairs, palm rolling, etc.  Eventually the hair in the dreads will form much more secure knots and “lock up,” as it’s usually referred to.  After two or three months the amount of maintenance drops off sharply as the dreads “mature.”  It often takes about a year for dreads to fully mature, but when they do, you only have to spend about 10 minutes a week on them.  

So there you have it.  How I'm going to get dreads.  No dirt, honey, or tying knots involved.  Only three weeks and counting.  Wanna Come Help?