Daily Dreadlock Maintenance
Tips for Keeping White Dreadlocks Looking Natty Not Knotty
Following on from Dredlocking White Hair, we take a look at some tips and products that can encourage white dreads to lock-up quickly and remain healthy.
Rolling Regime
The most important tip for maturing dreads is to get the hang of a couple of simple daily rolling techniques:
Palm-Rolling: Take the dread between both palms and, starting from the top, roll vigorously back-and-forth down the length of the dread. Work with the heel of your palms for better grip.
Root-Balling: Take the top of the dread between thumb and forefinger, press the root down against the scalp and roll continuously in one direction. It doesn't matter if you go clockwise or counter-clockwise but once you pick a direction, stick to it. You can start in wide circles and then tighten it up as the roots tighten. For best results, add a sprinkle of DreadHeadHQ Lock Peppa.
Palm-rolling will help to firm and shape the main dread whilst root-balling will help to keep the roots tight. You may find you need a friend to give you a hand at the back.
Frizz Control
It's tempting to try and control frizz by lathering on the wax, but this is a superficial remedy. A little wax isn't a bad thing sometimes but it's easy to use too much, which can have the reverse effect by preventing the hair from moving around, which is what it needs to do in order to mature and suck in the loose hairs.
If you need to get spiffed-up for a big occasions, a better alternative to wax is KnottyBoy LockSteady gel, which washes out easily and allows more hair movement. If you're on a budget, a little Aloe Vera gel works well too.
Another thing to invest in is a Frizz Tool. Like a crochet hook, it allows you to gather-up the loose threads and thread them back into the main dread. Instead of pulling them through the locked body of the dread, try "stocking stitches" – small stitches down the back of the dread. After a week of palm-rolling, they'll blend into the main body just fine.
Tips for Tips: Rounding-Off
The Frizz Tool is also dead useful for coaxing nice rounded-tips from straggley-ended dreads. Slip the tool down through the bottom of a dread, thread in the loose end and pull it back up through the middle of the dread, then stocking stitch up towards the root to secure it and palm-roll. The first few times, some of the ends will work themselves loose again but keep trying and eventually you will get nice rounded tips.
Scalp Health
Itchy scalp is sometimes a problem with dreads as they trap heat in. KnottyBoy produces a special Peppermint Cooling Spray to help with the problem, but if you're on a budget there's a little-known but effective trick: spray neat cider vinegar on the itchy area, leave for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse out thoroughly. It might not smell the best but it does the trick.
All products mentioned in this article are available through DreadWorx UK.
