How to Make Hair Dreadlocks

Dreadlocking your hair can be an exciting experience if you want to change up your look, display cultural pride, or just get a reaction from the people around you. The following steps will outline the ways in which you can dreadlock your hair. Be sure to try to get an extra pair of hands around you and get to locking your hair.

1. Wash your hair using your regular shampoo. Use a blow dryer to dry your hair completely.  If you do not have a blow dryer, you can allow your hair to dry naturally.

2. Separate your hair into sections, starting with the underside of the hair and working your way forward. It is a good idea to place a rubber band around each section and section the hair off completely before you actually start dreading. Remove the rubber band before you backcomb though.

3. Backcomb, or “tease” your hair, starting at the root and working your way down the section of hair, making sure to go over it all a few times to tighten the knots. The method is similar to “teasing” your hair. Repeat this step as many times as needed to have the section resemble a dreadlock.

4. Leave your hair in the braids for about two weeks. Wash your hair as you regularly do, but do not remove the braids. You should not use conditioner on your hair throughout this duration of time.

5. Remove the elastic bands out of your hair one at a time. Use a metal comb to backcomb each portion of hair. The end result should be hair that is fluffy and full.  A crochet hook can be used to catch any misplaced hair or to separate hard to reach areas.

6. Backcomb each dreadlock until you have done each section of hair twice and each dreadlock is tight. Rub the roots of each section in a counterclockwise motion to make the roots tight into the rest of the dreadlock. Retie both the root and the bottom of each section of hair.