Happy Holidays

I would like to thank you all for your continued support of My Dreadlocks through reading the articles, commenting, sharing your pictures and even sending me emails with questions and encouragement. I salute you all for your dedication to this blog. I cherish the time you all take to visit the blog and make it a success. Locking can be quite taxing but the journey is made easier travelling with wonderful people like you from all over the world. 

I would still like to encourage you to share more pictures of your beautiful locks and even stories of your locking journey. Keep the questions  and  comments coming on what you want to see more or less of in the new year.

Do you own a locking salon? Or do you have a website on dreadlocks? Or maybe you make products that you think would be great for locks? My Dreadlocks will be offering low cost advertising to those interested in advertising locking products or services, your location doesn't really matter, My Dreadlock readers are everywhere around the world. On rates and further details please contact me on dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com


 I wish you all a Merry christmas and a very Happy New Year, may the joy of christmas reign in your homes and your hearts at this time. May you all remain blessed and hope to see you all in 2010 with lots of new stuff on the blog. Finding the right graphic to use for this message was quite a challenge but I finally chose 2 and I hope you will all like them.

Black hair turning Brown

Well someone recently asked about her hair turning brown. What would cause your locks to turn brown and how can you solve this? I decided to research on the topic and here is what I dug out from the net and from friends.

Why Hair turns Brown
This can be caused by:
1. the sun, especially if you move from a cold region to a very hot one. It also happens during summer for those in temperate climate. Many call this "sun bleaching" or "tinting".
2. The water you use to wash your hair. Water depending on the source, contains many different dissolved minerals that may affect the natural colouring of your hair. Chlorine is a known criminal and is usually used in swimming pools for hygenic reasons.
3. Using products that contain peroxide (a bleach, worse than chlorine) and/or lemon
4. Using very hot appliances on your hair burns it, making it look brown
5. The wrong diet, if your diet is not balanced then that may also be a reason
6. Extended use of honey on your locks or also chamomile and rhurbarb

What you can do to get back Black Hair
1. If you hair is turning brown due to exposure to the sun, you can try and always wear a hat or just covering it when you go out. If you are in the temperate region, just enjoy the sun, your hair has the whole autumn and winter to recover to its natural colour
2. For the swimmers, use a swimmers' shampoo to wash your hair and always use a good conditioner and hairspray. Don't forget to wear a swimmingcap and tucking all your hair into it, you may also try and smear a bit of petroleum jelly around the rim of the cap before you enter the pool.
3. Avoid bleaches as much as you can. I have been encouraging use of natural products of your hair but you have to BALANCE, too much of anything is poisonous (even something good. Completely stay away from Chamomile, rhurbarb and lemon while for honey you use it in moderation
4. Again, BALANCE, you need it everywhere. Please have a BALANCED DIET a burger, pizza and fries are heathly, soja milk, lettuce and tofu are also healthy but if that's all you eat every single day, you're not helping your body or your hair
5. Don't burn your hair it's not firewood, it's your crowning glory.

Kitchen recipes

Please do remember to use all these recipes in moderation
1. Mix cocoa with your shampoo and use it to wash your hair
2. Use coffee (the drink not the beans) to rinse your hair advised to do it every fortnight
3. You could also use ground coffee mixed with yoghurt/conditioner cover with a shower cap and leave it on for a few hours
4. A mixture of soy sauce and apple cider vinegar may also be used to rinse out the hair
5. Sage tea also helps darken hair even grey hair, just mix it with your leave in conditioner and use it until your hair reaches the shade you desire
6. A mixture of curry powder and coconut oil applied on your scalp may also do the trick. You can also use plain coconut oil
7. Ground blackpeppercorns mixed with curd help darken hair and stop premature greying.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried any of these recipes on my own hair so I'm not sure of their legitimity. Please be careful as you try them out.

Dread Perm

Before I went on Holiday Kicukalah asked what a dread perm is. I got the Wikipedia explanation and left it at that, but I made a note to explain further when I got back. Here are a few explanations on what it is:
"Hair Police uses a comb and our hands to create dread shapes in the hair, then permanently "perms" them in with a chemical solution."
Charles Nicholas:"This technique is where the hair is teased {backcombed}, twisted and reteased and then it is wrapped in rags with wire.
It is like bandaging the dread.This forms the dreadlock into a straight dreadlock with only a small amount of frizz." Charles Nicholas further explains that "If you want dreads and you have non-afro hair, absolutely YES1 The dread perm speeds up the formation of dreadslocks. It forms the dreadlocks into the sizes you choose, either fat ,normal or thin. It helps afro hair too but it mainly assists the afro person in the sizing of their dreads."
According to Fierce Locks from whom I got the picture : "Dread perms involve a comb, perm rods, end papers, and AT LEAST 6 inches of your natural hair to form dreadlocks. Dread perms also entail the use of permanent wave chemicals. Dread perms are the most efficient way to begin dreadlocks. Dread perms are NOT for everyone, if a dread perm won’t work for you, dread crochet would be the solution to beginning a new crop of dreads."

The price ranges from $275- $660 (€184.95 - €443.88) for the first timers and from $50 - $88 per hour for maintenance. This is quite expensive I'd say, it's more expensive than my rent. The things we women go through to look good.
Generally from all the posts I have read about this method, it is more for the non-afro hair. I'm not sure if it would work on afro hair (please do enlighten me if any of you knows). As I told Kicukalah, I haven't tried it nor do I know anyone who has so I have no real opinion about it but someone who has done it has penned down his thoughts here. Hope all this info helps all of you out there contemplating this method.

What's Good hair?

Hallo People,
I'm back summer is over and so is my holiday. I got a lot in store for all of you. Lot's of new stuff and new ideas I learnt during my holiday, even an interview with one of the best locticians I know. Thanx a lot to all those who have remained tuned to My Dreadlocks, I will definitely not disappoint. Feel free to email questions, topics you want discussed, criticism (always welcome), encouragement and anything else you may think I need to know or want featured on the my dreadlocks website. If you have a great My Dreadlock story please do share with us, you may also share pics of your journey, Lisa I hope you will share yours. Enjoy the Autumn/Fall season, my side of the earth is already cold and feels more like winter while others are having extended Summer and others predicting El Nino, I hope you will all take care, remain safe and continue enjoying the My Dreadlocks blog.

Many of you may have already watched this episode on Tyra but I would like to share these videos with African women all over the world. Hope they get you thinking on a lot of things and lead you to make better decisions in the future. Better decisions don't necessarily mean going natural but this being a problem that mainly affects women, I bet your intuition will tell you if the decision is better or not.

Readers' Pictures

Beautiful Image

Considering this is a blog about hair, I thought I should share this beautiful image

Greetings from my holiday

Hallo people,

I'm currently on holiday and that is the reason for my long absence. Don't worry I'll be back soon with even more topics for you. If any of you have any specific questions you want answered please do post your questions and queries as comments on this post or send them to my email address dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com. I'll be looking forward to your questions and many comments about the blog....Until I return from my holiday, enjoy your locking journey....

Bye
Cee.

Thickening thinning hair

Hallo people, hope everyone is great. I apologize for the loud silence....I'm trying to finish up somethings then I will be back. Enjoy this follow up of the thickening of hair using Garlic and Onions. Hope it helps...


To prevent further thinning of hair, I got a couple of tricks to do it
1. Avoid any Sodium Laureth Sulfate. What is this you may wonder? It's a degreasing chemical used in shampoo to lift trapped dirt and oil.
The only problem is that it leads to hair loss and will soon thin your hair out with continued use. Aim for natural haircare products such as those containing healing ingredients.



2. Eat more nutritious foods that contain hair-growing minerals and vitamins. Yes you need certain vitamins for healthy growth functions in the body, but you also need some for the healthy growth of your hair.All vitamins do not benefit the growth of your hair. Go for the use of biotin, vitamin B, vitamin C, and even ginkgo biloba as an aid to restoring the natural growth of your hair.

3. Work on your Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, DHT is abiologically active metabolite of the hormone testosterone. A great way to fight this off is to drink four cups of green tea daily.

4. You could do one of the easiest and fastest things which is to buy a weave or just attach artificial hair to your thinning hair. ( I don't recommend this though)


5. Be happy and less stressed. Stress increases hair loss in both men and women.



6. Massage your scalp. This helps stimulate the hair follicles, unclog any blocked oil glands in the scalp, and help promote a healthy scalp and new, healthy hair growth. Plus, it’s relaxing and it feels good, so it’s not such a chore!

Bye Bye Michael

I have always said I won't mix My Dreadlocks blog with any other subject other than hair, but this time around I guess I will have to break my own rules and pay tribute to the Great King of Pop....It Might be already a whole week since he passed away but, his greatness will never be matched, it might be challenged but no one can ever replace him.....Here is a picture I found online with a message I guess most of us should try and apply in our lives



To My Dreadlocks readers sorry for the silence, I will definitely be back soon with more great tips on maintaining locks.

Motown Girl

A blogsphere friend suggested this website and I thought I should share it with you. It is very informative and educative hope you will like it, you can check it out from here

Maintaining Locks

My Dreadlocks is a blog about the locking journey, everyone is welcome to share their experience and also to learn from others. I just got a comment from a reader and I thought I should post it for all of you to read it. Some great tips shared by Shasta from Nairobi, hope all of the readers enjoy them and thank you Shasta for the tips.



Shasta said...

Well shampoos in the kenyan market 98% are bogus we kynda have a culture of just buying cosmestics without looking and caring about the ingredients at all.I dont use shampoos on my hair coz most of them have chemicals dat workup the scalp like drying it n covering the spores hence hindering hair growth so when you think of buying shampoos sulphites,petrolatum and any chemical you learned in chem shouldnt be the ingredients.I usualy use the locally made aloe vera soaps infact if you want the best ones go for the less commercial one which are advertised everywhere with fancy boxes they are no better,just know dat commercial products do more damage than good in your beautiful hair.I have always considered when using wax in your hair you aint growing natural locks.So many of my rasta friends use mashed avocado mixed with olive or coconut oil to twist locks which stay on the head for two weeks without rotting or doing anything to the hair but the only problem with avocado is dat it kynda builds up in your hair hence if you use it in very large quantity over regulary your hair root will weaken so be cautious with dat.Honey also works wonders infact dats is what l use to lock my friends with soft hair and the good thing is dat if you wash your hair with hot water it wont leave any residue hence has less buildup but again it if used for long periods can turn your hair brown to much sugar but if you wash your hair properly dat wont be the case. Washing your hair,as much as people say dat you can wash your hair as many as to 3 times a week is good,a big no the most recommended is washing you hair after two weeks,if you oil your hair regularly and leave it open most of the time after every one week will be fine if you rarely oil your hair and keep it covered most of the time after every one month will be fine or when you feel they are dirty. Dust is the main culprit in making dreadlocks dirty so when you keep your locks covered most of the time less dust in your locks,if you keep then open n oil you hair alot dat attracts alot of dust hence regulary washing but if you dont oil it dat much it attracts less dust.Alot of water is good for your locks when it is the one flowing from a natural stream or unpolluted river l wonder where you will find those in nairobbery.But if its then coming from the tap your locks need limited of it coz it has alot of chlorine used to purify it for drinking so the more you use it in your locks the more the damage unless you neutralise it with other natural herbal remedies.Swimmers also beware of the large amoumts of chlorine in the pull so after every swim thorougly wash your hair.I will putting more natural tips for locks up only dat we cant fully grow natural locks the Mau Mau one were the natural ones all the way from locking to maintenance.Peace.

Onion

Use of Onion to thicken hair works more or less in the same way as using garlic for the same reason. Onion juice rejuvinates hair follicles and boosts the scalp circulation, so it should likely help the re-growth of strong hair. Onions contain a quantity of important nutrients, like vitamins C and vitamin B6. Onions also contain calcium and magnesium, along with potassium and germanium. The onion is also high in sulphur, which is a mineral contained in every single cell in the human body.
Sulphur has its highest levels in the hair, the skin and in the nails, which is why it is known as the "beauty mineral".

Here is a recipe to try out.

Apply the onion juice to the top of the scalp and massage deep into the hair roots - but again, do gently, so as not to cause traction alopecia.
You will need to leave it onto the top of the scalp for around 30 minutes and then shampoo.

Garlic to thicken hair

Yet another cooking item finds it's way to your hair. After Lisa asked me about treatment for hair loss/thinning I went to work on it immediately and I found out using this famous Garlic Recipe you can reduce thinning of hair. It might not smell as good as the Rosemary or honey, but I guess it helps a lot and that's what matters.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of aloe gel

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of garlic juice

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons of chamomile (tea bag content is fine to use)

24 fluid oz of water

Instructions:

1) Peel garlic and use a garlic press to squeeze the juice out

2) Mix it with honey and place the bowl in the fridge

3) Boil water with chamomile tea for about 30 minutes

4) Stir occasionally

5) When tea is done, take the bowl with honey and garlic juice out of the fridge

6) Stir in an egg yolk into the garlic juice/honey mix

7) Add Aloe Vera gel to the mix.

8) Use the mix and gently rub it in your scalp. When you run out of the paste, wrap a towel around your head.

9) Keep on your head for 20 minutes and wash once with a neutral shampoo (I used Johnson's Baby shampoo). Rub in the second egg yolk and wash off using only warm water.

10) To finish off, wash your hair off with the previously prepared chamomile tea.

It seems garlic prevents hairloss by killing parasites and bacteria on your scalp that may be causing the hair loss and also by nourishing your hair follicles.

You could also try this:
60 minutes before you go to sleep, crush up a garlic clove and then rub the clove into the area of hair loss. It is important that the juice of the clove is smeared over the area fully and firmly.

Do NOT rub the the crushed clove too hard against the scalp, or you may cause traction alopecia - baldness caused by pulling on hair.

Leave for 60 minutes and then apply olive oil, gently rubbing the olive oil into the scalp.

For sleeping, you will need to wear a shower cap or something similar.

When you awake the next day, the first thing you should do is shampoo your hair.

(Adding a garlic extract to shampoo can also help to further strengthen hair and stop any breakage, while, at the same time, it can add good body to the hair and a nice gloss).

This hairloss and baldness remedy will work best if you can do this for a few weeks.

Hopefully, the hair will no longer be falling out and may start to re-grow.

Rosemary for hair

Before I started this post I just thought from the look of things soon our hair cabinets in the bathroom will resemble the kitchen spice cabinets even more after this post. Apparently, we can use Rosemary to stimulate the hair follicles and hair growth, it's generally believed to slow down or even permanently hold off premature hair loss and gray hair. It heals the scalp of its problems including drandruff. It also helps darken grey hair overtime as confessed by many people though no real scientific evidence has proved this.
If you have blonde or light colored hair you may NOT want to try this recipe as it may darken your hair.
According to the wikipedia: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs.The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus), or "dew of the sea" — apparently because it is frequently found growing near the sea.
Here are a few recipes to use rosemary

Rosemary Rinse
put several handfuls of rosemary into a water-filled pot, bring to boil, and gently simmer for about five to 15 minutes. Allow to cool, strain into a clean container, and pour throughout your hair just after shampooing. Due to a very pleasant aroma and strengthening effects of this rosemary rinse, you do not need to wash it off with additional fresh water.
You could use the rosemary rinse after using the honey conditioner ( a recipe for that here)

Rosemary homemade Oil
wash and dry a handful or two of fresh rosemary sprigs, rub them lightly between your palms to release the flavour, and place them in a clean bottle (you can also add several slices of fresh ginger to intensify the flavour and medicinal qualities of rosemary). Pour extra-virgin olive oil
to cover the herbs, seal tightly, and leave in a dark cupboard for at least two weeks. To use, massage some rosemary oil into your scalp and hair and leave overnight for the beneficial particles of olive oil, rosemary, and optional ginger to penetrate deep into your hair roots and shafts. Repeat weekly and watch your hair quickly regaining its strength and vitality!


Dried Rosemary leaves

Rosemary Vinegar

fill a clean jar or bottle with fresh or dry rosemary sprigs and pour raw, unheated apple cider vinegar over the herbs to cover them completely. Seal and leave to infuse for at least a fortnight in a dark place, shaking the jar occasionally. You can store ready rosemary vinegar in a dark cool cabinet or a cellar to undergo further beneficial fermentation. Use weekly to make a hair rinse by mixing several tablespoons of rosemary vinegar with lukewarm water and pouring the mixture onto your scalp and hair. This rosemary remedy has a power to completely rejuvenate weakening hair just within a few months!
It is advisable to infuse rosemary only in raw and, preferably, organic apple cider vinegar of the highest quality you can find. Apple cider vinegar has long been praised for its hair-rejuvenating properties. Combined with rosemary, this vinegar makes a super-remedy for dull, weak, and shedding hair.
The recipes are by Christiana Roberts

Weleda a well known brand offers rosemary hair lotion, I haven't used it yet, but I think it's worth a try


To get more info on using Rosemary here are a few links
Stop Hair loss
Rosemary for you
Rosemary will make your hair grow
A Natural Herb to make your hair grow

Sweet Locks the after math

Yesterday I finally decided to try out the Sweet locks. Mad thanx to Juju for the tip. If you haven't done it yet, you better try it. I washed my hair as usual and instead of my usual gel I used honey to twist my locks. I sprayed some virgin oil to the honey and mixed it up before using it. I was kind of sceptical at first, but after the results I will definitely go the sweet way. Considering honey isn't as heavy as the gel I usually use, it took sometime to get used to applying to my hair without sticking. Honey might be viscous but it is not really sticky like gel. The best part is it's not oily, but it gives the scalp a glossy look. I'm really loving the honey on my hair no lie.
Another thing I love about using honey on my hair is that my face doesn't react to it. I usually have a few locks falling on my face and when I use the gel, my forehead forms pimples the first few days after a retouch, but considering honey also moisturrizes the skin, my face is loving the transformation as much as my scalp and hair are...
Anyone out there who has tried it out? Please do share your experience...

Sweet Locks

According to Juju, one of "My Dreadlocks readers" You can use honey to lock your hair.
"...honey is quite good for hair generally, as a moisturiser. I use it to twist my locs and its not smeller or sticky or all those things." I will definitely try it out and tell you what happens. Here are some other comments about using honey on hair from the internet:
"I actually just used a home treatment made of warm olive oil and honey, and it worked very well to moisturize and smooth my hair! I have also heard of people mixing honey with their conditioner to add an extra punch of moisture to their routine. Although you mention its obvious stickiness, it seems to rinse out pretty easily in water IF it is mixed with at least one other ingredient.
Also, I would definitely suggest shampooing after your treatment to avoid residue." by Jen
"Honey is a bleach. It will lighten your hair (remove pigmentation) overtime. People in my home country use it to lighten their skin color." by Shilpa
because honey is a humectant and it does great things for dry hair. I use honey once a week and nothing can moisturize my hair like honey does. My mixtures is adding at least 5 tablespoons to a papercup. Warm it up in the microwave for NO more then 30 seconds and some conditioner to it and mix it together. I then wet my hair and then apply the mix and let it penetrate while I finish taking a shower. It rinses out without any sticky residue left on my hair because when you mix honey it basically liquifies." by Ashley
"You can also use it (honey) as a moisturiser and a hair conditioner. To use it as a conditioner, mix the honey with olive oil. Be sure to wash your hair thoroughly before you go outside." by Ada Onyema
"To give your hair lustrous shine, mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. Use as a hair rinse. And if you're a blond, add the juice of 1 lemon, too." by Bees-online

Maintaining twists on Soft Hair

"I have tried twisting them myself but I end up so tired and give up halfway. My hair is very soft and sometimes have to use black strings for the locks to form. Help"
by N.W
Twisting your locks without a loctician is not easily and more so if you have lots of soft hair.
First of all, if you have lots of hair I could suggest you get a friend who also has locks and take turns to twist each other's locks ie they do yours and you do theirs that could be either fortnightly or monthly. It's easier to twist someone else's hair that it is twisting your own. The only disadvantage to this is that you become dependent on the other person. You could also try dividing your hair maybe into 4 sections and do one at a time. Rest between twisting each section. It will take long but atleast you won't feel pushed for time. I would suggest you also twist when you have time eg on Weekends because then you don't feel rushed. Twist your locks as you do something else like watching a movie or listening to your favourite music or hanging out with friends, keeps your mind away from the twisting, you won't even realize when you finish ( as long as you don't get carried away and forget about twisting as you tell jokes/dance)

As for the soft hair, you could try and use olive oil/ beeswax/ light gel to hold the newly twisted hair. Don't use petroleum or heavyweight products as they cause build up in the lock. Don't fight to have all the newly grown hair in the lock, or to hold it up. I remember when I started twisting my own, I would get frustrated because I have very soft hair, I would twist and I wasn't able to hold every single hair, so I started twisting with gel and holding them up with a clip till they dried, but I soon realized my locks were thinning and my hair was breaking...Just relax, twist the lock with gel/wax/oilive oil then let them dry on their own, the hair that is not held is probably not ready to join a lock yet, give it time next time maybe it will feel like it.
Hope I helped....

Maintaining locks between Loctician Visits

"How to keep them neat in between the visits to the kinyozi is my main shida." by Mwasjd
So many of you have been wondering how you will keep your locks looking beautiful, here are a few tips I have learnt during my locking Journey.




1. Wash your hair regularly, stinking hair doesn't look tidy. New locks need to be washed more often than older ones. This is tricky cause everytime you wash you need to retwist or rebackcomb it. Choose a shampoo that moisturizes, you could also use a conditioner but remember to rinse your hair properly to avoid build up.


2. Sleep with a headwrap on. Your hair is not pleasant to look at when it's full of flint from the duvet/blanket/matress.


3.Brush up the tiny hairs on the sides. Don't walk around with "ndengus" (when hair rubs together to form seedlike coverings on your head) on your head. Use a soft bristled brush.


4.Oil your locks. You hair needs oil, don't let your hair cuticles dry up. Keep away from heavyweight and petroleum products, they suffocate your hair. Use more of moisturizing lotions and oils eg Olive oil.


5. Let your hair breathe, don't always hold it up, or cover it. It needs the fresh air and the freedom.


That's all I can remember for now, but I will definitely add more as time goes by.

Sisterlocks/ Brotherlocks

This trademark dreadlocking technique is unique in that this locking system starts from the end of the hair shaft and works up toward the scalp. It is customized for the individual--for YOU--by certified company-trained associates.

Don't forget, whether you're getting Sisterlocks or Brotherlocks this is a lifestyle and may not be suitable for everyone. Only your hairdresser (and you) will know for sure!

Dr. Cornell(founder) mentioned that clients with Caucasian hair types didn't often opt to start dreadlocks with this method but a select few of the certified stylists do have experience working with straighter hair types.



The "Sisterlocks Package" consists of three sessions:

Session #1 is an assessment visit. You and your consultant review your preference for hair styles, your daily activity level, the kind of hair you have and how well it will hold a lock.

Session #2 may take 10-18 hours, depending on the length of your hair and lock size.Many clients end up with over 450 Sister locks which accounts for the amount of time it takes to complete.

A special tool is used to create Sisterlocks, interweaving parted sections together to form new dreadlocks. They can be very thin and much more flexible than the dreadlocks you're used to seeing and can be styled like straight hair!

By the end of this visit, you'll get a Starter Kit which includes bands, shampoo, tip sheets and helpful hints. You'll also schedule your follow-up appointment to make sure your finished locks stay gorgeous.

Session #3 is a refurbishment visit. During this visit, your certified consultant will adjust your locks, tightening and reweaving as necessary. This session lasts 4-6 hours.



It is at this point that you can begin to take your own Sisterlocks (or Brotherlocks) maintenance in hand by enrolling in a certification class to learn how to maintain your dreadlocks yourself. This will help you minimize the cost of future hair care.
I find them really beautiful and very neat. For more information and more pictures you could visit their sisterlock website

All pictures courtesy of Sisterlocks.com

Neglect

Advantages: You can do it without assistance. It is the easiest method. No special tools or products are needed, just time.

Disadvantages: It takes at least 3 years to start looking like dreads in most hair types. You need to have about 10" of hair for the knots to start forming. The dreads form unevenly, some dreads will be huge and flat, others skinny. People usually get sick of having nasty hair and cut it off long before they get dreads.

Instructions: The neglect method is pretty much just that. You do nothing but keep the hair clean. (Some people don't even do that but not washing your hair is unsanitary and it slows down the dreading process) Just let it grow and in a year or so it may start to knot up or it may take 3 years Hair texture and hair length has a lot to do with how long it takes. You can rip it into dreads and try to combine dreads that are too small with rubberbands if you like, but in the spirit of true neglect most people don't.

I personally don't like this method of locking, because they really look dreadful, untidy and ugly. But it is a free world.

Twisting

This is the kind I have, they are a bit messy in the beginning because of the gel, but they look really beautiful. You can either just twist with gel or if your hair is long, you could start with double strand twists.

Advantages: It is all natural. You have control over the size of the dreads and how they form. Many salons are familiar with this method and the cost is usually much lower than a dread perm.

Disadvantages: It only works in African textured hair but that doesn't mean salons won't try it on Caucasian hair!
Instructions:
Hair should be sectioned into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads.
As you section the hair you can secure each section with a rubberband. When the whole head is sectioned twist each section clockwise using a comb( using your fingers is easier than using the comb) to snag the hair at the ends and twist.
As each section is twisted dread wax/gel should be worked in to hold the twists. Thick waxes without petroleum hold the hair much better when starting the dreads. After the dreads mature thinner waxes can be used to add fragrance and sheen.
Hair should be twisted by hand regularly to help it lock up.
For the twists, I don't recommend using the rubberbands to hold them, or twisting too tight. You might be tempted to hold every single hair on your head but that only cuts/breaks your hair. A professional loctician can hold them easily without breaking, but please don't try it at home. If you twist too tight, the lock thins and falls off and we don't want that do we? Here is how to do it

Friction/ Rubbing Method

Advantages: The main advantage to the rubbing method is that if you happen to own something wool you can get started right away. It is an all natural method. You can do it yourself.

Disadvantages: It hurts like hell and the dreads that it makes vary greatly in size and do not look very good. Hair will usually need to be cut after trying this method so you will have to grow out your hair again before trying another method.

Instructions:
Take a wool sweater or hat and rub it in circles on your head.
After about 15 min, if your hair is long enough, knots will start to form. As the hair knots together you rip it apart and try to separate it into dreads.
After you rip it apart you resume rubbing for another 15 min or so.
Repeat this process over and over and over until all your hair is knotted.
Lots of loose hair is common with this method and the neglect method, just try to stick them into the nearest dread.
If your hair is shorter, you can use a brush to do it. Rub the soft bristle brush in a clockwise motion. Rub about an inch at a time, you will start to see little sections of balls forming. After you have rubbed your entire head, use a small amount of wax on each little ball. You can use a hair dryer to melt the wax into your new little dreads.

Different Locks

I have gotten many questions on how to maintain locks and I thought I should start with defining the different kinds of locks available, then how to maintain them. The maintenance is pretty much the same though it may differ just a bit.

1. Back Combing
Advantages: Hair looks like dreads the same day and reaches maturity faster than other methods. You can control the size and shape of the dreads, anywhere from thick and smooth to thin and sexy. It is an all natural method. Backcombing will work on all hair lengths 3" and longer.

Disadvantages: The initial dreading takes a few hours and is pretty labor intensive, nothing a good friend or two can't handle. The best way to back comb is to take your time and make the dreads as smooth and tight as possible.

How to do it:
First section the hair into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads. The sections can be secured temporarily with rubberbands. After the hair is sectioned use a dread comb to comb the hair backwards.
Start close to the scalp, not more than an inch away.
Comb repeatedly towards the scalp. Eventually hair will start to pack up at the roots. It is not necessary to twist the hair. It is helpful however to roll the hair you are holding between your fingers a little while you are backcombing. Continue backcombing, slowly working towards the ends of the hair, making the dread as tight as possible as you go. When you reach the ends you can secure the dread with a rubberband. Another rubberband on the roots will help the dread stay tight at its base. The rubberbands can be removed after the dread has a chance to mature. After the rubberbands are applied to each dread the dreads should be waxed with a dread wax that does not contain petroleum. A good dread wax will tame loose hairs and help the hair dread much faster.

Last but definitely not least, my favourite the Skintolo aka Gélé

This is a famous Headwrap from Nigeria the names range from Satellite dish, Unicycle, Amina Aminu, Kite, Parachute, Kintele, The London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Gbenuesoun, Hollywood, Fan, Global Warning etc. so the next time you hear a Nigerian speak about one of the above you will know exactly what they are talking about. The naterial used is either Aso-oke, paper gele, abada, Damask or kente.
Here is a video on how to tie it. You will need some practice before you are a "Gélé Master". From the length of the post I guess you might have figured it is one of my best kind of headwraps...Hope you enjoy it.



You could also read these instructions:

1st Type

1.Start by folding the head gear piece to a width of about six inches. This can be achieved by folding the piece in half lengthwise twice or so.

2. Rap the piece around your head with the right extending about one and half of the left side.

3.Push in the left side but keep the ends out while crossing the right side over (on top of the left end); also keep the right-side ends out.

4.Pull both ends as tight as desired. Push the left side while pulling the right side to get the desired comfort.

5.Push in the right side only from where it touches the left side but without pulling it all the way through. This forms a bow.

6.You may now move this bow to the front, side or leave it on the back; the choice is yours.

7.Spread out the two ends to obtain a rose petal look, or pin the two ends to obtain yet another look. The different styles and looks are endless. You'll be surprised what you can achieve by experimenting.


2nd Type

• Fold your headtie into two equal halves, triangular or rectangular, depending on how big or small you want it to look.

• Place the headtie on the forehead, ends of the headtie being equal; take the longest end of the headtie, turn it around to meet the other end. Remember to fold your headtie into two equal halves, then the two wings.

• Take one of the wings at the right end and one of it wings at the left edge, join. And when trying them, make sure it is tight and well- laid in front. Knot twice.

• Straighten the edges of your headtie, starting from behind till you get to the front.
• Then push the headtie backward a bit to fit.


3rd Type

• Fold the headtie into two equal halves, making a rectangular shape, depending on how big or small you want your headtie to look.

• Bring it from behind, use your right hand to take the right wing of the headtie to the left and left wing of the headtie to the right. Then, let the two ends of the wings meet to make a beautiful style and make sure your headtie is properly laid in front and firmly balanced.

• Make a knot out of the two wings, making it tight enough, so that your headtie doesn’t fall off. Then knot the second time.

• Straighten out the edges of the layers of the headtie starting from behind till you get to the front.

• With this style, you are supposed to get a ‘V’ in front of your headtie. If not, it is still all right and it will look gorgeous on you. Then push the headtie backward a bit to fit.

Always keep your head gear piece crisp with a spray starch for better results.

You could also visit the Gélé Masters site it has great music about the Skintolo...hope you enjoy it. Here is a pic of the Master

This marks the end of the Headwrap Series, hope you learnt new ways to tie your wraps. I will definitely continue to research on how Erykah Badu ties hers. Enjoy your weekend.

I hope you ain't tired yet....

Hope you have enjoyed learning how to tie different headwraps, I'm yet to figure out how Erykah Badu does hers, but I promise to share immediately I do. Here are a few other ways to tie the headwraps.

Another Lockwrap (Turban)

You can do this on your "bad" Hair days, you will still look good without having to trouble yourself with the that much. You can get creative and change a few steps to make it look better.









Instead of wrapping the extra fabrik around your head, you could wrap it around the held back hair. to get something like this