Thursday 16 April 2009

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

64 comments:

  1. I started twisting my hair like this some years ago. But as you mentioned when it started to lock it some strands became weak and fell off. I eventually abandoned it and relaxed my hair again.

    At the moment I'm trying to bring in locks again by braiding and leaving the braids in. I'm having a professional do this so I'll have no problems.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Lisa, welcome back... As for twisting, it requires lots of care, if you twist too tight then they hair thins out and the locks fall off. If you ever try to lock again by twisting, just twist lightly, the hair eventually grows again and you can rejoin the lock to a healthy base of hair.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the follow Cee. One question: What is a dread perm?

    "...the cost is usually much lower than a dread perm."

    ReplyDelete
  4. Welcome Kicukalah.
    Dread perm is like the opposite of the usual perm, in dread perm, chemicals are used to make the hair frizzy. The hair is later bound and treated again to form dreadlocks, this may cost you about $400-500 at a salon or $10-20 for the kit according to wikipedia. I haven't tried it though, neither have I seen anyone who has used it so I can't really testify for or against it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Cee,
    I just started my journey and I am needing some advice. My hair is the Nappyness and I started one month ago with the comb twist method. later on i decided to interclock my hair, but then i neglected the twist for a beat and got them wet several times (its summer time). So all of my thinner twists are still really thight, but the thicker ones r not behaving.
    So i decided to stop the interloc for a while and just twist them because they were kind of weird looking. but my thicker twist wont hold for more than a week, and the roots come undone after a night. I use loc n twist gel which i like better than jamaica-mango. I kinda slack when it comes to blow dry my hair cuz it burns so i don't do it for a long time.
    do you have any advice such as should I dry my hair longer or leave the clips on for a all afternoon?
    and how often a person who has fresh twists should twist their hair?

    I appreciate a little time, pls help me to get locs like yours

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hallo Antonio,
    First of all welcome to my blog and hope you are enjoying your locking journey as well as the advice already posted on the blog.

    When it comes to twisting hair I would suggest washing once a week for very fresh twists, to keep a neater and tidier look. I don'tg encourage holding the twisted locks immediately after twisting with gel because it does lead to thinning of the lock. You don't have to twist the lock too tight to look good. Just get gel that holds well enough then appl it on the growth of the lock then let it go. Let your hair dry naturally ofcourse you can blow dry or use a drier if you wish but I would encourage natural drying.

    I hope I have answered your question, if not please do send me an email to the address stated above or just ask it again here and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

    ReplyDelete
  7. how often should someone get there dreads twisted in the beginning stage because i have some that are stay lock but some that come out a little bit after i lay on them at night

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hallo Anonymous,
    Depending on your hair texture you can twist your hair between weekly and fortnightly. If your hair is very soft then I would advise retwisting everyweek. Although the loctician also plays a part in how long you have to wait before retwisting. With a professional loctician then you can do it after every 2 weeks. It's just like braids, when done by a professional last longer even on soft hair.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi:]

    I've had my hair twisted for a little over 3months now, and they were twisted clockwise. Just recently I had them retwisted by a new person, and I wasn't paying attention and she twisted them counterclockwise... Is this a big issue? I havent taken the clips out yet so I don't know if it looks bad, but with the clips in they look fine. What should I do? Should I have them retwisted clockwise, or leave them as is and continue having them done in this way? If I leave them as is, will anything terrible happen to my hair??

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hallo Tariqa,
    I don't think anything terrible will happen to your hair because of the change from clockwise to counterclockwise twisting. My loctician advises to use the same direction always but when I'm away and I have to do them myself, I sometimes get tired in the middle and I just twist whichever way goes. It's not a disaster if you change but it's encouraged to use the same direction always, just for order's sake. If you used gel to twist your hair then no change will be evident because the gel will hold the hair in place with or without the clips.
    All the best in the rest of your locking journey.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello:
    It has been 10 weeks that i started my locks. I have always had very short hair. Last year i cut it all off like a man. When it grew back i stupidity relaxed it again so i had to let it grow out again finally i was prepared to grow my locks. According to my stylist my hair texture is soft so she told me to come every two weeks but after a month she washed it and basically combed out the twists and started over. I now decided to only go once a month and re-twist my hair my self in between. Was this a good idea or should I try to find another stylist. ( I just got them done yesterday by her. Also I have been using locking gel and then i bought a wax cream but it has petroleum in it i read somewhere that you shouldn't use petroleum based products is that true

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hallo Anonymous,
    1. Choosing a loctician can be quite hard depending on your location but use the same criteria you used to choose a hairdresser. Atleast with locks, you can do it yourself so you don't need the locticia as much.
    2. Different locticians have different methods of locking their clients hair. If you don't feel comfortable with the method you cann ask them to explain, also when they try something new, have them explain it first before they do it. As for your loctician combing out your locks after a whole month, that I don't understand.
    3. Everyone's hair behaves differently so when it comes to deciding how long to wait before retouching/retwisting your locks, I would suggest you decide depending on how long your hair takes to start looking a mess. It's advisable to wash after every 2weeks but it's not looking bad, it can stay for another week. Baby locks require more frequent retouching as compared to Mature locks. If you have soft hair, read this post : http://mydreadlocks.blogspot.com/2009/04/maintaining-twists-on-soft-hair.html
    4. Most professionals discourage use of petroleum products on locks you can read that here : http://mydreadlocks.blogspot.com/2009/04/maintaining-locks-between-loctician.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am growing my hair out to get Twisties, but without the intention of eventually growing dreadlocks, what would I need to do after getting my hair twisted to keep it twisted but not lock up, if that is possible?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hallo Anonymous,

    It is possible to have twisties that remain just that without locking. Just make sure everytime you go for the retwisting, they comb out the hair i.e. "to unlock it" and then they can twist it again and it remains a twistie

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wussup Cee. Unlike most everyone else here who has posed a question, my hair has been twisted using the 2 stand twist method. My problem is I don't exactly know how to twist them so that they look organized...you know, with my new growth and all. I've had them in for about two weeks, is their any method you know to maintain these style of twist?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hallo Anonymous,
    When it comes to the two strands twist, it's like a twist braid and usually it requires some kind of expertise to do it. I'm not sure whether you undo the whole braid and retwist it again??? Unfortunately, I have no experience with this kind of locking, but maybe you could ask LisaG the last time I checked that was the method she was using for her locks. All the best. Enjoy your locking

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ok. I have a problem. I work out intensely 3 to 4 times a week. It seems like I have to re- twist my locs every to weeks because it'll feels nasty with all the sweat ect. Any suggestions. Is washing and twisting every two weeks too much? -Guerla

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hallo Guerla,

    Retwisting your locks after 2weeks is definitely not a problem. I also do it just as often tho I don't work out that much.

    ReplyDelete
  19. For newbies, I found a great website where the loctician installs the locs the same day without the twist coming loose and uses no chemicals. Based in Cali. Hope this helps. To our beautiful locks and beyond. :) www.bebeautified.webs.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. ive had dreadlocks for about 6months now and everything is good with them but when i get them retwisted after washing there a little too stiff to my liking so after about 3to 4 days i steam them while in the shower and get them a little wet to loosen them so they dangle and dont look so tense the girl who does my dreads say that they will never loc if i do this but most are locing fine is this true n should i stop and just leave them be after the retiwst

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hallo Anonymous,
    If after retwisting your locks you go into a dryer, you could ask the lady that does your locks to hold a damp towel (earlier soaked in hot water) to the locks when you get out of the dryer. This helps them get back some of the moisture they lost while in the dryer and to make them boucy and less stiff. As for your steaming them, as long as you don't wash them out and comb, they will still lock no worries about that.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am interested in getting dreadlocks and the loctician I spoke to uses the crochet method. Are you familiar with this and will I be able to just twist them after they have locked or will I need to continue this method to maintain them?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hallo anonymous,
    I don't know anything about crocheting of locks yet, I'll look into it and advise further on it specifically, but I know you can always switch to twisting anytime during your locking journey. You can start with the crotcheting maybe it helps the hair lock fast then switching to twisting.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am interested in growing dreads but I was thinking of starting off with the comb gel twist method but my question is does that method really work or is the two strand twist method better/faster?

    ReplyDelete
  25. i have twists and i dont know what to do to lock them am i suppose to keep the clamps in or what i don't know

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hallo Anonymous,
    I guess it all depends on your hair texture and also length. With twisting, you only need about 2inches of hair while with twos strands twist you need a considerable length so that they can be twisted to each other. Two strands is less messy compared to the comb gel twist. I guess you just have to decide depending on factors like length, comfort and also your own preference. As for which one locks faster, I would say that depends largely on your hair and less on the method of locking used

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hallo Anonymous 2,
    You can remove the clamps after you gel the locks though I would advise you to ask your loctician what their plan is with the clamps. Different locticians have different methods. If you did it yourself, then you can remove after gelling

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hello!

    Okay recently I've come to the decision that i want dreads but the thing is i dont know much about them =) I want some that look like yours but i'm not sure what those kind are called?? Twisted i think?? Any tips for a beginner?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hallo Tia,
    Great that you have decided to lock but you have to plan on how you will start them lest they get on your nerves too early. If there is a loctician near you, you could go by for some advice on how to get them done. You may also like to ask around before you settle for any loctician. Friends who have locks may also be great advisors. My Dreadlocks also offers as much enough as we possibly can, either from the blog itself or from emails. YOu can never be prepared enough for locks but you can always learn to love them. Any specific questions please email or ask on this blog, don't get tired of asking.

    ReplyDelete
  30. hello, just browsing through various sites on locing and came upon yours.

    I've been trying to loc my hair for a long while now.

    But I'm not getting the desired results I want. My hair when sister loc, twisted, or palm rolled will stay in whatever method i choose.

    It's trying to keep my hair tightly loc and prevent it from being too loose and poofy is where I am have trouble.

    I'm wondering if maybe I need to loc my hair while it's wet with the loc gel and then sit under a hair dryer?

    (My hair doesn't stay the way it should like the above picture shown, though i have a head full of thick hair but still! *pouts* )

    I'm not sure, any advice ma'am? :3

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hallo Anonymous,
    you hair being poofy is something you will have to accept for a while. It happens with all types of hair before they completely lock. Even when you twist when the hair is wet and dry using a dryer after a few days, it does poof.
    I guess you will have to endure the poofing, when the hair completely locks then it doesn't poof anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  32. jesus is the way26 April 2010 at 09:09

    hi are you doing i have 2 questions and for this question i want the truth iam not insecure at all about the speed that my hair grows because i know it will get there its just me and a friend werr debating and 8 months ago i had an bald head then i decided to grow dreads are about 3 inches long and on the side iether one inch and a half or 2 or 2 and a half and i want to know if my hair is growing at a fast speed or is that slow.and the second question is on the sides of my hair it is thin so some of the dreads are skinny so i want to know if my dreads will look funny when they get longer because the sides are skinny and alittle shorter and is not as full as the top

    ReplyDelete
  33. 3inches in 8months, that is nowhere near slow growing hair. I would even argue it's very fast. After a while with locks, you'll realize any patches on your head fill up after a while, including areas you never thought hair would regrow. Just give them time, and with this I mean 12 to 24months and you'll be surprised at how your sides will fill up. When your locks get longer, the sides will be full of hair that they won't look funny.

    ReplyDelete
  34. 4/20 get up stand up.27 April 2010 at 12:04

    hey cee my mother says she like's the way bees wax work instead of mango and lime. ive see a few people on the internet say that mango.. is better she is covinced it is to sell the product but i just want the product that is better for my hair to stay healthy and grow what is your opinion

    ReplyDelete
  35. get up stand up29 April 2010 at 19:24

    is it possible to get short dreads styled

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hallo,
    I have never used mango nor lime on my hair neither have I ever heard of them being used, but I don't think I would recommend it. Lime has citric acid, and acid is known to dry the skin and also make it itchy (the reaction varies). Mango is sticky and sweet. I know you'll ask what about honey, honey is also sticky and sweet but it doesn't smell sweet meaning if you apply it to your hair no bees can smell it. Mango being sweet and smelling sweet attracts bees especially in summer. I wouldn't recommend both items but I'll try and research more to see what the experts think about it, so keep checking out the site for any updates on the topic.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hallo Get up Stand Up,

    Yes it is possible to get short locks styled, it depends on what style you want and also how creative the person doing it is.

    ReplyDelete
  38. LOL NEVER HEARD OF IT HUH ?

    ReplyDelete
  39. hello, i have been growing my dreadlocks for about 10 months now. And most of my locks havent lock as yet. Any suggestion on what i should use?

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hallo Anonymous,

    What method did you use to lock? Different hair textures take different lengths of time to lock, in average it takes about 12months before your hair locks completely, so 10months is still not to bad. Though the locks should by now have joined at the tips. I can't say too much without seeing the hair. You can send a picture to my email address and maybe then I can advise further.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hi, i got my hair twisted a little over a month ago. Most of my twist start to come undone after a couple days. Also i will be running everyday soon, and when i sweat they come undone. will they still lock up?

    ReplyDelete
  42. It takes a while before your twists actually "settle" after you start locking them. During this time they look a bit bushy and untidy but that's just a stage they always go through. When you exercise, just make sure you don't untwist the locks as you wash them and retwist them every fortnight.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi Cee,
    I've just started my locs on my own and would like to know if I should leave my hair alone. I feel like I keep retwisting them because they tend to feel soft and I have some hair that likes to leave the main shafts. Should I keep retwisting the hair back in or should I leave it alone and just make do with what I have? Of course I will have to wash them every week, so retwisting them then is mandatory, but during the time when I have them set, I'm not sure what to do.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hey Anonymous,

    just retwist the locks after washing and leave them alone till the next retwist.It's hard especially when you always want to check if they locked or all hair is in place but just leave them alone grows better.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Wow, thanks much.

    ReplyDelete
  46. pl i need help,my dreads are all re-twisted in different directions and i don't know what to do because i heard that i am only meant to twist clockwise.please anybody help

    ReplyDelete
  47. hello i just finish twisting my daughter hair today and i wanted to know how often do i twist them and wash them?and i also wanted to know when i wash them do i blow dry them and then retwist them or do i leave them wet and twist them?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hey Anonymous,

    Don't panic, you don't have to twist your locks clockwise, you only need to twist in the same direction everytime to avoid "untwisting".....If you started with anticlockwise then continue with it, it won't damage your locks in anyway.....If each lock is twisted in a different direction, it might be too much work to try and remember the direction for each so I'd suggest you decide a direction and twist towards it the next time you retwist and stick to it

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hey Quintea,

    I would suggest you twist them then blow dry them or leave them to dry naturally. Usually it ranges from fortnightly to every 3weeks, but depends on the hair texture.

    ReplyDelete
  50. I got my dreads done a week ago today and they told me i could get it wet after a week, which i did today and they fluffed up really bad and almost came undone, ive tried re-twisting them but they wont stay, when i got them done they permed my hair first to make it nappy, when i get it wet it smelled like the perm stuff again, do you think some of the perm chemical was left in my hair?

    not sure what to do with them now, my hair is just a big fluff ball

    ReplyDelete
  51. Hey Anonymous,
    It's kind of hard to say anything about your hair considering I have never heard of perming locks to lock them. If you used gel just retwist the hair with gel and wash after a fortnight and retwist. The locks don't lock and become organized until after a couple of months, don't be discouraged if after a fortnight you wash it and it still looks like a ball instead of long beautiful organized locks. Finally enjoy every single stage of your locks and don't take them too seriously they are just hair

    ReplyDelete
  52. Hi Cee,
    I have been re-twisting my husband's new growth and they don't last more than a week or two and some come down that night. I have been using the clear loc n twist gel, regular black hair gel, spritz and hair clamps, as I was told by another website, but this method does not seem to hold. My husband has had his dreads for about 3 years and they are the smaller type and are now shoulder length. What else can I do/use to keep his hair twisted longer since his hair is so soft??

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hi Quanetta,

    I would advise you to choose a gel that holds the hair without leaving residues in the locks. I guess the reason the locks don't hold for too long is because of the gel used and not the hair or method you are using. I'll research on some great gels and write an article on it, maybe you can check in a few days.

    ReplyDelete
  54. My son is starting is twist. He plays football and he sweats a lot. When I twist them they are so pretty and when he goes to practice and come back home. he dreads are puffy and looks bad. Plz tell me what it is that I am doing wrong because I can't seem to figure it out. I use the mango wax and gel. Which one is better. Because he hasn't lock yet.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hey Anonymous,

    there's nothing your doing wrong. Sometimes you got to let the hair be. You may consider using another method to start the locks eg interlocking/crotcheting, free forming, two strands twists or even as braidlocks. But if they are already locked then just do the usual wash and twist and the hair will take care of the rest. I also learnt that dying the locks helps them lock faster, you could try dying them his hair color if you don't want a different color on them.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Hey Cee,
    I started my dread locs a year ago and the roots are not locking up in the front. In the middle section of my head the dreads are quite large but as it goes down (the bottom row) the dreads are thin and breaking off. I put sum together and now i have approximately 4 on the back row. Now when i twist them i expect them to began swelling and get larger but they are only getting thinner. What should i do to the back of my hair? Should i cut it of leave it alone and let nature take its course.Someone help me with this problem

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hey Antonio,

    sorry about your locks, it's sad that they haven't locked after a whole year. How do you retwist your locks cause that could be the reason they are breaking. If you hold your locks with hair clips after retwisting, I would definitely discourage you from doing that, it cost me a couple of locks myself.

    As for your hair taking too long to lock, that could be you don't twist in the same direction everytime, meaning when you retwist you end up untwisting. What I mean is, if one time you twist clockwise, you should continue doing that everytime, if you decide in between to start do it anti-clockwise then you end up "unlocking". Another reason would be that your hair is too soft, to completely lock from the twist method.

    Solutions:
    1: Try using the same direction everytime you lock
    2. Try interlocking or crotcheting the locks it hastens the locking process, after the interlocking or crotcheting simply wash and retwist.

    Hope that helps, all the best with your locks.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Hi Cee,
    My name is jakeeheem rogers. I do not have locs yet but i want to begin soon. My hair is about a cm long.i was going to start earlier earlier but the gel would not hold my hair together when i would start to sweat. What should i use to help loc my hair?

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hey Jakeeheem,

    a cm of hair would be too short not unless you want to use the rubbing method. If you really want to twist, please wait till it gets to about 2,5 or 3cm....I started mine with only 3cm. If you sweat a lot, I would suggest you try a longer holding gel or even wax. Wax is great as it doesn't dissolve in the sweat and will remain the same even after sweating problem is it builds up after a while. It's like medicine with side effects. You could use wax at the beginning then ensure to do the ACV rinse to remove the build up.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Hey Cee,
    Its Antonio again and i've been wondering why my hair hasent been growing like as fast as others wit locs. Does hair growth have anything to do with age because i know a lot of middle age people that have started dreads and they are growing at a well set time. I've had them for like a year and they aren't making that much progress. Is there anyway that i can speed up the growing process of my hair. If so, could you give me a couple of segestions or should i just leave them alone and see what happens

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hey Antonio,

    there are many things that influence the rate at which your hair grows eg genes, diet, age etc. Some of these you can change or improve on like your diet, a balanced diet will ensure enough vitamins to do the job, age and genes you can do nothing about.
    When it comes to locks, I guess all locks are unique in their own way, if yours are not growing now, they will later. I guess it happens to everyone that at one stage or other the locks remain stagnant then after the stage is over they continue growing as usual.
    There are many remedies in stores about increase hair volume and length but none has ever worked on any of the people I know or myself so I'd advice you to just let nature do its thing, it knows best.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Okay so i have been going strong for 6 weeks !!!! and only had like one retwist and i actually separated what the hair dresser did because i thought they were too big...not i am satisfied but the front and back unravels a bit...is it such thing as retwisting too much...i havent washed yet.....and i can't keep my hands out of them but that's because i dont want them to come out.....

    ReplyDelete
  63. Hey Cheryl,

    You must be suffering from Hand in Hair Syndrome, your hands are always playing with the locks. Before your hair locks, this will not help much coz everytime you keep retwisting the retwisted hair, the gel unfastens and the hair unravels. You should try and abstain from the behaviour atleast till the hair locks. You could try and interlock the root so that the hair holds longer even after your hands unravelling it.

    ReplyDelete
  64. interlock the root? what's that? i am getting better with keeping my hands out....and i vow to leave the ones that come loose in the back .... are you saying i should not have done over or retwisted by perhaps professional....my hair is sort of soft so the front is sort of not there too...lol...ummmmm.....can i send you a pic to your gmail ? i need help...lol...thanks

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog. Still got unaswered questions? Contact me at dreadlockmamasita@gmail.com or find me on Facebook.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.