Knatty Dread Dreadlocks

KnattyDread.com would like to congratulate Zahra Redwood, and her long flowing dreadlocks, for making it all the way to the Miss Universe Contest. We respect the style and grace that she has portrayed during every pageant and wish her nothing but the brightest of futures. We also admire her dedication to spreading awareness of the Rhastafarian lifestyle, and commend her efforts to dispel misconceptions regarding the Rastafarian religion. Finally, we would like to compliment her on her world class dreads, easily among the most impressive dreadlocks we’ve seen!

Using the right Shampoo
The tighter the locs are, the fewer stray hairs you will have and the smoother the locs will look. Washing locs with the proper soaps and shampoos is essential to keeping them tight. The problem with the majority of shampoos, natural or otherwise, is that they leave residue in the hair after they are rinsed out. You can easily detect this residue by smelling the hair, or your hands, after you have used the shampoo. If the shampoo has left a scent, it has left residue behind. These residues can cause itching when they build up inside your locs and they can make it hard for thicker locs to dry properly. Above all the residues act as a lubricant making it very hard for the hairs to lock and the locs to tighten. This is why it is highly recommended that you use only residue free soaps and shampoo’s on your locs.

Residues also cause scalp irritations. Many of the reasons our scalps are dry and itchy is because of residues whether they come from shampoos, conditioner, or chemicals. Using a residue free shampoo will give you a healthy scalp.

The Twist and Pin Method

Requires sectioning. Works best if the hair is 3″-6″ long. Widely used. Dread size can be adjusted. Makes neat even dreads.

1. Use a comb to section the hair. The larger the section the thicker the dreads. Keep sections square so dreads grow round, not flat.

2. Apply cream to the hair and twist it clockwise firmly.

3. Use a hair pin to hold the twist so it doesn’t unravel.

4. You can sit under a dryer or use hair dryer to set the twists.

The twists are not dreads when they are first made and will be delicate while they are locking. It is a good idea to sleep with a silk scarf or nylon over the dreads to prevent them from picking up fuzzys.

The Brush Rubbing Method

Does not require sectioning. Only works on hair up to about 3″. Creates natural sections that the hair likes. Creates smaller dreads in a more random, natural way.

1. Use a brush to lightly rub the surface of the hair in clockwise circles. After several minutes of rubbing the hair will start to form little round balls of hair. These balls will be the natural sections of your dreads.

2. Apply cream to each ball and twist it clockwise firmly with your fingers.

3. You can secure each ball with a rubberband at the root and at the tip to help the sections stay separated or you can separate them by hand. Rubberbands should be snug but not too tight.

If you decide to use rubberbands to hold the sections you should be able to wash them without too much loosening. Because the dreads will be smaller breakage may be a problem as the dreads get longer. Keeping them moisturized with dread cream with help prevent breakage. If you know your hair breaks easily you should probably keep the dreads shorter.

The Finger Twisting Method

Generally takes a little longer than the twist and pin and brush rubbing methods but its very easy. Sections can be made by hand or by using brush rubbing depending on hair length. Sections for the dreadlocks can be even or natural.

1. Finger twisting is just that, twisting the hair around and around clockwise. You can randomly grab sections, section with a comb, or use the brush rubbing technique to allow the hair to find natural sections. Apply dread cream with your fingers and twist it into the hair to help hold it in place.

2. Keep on twisting. You will want to twist the hair all the time…riding in the car, talking on the phone, watching tv, ect… You will want to keep the hair moisturized with dread cream to prevent it from drying out. Dry hair will be damaged by twisting.

You can use rubberbands to hold the sections and help the hair lock up. They work really well but few people use them because rubberbands are said to break hair. If rubberbands are not on too tightly they should not break the hair. Put them on snug but not to tight.

The Backcombing Method

Backcombing works best if the hair is 6″ or longer or if the hair has been chemically straightened. Dread size can be adjusted. Makes neat even dreads. Dreadlocks done with this method look very decent as soon as they are dreaded and they mature over time.

1. Begin by sectioning the hair with a comb. Larger sections make larger dreadlocks. Square sections grow round dreadlocks.

2. Starting about two inches from the scalp use a dread comb (1″ straight metal bristles in a single row, very close together) to push the hair towards the scalp. Results will not happen immediately but after many strokes some hairs will start to slip forward and get packed down against each other. Work your way slowly toward the tips of the hair packing the hair down as you go.

3. When you finish backcombing each dread put a rubberband on the root and tip of each dread. The one at the roots should just be snug, not tight, and the one at the tips can be tighter. These rubberbands help prevent the new dreadlocks from loosening up before they have a chance to tighten.

4. After the rubberbands are all in place smooth the dreads down with some dread cream. This will hold down fuzzy’s and provide moisture to the hair and scalp.

With the rubberbands in you should be able to wash the new dreadlocks without too much loosening. You will have some loosening as the hair moves around in each dread and sorts itself out but the dreadlocks shouldn’t come out.

Note: Washing in residue free soaps and shampoos helps dreadlocks tighten whereas washing with soaps and shampoos that are not residue free will make it harder for locks to tighten properly.