First, congratulations on taking the journey to dreadlock your hair! It's such an exciting journey that will hopefully be a long and beautiful one. Unfortunately, the journey doesn't start of all happy and beautiful. It takes quite of bit of patience and know-how in order to keep at the process. He are a few of my tips for your baby locks.
- Cleansing: Cleansing your scalp can be a bit difficult with baby locks. You need to keep your scalp and hair free of debris, but you also don't want your locks to unravel. Try diluting your favourite sulphate free shampoo with water in an applicator bottle, squeeze the mixture directly onto your scalp and massage gently into your scalp. Take another applicator bottle with plain water and rinse the scalp throughly. Alternatively, you could skip the shampoo and opt for an apple cider vinegar rinse to gently remove product build-up.
- Hot Oil Treatments Are Your Friend: I'm not a fan of conditioner for dreadlocks. Because locks are basically matted hair, I find that using thick substances on the hair that do not eventually penetrate into the hair just leaves a ton of build-up. Conditioner is really hard to rinse completely out of locks, so I recommend using a hot oil treatment in place of conditioner. A hot olive oil treatment is great for moisture, while a hot coconut oil treatment is excellent for keeping your locks strong.
- Say No To Towels: I tell everyone to not use towels on their hair, regardless of hair type, but in this case it isn't about breakage from a cotton towel. Cotton towels leave lint balls in your locks that are super annoying hard to get out. Instead, opt for a black or brown cotton t-shirt to dry your locks with, or a microfibre towel in any colour your choose. They both do an excellent job at gently drying locks.
- Wrap It Up At Night: Cover your precious locks with a satin or silk bonnet or scarf at night. This will keep your hair neat, keep moisture in your locks and lint out of your hair. Alternatively, you could use a satin or silk pillowcase to sleep on.
- Say No To Over Twisting: I know you want you baby locks to be on fleek, but please avoid over twisting and twisting too tight. Putting too much stress on your locks will cause them to snap and break at any stage of the locking process. Stick to once a month and protect your hairline.
- Product Build-Up: Product build-up in dreadlocks and shows pretty obviously and it doesn't disappear. It's best to you use butters, beeswax, mineral oil based products, gels and honey sparingly. When all else fails, turn to natural oils that penetrate the hair shaft for a better product alternative. You may also opt for flaxseed and aloe vera based hair gels for a neat look.
The best tip I can give anyone starting the locking process is to be patient. Patience wins this race and proper knowledge of products is key. Hang in there and soon so will your dreadlocks.
Have a Good Hair Day and remember to Love Your Hair!!!
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