Maintenance of Dreadlocks – A Part of Life with Dreads, Part 4

Dreadlocks are not a hairstyle you finish and then are done with.

It is something you live with.
Something that develops.
And something you get to know over time.

And it does not have to be difficult –
but it requires a bit of presence.

🌿 A simple habit: separate your dreads
One thing I always recommend is that you, in connection with washing or now and then,
take the time to feel through the scalp.

Pull your fingers between the dreads
Feel if some have started to stick together
Separate them carefully

If you do this regularly you avoid that the dreads grow together into a “cake” in the scalp.

This is a small thing – but makes a big difference over time.

🪡 The crochet hook – your best friend
If there is one tool I really want you to become friends with, it is the crochet hook.

With it you can:

pull in loose hair strands
fix unevenness
take care of regrowth
tighten up the dreads

It is a simple but very effective way to maintain your dreads yourself.

✋ How you work with the crochet hook
It does not need to be perfect.

You can start like this:

Hold the dread you want to work with
Insert the crochet hook through the dread
Catch loose hair on the other side
Pull them in again
Repeat from different directions

You can also make a small “rubbing” movement inside the dread to help the hair attach better.

With time it will feel more natural.

The crochet hook that I use for dreadlocks is:
https://www.eddna.se/stickor-virknalar/ergonomiska-virknalar/knitpro-steel-virknalar-soft-grip-10000000166 

I use both the one that is 0,75 and 1 mm depending on what it is that I do with the dreadlocks.

🌱 When the hair grows out
Regrowth is a natural part of having dreadlocks.

When it happens you can:

backcomb the hair at the root
help it start to tangle
weave it into the dreads

If you have very smooth hair you can sometimes need a bit of extra help to get it to “attach”.

But most important is to know:
👉 your hair will catch up

💫 Dreadlocks are not perfect – and that is the point
This is something I always say.

Dreads:

do not become perfect
should not be perfect
develop all the time

There will always be:

small unevenness
variation in shape
changes over time

And that is exactly what makes them alive.

⏳ When do they start to “settle”?
Many wonder when the dreads feel more stable.

I usually say:
👉 after about 6 months you really start to see their shape

Then:

the structure has stabilized
the dreads have become stronger
everything has “fallen into place” more

I usually recommend to come to your first maintenance somewhere between 3–6 months after you have made your dreadlocks just to make sure that everything grows in the right place and that everything is as it should be.

✨ DREADLOCKS WITH EXTENSIONS – A SMALL EXTRA DETAIL
If you have extensions you can sometimes feel that:

the transition between your hair and the extension hair is a bit sensitive
the extension hair “dreads” faster than your own

It is completely normal.

It is because the extension hair is often more treated and therefore tangles faster.

But with time your own hair will:

catch up
blend together with the extensions
become a natural whole

💛 And if it feels like a lot…
I know that this can feel like a lot of information in the beginning.

And sometimes it can feel like:

you do not really have control
you do not know what to do
it becomes overwhelming

And then I want you to know:

👉 you do not need to do everything yourself

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to:

get help
let someone go through the hair
get guidance along the way

✨ My last reminder to you
Dreadlocks are a journey.

Not something that becomes finished overnight.

You will:

learn along the way
find your routines
understand your hair more and more

And it is completely okay to ask.

Actually –
it is better to ask one time too many than one time too few.

💫 See you along the way
If you ever feel that you need:

help
maintenance
or just guidance

then I am here.

And I look forward to following your journey with your dreadlocks 🤍