Dreadlock mistakes are common among the people who don’t complete their part of research before starting their loc journey. Having dreadlocks is an entire responsibility as it takes a huge capital of investment, time, and energy. Hence, you must be concerned about all the things you must avoid to keep them healthy and fresh. Most people visit the loctician and decide to get the locs within a few hours, inspired by others. However, it is wrong in the first place as you must have an analysis of your hair for this procedure.
You are on the right page if you have dreadlocks and are not aware of common mistakes. This article will share all the common misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the people with dreadlocks. Continue reading to learn more about how to fix parts in dreads and avoid common mistakes in this transformational journey.
10 Most Common Dreadlock Mistakes
Every hair and skin treatment comes with some does and some undo’s. One must know the tips and tricks to go through the process smoothly, Likewise, locs also come with some factors that can stunt your hair growth or have some harmful effects on your dreads. Let’s find out how to keep the dreadlocks healthy by preventing some misinterpretations.
1: Expecting your locks like someone else’s
It is good to look at someone with dreadlocks and get inspiration from their look. But it is wrong to envy their locs and expect to get the same locs in your hair. Every individual has their hair type with different hair textures, hair volume, and hair length. Hence, it is useless to expect someone else’s hair on your head.
Likewise, many people show inspirational pictures of Instagram influencers with unique hair locs to the locticians. Showing the pictures with the intent of getting the same sectioning or same angle is good but expecting the same locs at some stage of your process is deniable.
What to Do:
Once you get the locs, you must accept that you have different hair to experience a different hair journey compared to other people. Further, your hair will look differently at different stages of the process.
2: Washing locks too often
One of the significant dreadlock mistakes that people with locks make is that they think they can treat the hair just like normal hair. But, the fact is that dreadlocks require extra care while washing, cleaning, and sleeping. Washing the dreadlocks is an essential factor that directly affects your dreadlocks—too much washing results in quick unraveling of the locks. Washing more than four times a week is considered too much.
What to Do:
Follow a consistent routine of washing the locs in 7-10 days. Don’t over-wash your locks. It is suggested to wash the dreadlocks with residue-free shampoo twice a week.
3: Styling your locs tightly
Hair locking is a protective hairstyle that doesn’t require any extra styling. But, hair styling with locs is also inevitable. Having locks styled in high buns or ponytails for long hours is one of the dreadlock mistakes that can negatively impact your dreads. Putting extra pressure on locs by styling them also adds extra tension to the scalp. If you get a sore scalp after washing, it is clear that you have extra tension on your head. In such conditions, your dreadlocks will get damaged, and you can get severe alopecia or bald patches on your head.
What to Do:
Avoid tightened hairstyles with dreadlocks in your daily routine. Don’t style your baby locks in the first six months. Instead, use a headband or head scarf to style the locks for parties and events.
4: Using too many hair care products
Using hair care products on the dreadlocks is not recommended for two reasons. One reason is that it is impossible to remove them because of the thick inconsistency completely. The other reason is that hair care products with ingredients such as beeswax are water-insoluble, so they become the reason for buildup. Additionally, using too many hair care products damage the hair texture and cause frizziness. Even excessive moisture is not suitable for the locs as it keeps them wet for a long time, resulting in fungal infections.
What to Do:
Avoid hair care and hair-setting products, including beeswax, shea butter, and cream-based products. Instead, use essential oils for hair growth according to your body and scalp requirements.
5: Wrong retwisting techniques
Retwisting is an integral part of locs maintenance that helps keep dreads tight at the root. Retwisting must be done by professionals only as the wrong techniques of retwisting can cause you an arm and leg for your journey with additional damage to your locks. Never perform any retwisting process such as palm-rolling or any other technique on the damp hair. Give extra attention to the direction in which your locks are tightened. If you are a beginner, you must know how important is to retwist your locks.
What to Do:
Use a good quality moisturizer for retwisting techniques. Always retwist the locks in the same direction. Moreover, stick to the procedure you adopted during maintenance in the beginning.
6: Dying your dreadlocks
One of the common dreadlock mistakes is dying the dreadlocks. If the hair color looks fantastic on someone’s locs, that doesn’t mean that their hairs are healthy. Hair dying is a very harsh process as it has wide use of strong chemicals that are easily absorbed in the locks. They are not removed completely, and staying in the locs for a long time burns your hair.
Dying your hair means losing its texture, volume, and growth. Further, it strips away the natural hair color and moisture, leaving you with brittle hair in the end.
What to Do:
Try to avoid hair dye on your looks. If coloring them is a must, use natural henna as it helps natural growth and offers beneficial effects. If you already have damaged dreads due to hair dye, get a hot oil treatment to compensate for the loss.
7: Sleeping with unprotected locs
When talking about care and maintenance of hair locs, it is essential to take care of the locs while sleeping.
What to Do:
Don’t wash your hair before sleeping. Instead, sleep on a satin pillowcase to avoid excessive moisture. Use a headscarf to cover your head while sleeping.
8: Not having a hair care routine
A proper hair care and maintenance session are necessary to have healthy locs. If you don’t have a hair care routine, try to adopt one. Try to have a proper and consistent hair care routine. If you are unsure about what kind of hair care products you can use on your hair, you can consult a hair professional or your loctician. Not cleaning the dreadlocks properly can result in dirt, sweat, and moisture buildup. A deep cleanse after a few months can help you save from lint and residue buildup.
What to Do:
Have a proper hair maintenance routine. For example, don’t over-wash your locs more than twice a week. Instead, use essential oils such as rosemary oil, olive oil, or coconut oil. Likewise, you must visit your loctician for retwisting sessions.
9: Not moisturizing enough
People make many dreadlock mistakes for the first time in their loc journey. The reason is that they are unaware of the pros and cons of the process. One factor contributing to the slow growth of dreadlocks is no enough moisturization. Lacking the essential hair oils required for hair growth can result in brittle hair. Moreover, it results in a dried and itchy scalp, which can be irritating.
What to Do:
Lock the hair moisture in the dreads by washing the locks. Let the moisture soak in the locks by preventing blow-drying. Let the locs dry naturally in the air or sunlight. In addition, try to massage the scalp with essential hair oils before washing.
10: Misunderstanding the process
Last but not least, one of the major dreadlock mistakes is a misinterpretation of this hair process. Hair locking is a protective hairstyle that uniquely prevents damage to your hair. Further, it is a statement style that people mostly get to transform their dull look. But, most people have this misunderstanding that the locs will grow overnight. Instead, it is a commitment to your hair that requires a long period to get mature dreadlocks in full swing.
The loc hairstyle has different stages of the dreads, from baby locs to mature locs. Stages of dread pictures can be checked to get an idea of the whole process at 12 to 24 months. Depending upon different hair factors, individuals have different stages of the locs at different periods.
What to Do:
One must understand the process thoroughly, including the locs types, locking process, pros and cons, and aftercare of the locks. Moreover, one must be patient enough to wait two years to get the desired results.
There are many other common dreadlock mistakes, such as getting deep conditioning treatments, letting your locs too close, and using rubber bands and other loc accessories for too long. All these misunderstandings have a terrible impact on the overall growth of the locs. Hence, one must know about the mistakes and how to avoid them before getting the locs.
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