Receiving Your Order
After your beautiful extensions arrive, I recommend giving them a wash and rinse with cool water. Never use hot water on your extensions due to them being set in hot steam. You don't want them to loose form. Drip dry them or use a microfiber towel to squeeze out water.
Be sure to prepare for your install. Have elastics or string to tie down the ends if your hair on the extensions, a comb, a spray bottle of water to mist hair, clips/hair-tie to section with and a mirror or two (to see the back of your head).
Plan your install so your hair is after wash day and is dry. A self install can take a few hours, but the more often you install, the faster you'll be.
Don't forget to take a before and after picture or even a cute transition video! Unpacking videos are my fav. Tag me!
Install
These dreadlock extensions are meant to be braided into your hair with just a basic braid you learned when you were a little girl -OR- with the blanket stitch technique. Recommended wear time; 4-6 weeks/each install.
Single Ended locs may be used to extend the length of your natural loc by attaching the top free end, usually added with a crochet hook.
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Braid Install: Make sure your hair is clean, dry, with no product in your hair for an install. Take a comb and start creating parts, see pic below. Sectioning doesn't need to be perfect, but should be neat & organized. Once you have a section of hair, use a spray bottle to mist the hair with water to hold down all the little baby hairs. Take that section of hair, split it horizontally into 2 pieces, then take the dreadlock and place it at the root between those two hair sections. Now you have three strands for a braid. Braid down using the dreadlock as the third piece of the braid. The braid should be snug to the root but not too tight (too tight can cause tension bumps/rash and/or hairloss). You also need to make sure that your sections have enough hair to support the dread! If you have extremely thin hair, it's probably best to leave your hairline out of the dreadlocks and take bigger sections throughout your head. This might take some experimenting, but overall just make sure each braid has enough hair to support the dreadlock. Use hair elastics or thread to hold down the ends. Use 2 elastics, if needed, to hold down the ends of your natural hair.
Washing Your Hair & The Locs
How frequent you wash your hair is something to experiment with on yourself over time! It is important to find the balance between keeping your scalp clean and not washing too much! If you wash too much, your roots will tangle faster, resulting in you needing to remove them sooner ! If you go too long without washing and your scalp isn’t used to it, you will get itching. If you are constantly itching, it can put tension on the hairs and possibly cause them to shed. If you need to wash more to avoid itching then start with washing every 4-5 days instead of every 7-9 days until your scalp is used to it!
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It is important to avoid getting build up on your scalp so don't use heavy products like conditioners, hair masks and dry shampoos. Build up results in more itchiness and when you remove your dreadlocks, you will have more resistance because of the build up in your hair. USE A CLARIFYING SHAMPOO to help remove buildup, but also tend to your scalp needs. Mixing lavender essential oil (Doterra or Young Living) with your shampoo may relieve your scalp from the itching and will allow more time between washes if you have a hard time stretching your washes! Adding in a splash of apple cider vinegar into your shampoo (without essential oils) may also help stabilize the ph balance of your scalp.
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When washing, I find it easiest to section my dreadlocks into 4 sections! I do a top bun, two sides, and back. (for wavy's, do this step while they are dry to make separating easier) Run each section under warm water individually then massage shampoo onto the scalp. Warm water opens the cuticle and will allow for a deeper cleanse. You can use your finger tips to help clean your scalp. Wash each section two times while in the shower and RINSE WELL. I like to rest my dreads on my shoulders while I wash because they get pretty heavy holding all the water. Wash in the morning to make sure it is not wet when you go to bed.
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Washing the dreadlocks themselves doesn't need to be every time you take them out, but definitely doesn't hurt to freshen them up! You can fill the sink up with cold water and put 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of baking soda! Toss the dreadlocks in the sink and squeeze them around for about a minute and then let them sit for 10-15 minutes! Drain then rinse the dreadlocks really good and fill up the sink again! If you feel you want to wash them a second time, repeat this process. If not, fill up the sink again with water and the dreadlocks and do the same thing, but with regular clarifying shampoo. This just refreshes them and adds a fresh scent to them! They won’t smell like vinegar after, so don’t be scared of that! Once you have rinsed them, dry them by squeezing as much as you can in a clean towel (not your body towel) and hang them on a rack or lay them on a towel to dry or blow dry them on COLD (Do NOT blow dry Wavy's)! If you hang them on a rack, put a towel below them because they will drip for a while! It’s very important when you are drying them to keep them hanging or laying straight or they will take the shape of their position!
Maintenance is removing your extensions, brushing that piece out and re-installing one by one instantly. A removal I just taking them all out at once. A re-install is the removal of all dreads, shampooing/detox your hair and the dreads and then a fresh re-install. I like to maintenance my top section after about 3 weeks so my set looks fresh without having to re-do the whole install. I recommend to remove them between 4-6 weeks depending how fast your hair grows. If you leave them in longer than recommended, your natural hair may start to dread itself. Every day we lose 50-100 pieces of hair. When your hair is in the braids, your hair will still be shedding every day. After 4 weeks you have lost over 2,000 hairs and probably more! Your hair has also grown at least a half inch and is probably loosening at the roots, but also all of your hairs that have shed are starting to tangle together at the root. This is when you need to remove them. It's important to remove them before that happens to prevent unnecessary hair loss while brushing out any knots that have formed by leaving them in too long! ​
Maintenance
Loc Maturing
Dread Maturing is the process in which the synthetic hair fibers interlock themselves after a few weeks/months of wearing them. The rougher you are, the faster this process will happen! It's actually a beautiful thing! When you first receive your new dreads, they will be neat and smooth looking but we want them to look matured which mimics the look of a natural loc.
Twisted Locs will go through a maturing process more than other styles and may slightly expand from the tightness, but never unravel. I ADVISE NOT TO "RE-SEAL" THE LOCS AS THEY MAY LOSE THEIR INTEGRITY AND STRUCTURE. You may notice the twisted locs sticking to each other, simply separate them by running your fingers down the locs and just popping anything that is stuck, but holding the locs firmly before popping them apart. Palm roll your locs to push the hair fibers back in. This may only happen in the beginning. Once the twisted loc is mature, the loc is matted enough and becomes very durable!
Wavy's are bundles of loose hair that are intended to mat/lock up over time creating wavy locs. They have the most required maintenance as they require to be separated (each loc) 1-2x a day (in the beginning) and will mat/lock up over time. Because they are loose hair, the neighboring extensions will stick to each other, this is why you will need to separate each loc. Go through each loc by separating it and running your fingers around each wavy bundle, not through, your not brushing the loc, your creating an individual loc. Mist water if you'd like to help the wavy loc bind back together. You may use the palm rolling method also. As you wear them they will become less and less maintenance. You may use a natural hair serum for this step or simply water but don't get oils on elastic bands, they will loose the hold. Read more below on wavy/pre-curled specific instructions below.
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The other styles have no particular maturing to go through as crochets are already locked up. Accents styles like braids, may have a few loose ends at the bottom show, those you can palm roll or trim.
You want to be careful around velcro or standing against a textured wall/grass wall during this process especially.
If your dreads have loose ends you may leave them alone and the loose hair will mat/lock up. Do not brush. -OR- Brush lightly while holding the loc tightly where the loose hair begins.
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​KEEP EM' NEAT, BRUSH Option:
- To keep them brushable and neat looking, this will require higher maintenance.
- The first few days after braiding do not do high and thick hairstyles. This can cause irritation to your scalp.
- To keep curls as neat as possible, separate strands from each other 1-2 times every day. Moisten your hands and seperate the extensions so they do not start sticking and attaching to neighboring extensions.
- Never pull on knots. This is delicate hair fiber so you don't want to aggressively comb it out. With your fingers, try to delicately detangle, then start so comb/brush slowly. Cut out any single fibers if you can not detangle it.
- One by one, with a regular, plastic comb, gently comb your extensions SEPARATELY starting from the bottom and working your way up, while holding, with the other hand, wear the loose hair synthetic begins.
- During shampooing, concentrate on the scalp then only allow shampoo to run down loose synthetic hair, do not woosh it around creating knots. Rinse all hair with plenty of water. No Conditioner needed.
- Wrap them in a towel (without lowering/flipping your head) and place the towel on your shoulder so that wet hair do not weigh down your hair.
- If you want to dry your hair roots with a hair dryer, use the cold mode, ONLY, of the hair dryer.
- It is recommended to gather the curls at night in two braids & in a satin sleeping cap to avoid knots.
MAKE EM' WAVY DREADLOCKS: Do not brush, ever.
- When first installed, the extensions look like loose hair, after 2-3 weeks they will take on the appearance of soft curly dreadlocks and will no longer change their shape. After the dreadlocks are formed, they will serve you for a very long time.
- The first few days after braiding do not do high and thick hairstyles. This can cause irritation to your scalp.
- To keep curls as long as possible, separate strands from each other once every 1-3 days, this is necessary for the natural formation of curly dreadlocks. Do not use a comb! You want them to individually freeform the hair into locs.
- If a curl is caught in the neighboring curl and it is impossible to separate it by hand, carefully trim this bridge between them with scissors.
- During shampooing, concentrate on the scalp and then allow the soap to run down locs. Rinse all the hair with plenty of water. No conditioner needed.
- Wrap them in a towel (without lowering your head) and place the towel on your shoulder so that wet dreadlocks do not weigh down your hair.
- If you want to dry your hair roots with a hair dryer, use the cold mode of the hair dryer.
- It is recommended to gather the curls at night in a loose braid or in a satin sleeping cap to avoid over frizz.
Pre-Curled, Wavy, Curly Hair Specific Care
I recommend to maintenance/remove them between 4-6 weeks depending how fast your hair grows. Maintenance is removing your extensions, one by one, brushing that piece out and re-installing instantly. A removal/re-install is the removal of all dreads, shampooing/detox your hair and the dreads and then a fresh re-install. If you leave them in longer than recommended, your natural hair may start to dread itself. Every day we lose 50-100 pieces of hair. When your hair is in the braids, your hair will still be shedding every day! After 4 weeks you have lost over 2,000 hairs and probably more! Your hair has also grown at least a half inch and is probably loosening at the roots, but also all of your hairs that have shed are starting to tangle together at the root. This is when you need to maintenance/remove them, to prevent additional hair loss while brushing out any knots that have formed by leaving them in too long!
Remove your dreads after washing them a 2-3 days before. Remove the braids while your hair is DRY, wet hair make your hair more fragile while brushing it out, use mist if needed. Cut the elastics, never pull them off. Unravel your hair delicately and proceed to brush your hair out ENTIRELY before washing your hair. If you don't, your hair will knot up more in the water, making it harder to brush out. Wash your natural hair at least twice in the shower. Wash your dreads in your sink with the ACV bath I mentioned earlier. Re-Install!
Removal
