Why Do Real Dreadlocks Get So Heavy Over Time?
Diane’s Real dreadlocks are over 6 years old, and boy, they just keep on growing!
She started out with human hair extensions to give her locks some more length, but along the way, as her dreads were growing longer, she removed the extensions. Having all her length just being her own hair was a new fun phase!
As her dreads just kept on growing longer, she’s now at the point where her long dreads were getting to be a bit annoying and heavy at times. Especially in summer when it’s hot, and it’s nicer to wear the dreads in a big (heavy) bun, compared to having them warming your neck and back when wearing them loose.
We measured her dreads, and they were about 55 cm / 20 inch / back length. That doesn’t sound that long, you might think. While that is true, real dreads are a bit different compared to our Synthetic Locks of Love. Our Locks of Love are quite lightweight. When you have real dreads, all the hairs that you normally lose (around 80-100 hairs a day), will still let go from the scalp, but will be trapped inside the dreadlocks, so they will stay on your head and add weight. You can imagine this can get a bit heavy after years of growth.
As Diane has a very sensitive scalp, you can imagine such a big bun can feel quite heavy and uncomfortable.
She also realised that she wanted to change up her look a bit, while still keeping her dreads. Because we all know: sometimes you just want to change up your hair!
How to Shorten Your Dreads and Create Loose Ends
So after some time letting the idea sit in her head, the time came to make her dreads shorter!
Diane wanted to have the ends of her dreads loose again, as she also had in the beginning with the extensions. So she cut off just a little bit off the ends, then started combing out the dreads, to create the long loose hair ends. This took quite some time, a sturdy comb and patience.
A lot of loose hair also came out, since a big part of the hair in the dreads is no longer attached to the scalp, just tangled together in the dreads.
After combing out the ends, the hair needs some time to adjust to being ‘loose’ hair again, as it has been knotted up in the dreads for some years and will be quite frizzy. Using a lot of conditioner to give your hair some extra love, and a couple of weeks further, the loose hair will slowly be starting to get back in its natural hair structure, in Diane’s case: slightly wavy.
The shorter dreads now feel much lighter and nicer on Diane’s scalp, although actually not that much weight has come off. She weighed all the cut off parts and all the hair that was combed out, it was only about 100 grams together. The combination of shorter dreads and long loose ends can make a big difference in comfort and a lighter feel on the scalp.
Blunt ends on your dreadlocks
Of course you don’t have to brush out your ends and create loose ends. If you prefer your ends to be blunt, you can just cut the dreads to the length you want them, and leave the ends like that. If your dreads are a couple of years old, the ends will stay locked. If you make the cut horizontally, to get a very blunt end.
Or angle your scissors upwards a bit, when cutting the dread off, you create a kind of tapered tip. You can leave it like that, or comb out the ends just a bit, so you get a small loose end on the dreads. Choose the look that suits you!
Undercut and\ or side shave to reduce weight
If you are in love with your length, but do feel your dreads are getting a bit heavy / warm in summer, there’s also the option to go for a side- or undercut! Not having dreadlocks right at the nape of your neck can feel like a big difference to keep cool in summer, even if you just shave off the bottom row of dreads. Or shave a couple of dreads on the sides, less dreads means less weight on your scalp! And you also create a different look with a side or under shave!
And, worse case scenario: did you cut your dreads shorter, and now regret it and miss your length, or the dreads you shaved off? Well fortunately, the possibilities are endless when it comes to dreadlocks. If you’ve saved the pieces of dread that you cut or shaved off, it may be possible to reattach them, or just add new extensions to your dreadlocks to get back your length! We can do this for you in our salon!
Whether you choose to cut your dreads shorter or want to consider it a bit more, don’t forget to enjoy your dreadjourney!
