First off, Synthetic Dreadlocks are braided into your own hair
Installing synthetic dreadlock extensions is done by braiding your own hair to the dreadlock. While braiding, your whole hair section is braided around the dread, no loose hair is left out. If your hair is very long then this might be a better method.
Having your own hair completely braided in with the dreads gives nice, neat and tight results. At Dreadshop’s Salon, we use our own sturdy elastics to secure the end of your braid with the dreadlock.
We use different braiding techniques to install the dreads. Before we start braiding them in, we discuss the possibilities and what would look good with your hair.
Do you want to install the dreads by yourself? In this blog we give you some tips on it!
Thin/ fine hair or very thin hair ends
How neatly and undetected your hair ends will be tucked away in the braid, greatly depends on the state of your ends.
Your hair ends can be on the thinner side for many reasons: your own has just always been thinner or you haven’t had a haircut in a while which resulted in your ends thinning out. Don’t worry, thinner ends are usually easier to hide under the elastic or just on the dreadlock ;)
As the braiding on the dreadlock comes to an end, your hair becomes thinner and thinner which helps us wrap the ends around the dreadlock easier. Without having to worry about too much hair sticking out from under the elastic.
Recently cut hair/ “blunt” hair ends
Have you recently had your hair cut? Then your hair’s dead ends have been most likely cut off which is why your lower hair might look more voluminous. Also resulting in your ends becoming fuller and more blunt, especially compared to hair without a haircut for a while.
Finishing braiding your hair into the dreadlock, you will notice that the hair at the start is almost as full as the hair at the end, which leaves kind of a “tassel” in your dreads.
It can be worked away a bit more using an extra elastic, securing the "tassel" to the dreadlock. But there will always be a bit of a “tassel” sticking out.
Now I know what you’re thinking, we often get the question from customers too: Is it then possible to cut off the “tassel” sticking out of the elastic?
This option is definitely not recommended, as you do not want to cut off the hair too closely to the elastic. It then generates the risk of the hair (partly) coming loose from under the elastic and, not only will you have a tassel then anyway, but most likely the braid will be too loose and your dreadlock will come off.
Can’t live without your dreads and want to have them re-installed as soon as possible? Then don’t go to the hairdresser in between, your hair ends “tassels” will be already less blunt for the next install.
Don’t get a haircut before having your dreads installed
So, do you have an appointment for installing synthetic dreads already booked?
Then our advice is to skip any haircuts beforehand. This way your own hair ends will be easier to tuck away under the elastic and you have a bigger chance of no “tassel” sticking out then ;)
