Real dreads, everything you want to know about palm rolling

Real dreads, everything you want to know about palm rolling

When you have real dreads, you have probably heard that palm rolling is important. But how exactly can you do this, and why is palm rolling so important? We will tell you more about that in this blog.
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How can I palm roll my dreads?

You palm roll your Dreads by taking a Dread between your hands and then rubbing/ rolling it back and forth between the palms of your hands. Then you move on to the next Dread. You repeat this process until you have done that to all the Dreads. That is a considerable investment of time every time, but it is really worth it. It is true that your Dreadlocks will become thinner over time due to palm rolling. This is because your Dreadlocks become more compact, the “air” goes out. But don’t worry; your Dreads will automatically become thicker again!

Why is palm rolling important?

  • It keeps your dreads round, it prevents your dreads from getting flat. Regular palm rolling keeps them nice and round.
  • It also helps to get loose hair with the dread, if you have new dreads there will certainly be a lot of loose hair sticking out of your dreads in the first few months. Loose strands can tangle better in your Dreadlocks due to the palm rolling.
  • It partly prevents your dreads from shrinking. With new dreads there is still a lot of air in your dreads, they still feel very fluffy and soft. During the process your dreads will mature, your hair will get closer together and the air will disappear more and more from your Dreads. This makes them more compact, but they can also shrink. By palm rolling a lot you can prevent them from shrinking a lot.
  • During the process of maturing your dreads, loops and bumps will also appear in your dreads. Because your dreads become more compact in some places than in others, this can result in bulges/ loops or bumps in your dreads. You can partly prevent this by palm rolling regularly. Once these loops and bumps are in place it can be difficult to fix them with a crochet hook, prevention is better!
  • Regular palm rolling speeds up the locking/ maturing process, it helps to compress the tangles in your dreads and thus tighten the tangles. It makes your dreads more compact.

Palm rolling with wet or dry dreads?

Palm rolling is most effective if you do it after you wash your dreads and they are towel dry. When your dreads are still slightly damp, it is best to palm roll the dreads, with a little damp hair, palm rolling will have the most effect. That's not to say that palm rolling dry dreads has no effect at all, it's just a little less.
It is therefore best if you palm roll your dreads every time after washing.
Click here to read more about washing your real dreadlocks.

How often can I palm roll my dreads

We recommend palm rolling your dreads every day for the first 2 months. After 2 months it is good to keep palm rolling your dreads once or twice a week
When your dreads have matured and have become very compact, palm rolling will be less necessary.
Click here to read more about the different phases that real dreads go through.

Which products can I use when palm rolling

When you have washed your dreads and start palm rolling, you can use a Tightening spray on your dreads. This spray helps, among other things, to tighten your dreads and get loose hairs in your dreads. Spray the Tightening Spray over your dreads, or spray it on your hands and spread it over your dreads, then you can palm roll your dreads.
If you are going to palm roll dry dreads, you can also use a Tightening spray in advance.

You can also use a Tightening Gel. Use the Tightening gel on towel-dried hair. Take a small amount, spread over your dreads and palm roll your dreads afterwards.

In the beginning you may not notice that palm rolling does anything, but in the long run you will find that it really has an effect.

Good luck!

 

-X- Renate