Thursday, June 4, 2009

Dreads in the sun!

It is summer here in BC and If you spend lots of time like me in the sun, you will find that dreads become dry and yes, they fry!! They loose their softness and the scalp become itchy.
My potion for that: 10 parts Organic 99% Aloe Vera gel mixed with 1 part E.V.O.O (extra virgin Olive Oil) and a few drops, 2 to 3 per once of mix, of biochemically certified organic lavender Oil (get at least a label that states: Lavendula officinalis, from France, Organic not pure).
Apply liberally to dreads, one at the time, and scalp once a day, preferably before exposure to the sun.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Stray Hair at the root of dreadlocks

Stray hair are a part of having dread locks, hair naturally comes out of the dread at the root.
It's ironic that this hair lifestyle is often labeled as the one for careless and dirty people ( at least amongst the caucasian population), is actually a very high maintenance style. If you want a beautiful set of dreads, you got to be at it constantly in the first 2 years or so: twisting, latching, crochetting, keeping a clean and healthy scalp, moisturising the dreads, drying them properly etc etc.
After 3 years I have kind of found a maintenance and hygiene routine for my dreads and I continue to tend to my stray hair here and then and I think it is a good idea to do it once in a while to ensure that my dreads don't thin. I like to got to the dread shop at least once a year to get my roots tidied up and strays worked in, it's pretty expensive and long ( about $150 cad. for 3 to 4 hours) but worth it and I latch my roots every 2 or 3 months in between, sometimes using elastics.
Actually I use a mix of different technique including also crochet and rubbing.
I am actually due for a good session at the moment...!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Hi I am Fran.
I have had Dread locks for three years and have gone through the ups and downs of it.
Stray hair, funky smell, itchy scalp etc but also the beauty of having locks, the strength in them, their individuality..
Please come in and share your comments, questions, answers.
Peace.