Tutorial on making and installing single and double ended dreads in loose hair.

Alright! Happy St. Patricks Day everyone! to celebrate I made some dreads, and a tutorial for everyone!



Scroll to bottom for final results pictures...


Used:
2 bags of 100% Kanekalon tiara-II in Emerald Green. Ordered from DrLocks
2 1/2 bags of cheap Sally's Beaty supply jumbo braid in color 613.

Which made 18 Single ended dreads and 31 Double ended dreads. (since they are not thick).

Tools:

• for backcombing:




• Metal comb


• hanger


• feet and/or toes


• hairtie/rubberban




• For steaming:




• kettle/steamer


• chopstick(s)


• binder clip




• For installing:




• ouchless bands


• comb. rattail combs are helpful


• clips to hold back hair (i use a LOT if I'm on my own)


• latch hook for SE


• another person is helpful too :-)

Single Ended Dreads:Making

1. For medium lenth dreads, cut the hair in half (usually where the rubber band is). Find the mid-section of hair, wrap around end of hander as shown below and secure with a tie.


2. Back comb the hell out of it.



3. When it get's all knotted and rat's-nest like, pull apart with your fingers.


Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you end up with a big fluff looking thing. Since I wanted my dreads thinner than I normally make (aka: thick thick dreads) I did not back comb as much as I normally would. (I also used less hair than I normally would have.)


How my SE and DE look before I steam them:




Single Ended Dreads: Twisting and Sealing

1. Slip dread off of hanger and onto a chopstick. I use my foot to hold the chopsitck down.


2. Start smoothing as you twist down the length of the dread. (I usually smooth with one hand while twisting with the other.) I usually only get half way before I start to steam. Personal preferance.


3. Your kettle or steamer or whatever should be ready to go. Holding the chopstick in one hand and holding the twisted end in the other, put in the direct path of the steam. Run along length that's twisted.


If you only twist halfway at first, go back and twist more, then seal further on down the length of the dread.


Double Ended Dreads:Making (sorry no pictures)

1. For medium lenth dreads, cut the hair in half (usually where the rubber band is). I find the middle and then do a Larks head knot (google it) with a rubber band/ouchless/hairtie. I wrap the extra part of the band thing around my big toe, twist, then around the other toes. Then I take one side of the dread, twist and weave between my toes.

2. Back comb like hell.

3. Pull apart when becomes ratty.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until satisfied.

5. Un-weave other side of dread from toes, and weave the one you just backcombed into toes. repeat steps 2-4.



Double Ended Dreads:Sealing

1. Take dread and place the un-backcombed part on top of the chopstick. I find it's better in the long run if I stick some fingers under one of the dreads.


2. Pinch dreads together under teh chopstick (still seperating them with your fingers though, or else you'll have a mess!)


3. Put a binder clip on the dread middle over the chopstick.


4. Twist and seal like you would when making single ended dreads. Just do it twice.

Installing

If you have some one to help, this becomes a LOT easier.

Sectioning
No matter what kind of dread you're using, the best type of sectioning to use is lil triangles. I like to make a long skinny rectangle, and then just cut that several times diagonally.

Overhead view of sectioning.


If you have help I reccomend starting from the nape of your neck and working up to the crown of your head. The moving on to right and then left, or the other way around. If you don't have help, starting in the fron might be easier for you. Lots of mirrors are helpful too.

For installing single ended dreads I used Ashbet's instillation guide on the Kohl:hair site. (Which I found via http://quinnster.co.uk/hair). It's pretty straight forward.

I'm sorry that I don't have pictures of the actual process.

For installing double ended dreads, all you do is take your triangle section, split it into two equal halfs, place the un-backcombed section in the middle of the halfs. I then secure the side of the dread that I will not be braiding down.

Take the two halfs and *tightly* braid your way down the dread. I find braiding very tight helps to keep the dreads where they should be for a lot longer. Yes, for a few days after it hurts. It's not too horrible though. Secure the end of the braid with a ouchless or equivilent.



My finished results:
Front:


Back:


Hope that's helpful to everyone!


If you have questions I can try and answer them, but I'm also still learning!