Contrary to some opinions,
You can “unlock” your dreadlocks without cutting them, but the process will take a long time. Short locks that have only been around for a year or less might come undone within four to eight hours. Longer locks that you've had for multiple years may take 15 to 48 hours.
If you're waiting too long between twisting your dreads, you'll notice your locs becoming a lot thinner. Since new hair follicles need to be twisted into the deadlock, these follicles can eventually fall out if left alone. This results in thinning dreadlocks.
Locs are a permanent protective style.
Because your hair is already gathered into locs which help to maintain strength and moisture, you will not need to have your hair placed in any other style such as braids, twists or wigs.
To comb out dreads, you'll need to wet the hair and smother it with a lubricating conditioner to get started. Then you'll use a pick or metal comb to very patiently start picking out the hair from the tip of the dreadlock working toward the scalp.
After you've washed and conditioned your hair, take some leave-in conditioner and rub it in your locs from root to tip. From the tip of your hair, take a metal fork or rat tail comb and begin to comb out your hair. The more moisturised your hair is, the easier it is for your locs to loose up.
Because dreadlocks are matted hair, they have the potential to trap odors more than other hairstyles. However, that doesn't mean that dreads always smell bad (or that your locs are doomed to smell bad at one point). If you don't properly care for your dreads, then you could end up with locs that smell bad.
The answer is yes! You can do anything you would do normally, including swimming and showering. If you swim in a chlorine pool, just make sure to rinse the chlorine out afterward. If you just got your dreads done, however, the answer is slightly different.
One common myth about dreadlocks is that they are dirty. But dreadlocks — like any hair — are clean if properly washed and maintained. In fact, many people with dreadlocks keep their locs exceptionally clean because clean hair knots faster and better than dirty hair.
Major Differences
Locs are cultivated, but dreadlocks aren't. Dreadlocks also often stem from Rastafarian beliefs, which use the style to separate believers from the rest of society. As for physical differences, locs have a well-kept and tidier look to them compared to dreadlocks, which have a more natural appearance.
The five stages of locs are: starter, budding, teen, mature, and rooted. While your loc journey can take between 18-24 months, some loc-wearers find the beginning and end phases to be the easiest, because the middle stages present their own set of challenges.
Loc breakage can be caused by frequent pulling and tightly styling of the locs. There are plenty of awesome loc styles out there, some may support your locs as they grow, while others can damage your edges or locs overtime.
As your hair mats and locks together and becomes dreadlocks, your locs will protect hair follicles. Dreadlocks can damage your hair, it's true. But about 99% of such damage is mainly caused by people who don't know how to properly groom, style, or even grow dreadlocks.
That being said, a typical retwist should/could last anywhere from 4-6 weeks. But again, it will depend on how you take care of your locs. Your retwist can last longer, it can even last for months, if you make all the right moves to make your retwist last longer.
This may be surprising because we often hear about dreadlocks snapping or breaking off. Again there are a couple factors at play. First, dreads can grow infinitely long. There is no limit to their length because new growth continues to bind and connect older hair, that would have normally shed, to your head.
traditional locs. freeform locs. two-strand twist dreads/locs.
They Sometimes Get Thicker Over Time
No matter what your locs look like when you install them, they'll most likely look radically different in a couple years time. A lot of the time, the locs will thicken up as they mature.
However for Rastas, dreadlocks are much more than just a hairstyle. They represent a connection to Africa and a rejection of the West, which they term Babylon. Dreadlocks represent a renewed sense of pride in African physical characteristics and Blackness, which ties in with their belief about keeping things natural.
Historians and anthropologists have found evidence of the 'do in ancient Egypt, Germanic tribes, Vikings, Pacific Islanders, early Christians, the Aborigines and the New Guineans as well as the Somali, the Galla, the Maasai, the Ashanti and the Fulani tribes of Africa.
All in all, dreadlocks, like all protective styles, help protect your hair from environmental stressors. The only way locs styles will ruin hair, is if you don't dry them properly or retwist them too often.
You can brush your locs while they are wet or after they are dry. Brushing prior to wash day is ideal for reducing lint, frizz and buildup. Brushing your lcos while they are wet is a great way to distribute the product evenly throughout your locs. Brushing helps to place the moisture where you desire.
Overall, if you are going to grow healthy dreadlocks, you will have to wash your hair at least once a week. In case you lead an active lifestyle or work in a dirty place, you will have to wash your hair 2-3 times a week.