Combing Out Dreads/Locs

We often get calls for combing out dreads/locs at the salon.  There are 

various reasons given for wanting this:  need for a change; dreads/locs too thin; there was excessive buildup and the most common reason of all – they want the length of hair resulting from the dreads/locs!

I want everyone to realize that combing out dreads/locs requires consideration of:

• Time:  there is no set number of hours to do a dread/loc comb out.  Every head is different.  Everyone’s hair is different.  The time will, therefore, be different for everyone.
• Length:  Your hair length will play a part in how long the service takes.  If your hair is long, it can take hours but could also take more than several days. 
• Texture:  I once booked a client and when they came, realized they had decided on a comb out instead.  They were surprised that I could not  put a product and it would miraculously slip out.  Texture is one of the most important factors in a comb out.  Straight hair, 4C hair that is soft curly and wavy hair are the textures that can survive a comb out without losing a lot of length.  You will of course lose the hair that would fall daily, that now helps seal and hold the dread/loc together.  
• Money:  Are you prepared to spend days, perhaps a week(s) for the comb out where the charge may be hourly?  

• Sensitivity: If you are tender headed, be warned that comb outs can be brutal.  I have done this on people who had dreads/locs for less than three months and they cried.  I no longer do comb outs because it requires too much investment of time.
• Method:  The method used to make the dread/locs e.g. palm rolling, crocheting, interlocking, free form or rip and tear will impact how long your comb out will take.  I have also found that you have to consider the method combined with your texture.  Even palm rolling, which is the least complicated of all the methods, will take a long time if your hair gets dry or is badly maintained.
•  After the Comb Out:  Expect your hair to feel thinner.  Your hair is still the same, the extra hair is just missing.  You will have to do a big cut because the ends will be scattered after so much time.  It will return to normal in a few weeks.  

Because of these factors, the combing out of dreads/locs requires you to do some research for somewhere that does that service.  If you decide to do it yourself, you are better off to secure help to finish in a reasonable time.

By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design

Books:  “Talking Hair” “Filling My Head” & “Dreadlocks – A Hairstylist’s Manifest”.