While I have become experienced in making and maintaining dreadlocks,
sometimes the work requires making a judgement call. It is not humanly possible to be able to know what to do in every situation. You will try something and it may or may not work but in the moment, you have a decision to make!
When making the partings for dreads/locs, you are laying the
groundwork for the future. Think of a dread/loc as an upside-down tree. When a tree is starting to grow, it is small and has a relatively small root area. As it grows, the roots grow with it because it spreads itself on its surroundings. Your dread/locs are no different. The only way for them to spread is to cling to another dread/loc to gain more root area. If they are unable to do so, they break.
While doing repairs or maintenance, I can see areas where the loctician made a smaller than normal
dread/loc because they ran out of room. This can happen anywhere on the head but is usually at the front, sides or nape. The loctician who the client eventually gets to do regular maintenance, will be the one that has to fix it. The client in most cases left because they noticed they had thin dread/locs and that loctician failed to correct it. They will say I just wanted someone else to do it but they are clearly frustrated by the lack of care. If you are the person doing the hair and have this situation, here’s are some questions to ask yourself:
e.g you are not at a corner of the head by the ears and the temple,
with only hair for half the size of the dreads/locs made before. The client’s hair is much thinner here but since it is the first time, they demand that you give them as many dreads/locs as possible to make it appear more full. Ask yourself:
- Should you undo the one beside it, splitting them to make it more even?
- Can you shape it a bit differently so you can use some hair above it?
- Can you leave it —the client has thick or super stretchy hair that will survive?
- If you decide to leave it, will you see the client again so you can correct it?
- If the client is from out of town, will they have locticians to do a repair, if it quickly starts to thin?
As they grow, dreads/locs get thinner because of gravity. As the person in charge of caring for them to grow beautifully, kindly consider these questions when making a judgement call.
By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design
Call (613) 789-2179 For An Appointment If You Are In The Ottawa, Ontario Area.
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