A common question is - how long does your hair need to be for starting dreadlocks? What role does hair length play and what's the difference between locking long or short hair?
The length of the hair plays 2 roles:
1) Aesthetic
It should be obvious that the longer the hair, the longer the locks. The locks are always going to be shorter than the hair you started out with. This loss of length will come in 2 waves. On day one with backcomb or twist&rip you'll likely lose a little length just from the initial knotting. The main bulk of length loss usually come over the following months in the form of shrinkage (explained thoroughly in my shrinkage video). What it really boils down to is that the locks will be shorter than the hair - so if you want long locks, you'll need really long hair. Usually when you see someone with very long locks they are locks that have grown long rather than locks that have started long simply due to how impractical it is to try and grow your hair long enough to initially form huge locks.
2) Dread starting practicality.
Which ever way you try and put it, longer is better. The longer your hair = the more knots you can create. Regardless of method, longer hair is going to allow more knots to form (or be formed) and this reduces the chances that the dreads will just wash out and fall apart (simply because there are more knots that would need to be undone). Longer hair/longer locks will also mature slightly faster due to there being more hair to move around and knot.
So, how much hair do you actually need?
Different sources are going to recommend different lengths and it's also going to depend on method. For natural / neglect / freeform / organic the length is not that important - just stop brushing and conditioning. The hair won't lock until it's long enough, but it's not worth continuing to brush and condition in the mean time. For backcomb and twist&rip the length is more important - you do actually require a certain length to actually be able to backcomb or twist&rip. Backcomb is a little easier on shorter hair than T&R but for both methods I recommend at least 6 inches of hair. I will not doubt that it's possible to do it with less, but with shorter hair the risks of wash out are greatly increased and so 6 inches is the length I would recommend holding out for.
The length of the hair plays 2 roles:
1) Aesthetic
It should be obvious that the longer the hair, the longer the locks. The locks are always going to be shorter than the hair you started out with. This loss of length will come in 2 waves. On day one with backcomb or twist&rip you'll likely lose a little length just from the initial knotting. The main bulk of length loss usually come over the following months in the form of shrinkage (explained thoroughly in my shrinkage video). What it really boils down to is that the locks will be shorter than the hair - so if you want long locks, you'll need really long hair. Usually when you see someone with very long locks they are locks that have grown long rather than locks that have started long simply due to how impractical it is to try and grow your hair long enough to initially form huge locks.
2) Dread starting practicality.
Which ever way you try and put it, longer is better. The longer your hair = the more knots you can create. Regardless of method, longer hair is going to allow more knots to form (or be formed) and this reduces the chances that the dreads will just wash out and fall apart (simply because there are more knots that would need to be undone). Longer hair/longer locks will also mature slightly faster due to there being more hair to move around and knot.
So, how much hair do you actually need?
Different sources are going to recommend different lengths and it's also going to depend on method. For natural / neglect / freeform / organic the length is not that important - just stop brushing and conditioning. The hair won't lock until it's long enough, but it's not worth continuing to brush and condition in the mean time. For backcomb and twist&rip the length is more important - you do actually require a certain length to actually be able to backcomb or twist&rip. Backcomb is a little easier on shorter hair than T&R but for both methods I recommend at least 6 inches of hair. I will not doubt that it's possible to do it with less, but with shorter hair the risks of wash out are greatly increased and so 6 inches is the length I would recommend holding out for.
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ReplyDeleteWhere do you stand on dread lock extensions? Would they be a good idea for me being as I have just over 6 inches of hair length?
ReplyDeleteExtensions are a pretty vast topic - different materials, methods and installations etc. I think the success is pretty reliant on who makes and installs them. I don't personally recommend adding them in straight away as I believe that the transition from normal hair to dreadlocks can be stressful enough without the added complication - but it's down to the individual.
DeleteThank you very much! Your videos/blog has made me finally comfortable and prepared to start the dreads I've wanted for years! :)
Deletethe side of my head has like 1 1/2 hair and the top of my head has about 6 inch maybe 7 inch hair should I cut my hair to where it is all 1 and 1/2 inch long and start there to get even dreads
ReplyDeleteThat's probably not necessary, longer hair is always better - but you won't be able to do anything with the sides until it's grown longer.
Delete