Dread Mama https://dreadmama.org Dreadlocks Info & Accessories Sun, 17 Oct 2021 16:55:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.1 https://i0.wp.com/dreadmama.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-DreadMama2021-1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1?v=1618687769 Dread Mama https://dreadmama.org 32 32 147013561 Fresh Re-twist September 2021 https://dreadmama.org/fresh-re-twist-september-2021/ Sun, 12 Sep 2021 09:30:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=109 Here are long, mid-back length locks on a man. I re-twisted the locks of one of my grown sons, Todd. He had many locks that had grown together. He has a looser curl pattern than Scott’s so it took a bit longer to tease the dreads apart at the root but well worth the effort. His re-twist looks so nice!

]]> 109 Throwback Thursday: That Time I Took Down My Daughter’s Locs https://dreadmama.org/throwback-thursday-that-time-i-took-down-my-daughters-locs/ Thu, 19 Aug 2021 16:10:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=91 As I’ve been getting the blog started up again people have asked me about taking dreadlocks out, and old school Dread Mama fans remember when I took my daughter’s locks out and told me to be sure I put those pics up again! So here it goes. It was a long process because I wanted to make sure I didn’t rip or tear or break off her hair as much as possible. To loosen each dread I initially soaked my daughter’s hair in conditioner, an entire bottle’s worth. This made her locks very loose. Then I rinsed all the conditioner out and unraveled each dreadlock with a fork. It took over 2 weeks to take them all out, I’d say pretty close to 3 weeks.

  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005
  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005

Within the nearly 3 week span of taking her dreadlocks out, I did her hair in a variety of hairstyles that disguised some of her hair being loose while some of her was still in dreadlocks. Here is a pic of one of the styles. If you look closely you can see the ends of some locs towards the end of her puff:

Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005

Here is her hair completely loose, all dreadlocks untangled. Yes, she did wear the same shirt on the last day of unraveling as she did on the first day.

Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005

After getting all her locks out, I washed and twisted her hair. I set it with just a little almond oil. As with my hair I only combed her hair with a pic and also used a soft brush so as not to tear or break off her hair. Her hair has a loose curl so waves very easily. I simply twisted it into big chunks, let the twists dry, then took them out. Then I finger-combed through her hair.

  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005
  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005
  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005

She liked this style ok and wore it like this for a bit. Then decided she wanted a Mohawk. You know my philosophy, it’s just hair! So I said ok. This is after her sides were shaved:

  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005
  • Dread Mama Taking Daughter's Locs Out 2005

Questions I’ve been asked:

So how long did she have her locks for? Did she just get tired of them?

She has had locks off and on several times since she was 5. This set she had from 2002. She likes to change her hairstyles and this time she wanted me to try unraveling her locks rather than cutting them off.

How long did it take to unravel each loc?

 It’s not a fast process. it took 10-15 minutes per dread, spread out over a few weeks!

Were any of her locks latched?

No, none of them were latched, or crocheted, or back-combed. I locked her hair using the 2-strand twist method.

What kind of shampoo and/or conditioner did you use?

I used Dr. Bronner’s liquid peppermint soap to wash it. Normally for dreadlocks I don’t use much or recommend this for washing because it can leave a cast on your locks, but since I was taking them out it didn’t matter. For conditioner I just used Suave conditioner. I used the entire bottle in one go, let it sit for a few hours, then rinsed it out. This made her locks much looser than they were before and easier to unravel.

What color is your daughter’s hair/Is she a red-head?

No, the color is reddish brown but is from hair dye. Her natural hair color is a lovely dark brown.

Have another question? Ask away!

]]> 91 Fresh Re-twist June 2021: Scott https://dreadmama.org/fresh-re-twist-june-2021/ Sat, 12 Jun 2021 23:42:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=55 Here are chin-length locks on a man. Scott, one my grown sons, asked me to twist his locks. It was long overdue, as you can see he had a lot of new growth! He has such thick and wonderful hair it was a joy to do. Came out quite nicely if I do say so myself!

]]> 55 Throwback Thursday: Dread Mama 2001 https://dreadmama.org/throwback-thursday-dread-mama-2001/ Thu, 08 Apr 2021 18:30:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=43 These pics are from early 2001, about 3 years after starting my second set of dreadlocks. They were about 10-12 inches long. The front of my hair is un-dreaded, that’s my ‘bang’. I like it because it can alter my look depending on how I feel, I can style it in little twists, cornrow it, wrap it around a couple of locks and pull it back, fluff it up into an afro ridge. I have very dark hair hair, my natural hair color is jet black. I get asked a lot if I have dyed my locks this dark, to my surprise. Nope, this is my natural hair color. Now 20+ years on my locks are significantly lighter due to being dyed a few times, once with lemon and some times with commercial hair dye. It’s been years since I’ve dyed my hair so it’s close to almost 2 feet before you can see any change in color in any given lock. Back in 2001, all one natural color!

  • Dread Mama 2001
    Dread Mama 2001
  • Dread Mama 2001
    Dread Mama 2001
]]> 43 Protect Your Hair During the Pandemic https://dreadmama.org/protect-your-hair-during-the-pandemic/ Wed, 10 Mar 2021 17:45:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=7 I’ve been asked how do I protect myself/my hair when I have to go outside. Do I wash my hair daily now or whenever I have to go outside? Normally, pre-pandemic, I would wash my hair once a week. 2-3 times a week during the summer or whenever I swam in a pool. Now that we’re living during the Covid-19 pandemic, the first several months I kept up my regular schedule because I didn’t go out. After my state opened up a bit and work resumed, I initially wrapped my hair completely in cloth and then sprayed it with a rubbing alcohol and water mix. Alcohol is very drying! So by the end of March I alternated wrapping completely and washing. That is, on the days I did not wrap my hair when going out, I would wash it when I got home. Along with other Covid-19 precautions! Remember to practice social distancing and washing your hands often. Also, wear a mask and avoid touching your face once you leave home.

]]> 7 Fresh Start 2021 https://dreadmama.org/fresh-start-2021/ Tue, 05 Jan 2021 19:22:00 +0000 https://dreadmama.org/?p=29 2020 was a hard year. Let’s all hope 2021 will be much better. I’m starting the Dread Mama blog up from scratch, so updating in place. In the meantime here is a pic of me and my locs from 2019! I intended to put up many photo galleries last year. Like most everything else in 2020 that got pushed to the wayside.

What you can expect in 2021: How to start dreadlocks, Hair upkeep, Routines, Hairstyles, Beads, Shells, Wraps, Other Accessories, Twists, & More!

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