Synthetic Dread Care and Maintanence

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FIRST WEEK

Some people experience an itchy scalp, a mild rash and headaches within the first week. This is perfectly normal as your scalp is adjusting to the weight of your new dreads. If these symptoms last longer than a week, there may be the possibility that you are allergic to the synthetic fibre ... in this instance it is best to remove the dreads and consult a doctor.

WASHING YOUR HAIR

If you wish to wash your dreads, you can do so, best every 10 days or so, as the dreads are quite heavy when wet. If you wash too regularly it can dry out the scalp and cause dandruff, it can also cause your roots to dread more. Your hair also needs its natural oils to keep healthy. Washing is simple, diluted shampoo dabbed around the roots and well washed out.

So here's how ...

• Dilute some shampoo and put the mixture in a bottle.

• Wet your scalp with a shower head or jugs of water.

• Pour the shampoo mixture all over your scalp.

• Work into a lather with your fingertips, then rinse your scalp. Rinse well, because residual soap suds can turn into white flakes and may also give you an itchy head.

• Wrap the dreads in a towel to soak up excess water, then replace the towel with a clean one when it gets too damp.

 

SLEEPING WITH THEM IN

To help reduce damage to your dreads whilst sleeping you can tie them up and/or cover them with a scarf.

RESEALING

The common methods to reseal dreads are ...

• Boiling Water: Place the dread in boiling water and twist the dread when you take them.

• Steamer: Apply steam to dread and then twist the dread.

• Steam Iron: Spray dread with water and then iron over the dread using the steam function.

• Hair Straightener: To reseal the tips just dunk the ends in water and run them through a hair straightener whilst twisting.

NOTE: There are many types of kanekalon and they all react differently to heat. Be sure to test the end of the dread incase it has a lower tolerance to heat.

TAKING THEM OUT

It is recommended that you keep the dreads in for a maximum of 3 months because you hair will start dreading at the roots. To remove the dreads just snap the polyband and unbraid. Take your dreads out one by one, combing each bit of hair through as you go. Once all of them are removed wash your hair carefully. Use a powerful conditioner if you can and condition it as many times as you feel is necessary.

Just remember that you naturally shed around 100 hairs a day, so do not worry when you find alot of your own hair come out with the dreads!!!

REUSING YOUR DREADS

The great thing about synthetic dreads is they can be re-used if well looked after, so once you take them out all they need is a wash and maybe a trim. If they are a little wiffy, just put them in a delicates bag or pillowcase and into a delicate cycle in your washing machine, cold or warm (no higher then 30-40 degrees) then simply hang them up to dry.


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