See Your Dermatologist For Healthy Happy Locs
If your goal is to keep your dreads for the foreseeable future, its important that you add a dermatologist visit to your routine. If youve been noticing dreads thinning at the crown, root, or falling out, see your dermatologist immediately. Its important that you see someone with experience dealing with locs, so they can both understand your plight and give you sound advice. At Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics, Dr. Ife. Rodney is an expert in African American hair conditions and regrowing your thinning dreadlocks. She happens to be a black woman with locs herself, so she can truly understand what youre going through. Schedule a consultation or appointment with us, and well help you with your hair.
Should I Keep My Locs That Fell Out
Absolutely keep any locs that fall out. Not to store in a bag and stress like I did, but to reattach them eventually.
Speak with a loctician or hair care pro to find out when the best time to reattach may be. Again, I believe that crocheting is the best way to physically thicken and reattach but they may want your roots to grow stronger before that step comes. I know Google and YouTube exist but I wasnt finding confirmation that my locs that fell out could be attached. Dont stress too much. You might not get them reattached today but very soon if not.
Symptoms Of Dreads Thinning Receding Or Shedding
The first thing you will notice is one or more signs that your locks are thinning, receding, or shedding. These symptoms include:
- Thinning dreadlocks at the crown
- Thinning at the root
- Itchiness
- Locs that easily fall out.
Your dermatologist can take a detailed look at your hair and scalp. The doctor will also assess your general health, family history, medical history and request a blood test or hair biopsy. From there, they can discover one of several reasons behind your dreads thinning and falling out.
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Use A Satin Sleep Cap Or Pillowcase
Using a satin sleep cap or pillowcase may help prevent thinning roots and dreads. The satin material will help to absorb the natural oils and moisture from your hair.
This helps to remove friction between your hair and your pillowcase which normally could result in hair breakage and thinning hair and roots.
Using a satin silk cap is also an ideal way to grow your edges.
Poor Nutrition And Diet
One possible cause of thinning dreads and roots is a poor nutrition and diet.
Its important for your body to have a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals for healthy, strong hair.
Your hair made u f proteins. As a result, eating protein-rich food uh meat, cheese, fish or even almonds essential to maintain th health f your hair.
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The Truth About Slayed Edges
Excessive hairstyling and tight hairstyles uh too tight retwists, retwisting too often, tight buns and ponytails all put lot f stress n th hair roots near th hairline th hair being pulled away frm th scalp. Th causes damage t th hair follicles nd prevent normal hair growth . Excessive pulling f wet hair whl styling n weaken th hair roots nd cause breakage too.
Massaging th Scalp: In order t promote new hair growth nd prevent hair loss, massaging your scalp wth good essential oil blend good, proactive solution. Th promotes blood circulation n th scalp activating follicles to encourage hair growth.
Some popular essential oils for hair growth include lavender oil, tea tree, peppermint oil and rosemary, among others. Always be sure to mix with a carrier oil before use. You never want to use an essential oil directly on your scalp or skin.
Massaging th head n weekly basis with your essential oil blend increases th blood flow n th scalp and should be done regularly t stop hair thinning from getting progressively worse.
Proper Stress Management: Its important not to overlook or minimize how much stress affects your hair. We tend to poo poo the affects of stress, thinking its something that can be ignored or dealt with later when we have time. But the trouble is that time never comes.
How Do You Add More Hair To Dreads
Fortunately, you can easily add extensions to your dreadlocks to make them as long as youd like. First, purchase synthetic or natural single-ended dreadlock extensions. Next, sew the extension onto your dreadlock and blend it in. Repeat the process until all of your dreadlocks are attached to extensions.
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Thin Dreadlocks For White Girl
It is often noticed that dreadlocks are being pulled off with women who have long hairs. Well thats really not the thing, and here we are here to change, you can style your short hair with amazing dreadlocks and make people stare dead into you.
Pull this thin dreaded hair look the way you want to and churn it with colors to add more feel to the rebel look.
Dry The Hair Completely
There will be more mildew on the inside if the dreadlocks remain wet for too long. After you are showering, squeeze water out of the dreadlocks and into the shower. Then, wrap the hair in a towel for about 15 minutes. After that, let the hair air dry before you put it up or wear a hat.
let your dreadlocks dry completely
Tips:
Use a hairdryer if the dreadlocks havent air dried within 60 minutes.
Make sure you use the hairdryer with care so that it wont melt your synthetic extensions.
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Ways To Save Your Thinning Locs
One morning, about 6 months into my loc journey, I looked in the mirror and notice a loc was barely hanging onto its roots! I immediately started to freak out. This was the thing I was anxious about the most. Whilst researching other peoples experiences, I came across videos about thinning locs, and hoped would never be me. Constant thoughts went through my mind of not being able to save my locs if they ever thinned this was primarily the reason I did not want to start my loc journey whilst pregnant, for fear of Postpartum shedding and how that may have affected my locs.
Losing hair for some people is hereditary and a lot of us will go through spells of increased hair shedding/breakage depending on what is happening at various stages of our life.
In my previous post on maintaining my locs, I spoke about the need for holistic care to ensure that our locs thrive. There are many reasons for thinning hair stress and depression, major lifestyle adjustments or changes in your diet. Drinking water, eating a well balanced healthy diet and exercise is vital to keep your tresses strong from the inside out. Be sure not to belittle the importance of minimising stress and developing healthy ways to manage stress as all of these are factors in the way our locs will respond.
Here are some quick tips on how to save and repair your thinning loc WITHOUT cutting it off.
Let me know in the comments, do you have issues with thinning locs? If so what has helped prevent them from thinning.
Favorite Among Naturals: Essential Oils For Hair Growth
T stimulate hair growth, thr r many natural products u n add to your healthy hair regimen. Th natural products and essential oils r useful t stimulate hair growth, combatting hair thinning and shedding n both men and women.
Th oils, along wth washing ur hair, wll l soothe ur scalp too.
Rosemary Oil: Is a very good natural hair enhancer. It stimulates circulation, and is an effective anit-inflammatory which helps soothe and calm an irritated scalp.
Jojoba Oil: Jojoba oil known t treat seborrhea, eczema and dandruff. It one f th greatest natural hair conditioners, whh have bn used b ancient cultures for generations as a natural treatment.
Jojoba oil keeps your scalp healthy and free from skin diseases. It controls dandruff and is also a great moisturizer for your hair.
Aloe Vera: Aloe vera nthr natural remedy famous fr t properties t promote healthy hair nd prevent hair loss. It balances the pH level of the scalp and heals by cleaning the pores. It also heals scalp infections and soothes irritations. Shampoo consisting of aloe vera gel with a small amount of wheat germ oil and coconut milk makes for a great hair enhancer.
*Please Note* Some have reported an allergic reaction to aloe vera so its best to do a spot test on the back of your hand first before you apply to your scalp.
Ways to Use Natural Products To Promote Thickness and Stimulate Hair Growth
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How To Stop Your Dreads From Thinning
We talked about how keeping stress at bay b doing yoga, regular exercises r aromatherapy wll help n preventing thinning hair t great extent. But another obvious critical step is to stop using chemicals n your hair. I know you love to change it up, invoking your inner Sasha Fierce or Dapper Don Juan with hair colors that set the block on fire, but if youre experiencing hair thinning this is not the time do it.
What Else Can You Do For Falling Locs
The best suggestion is to visit an experienced loctition, who may be able to save any thinning locs by joining them to adjacent locs. This isn’t always feasible, which is why you should consult with a professional who can better advise you.
What you shouldn’t do right now is retwist your locs, or create any hairstyles that place more stress on the thinning areas until you find out precisely what is causing the falling. It can be distressing to suffer such a loss after successfully growing your hair. The sooner you identify the cause, the sooner you can find a solution.
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How Big Or Small Your Sections Are
Whether youre allowing your hair to naturally dread or youre getting a professional to do it, I recommend you part your hair as evenly as possible. The more uneven the parts are, the more uneven your dreads will be. If you dont care, you can let them do their thing.
For those of you who want all your dreads to be about the same thickness, have a friend or loctician separate your hair at the scalp. Eventually, the thickness will be a little bit smaller than the size of the section you make.
As a reference, my hair was divided into squares of 1×1. Most of my dreads are about pencil thickness, but some became thicker and others a bit thinner , possibly due to the amount of hair I have in that part of my head.
I dont recommend parting the scalp in triangles because as the dreads mature, the hair might pull too much on the corners of the roots and the constant tension can lead to permanent hair loss. If you part your head in rectangles, the dreads might end up growing into a flat shape rather than round.
As your hair begins to grow out, the section parts will disappear until you re-twist them again.
Can you combine dreadlocks?
Yes! Its much easier to join thin locs together to form a thicker one, than it is to separate a thick one into two. This process is also known as congo or conjoining dreads.
Many people who started out with thick dreads and didnt like them had to start the process all over by brushing them out and forming thinner ones.
How Do I Stop My Dreads From Thinning At The Roots
Hydrate and Moisturize your Dreadlocks
Its very important to keep your hair hydrated. This will help to combat thinning roots and promote healthy hair. An amino acid hair treatment is the best way to combat dryness and add moisture to your hair. Hydrated and moist locs will have less chance for getting thin and weak.
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Incorrect Or Harmful Hair Products
Sometimes, what your putting into your hair is the reason for your hair loss. Popular hair products may be intended to give your hair a smooth, shiny look. Over time, these can damage your hair. Oil-based products, heavy creams, waxes, and hair butter leave residue on your locs and scalp.
Eventually, they block the new growth of hair follicles, causing thinning and hair loss. Constant hair coloring, particularly, bleach can both damage existing hair follicles and prevent the development of new ones. The process can leave behind harmful chemicals that can damage your locs over time.
Make sure to let your dermatologist know the hair products that go into your dreadlocks. Your doctor can then recommend more natural, water-soluble products that wont cause hair thinning or hair loss.
So Why Are My Dreads Thinning At The Root
Thinning dread roots are an issue that can result from heavy or tight dreads. In some cases, thinning roots can also indicate an issue with your scalp or hair.
Or, the thinning is the result of new hair growth that you arent managing properly. Thankfully, there are simple steps you can take to maintain your dreads and prevent this issue.
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What Route Will You Settle On To Loc Your Hair
There are a number of ways to install dreadlocks. The route you choose and the maintenance routine you follow will determine the final look of your dreadlocks.
Below I have outlined the six dreadlocks forming routes I will discuss here. The order in which I will discuss these routes is in no particular order of priority. However, I have a disclaimer I personally prefer the Instant locs route using the Crochet Method for reasons I will mention below.
How Long Does Your Hair Have To Be To Add Dread Extensions
How long does my hair have to be for dreadlock extensions? Hair needs to be a minimum length of 4 to 5 inches. We suggest 5 inches but if you dont mind a little extra maintenance, 4 inches is perfectly fine. Your hair must be long enough to support the weight of the dreads so the length will vary. .
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Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia
Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia or CCCA is another common reason for thinning dreadlocks and hair loss. Its particularly common in Black women but can happen to men and other races as well. CCCA occurs when hair loss starts at the crown of the scalp and moves outwards, almost in a circular direction. The hair follicles are severely damaged and replaced with scar tissue, preventing new hair growth. You will start to notice thinning at the crown, itching, and discomfort. Doctors and scientists have been unable to find the real cause of CCCA.