Rasta Knotty Dreads SE (My Latest Set of Dreads #5) #alternative

 These dreads was an unexpected turn lol. However, they came out really nice.

 4 SE Red and Yellow to Green Ombre
 -Length: I think they were 16-18 inches long
-Style: Knotty 

My Synthetic Dreads Advice #alternative

What is synthetic hair dreads? It is affordable.  It does have a shine but, it goes away when you wash them, wear them, or re-sealing.  Break into them. 

What is kanekalon hair dreads? More quality than synthetic. It is more natural looking and you don’t have to break into them like synthetic hair. If you don’t want to wait to have natural dreads, kanekalon is for you.

Why are they shiny?
You have to break into them. While wearing these they will loose it shine. Washing can do it too, blow drying and steaming etc. Also, dipping them in hot water multiple times can  loose its shine. Just be careful not to burn your dreads. There are videos on youtube showing how to get rid of the shine. Copy & paste this on youtube "how to get rid of shine in synthetic hair". There are a lot methods just don't use the baby powder.   For kanekalon hair, you don't need to worry about it, it's natural looking.

Do I need to moisturize my hair? Yes. For me I use a hair conditioner like "Suave' or  "Vo5" to moisturize my hair.  If you have a hair conditioner that you like, you can use it.  Hair lotions work good too. I put it on my scalp to where my hair stop on the dread. I do it every 2 days or until my hair is feeling dry.

Can you wash the dreads in your hair? You can wash your hair with the dreads too. Wash your roots because if you wet your most of your dreads, you will feel the weight of the water straining your scalp.

What is DE, SE and DSE?

-SE means single ended. It's a dread with a loop on top that you put your hair through and braid it. Then add a rubber band to secure it. 

-DE means double ended. It's a dread that is folded in half to equal two dreads. You have to braid one side of the dread when installing. Then add a rubber band to secure it.

- DSE means double single ended. I sew 2 SE together to create a double single ended (DSE). I will be using this method for clip in dreads.
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TYPES OF DREADS

What are twist dreads?
Twist dreads are back combed, then twisted and seal. 

-How to take care of them? You have to reseal them occasionally and wash them like its your real hair.

What are crochet dreads? Crochet dreads are bumpy looking dreads that you create with a crochet hook for a more natural look by bringing every strand of hair into the core and wrap around the dread for security.

-How to take care of crochet dreads?As you wear the, you will need to groom them. There will be loose strands of hair, so cut those loose hairs off. If you know how to crochet, that s a bonus you can re-crochet these. Also, you can use a crochet hook or latch hook to bring the hairs back into the dread.

What are knotty dreads?
Knotty dreads are knotted synthetic dreads that is sealed in multiple sealing methods. To create a more secure, natural smooth and bumpy texture.

-How to take care of them? You have to groom them sometimes (trim the long loose strands) and wash them like its your real hair. Also, you can use a crochet hook or latch hook to bring the hairs back into the dread.

What are smooth dreads? Smooth dreads are back combed synthetic dreads that is smooth down and sealed in multiple sealing methods. With a touch of crochet interlocking. To create a light more secure and natural smooth texture.

-How to take care of them? You have to groom them sometimes (trim the long loose strands) and wash them like its your real hair. Also, you can use a crochet hook or latch hook to bring the hairs back into the dread.

What are wool dreads? Wool dreads are dreads which made out of wool. These types of dreads have variations of styles and fibers like synthetic fibers. You can dye them if the color is light to catch it.

-How to take care of them? You may have to groom them overtime. If you use wool dreads, I will advise hand wash your locs like synthetic dreads. If you machine wash them, make sure they don't shrink up during the process. So, I found this channel years ago on Youtube and it will help a lot, below this paragraph. I will update this post as time goes by. : ) ...  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBgnCk1OBtsPWA1nxF-arMV6JspcVE8Fy

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How to wash synthetic or kanekalon dreads?
Oh okay... For taking care of them, wash them like it is your real hair. Hand wash them in a sink or bucket etc. with your favorite soap. Roll them in a towel to remove excess water and hang them to dry. If you want to speed up the process, put a fan on them or blow dry them at a very far distance. .

Synthetic Dreads Advice

• To straighten them there are multiple ways...

1. You can dip them in some hot boiling water.

2. You can blow dry them at far distance.

3. You can wash them to get them straighten..

4. You can steam them using a steamer.

5. You can rub your hands on them and palm roll overtime

6. You can use a damp cloth and iron. Put the dreads between the damp cloth and lightly put the iron on top and slide dreads out.

The method I use more now is #2, #3 and #5. Blow drying while its wet get extra sealed up and less shiny.

Resealing Dreads I got some videos from youtube for resealing your dreads for those unraveling or loose dreads and straighten too. Its in a playlist ... Synthetic Dreads Step Two: Sealing:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvKOrkh66ZhdB-bUJrttGPEaTMm4-X_Oj

The video should call "resealing synthetic dreads". You can checkout the other videos to see what method that is for you. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNCcYBrK5x1FouFxTkCfxy6kU67I0OBzx

Permanent Extensions?
I created a playlist on youtube to get an idea how to install these as permanent extensions. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7H8NWwKuRMB_t5oru84KDq8XhqzQhkwV

What happens if you have the dreads installed for a month (twist dreads)?   "I wash my hair 3 times during that time.  I had some dreads slip out at the tail end of the last week because my decided  to grow lol.  I braided  them back in. Moisturize it. I use some of my homemade gel to slick down my hair in the front. I also check to see if my hair is not starting to dread in the dreadlocks.  I wore head scarfs and headbands while sleeping and outside. The dreads became natural looking and started to compact. I didn't reseal my dreads because it was no point since they look good. Breaking into them was worth it." -J

Here are some helpful sites for synthetic dreads....

http://www.impandpetal.com/blog/imp-and-petals-buyers-guide-to-synthetic-dreadlocks-segment-1-the-basics

http://blacksunshineiow.blogspot.com/2014/02/single-double-ended-dreads-difference.html#.Vj4gMdKrSXY

Any questions? Contact me. I will like to help.
If any new updates,  I will put it on here. :)

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Thank you for reading our advice these past years! When we wrote this in 2016, our customers needed a easy guide and most stuff were not talked about a lot back then. Synthetic dreads care is very important to prolonged your set for several years. Have fun! - Woainidreads and Sickmadhouse 7/6/2023