Beginners Guide to Wool Dreadlocks
What is my best option?
Wool dreadlocks can be a wonderful option for an endless amount of reasons. You can go from short hair all the way to hair that touches your butt in a matter of hours. Maybe you want to add a touch of color without having to bleach your hair to do so or better yet, maybe you want to go on full mermaid? With wool dreadlocks, it’s easier than ever! I’ll break down more about the benefits of wool dreadlocks here in this “Beginners Guide to Wool Dreadlocks”.
First, let’s go over the different options in terms of install. There are 3 options available through us at Girl on the Moon Dreadlocks.
Clip-ins: Clip-ins are a newer option on GotMD. They are a more temporary install for those of you who work in a professional environment that doesn’t allow alternative hairstyles. They are also a great option for those of you who do not want to commit to either of the other more permanent install options. Clip-ins can be installed and uninstalled daily, taking about 15-30 minutes to install the full set. With clip-ins, they will clip directly into your natural hair leaving your hair loose between.
Braid-ins: Braid in dreadlocks are more common than clip-ins and they are more of a semi permanent install. Braid-ins come in two options; Single ended or double ended, we will talk about the difference between the two soon! Braid-ins take anywhere from 2 hours to 7 hours depending on install method used as well as how long your natural hair is. This option can stay installed for up to 2 months and can even be a great way to start natural dreadlocks if kept in longer than the recommended 2 months.
Wool Dreadlock Extenders: Wool dreadlock extenders are for those of you who have natural dreadlocks already, but want to add length. These are designed to be crocheted into natural dreadlocks and can stay installed for up to a year if taken care of properly.. Once that year is up we recommend uninstalling them and putting in a new set of extenders.
The next factor we will talk about are those options for braid ins. Braid-ins are the most common option mentioned above. We have Single ended, which is one dreadlock per section, or double ended which is folded in half to create two dreadlocks per section.
Single Ended Dreadlocks: Single ended dreadlocks are a great option if you want dreadlocks, but don’t want them to look too bulky or thick at the roots. This option will ultimately take longer to install as you will be individually braiding in each dreadlock and the recommended full set is 90 single ended. This option is also typically more expensive and takes 3 weeks production time instead of the usual 2 weeks.
Double Ended Dreadlocks: Double ended dreadlocks are typically the most common in terms of braid-ins. A full set is 45 double ended wool dreadlocks, which still gives you 90 dreadlocks when installed but takes significantly less time to install as you are installing half the amount of single ended. For double ended, it takes 2 weeks production time for us at GotMD to get your order out and is typically more cost effective.
Next we will talk about the quantity of dreadlocks that is the best for you and your day to day life, as well as length recommendations.
Partial Set: Partial sets typically come with 10-15 double ended or 20-30 single ended. If you want a partial set, we recommend getting them in the same length of your natural hair or 2 inches longer. This will ensure that you don’t get a “banding” or an obvious line from where your hair ends and where it hits your new dreads. This is also a great option if you’re looking to add a pop of color or volume to your already existing natural dreadlocks.
Half Set: Half sets typically come with 20 double ended or 40 single ended. This is a great option if you want some loose hair up top. With a half set, we recommend getting them somewhere between the length of your natural hair, or up to 4 inches longer. That way you can still add some extra length to your hair but still allows the dreadlocks to fade beautifully. This is a great option for a trial run before trying out a full set or even natural dreadlocks.
Full Set: Our full sets come with 45 double ended or 90 single ended. This is the set to go with if you are ready to take the plunge. With a full set, it gives you the freedom to try out whatever length you would like whether you have extremely short hair or long hair! With full sets, you can really customize the style. You can leave bangs out or braid everything in for a full head!
Next topic we will talk about is going to be all about the texture options available through Girl on the Moon Dreadlocks. We offer 3 different textures; Straight, Icelandic or Half n Half.
Straight: This Straight texture is my personal favorite as it’s not perfectly straight. It has a slightly crimped texture to it which looks the most natural when braided into the hair. This texture can be straightened more to your liking by stretching them out a bit as well.
Icelandic: This Icelandic texture has a strong crimp to it, almost wavy looking. This crimp will not go away as time goes on. This is how the texture will remain throughout the life of the set, even after showering and reinstalling.
Half n Half: This Half n Half texture is the best of both worlds with a mixture of both the Straight and Icelandic textures. You will get half of your set in that straight texture, and the other half in the Icelandic crimped texture.
Ultimately it’s up to you on what you want the overall look to end up being. If you have curly hair, you can easily have the straight texture, or the crimped texture, just as well as if you have straight hair you can have the Icelandic texture if that is what you would prefer.
Finally, we will talk about color options. Color is one of those things that again are one of those things that is entirely up to you and what you want for the overall look. One of my personal favorite benefits of wool dreadlocks is that I don’t have to damage my hair with products or chemicals I just keep my hair my natural dark brown and I dye the roots of my dreadlocks that same color and then I do all the fun, crazy colors on the rest of the length of the dreads. All of the dreads from Girl on the Moon Dreadlocks are hand dyed using color theory so you can have any color/ colors that you would like for your personal set. You can go with completely natural colors, little pops of color, or you can go all out and do a full rainbow! The possibilities are ENDLESS!
This is your opportunity to try out the different textures, lengths, colors, install methods. You can customize them however you would like and make your set your own. Now is the time to venture off and do what YOU want!
As always, if you have any questions or are curious about other things that weren’t answered here, I would LOVE to help answer those for you, just go ahead and shoot me a message in that blue messenger button in the bottom right corner!