How I install Girl on the Moon Dreadlocks
Materials needed:
45 Double ended wool dreadlocks
1 crocodile clip
1 Seamless Stretch hairtie
1 Metal parting comb
100 no slip elastic hairties
1 Crochet Latch Hook
2 mirrors or a friend for help
optional ~ no itch menthol hair spray
45 Double ended wool dreadlocks
1 crocodile clip
1 Seamless Stretch hairtie
1 Metal parting comb
100 no slip elastic hairties
1 Crochet Latch Hook
2 mirrors or a friend for help
optional ~ no itch menthol hair spray
The amount of time needed to install double ended wool dreadlocks depends on how long your hair is and if you are doing it yourself or have a friend to help. It can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours to install a full head of these dreadlocks.
So! If you have everything ready, we can go ahead and get started on how to actually install them. I know that it is a time commitment, so put on a good TV show or movie and you will do just fine.
** Before we get started, you should wash your hair and make sure you shampoo really well! Do not use a conditioner as this will make the dreadlocks slip. After you finish installing you do not want to wash your hair again until after a week passes because when you wash them they will get slightly tighter at the roots.**
Tip: If you are installing these dreadlocks yourself, I recommend using 2 mirrors. Maybe your bathroom mirror and a handheld propped up somewhere to get a good view of the back.
STEP BY STEP Instructions
Let's get started!
Step 1: Using the metal rattail comb, part your hair from ear to ear, preferably the top of the ear. Take this top section and put it up in a bun using a seamless stretch hairtie.
Step 2: You should now have a section of loose hair below the ears to the nape of the neck. Again using the metal rattail comb, split this section in half horizontally. Take the top section you just parted and clip it up towards your bun. You will work on the section closest to the nape of your neck.
Step 3: With the loose section closest to the nape of your neck, you will start your first row of install. First, part this section down the middle vertically.Now split both of these sections in half again, vertically. You should now have 4 sections. Secure these 4 sections individually using the No-slip elastic hairties.
Step 4: Start on either the left or the right side. Using the crochet latch hook, go through the section of hair that is between the elastic hairtie and your scalp. There should be a slight gap here. Once you have the hook through, go ahead and take your first double ended wool dreadlock and grip it with the hook. Pull the hook back through the gap to “thread” the dread.
Step 5: You should now have a dread that is kind of in there, but isn’t secure. With the small ponytail holding the dreadlock in place, tighten the elastic hair tie by pulling on this loose hair, just like you would tighten a ponytail. DO NOT pull too tight, just enough to hold the dread in without a gap.
Step 6: Now that the dreadlock is tightened to the scalp, take the loose section of hair that is holding the dread and braid that to one of the two dreads. When braiding, one strand will be one of the dreadlock ends, and the other 2 will be the loose hair. Once you braid your natural hair onto the dreadlock, secure with an elastic hairtie.
Step 7: You should now have 1 double ended wool dreadlock successfully installed! Repeat steps 4 through 7 to complete this row.
Congratulations! You just installed a row of double ended dreadlocks!
For this second row we will change it up just a bit. When you install these dread extensions, you want to lay them out in a brick pattern that allows all the dreads to be seen while hiding the parting and make the dreadlocks look more natural. So you want to take the hair you clipped up earlier and split this row into 5 even sections repeating steps 4-7. You should now have 9 double ended dreadlocks installed!
**(By now you’re probably getting the hang of it! Yeah, You’re basically just separating, securing, and braiding for this whole install! Pretty easy to get stuck in auto-pilot after a while, huh? Let’s go ahead and tackle that top section now!)**
Step 8: Take down your top hair and part another layer above the previous row. You want this section to start from the middle of your temple (between your ears and your hairline) and wrap around your head keeping the line as straight as possible, then take the rest of the top hair and tie it back up.
Step 9: Take this layer and split it horizontally to create 2 rows just like you did in step 2 and clip the upper row out of the way with the crocodile clip.
Step 10: Continue the brick pattern and part this row into 6 sections, splitting it down the middle and parting 3 sections on each side. Once you have these sections separated and secured off, repeat steps 4-7.
Step 11: Take that row you clipped up earlier and separate it into 7 sections, securing them and repeating steps 4-7 once again.
Congratulations you are halfway done! By now you must basically be a pro at this! Keep it up, you’re almost there!
**From this point on we will be working side by side! Time will fly on these sections.**
(This is the pattern for a middle part. If you’d like to rock a side part, just part it the way you want it and start installing on the shorter side)
Step 12: Take all the hair you’ve put up and part it down the middle. (It’s a lot easier to do this yourself even if you have a friend helping you because you can really feel if the part is centered or not.) Choose which side to start with and put the other side up in a bun.
Step 13: Starting from the topmost corner of your forehead, part the hair in a curve that follows your head and ends perpendicular to the sections in the back. The section should begin and end in two points and leave enough room to make two more rows to the middle part.clip the rest out of the way and part the row into 3 sections, then repeat steps 4-7.
Step 14: Take the remaining hair that should lead from the middle part to the corner of your forehead and split it in half going to the back of your head, making them as even as possible. Part this row into 4 sections keeping up with that brick pattern and repeat steps 4-7.
Step 15: Take that last row, part it into 5 sections, and repeat steps 4-7 and you are now basically done! Just repeat steps 12-14 and...
You just installed a full head of double ended wool dreadlocks! Congratulations!
That wasn’t so bad right? I bet you can get them done even faster next time!
Now that you’ve finished installing you can use that sweet optional item to cool down your head after all that tugging and parting. Like a refreshing glass of ice water for your head, mmm...