Scissor Ninja

SAY HELLO TO THE DREADQUARTERS!

2011-09-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

This is one heck of an overdue post, but I hope you'll forgive me when I share my news with you!

A ton of you already know via the Facebook and Knotty Boy webpages, but for those who have't checked in for awhile… The Knotty Boy Lock Shop and Salon is now The Dreadquarters!

What's up with that, you ask? Basically, Adrianna and I split the day-to-day operations of Knotty Boy down the middle, allowing her and Knotty Boy to focus completely on bringing you the world's finest all-natural hair products, while still backing us exclusively as the only Official Knotty Boy Concept Salon! We've known and trusted each other for so long that it was a natural next step for both of us. I know there's no better product for my clients than Knotty Boy, and Knotty Boy can refer their customers to us with complete confidence - they've watched happy, healthy dreads walk out of the building for years!

We miss having everybody upstairs, but Becca and I having our own shop is a dream we've held since hair school. (And that was a longish time ago.) Hell, we even lured Christine back! The three of us are excited to strike out on our own, but we'll never forget our Knotty roots; working with Knotty Boy to make sure you always have a place for stellar dread care is our number one priority. Us gals at The Dreadquarters are always available to answer your questions and walk you through the tough spots.

It's exciting, and it's scary… but mostly it's the same! If you still aren't sure what the heck I'm jabbering about, I made this incredibly messy (but possibly handy!) set of graphics for you!

Truly, all of us at The Dreadquarters are so grateful for the support you've given us as we've transitioned over in the last month! It means everything to us! Join us at www.thedreadquarters.com for new blog entries (things are starting to settle now, I will have new blog posts!) and drop by the big green house on Grant Street any time to say hi! Here's all the important info again!

The Dreadquarters

1721 grant street (just off commercial drive)

604.473.9651

1.877.knots.4.u

open tuesday through saturday by appointment from 10am

Our Daily Dread

2011-07-09T18:28:00.001-07:00

Katelin's hair was already totally amazing, but her dreads are incredible! She's got a zillion of them (at least it felt like it) and they just suit her. I cannot wait to see these all felted up and filled with beads and treasures!

This was a long day for both of us (the dreads took 8 solid hours) but with a Back To The Future boxset and the first 2 seasons of Trailer Park Boys, it wasn't nearly as long as it could've been. Thanks to Katelin for her incredible patience - it isn't easy sitting in one spot for that long, let alone when someone's yanking on your hair!

Our Daily Dread

2011-07-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's summertime, and the shop is crazy busy! As soon as the sun comes out, good folks start coming outta the woodwork looking to get their locks started at the shop. I love being this busy, but with less shop time to spare, the posts get fewer and farther between! Sorry, dudes. I promise I'll post more often, okay? Starting now!

This is Derek, and his newly dreadful 'do started off my week. Derek and his girlfriend traveled from the great state of California to get styled and see the sights. We finished up his 70+ dreads in just over 6 hours.

Frank's New Length

2011-06-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

I started Frank's dreads just about a year ago, and he's been taking good care of them ever since. He had some shorter bits in the front that we lengthened at the time, and last week I got an email that he was ready to extend the rest of 'em and start this summer off with some length!

Normally I like to start out with a maintenance, but Frank likes his dreads with a little chaos on the top. I wove a little of the loose hair at the scalp to keep the roots healthy and strong, but otherwise left it alone. The dread extensions are woven into his locks a little hair at a time, there's no braiding of a pre-made anything. With a little palmrolling, these human hair extensions will felt directly to his natural locks, making for a seamless addition. He looks awesome!

Kate at 6+ Months

2011-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's always a pleasure to see Kate and catch up, and it's a treat to see how rad her dreads are after just a few months! They're felted up tight, and they look great - if I do say so myself ;)

Our Daily Dread

2011-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our Daily Dread today is Angela, all the way from Calgary. She's wanted dreads for ages, and after doing her research, she decided the KB Lock Shop is the place to get started! We spoke briefly on the phone, and consulted in depth in person as well. This is a lady who knows what she wants, and she wants the best dreads around! (Happy to oblige, ma'am.) She also wanted to keep as much length as possible, while keeping her dreads on the small side.

When Angela walked in she had her hair tied up in a braid. That was one hella big braid, friends, and you can see what I was dealing with when I took that hair-tie out. I'm not sure the picture really captures the sheer magnitude of hair on this woman's head. It was EPIC. With hair this dense and long, I knew I was settling in for the night. (Didn't think it would take quite as long as it did, ever the optimist. Thank goodness for small noggins!) We kept the sections small, and wove the hair all the way to the bottom. She ended up with over 70 tightly woven and tapered locks, and a ponytail the size of.. well, a pony's tail. From start to finish, this took just over 9 hours. I think we're both pretty happy with the results! (And that we got out before midnight.)

Tips for Tips

2011-05-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

TUTORIAL TIME!

The very lovely Ashleigh (who will be Our Daily Dread very soon!) reminded me that while I teach all my clients how to work on their ends before they leave the shop, I haven't written anything down about it to revisit later. Loose ends are so pretty for some, but so annoying when all you want is round blunted tips! The bad news is, ends will dread straight-up on their own schedule, often times staying frustratingly loose while the rest of your hair felts up in record time. The good news is, there are a few super easy things you can do to get that loose hair at the ends of your dreads to knot up nice and tight. It's not going to happen overnight, but if you add this step into your regular maintenance routine you'll have solid tips WAY faster!

I harp often enough on what not to do with your ends (oh man, do I hate elastics) so it's high time I spend an afternoon MS Paint-ing my way through what you can do. Here's my step-by-step-oh-my-stars-isn't-this-the-easiest-thing? guide to getting your messy tips going!

This is Judy. She's totally bummed! What's going on, buddy?

Oh. I see. Judy's bummed because her otherwise awesome locks are loose at the tips. We can fix this. We have the technology.

The first step is to backcomb the loose hairs at the end of the lock, pushing the new knots right up to the solid area of the dread. Use a fine toothed comb or...

...do it like a real caveman would, and use your fingers. No need to get all fancy or nothing.

Once you've pushed all that hair as high up as you can (without forcing it) rub the end of your lock in your palm. Now, some people advise you to do this in a clockwise direction, or a counterclockwise direction - but really, they might as well advise you to bark like a dog. I have a hunch folks tell you that kind of thing just to be able to tell you to do something, you know? You're trying to make knots. Just gently rub it around every which way until it's knotted up. No need to check the phases of the moon or anything.

As always, we finish off our maintenance with a palmroll. This is the key to keeping your locks in great shape! Put the dread between your palms and pretend you're trying to start a fire with two twigs! If you'd like, you can add a very little bit of wax at this stage.

And that's it! There's no wax in these right now, and it took all of 2 minutes per dread. Maybe. Like I said earlier, this isn't something that's going to hold up after just one go. As time goes on, all those loose little hairs will get sucked into the middle of your lock, and the end will round up as the dread matures. Chances are, this'll come out again after you wash your hair for the first while, but if you incorporate this as a regular step in your maintenance routine, your ends WILL tighten up faster and you won't have any of the problems I regularly see from other end-tightening methods. But how does Judy feel about this?

Got questions about your dreads? Leave 'em in the comments, or email me at scissorninja@gmail.com

Our Daily Dread

2011-05-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our Daily Dread this fine Wednesday is David, and is anyone else getting "handsome-Jeremy-Piven-meets-Jesus" vibes off these photos? I mean, it's not just me, right? Anyway...

When David swung by the Shop, he was on his way back from 2 months climbing in Mexico (jealous!) and on his way to 3 months planting trees in Northern BC (not jealous.) Perfect timing to get some sweet dreads going, but no doubt getting them going right will make it a lot easier to handle in the middle of nowhere. Starting dreads yourself works great, but it's a lengthy process and most of the time involves a ton of daily backcombing and palmrolling - something not a lot of people are willing to do after hours of backbreaking backcountry work. (I get a lot of Reconstruction work after the season.) I'm confident that he's got the info and determination he needs to keep these looking great, especially since he's only got a fraction of the homework to do.

Dreads really suit him! Can't wait to see them get settled in, so I really hope he manages to hop a train (Yeah, dude can hop a train! One of many rad tales of the road he shared) into town on the way to his next crazy adventure.

Dread Do-Over

2011-05-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday last I met with Joel at the Lock Shop. He was totally unhappy with the state of his dreads, and I get where he's coming from; when he first took his hat off, I had to strain just to see any. His hair had barely started to knot together up nearer the roots, and the lengths were still totally loose. Joel's hair as-is would eventually dread with enough hard work, but a Reconstruction service would fast forward this undone phase and cut out months of daily backcombing and waxing.

Like all my fave reconstructions, Joel's was made so much easier by having essentially sound sectioning. There were really only a few points where it was necessary to reshape the section at the root, usually because of either awkward angles or poor sizing. For the most part I was able to simply clean up what was already there section-wise, then weave from there to the tip of the dread - creating solid knots from top to bottom. I'm wicked grateful he was an hour and half early for his appointment, because I just barely got Joel out the door at closing time, about 5 hours after we started. This was a lot more work than I was expecting at 3pm on a Saturday!

I'm very grateful to Joel for the opportunity to restart these locks. I think we were both pretty stoked at the outcome! If you've got questions about your locks, or you wanna start a new set altogether, shoot me an email! scissorninja@gmail.com. Have a great weekend!

Jonathan Brookins In The (Big Green) House!

2011-04-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you not in the MMA know, this is Jonathan Brookins, winner of 'The Ultimate Fighter' Season 12 and currently fighting in the Lightweight division of the UFC!

Like the picture shows, he's got some pretty awesome curls going on, but all that gorgeous hair is a serious hindrance during his intense training. It flies all over the place, and gets trapped while grappling; even for a seriously tough dude, that sucks. So, when he decided dreadlocks might be the way to go, he called up Knotty Boy for some expert advice. Turns out he'd had a bad experience in the past trying to get dreads started with more old-school twist techniques, so The Lock Shop stepped up and invited Jonathan to the big green house for a (totally manly) makeover!

This service was such a pleasure! Jonathan was a wonderful guest and was more than patient with two girls reefing on his head at once. Becca and I rocked this out together in what I think was about 5 hours - but to be honest, we were having too good a time to really notice. Good tunes, great peeps. Lots of laughing! An awesome day to do what we do. We both hope to see him in the shop again, but at least I know I can keep tabs on his dreads by watching the fights... and don't think I won't call if I see he isn't doing his homework! I really think he's going to find this style so much easier to keep in check. The maintenance will be minimal, and with his fine texture they ought to be felted up in no time at all!

Seriously, how well do dreads suit this guy?! So cute!

There are plenty of folks who still hear "UFC" and instantly dismiss those involved as violent 'roid-raging streetfighters. Hell, hosting MMA in Vancouver was straight up illegal until 2009! I challenge anyone to spend 30 seconds with Jonathan and hold onto that outdated thought; this is a disciplined, hardworking, and deeply humble man. (And too bad for all the haters out there: he's also really, really nice on top of it.)

*As with all the athletes that stop by my chair, the subject of sweating and shampooing did come up. While it's ideal to keep your washing down to about once a week, everyone's head is different. The main thing is to ensure that the dread is completely dry before it gets wet again. For in between shampoos, Knotty Boy just released Natural MISTic - a rad new spray that kills odor-causing bacteria without needing to wet your hair! It smells awesome too.*

Doug's Do-Over

2011-04-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Doug first contacted me via email a couple of weeks ago after reading about Zach's Reconstruction. Like Zach, he had started his dreads some time ago, but couldn't quite keep up with the maintenance required to get them looking as awesome as he'd like.

Here are Doug's dreads before we got going. They're about a year old, and show the beginnings of felting for about 3 inches in the middle of each section. Luckily, his 70+ sections were still pretty easy to pull apart, so weaving up the 5 or 6 inches of new growth to the root wasn't too tough. The real difficulty was in getting Doug's very thick, very slick hair to stay in the knots I was trying to create. It took us about 5 hours, but we got the tightly woven locks we were shooting for, and from here on out Doug's maintenance routine will be a fraction of what it was time-wise.

I had a lovely day working with Doug, he's got such a laid back and positive outlook on life. He's currently crossing Canada performing Improvised A Capella songs that have "never been heard before, nor will they ever be heard again. They're just for you." Click here to visit his website and hear some truly unique music!

If you've got questions about your dreads or you're interested in starting some new ones, drop me a line anytime at scissorninja@gmail.com.

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION!

2011-04-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Here's an update of a decidedly personal nature!

This Saturday, I'll be playing in the Terminal City Rollergirls Season Opener with my team, the Riot Girls! It's the highlight of 6 months of working long days in the shop and long nights on the track. Honestly, I'm wicked nervous - but I'm SO excited! I hope some of you can come out and join the party!

Dread Week!

2011-04-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dread Week has come and gone, and as predicted by a realistic few I had no time to update the blog amongst the craziness that was last week! (It's the Terminal City RollerGirls Season Opener on Saturday night, so in addition to making some of the most rad dreads around I've been leaving the shop to go directly to practice. I have no expectations that practice will make perfect, but I'm counting on it making me less prone to falling on my face in front of 2,000 people.)

Here's what was keeping me so busy - a week's worth of Our Daily Dread!

You've already met Shanda ;)

This is Salome, who once again proves the point that fine hair is no obstacle to awesome locks!

Caitlyn (and her last "traditional" salon experience in a while) introduced me to Mrs. Brown's Boys, a seriously inappropriate Irish comedy that had me laughing so hard I snorted. In public. And yet I still really like her ;)

Kathryn's pre-lightened hair was so wicked to dread! I love blond locks, and I'm really stoked to see how they look come maintenance time! (She also brought a day's worth of 'Community' episodes, thus introducing me to the the reason I got nothing accomplished on my day off.)

A giant thanks to everyone who came in last week (including Sioban with her maintenance) you made a very, very busy week a ton of fun. And I'm totally not just saying that. Big time good times!

Our Daily Dread

2011-03-30T14:07:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Dread Week! Yes, I know some of you insist on calling it Spring Break, but you get a big fat "whatever, dude" from me. I'm just going on what I've got on the books every day this week, and trust me - it's DREAD WEEK! Starting us off is Shanda and her 74 new locks!

Check back for more pics of my super fresh shop-started locks every day this week! As always, feel free to leave your questions in the comments below. If you're looking for dreads (or just a little advice) shoot me an email any time at scissorninja@gmail.com

Check In!

2011-03-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since we started Ingrid's dreads, and look at the difference already! They're really coming into their own, and thanks to her attention to maintenance they're already felting. It still makes me smile every time I compare fresh dreads to their slightly lived-in counterparts!

Ingrid had a few very small dreads at her hairline that she was concerned would unravel, so we rewove the new growth to lend support at the base (you can see the one in the first picture that's sticking out again!) but otherwise, they're good to wait until we get a bit more length at the roots. Other than that, we tidied up a few ends that were curling loose - a totally normal (though wicked frustrating) situation for new locks. With a little extra work incorporated into her normal maintenance routine I expect they'll be coming together nicely when next we meet!

Nope, Not A Maintenance!

2011-03-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

When folks call to get Dread Maintenance done, there are a few questions I ask because I need to determine if maintenance is truly what the client needs. A few of those include:

Are the dreads separate at the root, or joined?
Are the dreads felting together, or is there loose hair in unlocked sections?
Are we only dealing with the new growth at the roots, or do the dreads need weaving from root to end?

In the case of Zach, I was fairly certain that I'd be doing a Reconstruction as opposed to a regular Maintenance service. I'm generally asked to perform Reconstructions on newer, less mature locks that need work from root to tip. (Repair tends to be on more mature dreads that need lumps and whorls pulled in, or major corrections like reattachment done.) Zach had been putting elastics on his new dreads which left him with tiny hard knots at the ends, and large gaps of unlocked hair in the middle. (I totally get it - it seems like such an awesome idea to get your ends tightened up! But to continue with backcomb-and-wax method dreads you gotta be able to keep backcombing. It's a long process.) The hair that was dreading was coming together in flat 's' shapes, with large bubbles due to loose hair joining with neighboring locks. All in all, he wasn't wicked stoked.

The hardest thing to overcome in a Reconstruction is bad sectioning. Luckily, the stylist Zach saw took the time to make great sections that laid in a very nice bricklay pattern - no odd, random shapes biting into each other, no long lines running down his head. With that great base, it was so much easier to do my job! I separated the matting at the roots, and pulled apart the knots at the ends to re-backcomb the sections evenly. From there it's just weaving all that hair back together into a nice cylindrical shape. If he does his homework, Zach's dreads should be fully felted up in less time than it took for him to decide his original set needed help.

Usually a Reconstruction starts at about 4 hours, but Zach had such a good base of sectioning we managed to rock this out in 3. If you're unhappy with any aspect of your locks, or you're overwhelmed and aren't sure where to start, drop your question in the comments or shoot me an email at scissorninja@gmail.com.

Checking In

2011-03-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Got an email from Jeff the other day, sending some love and some pictures. Here's how his shop-started locks are holding up 2 months later!

These are looking great! Jeff's obviously taking really good care of his new dreads, and I'm so glad he's liking them so much!

Our Daily Dread

2011-03-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

Who says you have to dread your whole head? Dreadhawks are hawt!

Sergio ended up with about 40 dreads if I'm remembering correctly. That's a lot of locks for one strip down the middle of your head! When he shakes 'em out, you don't immediately notice that 2/3 of his head is shaved, that's how much hair this dude has.

I love love love how this turned out! Makes me want both my mohawk and my dreads back.

3 Month Update: Andrea

2011-03-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Andrea trekked down from Campbell River to get her locks maintained, and I thought to share a pic to show folks what Synth Dreads will look like after a few months in your hair. Back when I installed this set, I posted that these dreads will start to look more natural and blend in with natural locks. When they're first tied in, the synth hair still has a very high sheen (Look at my self control! No Charlie joke!) but you can see here that they really do mellow out with a little time. Here's the before and after:

Barring the pretty obvious turquoise (and new bright orange!) the brown dreads are pretty hard to pick out from her natural locks. Remember, 2/3 of these dreadlocks didn't grow out of her head! The ends of the natural coloured synth mimic the loose taper of her own existing locks, making the overall effect pretty darn sneaky! One of the nicest things about this service is that you only pay for making the Synth dreads once; Andrea's appointment this go round was half the time and half the price, and she'll be retying these locks for many more sessions to come!

Our Daily Dread

2011-03-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say Theresa came all the way from Germany just to get her hair done at the shop, but I'm pretty sure there were other deciding factors involved. No matter, she came to visit me and that's what counts, right?

I know I say this all the time, but girl had hair to spare! I mean, look at that before picture! Really coarse and crazy dense. Usually coarse hair gives me more trouble, but Theresa's dreaded up easy as easy could be, and we kept most of her length as well. Took us a solid 8 hours, but the end result makes it all worthwhile. I hope she enjoys them!

Our Daily Dread

2011-03-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

I admit it. All last week, I was mentally prepping for Ingrid's dreadlock sesh on Thursday. I had sat down with her the week previous and discussed the game plan, and her plan included LOTS of locks! After seeing my post on Susan's dreads, she was ready to move forward on achieving her vision (and I was ready for another very late night! )

Like Susan, Ingrid's hair was a dream to dread - but by the first row I knew that the time was going to fly by a little faster on this one. We broke once for lunch, but otherwise powered our way through bottom-to-top in just about 8 and a half hours! Props to Ingrid for being so patient with a process that isn't necessarily painful, but isn't always so pleasant, either. Seriously, she managed to work! And read! Mind blowing!

We had a goal of approximately 150 dreads for Ingrid's final count, and we came damn close at 148. (This is me feeling kinda smug, actually.) She's got a lot of homework ahead of her to keep these dreads separate and knotting at the roots, but she's up for it! I'm really excited to see her in a few months for maintenance, and I'll keep you posted ;)

(These dreads were totally made possible by my buddy Chic (of Public Frenemy) who answered my desperate call for caffeine at hour 6.5. Thanks Chic!)

Our Daily Dread

2011-02-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Our before and after today comes from Lindsey, who dropped in on Saturday on her way back out east. Lindsey's hair was in great shape - too great, in fact. She had a ton of hair, and it was like silk! Fine hair often works just awesome for dreadlocks, but very healthy hair with a tight cuticle is slippery as hell. I promise, I can dread any hair type with any combination of texture and density (yes, even yours) but some are certainly more difficult than others and this is one of those cases. I knew that to knot it up tight I'd have to backcomb more than I like and it'd take me forever, so instead I busted out one of my favourite tricks and did a little pre-treatment.

When I know a client's hair is going to fight me, there are a couple things I can do to stack the deck in my favour. The easiest is using one of Knotty Boy's most popular maintenance products to give the hair a slightly rougher texture. I misted Lindsey's hair all over with water and massaged in a small amount of Locksteady Tightening Gel. (It's a wicked tip for people starting dreads themselves at home, too!) When blowdried, the all- natural gel coats the hair and gives it just the smallest bit of "grip". Lindsey was able to retain so much more length than she would have otherwise, and I'm sure that 45 minutes under the dryer saved us at least 3 hours in the end! Here she is after her 8 hour sesh, with her 68 new dreadlocks!

Good Peeps Doing Good

2011-02-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

Some of you might know that in September of last year, I started skating with the Terminal City Roller Girls derby league, and a couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to be drafted onto house team The Riot Girls. This is one of my freshly minted teammates and fellow Fresh Meat '11, Cassandra Pain!

C.Pain's a play on Batgirl, but if this girl had a superpower it'd be growing obscene amounts of long gorgeous blond hair in absurdly short periods of time. (Cue inhuman jealousy!) It's borderline unfair. C.Pain's what I'd call a 'reluctant hair farmer'. Totally unreasonably in my mind, she's not really into having all this hair. So, what's a good-hearted gal to do?

"I donate my hair because there's not a lot else I can do. I'm not science minded so I can't find the cure for cancer. I don't make a lot of money so donating is difficult, however my hair grows at a ridiculous rate, so I can donate that! Knowing that my hair will help make someone who is going through a really rough time feel better is a great feeling."

I'm more than happy to help with such a rad cause! We're both loving the new cute 'do, even though I'm always trying to fluff it up after it's been mashed down under her helmet all practice. (She puts up with me.) C.Pain left me with this link if you're thinking of donating your hair and doing some good yourself!

3 Month Update: Justin

2011-02-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

This is Justin shaking out his brand new dreads on his installation day, actually 5 months ago now that I check. Yesterday he rolled into town to get some love for his locks, and in my world he flew all the way from Red Deer just for that purpose. (Just go with it, ok?)

Over on the left is a closeup of his felted locks as they were when he walked in the door. He's got a good solid inch of dread up past his grown-out threads, which we beefed up a bit by weaving in the new growth. You can also see in the photo that the new dread is a bit flattened out. It isn't ideal but it is pretty normal; it's tough to palmroll right up to the roots, especially when you're just learning. But no worries, that's what the thread's for - training wheels until you get a feel for it! With a little more wet palmrolling that'll shape up in no time.

All in all, Justin's dreads are looking pretty rad, and I'm damn proud to have had a hand in 'em. He let me know that though he was a bit skeptical at first, he loves his hair more and more every day - which is pretty damn sweet to hear.

Our Daily Dread

2011-02-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

This here's Ian, who took the time out of a Whistler boarding vacation to come down to see me in the Big Green House and get some dreadlocks started today!

This was some of the easiest hair to dread I've had in a while, for real. Starting at 12 o'clock, I was at the top of his head by 3pm! Totally awesome. Check out his wicked after picture:

(Which we both thought was pretty hilarious, though I find it needing more eyebrow.)

How's about we let your last view be the one NOT brought to you by your local Sear's Portrait Studio, ok? Seriously, how awesome does this guy look with locks? When those sections fill in he's going to look like he was born with them. A total pleasure to work with and work on!

Speaking of working, folks are always asking me what it is I do to start locks. Ian was kind enough to let us film his head for a quick demo of how his locks got started, in real time. Check it out if you're curious!

3 Month Update: Marlowe

2011-02-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Marlowe's Reconstructed dreads are looking amazing! Yeah, they're tightly sectioned at the top, but regular readers know that goes away fast. What a difference from the first time I worked on them in September of last year! Some flips I wasn't able to repair are still visible in her blond, but the new growth since then is tightly felted and looking amazing! She's at the point where I think we'll be able to maintain them without thread within her next two visits, leaving her with a much more natural appearance at the scalp.

She's really taking great care of this set of dreads - and the care shows. This appointment went faster than the last, and the next one will be faster still! Adorable. That is all.

The Guy Behind That Business Card

2011-02-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce you to one of the nicest, sweetest guys to swing by my chair. Sean's been coming in for years to get his locks touched up, and every time I see him he's got a new tale to share with me. A few years back he gave me his business card, and it's still the one that every single client asks me about!

This guy is my kind of awesome. Sean's the man behind the One Week Job Project, which took him to 52 different occupations over the course of a year in fearless pursuit of his passion. From Wyoming cowboy to military helicopter pilot, to mascot for the Washington Capitals, Sean's maybe actually done it all. (I remember him coming in for maintenance that year when he was Mayor of his hometown.) Since then, he's written a book about his experiences that totally knocked my socks off, and put together a documentary featured on the CBC.

Basically, I can't write well enough to do justice to how inspired I was by reading this book. It's really, really good. Really. I can't recommend enough that you cruise by OneWeekJob.com and learn about all the stuff he's up to in the words of the man himself.

(Also, his dreadlocks are super nice.)

3 Month Update: Kate

2011-02-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of months since Kate was in for her bang trim and checkup. Here she is after her first real maintenance, with six synth highlights added for some flash.

Last time Kate was in I was impressed, her dreads were well on their way. In the photo on the right you can see the difference between the freshly woven roots I worked on today, and her locked up felted mids and ends. I'm really stoked to see how this head of hair changes with all the adventures Kate has planned for the next couple years!

Our Daily Dread

2011-01-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Yay! Today's the day I finally got to meet Jeff!

We've been emailing back and forth over the last couple weeks gearing up for the big dread sesh today. I totally knew what look Jeff was going for when he came in, the x factor being what he and his hair already had going on. (Knowing someone wants lots of smallish dreads is daunting enough, but without a personal consult I don't know if I'm looking at 4 hours of work or 10.) Jeff's hair was pretty dense, with coarse strands in a nice wave, so I already knew that I could get good sized locks without having to sacrifice a smaller section size. As for the coarseness, I'd have to do a test row.

There's a misconception out there that coarser hair is easier to dread. Sooooo not the case. I'll take fine hair over coarse any day of the week. The coarser the actual strand is, the more resistant it is to doing what the hell I tell it to, and staying put. It absolutely will dread up, but it'll take more diligence to keep it that way. I've had coarser hair unweave itself in front of my very eyes, and had dread sessions take double the length as I had to crochet everything twice! I have a few tricks up my sleeve for dealing with resistance, hence the test row. Luckily, the first few sections dreaded up a dream; no need to bring out my bag of tricks. We got rolling proper just after 11am.

We finished up tonight at 5. I think I counted 64 dreads, a number we're both happy with, and in a couple of weeks the coverage is going to be awesome. He's pretty stoked to show them off, which sorta makes me a proud mama... which is a bit weird, I admit. (But not as weird as 'Dancing With Cats', and Jeff'll back me up on that.)

Awwww!

2011-01-27T13:15:00.001-08:00

I just finished up Dustin's first shop maintenance, so he's helping his girlfriend (and longtime Lock Shopper) Christina keep her mind off hers while Becca Hamburger gets 'er done. It just looked so freakin' cute I had to share!

3 Month Update: Brenna

2011-01-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you might remember Brenna, my super-late-night dread adventure from back in November. Here's her before and after from that day:

January marks three months from her installation, so it's definitely maintenance time. I like to post these "way after" pics because they really illustrate to folks all the stuff I try to drill in on creation day: They'll get bigger! The sections will fill in! They'll look natural, I swear! It also really shows that if you do your homework, they'll mature months faster than backcombed-and-waxed dreads.

There's nothing wrong with starting your own locks without help! Knotty Boy even made a freely available video to teach you how to DIY. (If you do buy the DVD, I'm the peanut gallery laughing at Becca in the background. I'm also the PA, AD, and cue-card girl!) But if you don't have time on your side, there's a definite advantage to getting your dreads woven in the shop. My clients don't have to wait for their hair to form knots over weeks of re-backcombing, the knots are there from Day One. They just need to be maintained with a simple routine. By their first trip in to see me, shop-started locks typically have about an inch of new growth dread and their lengths felted up - no combing required. I've never seen a faster natural start-up method.

Thanks to Brenna for braving the Duke Point ferry, and for taking such nice care of her hair. It's always a pleasure to see people who love their locks!

Is it Opposites Day?!

2011-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

Must've been, since I spent an entire day (and just a little of the night) taking out Lindsey's dreads -pretty rare compared to how often I'm putting dreads in. Removal services are always a bit of a wild card, since in most cases I have no idea how they were started, how they've been maintained, or what products I might find lurking in there. All that makes this service, more than any other I provide, one I can't begin to quote a time or price for. I charge an hourly rate, but Removals can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days, and every head is different.

Before I went any further, I needed to know a little history. Lindsey let me know her dreads are 8 years old, and she didn't use products to start or maintain them. All to the good (it's hella hard to take out locks made with superglue. Just trust me.) Knowing what I do about Removals, I offered Lindsey a few options to fit her budget:

1) She can purchase a Removal Kit from Knotty Boy (it's got all the same products I use) and tackle it herself using the instructions in the FAQ
2) She can book me for however many hours fit her budget
3) She can book me to remove just the hard-to-reach dreads at the back
4) She can book me for the whole shebang, however long it takes!

Lindsey (and her awesome mom) decided on option 4, so at 11 o'clock we got rolling. It's a pretty simple, but time-consuming and hard-on-the-hands process to remove dreads. (So it was extra cool that she pitched in and took out her own bangs!) We started seeing the light at about 6, and finished up with a trim of any uneven bits by 8. The first few days after removal, clients always have a bit of a Doc Brown vibe going on, but it relaxes after a few days of conditioning. Can't wait to see how Lindsey styles her new flowing mane in the coming months!

Removal is a tough one to sell people on - they straight-up don't think I can do it. In fact, as I was mid-remove on Lindsey, someone came in and was positive that I couldn't remove her dreads. Uh huh ;) It ain't easy, and it's a lot of work - but it can be done.

My fave is having Removal Parties - I show your buddies what to do and we all attack you at once, giving your dreads a proper farewell. If you're interested in taking out your locks but aren't stoked on shaving your head, this is the only way to go!

The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

2011-01-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

Folks have been asking about Chad, the guy with the bazillion dreads I always bring up. It just so happens that he stopped by today for a tuneup, so here he is in all his glory! Ladies and Gentleman, I give you: The Chad!

Chad is universally loved by Knotty Boy staff and everyone who happens to be cruising by the building. Seriously, this is the nicest and funniest dude you could hope to spend 3 hours mildy torturing. He actually took out his last set of locks because he wanted me (ME!) to start him up fresh, and he's been taking immaculate care of his dreadlocks ever since. I heart Chad!

Graeme's Dreads: The Waaaaaaaay Later Edition

2011-01-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

I started Graeme's dreads in the shop 3 years ago, and he's been coming in for regular maintenance ever since. Behold the awesome!

Christiana's 3 Month Update

2011-01-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Christiana booked in on Saturday for her first maintenance. I love seeing the difference only a couple of months makes! She had an injured shoulder when we started, so she didn't get as much palmrolling in as she'd like, but no matter to me; they looked beautiful and she loves them! Here's Christiana when we finished her dreads a few months back:

Below on the left is the gorgeous Christiana as she came in on Saturday, 3 months into her journey with this hair. Gorgeous! On the right you can see that I resectioned her dreads down to the scalp and rewove the loose hair, as well as tidying up a few major lumps and loops that had appeared. By her next appointment, I'm sure I won't have to tie off her sections (it really helps in the beginning, especially if you aren't palmrolling as much as you should be) so her maintenance will be much more natural looking right off the bat. As it is, those sections will be filled out in a couple weeks.

Our Daily Dread

2011-01-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is Elizeu, and he is wicked awesome!

In a couple of years, you'll be calling him Dr. Elizeu, once he's finished up his freakin' PhD in science! Yeah, dude. I so wish that Becca had been here so that Theoretical Science (her true calling) and real, actual science could go head-to-head in a battle to the death! (I'd bet on Becca - she fights dirty. No offense. )

Here's the handsome (soonish) Dr. after six hours and sixty three dreadlocks. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about a spike in Computer Science enrollment at the university level in the next couple days! We spent all day chatting back and forth about all kinds of stuff - even though I brought up the inevitability of the computers rising up to kill us all a la Terminator. (He was very nice about it.) Now I head home, and totally not worry about my GPS trying to kill me.

Did You Just Flip Me Off?!

2011-01-04T14:18:00.001-08:00

Chances are, if you don't live in a cave, you know that New Years is the time to be making resolutions. This month, health clubs and gyms all over the world are the busiest they will be all year, only to have new membership drop off in two months when people realize that working out is hard. And it's not fun. And it totally sucks! In all the excitement of starting over, I'd like to ask a teensy favour of you. While you're making a list of Stuff to Quit in 2011, do me a solid and stop flipping your dreads!

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, flipping dreads at the root is sometimes called interlocking, latch-hooking, or crocheting. It's essentially the practice of threading a dreadlock through itself, sometimes using a large gauge hook, sometimes using no tools at all. It's a method that's often used to start dreads, and as long as it's done properly (flipped loosely, all holes woven closed) it's totally viable and with palmrolling will yield nice results - but that's not what I'm talking about here. What I'm talking about is using flipping as a stand-alone maintenance method.

When folks hear about this technique (usually on the web), it sounds too good to be true - because in 99% of cases it is. It certainly does tidy up the look at the scalp, but it's ultimately short-lived. If you're looking for more textured, almost geometric dreads from repeated flipping, this is fine - but you will not wind up with felted, cylindrical dreads. There are really three main problems I have with flipping, or interlocking dreadlocks, and here's a little show and tell:

I can immediately spot a flipped dread. In some cases, it's flat and feels thin in spots. In the worst cases it's bunched up and twisted, most of the time from doing it until there was no more slack at all. Yes, the loose hair is now tidied away, but those coils you see in the picture are not going to just dread themselves magically; they'll stay tightly twisted. They become rock hard and have no give whatsoever, meaning there's no friction with neighboring hair, meaning no knots. No knots = no dreads. If you were ever to decide to have me help you out with maintenance, my hands are somewhat tied. Those coils can develop into lumps so hard, I can't get my hook through. (Almost every time my crochet hook has gone through my thumb it's been in the process of repairing flipped dreads. That's a wicked bummer, lemme tell you.) I've never had to turn someone away for a Repair, but I've definitely been frustrated by not being able to do more.

Another major cause of concern is what happens between those tight coils of hair. When you flip a dread through itself, you are left with a hole. Even if you keep flipping until you can't see the hole, it's still there - and you still have a weak spot in your lock. If you are getting salon maintenance and they flip your dreads, be sure they are following up by weaving the hole closed behind them! There's nothing wrong with this technique done properly, but done poorly it will lead to breakage. We already know that those tightly twisted sections won't dread, so we also know that the gap you've created will not magically fill in. If one of those coiled sections breaks, you run the risk of losing your lock.

Here's a picture that shows the last of my big problems with interlocking, or flipping - the wrong hair going through the wrong section. It happens all the time, especially in the back. When you get even a little bit of hair from an neighboring section flipped through, you've got a problem. While those coils themselves won't start felting, the hair growing out at the scalp of the joined section will. In the pic above, you can see the mat that's started to form under two dreads accidentally flipped into each other. Sometimes, if the flip has only been done once, I can undo it - but most times, I will need to cut into the locks. Without shop work, you'll probably just need to be ok with having one really big dread where you used to have two.

Bottom line, you need to be careful, and you need to do your homework. Like I said earlier, this can work for some people if done properly and followed up with frequent palmolling. Unfortunately, this technique gets presented in the same way as a crash diet, or a get-rich-quick scheme - and when's the last time one of those worked for you?

So enough with the doom and gloom, already! What's the alternative?
Luckily, the alternative to maintaining your dreads at home is way easier than root flipping. It doesn't yield such immediate results, but it does work - and it keeps your locks strong and healthy. I highly recommend adding this to your maintenance routine after you've washed and damp palmrolled (with Tightening Gel, if you want to speed up the process.)

Start out by isolating the dread you want to work on. As time goes on you won't have to use clips, but it really helps in the first few months when you've got loose hair everywhere. Trust me on this! Once you've identified your section's boundaries, grab the loose hair and the dreadlock. (If you have long loose hairs, it's a good idea to backcomb it before you move on to the next step.)

I admit, it's tough to describe what's going on in these pics (I promise I'll get video dialed soon!) Once you've got a good grip on the loose hairs and the dread they belong in, start rubbing it into your scalp. Some advice says to rub in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion, but that's kinda bunk - rub it every which direction! Go crazy! (Try not to hurt yourself, keeners.) Remember, what we're trying to create here is knots. When you've got a good knot starting to form at your root, go ahead and give your dread a good palmroll to the tip. I like adding a very small bit of wax at this point to keep it looking groomed, but that's up to you. The best thing you can do for your dreadlocks is palmroll! palmroll! PALMROLL! If you want a little help, call me at Knotty Boy anytime. I'll get you sorted ;)

Again: this isn't an overnight solution, but I do think it's a better long-term one. There is a lot of info out there and I'm just giving you the best advice I can based on years of creating and maintaining dreadlocks, pro-styles. Day in, day out - dreadlocks is what I do. If you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Our Daily Dread

2010-12-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Technically, Dennis was two days of dreading. We started on Tuesday with his natural dreads, and I wish wish wish I had a before pic, as he had the kind of fine blond curly hair that I envy from the depths of my very soul. Dennis was definitely looking for bigger than average locks, but I had to curb his enthusiasm a bit: I explained that the dreads I create on Day One with his existing hair are not what the matured dreads will look like - matured dreads done with this technique will be about twice the size of the started lock, and approximately half the size of the section itself. Dreads are the accumulation of shedded hair trapped at the root and maintained into shape. Once I demonstrated that he'd have about seven dreads total if I followed his instructions, he let me take the reins.

This is Dennis after Day One of dreading. I know the ends look unfinished, because they are! I need something to be able to weave the human extension hair to on Day Two.

We added just over double the length of his natural dreads. Adding more than double the length past the shoulders is dicey, because the accumulated weight of the extension can be too much for the join. Luckily Dennis lives locally, so he promised that he would show up for his 30 day checkup, and we can repair any pulls before they become a problem. All dread extension bills include a 30 day checkup, but only a fraction of peeps take me up on 'em. I guess there ain't no use messing with a good thing, but... I miss you guys! More than doubling the length of thicker locks also meant an extra long day of work - day two clocked in at 10 hours of dreading.

I know a bunch of people will ask "Hey Kris, if you know it's gonna take that long, why not dial it back a little?" And hey. Could you say no to that face? Factor in how that face was talking all Irish at me and admit it - yeah, you'd be powerless to resist too. Just saying. Besides, not to toot my own horn or anything, but those dreads are awesome and Dennis looks badass! I am so happy with how these turned out it was worth the crazy long day. He couldn't tell where his natural dreads ended and his newly purchased hair began, and that is compliment enough for me (though he complimented my work plenty, sweet boy that he is.)

Human Hair Dread Extensions are hands down the best option if you're looking for dreads with length. Most people who don't get locks when they want them talk themselves out of it because they don't want to wait for the growth. Save yourself the time and accelerate the process with human hair extensions - they're totally 100% seamless and mature with your natural dreads. I loved mine and no one knew that it wasn't all me!

Our Daily Dread

2010-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's a documented fact: the holidays make people do crazy things. Take me, for instance. Last week, when Susan came in for her dreadlock appointment she presented me with this inspiration image:

And like a crazy person, I said "Sure! No problem!"
Sheesh...

After explaining the amount of homework and aftercare required, I attained Susan's solemn promise to meticulously maintain and palmroll each of her million tiny locks, and we got started. Eleven (yeah, eleven) hours later, we had transformed her hair completely from a frustrating curly mop to the dreadlocks of her dreams. (She even let me call her Chad, thus allowing me to fulfill my oath to never again attempt to install that many dreads on anyone except Chad.)

I will not do this for just anyone who asks. There are certain textures of hair that will be so maintenance-heavy with this number of dreads that I won't even start it. Tiny dreads are like the puppy a kid desperately wants at Christmas. When that kid realizes how much work goes into taking care of it, the level of attention goes way down. And who gets stuck with taking care of things? Me! I'm not going to spend twelve hours creating 150 dreads that will just become 75 anyways. (At least 90% of my Reconstruction jobs are due to sections being started far too small with way too many dreads - leading to neglect, massive joining, or falling apart.) Every once in a while, I'll meet someone who's got both the texture and the temperament to take it on.

I was beyond stoked to see Susan so happy with the outcome. We had a great time hanging out and talking about books, and laughing about stuff I can't even remember I was so tired! I got an email from her the next day promising to do me proud, and letting me know that her palmrolling routine takes 2.5 hours! See?! It really is a lot of work!

Our Daily Dread (x2!)

2010-12-17T14:57:00.001-08:00

Pretty busy in the shop lately, so just a quick post today to share a couple newly dreaded peeps!

This here's Zach, with his bigger dreads.

And this is Francisco, with exactly 79 (yeah, I counted) tiny, tiny locks!

The back view's pretty cool, too. Thanks for hanging out, boys!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Slow Day...

2010-12-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

Today didn't start out so hot, lemme tell ya. I showed up at the shop this morning feeling like a moderately well-rested zombie (derby practice x 3, KB Christmas Party/Casino Extravaganza, Brathouse Christmas Dinner and Present Parade, Papa Lockafella's Birthday Dinner, The Charlie Da Clown Show World Premiere and oh yeah... working) only to find out that my morning (slash whole day) appointment was not coming in. This is not good.

[The last time I had an uninterrupted day to myself at the shop, I tried to Weird Science my way to Bruce Willis using the Gary and Wyatt method. According to my employee review this is "not the most effective use of company time." (Like they'd say that if it worked.) ]

Anyways, lucky for the dudes who pay the power bills around here, Martyna came in for some synth dread love!

I took the pic with her hat on because I thought I'd be fun to play a little game of "Spot the Synthie". It took me a couple times to find them, and I freakin' installed them 15 minutes ago! They blend in so nicely, and do a great job filling in the gaps between her larger locks. Thanks for coming in Martyna; crisis averted!

Silent Night, Dreadly Night

2010-12-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

It's only 9 days until Christmas, and I'm celebrating in the traditional North American fashion by running myself so ragged that by the time Christmas actually rolls around I'll be good for nothing but crankily snapping at fruitcake-bearing relatives and throwing hot wassail in the face of unwary carolers. But you! You can have a lovely Christmas! There's still hope for you!

If someone in your circle is stumped about what to gift you this season, let them know about Knotty Boy Gift Certificates! What better way for Mom to express her love while also suggesting that perhaps a professional could... ahem...help? (Just a little.) You and I both know this is a gift she'll truly enjoy giving ;) Available in $10, $20, and $50 amounts, they can be redeemed in the shop for services with yours truly, or for any of Knotty Boy's awesome all-natural products! You should probably also bookmark knottyboy.com, just to be safe.

I'm pretty sure I just saved Christmas. (You're welcome!) Anyone looking to purchase gift certificates can call the shop at 1-877-566-8748 for more info. Happy Shopping Holiday!

One Month Check-In

2010-12-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

When I start dreads for someone, I typically won't see them until their first maintenance appointment - usually at around the three month mark. Today I had the opportunity to poke around in Kate's lovely locks, only one month old. (This was especially nice of her, since she actually showed up to get her bangs trimmed.) I thought I'd take the opportunity to show you folks an update on salon-started dreadlocks, 30 days later!
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If you click the link above to Kate's first-day locks, you'll see that just like I always promise, they're laying much flatter to her head than when just completed. The areas in between the dreads have filled in as well - no more soccer-ball grid! With a bit more damp palmrolling, these are going to felt up beautifully - they're halfway there, at just a month! Best of all - she loves them! Doesn't get any better than that.

3 Month Update

2010-12-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Three Month Maintenance Time for Dom!

On the left she's looking freakin' stunning for someone who's spent the last 6 hours sitting on their butt and getting their hair pulled into brand spankin' new locks. And over on the right is Dom after our maintenance appointment yesterday. You can really see the size difference. When I say they're gonna get bigger with time, I ain't lying! Proof positive, right here. Her dreads are approximately doubled in size, and she's obviously been having a good time with colour. (I asked for the recipe for that awesome teal she achieved, and it's half manic Panic Midnight Blue and half MP Bad Boy Blue on bleached-to-yellow hair.) Fridays are cool.

Locks of Love

2010-12-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

My long time buddy Mark gave me a semi-panicked call yesterday. You see, it's his dad's birthday today, and apparently Pop's been pretty vocal about his gift preference: all he wants is for his hippie kid to get a freakin' haircut already. Being a really good dude (with really good hair) Mark decided to donate his hair to a charity that'll take his sweet curls and make a wig to help someone going through the chemo process. I know it's for the kids and all, but I freely admit that I was damn sad to cut all that gorgeous hair. Mark and I met when we were 16 years old, and a big part of the crush I had on him back then was his wicked Keanu hair! (That he totally dyed with a purple Smelly Felt. Or was it a bingo dabber? I can't remember. It was... let's just say it was a while ago.) Check out the progression!

Before

Tiny ponytails so we get max length for donation

I'm traumatized!

Mark's awesome girlfriend Heather is totally on board. Not worried at all.

Aaaaand After. What the hell was I worried about, huh?

If you're interested in donating your hair, please check out this link to the Canadian Cancer Society for more information.

Homework!

2010-12-01T14:34:00.001-08:00

When I consult with a new client, there are a few "red flags" I look out for, in terms of misinformation or misunderstanding. There are some HUGE myths out there about dreadlock care, and I want to make sure that everyone who's contemplating dreads in my chair is well informed about what's to come. The biggest misconceptions are always involving aftercare - yes, there's homework! I recently updated the information sheet that we give our clients at Knotty Boy, and I thought I'd post it up here for everyone who's asked.

Weekly Dreadlock Maintenance

Step 1 – Wash your locks
Washing your dreads is a key part of growing a healthy head of locks! Contrary to popular belief, shampooing your hair will actually help them develop faster and tighter – with the added bonus of smelling great!

When you wash, you only need to be concerned with your scalp – don’t worry about soaping up your locks. Give it a good scrub with the Knotty Boy Dread Shampoo Bar or Liquid Shampoo. The water and shampoo rinsing from your scalp will be enough to cleanse the dreads themselves.

Step 2 – Palmroll your dreads one at a time while they are still damp.
Palmrolling is the most basic and important tool of maintenance. Most lumps, bumps, and general disarray can be prevented and cured with regular palmrolling. Doing this when your hair is damp will help you to keep a cylindrical shape, as well as encourage loose hairs to reintegrate back into the lock. It will also help you to keep the new dreads separate from each other. This is the step to incorporate Locksteady Tightening Gel, if you choose.

To palmroll, start at the root and briskly roll your dread between your palms to the end.

Step 3 – Dry your locks, all the way through.
Most horror stories about smelly dreads have a common root cause, and that cause is trapped moisture! Making sure your dreads are 100% dry, all the way through, will prevent musty odors from developing. If you wash your hair more than once a week, or otherwise wet your hair often, you’ll want to make sure you use a blowdryer to accelerate the drying process. Otherwise, air drying is fine. Simply wait a day or two before proceeding with your maintenance routine.

Step 4 – Reapply wax, as needed.
Now that your hair is dry, you can apply a little more Knotty Boy Dread Wax to your dreads if necessary. Section out a dreadlock from the root, and give it a feel. If there is loose hair coming out, or it feels like it’s coming apart a little, then go ahead and add some more. If you have a jar, dig into the surface of the wax a little, so that you can easily take a pea-sized amount. Work that wax in your fingers to soften it and ease out any clumps. Next, massage it in to your dreadlock, starting at the roots and working down to the ends. Remember – less is more with this wax! You only need enough to bind the hair together.
*If you are using the Knotty Boy Wax Stick, you can just lightly run it down the body of the dread.*

When you’ve applied your wax, it’s time to palmroll again! Didn’t we mention it’s the most important tool in your hands? It’s the best way to get that wax where it’s going to do it’s work.

Some other helpful tips:
• Immediately after receiving dreadlocks or maintenance your hair will feel tight, and slight irritation to the scalp may occur. Redness around the hair line is normal and will go away shortly - don’t panic! Give it a spritz with Knotty Boy Peppermint Cooling Spray to ease itchiness and irritation.
• Don’t tie up your wet dreads or pile them in a hat – you’ll need the air to circulate freely!
• Don’t apply wax to wet hair – you’ll trap the moisture inside, creating a stinky mess.
• Use a shower cap when you aren’t washing your hair.
• For tight, blunt dreadlock tips, place the tip of your dread in your palm and rub in a circular motion. Backcomb the remaining tip-hair, moving the knots back up into the lock, then palm-roll. Repeat process until ends have achieved desired look.
• Cutting locks apart or snipping ends is not recommended, as this often causes more problems in the long run. Rip dreads apart to keep them separated, and run your fingers around the sections keeping loose hairs in the dread they belong to.
• Flipping dreads through themselves is not recommended as it may cause kinking, holes and serious weakness in the locks if not done correctly.
• When using Knotty Boy LockSteady Tropical Tightening Gel, coat palms of hands with gel, then drag through wet locks. Do not use on dry locks as it may leave build-up and flakes. Palmroll gel into each lock and let dreads dry thoroughly before tying up.
• Dreadlock maintenance is strongly recommended every 3-4 months for uniform, well-groomed, healthy locks. Re-sectioning, grooming and tightening by weaving loose hair back into locks helps prevent thinning at the root and breakage.

For more questions and answers check out Knotty Boy's FAQ!

Super Saturday

2010-11-27T18:39:00.001-08:00

All Maintenance, all the time! All the time I had for the day, anyways. 3 back-to-back appointments make for a very, very sleepy Lockafella.

It's always nice to see Chance and his gorgeous locks. Started by Becca about 4 years ago, and maintained by mostly me since. He takes great care of his locks and is a pretty kickass ambassador for Knotty Boy and dreads in general! We spent pretty much this entire appointment debating about various superpowers. FYI, we both choose Regeneration over Invincibility, though for different reasons.

Sarah's appointment was actually for yesterday, but she kinda misjudged how crazy Canadians would be for US Black Friday deals and got stuck in the northbound lineup. Luckily today worked out a little better, and we managed to finish up all her seven million locks in two hours. Fingers crossed that she's already back home south of the border! As per usual with our American clientele, I pulled out the DVD player and schooled Sarah in a little classic Degrassi Jr. High. Spreading the gospel one head at a time..
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Last but so not least on this marathon maintenance day is Catherine, who came over from the Island. She had approximately the same amount of hair as Sarah, but much less interest in Canadian children's programming circa 1987. This chick actually managed to read a book while I ripped apart her locks! I'm always so impressed by that! Hey, I had dreads - I know what maintenance feels like. This lady here is a total badass - watch out!

Whatcha Do? Wednesday

2010-11-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Just a short post to rub in how awesomely fun my day was...

This here's my new friend Nick. He's a fellow Metalocalypse enthusiast, and totally brightened my morning! His dreads are also pretty rad, just a bit messy at the roots.

Here he is all maintained! (I'm totally using that photo on the right for advertising purposes.)His dreads make a serious case for leaving your ends loose - those curls are seriously hot.

Speaking of hot...

Lara cruised by and snagged an open spot in my afternoon, and I'm so glad. It's always a blast to hear what's going on with this new mom on the serious go! (Plus, she forever earned a place in my heart by naming her daughter the coolest baby name ever.) This was a 100% collarborative art project ;)

Cody here is new to me. He's had his dreads done at Knotty Boy before, but never by me. I'm so glad we got to meet, and his dreads were a pleasure to work on. Poor guy, I had to really reef on a few of his bigger sections. Props to him for not axe murdering me during those ones - he didn't make a sound, and assured me that I wasn't hurting him. What a gentleman! Not to mention a pretty decent liar ;)

I'm off to round out this totally-packed-with-rad day by rollerskating around outside in subzero temperatures! Lucky for me I have so many warm fuzzy memories of the day to keep me toasty (and Sock Monkey Mittens will help.)

Blogging for Blondies!

2010-11-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

I mean, everyone knows we have more fun!

This is Kelly, and this is her insane mane! Actually, this is Mane 2.0 - both were originally installed in Thailand, and I've now maintained round 1 and this latest incarnation. With easily the largest number of dreads in my female clientele, from a distance you'd need a double-take to realize she even has locks. In the future we may end up combining a fair amount of these. Really tiny sections still keep hanging onto shedded hair (like we know all successful locks do) sometimes becoming too heavy for a small root to support. Adding bleach to the mix can also cause breakage, contributing to the overall weakness. However, Kelly maintains her locks so well this might never be an issue! The maintenance went great, and only took 2 hours.

Marlowe's dreads had a pretty rough start. They were backcombed and interlocked - the practice of flipping a dread through itself at the root to keep it close to the scalp. She came to me two months ago with big holes in her dreads, hard twisty knots, and some pretty wacky sectioning. The shape of the locks themselves was pretty out of whack, mostly because she was totally overwhlemed - she didn't know where to start. We took a few hours and Reconstructed, and I couldn't be more stoked with the result! The two pictures to the left is how she walked in yesterday - with gorgeous, well kept dreads, just needing a tightening at the scalp. No weird hard bumps or bizarro elbow shapes. (I may have fawned a bit, I admit it.) The picture on the right is after the tightening. I'm so excited to see these dreads grow, and I'm very happy to see how happy Marlowe now is with her hair.

Oh, how I love blond dreadlocks! I miss mine tons. (Most especially when I wake up in the morning looking like 1984.) If you and your locks are... um... helping nature along a little bit, here are a couple of things to consider.

1) If you aren't looking to go platinum, consider using a permanent haircolour instead of bleach. It's got an automatic "shutoff" time, whereas bleach continues to "work" until you shampoo it out.

2) Bleach will NOT get your hair white. Platinum and all other "cool" blond shades are achieved using toners on lightened hair. If you try and achieve coolness with lighteners alone, you will only achieve breakage.

3) Be cautious when retouching your roots. If you've achieved the desired lightness in the body of your lock, don't just "use up the rest" by pouring the leftovers on your dreads. Remember, your hair isn't getting all the conditioning it once did - chemical overuse can easily cause breakage.

4) Don't get overzealous. 6-8 weeks is average for a root retouch. Every time you use bleach on your roots, it rinses through all your dreads in the sink. (Just like when you wash your scalp, the soapy rinse is enough to clean your locks themselves.) Try coating them before you apply product, like a stylist would apply a barrier cream to protect your skin. Give a good palmroll with a light amount of wax to your already coloured ends.

5) RINSE! RINSE! RINSE! SHAMPOO! RINSE! RINSE! RINSE!

6) If you have ever had bleach in your locks (specifically bleach, not including colour) do NOT under any circumstances allow a stylist to start or maintain your locks using perm solution, or a "dread perm" until is has completely grown out! Even if it's underneath other colour. This is not a drill. They are not compatible chemicals, and will cause your hair to melt. This is not an exaggeration. It's really nasty.

Honestly, I don't endorse using bleach at home. It's a caustic chemical best left in the hands of a professional who understands it's properties. If you are have any doubts whatsoever, go to your local hair shop, or better yet - come see me! I'd love to see you!

No Dreads Wednesday

2010-11-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Today was a DreadFree day in the shop! It's a pretty rare one when I just do cuts and colours, but I had a blast!

This is Marina. She's usually found anchored to her desk, answering Customer Service calls in the space above the KB Lock Shop (aka - where the grownups do actual "work".) She got a really cute asymmetrical haircut from another stylist before her vacation, but was ready to switch it up. We changed the silhouette and added a flash of lilac to the bangs.

Here's Mikey deliberately throwing me his best "deer caught in headlights". (I'm sure it had nothing to do with his cut and colour bill.) He was blond a couple of hours ago (maybe that's it?) but with summer over, he wanted to switch it back to a darker, more natural shade. We cut off about 4 inches all over, placed some highlights in the front, and hit everything with the ashiest toner I could find. I'm going to have to get my hands on some nice pics, because Mikey looked damn handsome walking out the door!

Sorry folks, it's once again with the weird freakin' formatting... fix it, blogger!

I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No...

2010-11-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

So I've been laid up with the Fresh Meat Flu for the last few days, major side-effects including runny nose, exhaustion, and near-constant complaining. I know you're thinking, "Hey! Isn't being stuck in bed the perfect opportunity for blogging?", and I feel you - but really, you didn't want to hear about it. Really. Thanks to a couple of immune buddies, some homemade ice cream, and a sh*tload of comic books, I'm on the mend and back at work. Too bad my client wasn't able to show up. Burn, dude! But, as lame as a no-show can be (life happens!) there's a flipside to every coin...

So last Saturday, I rolled into work after spending a very early, very long morning at a meeting for the Derby league. I was stoked to come in and spend a mellow couple hours with some long-time haircut clients. So I get started on my 2 o'clock...when my other 2 o'clock shows. Wha? Yeah. My 2 o'clock dreadlock appointment. From out of town. Who can't come back. Who I've never heard of.
Oh man. Clearly there's been a pretty major miscommunication at some point... what to do? I couldn't bail on my booked appointments, so Brenna and I struck a deal to start a late night dread sesh at 4pm.

This lady has a lot of hair. A lot of long hair. She pretty much made my week when she told me that she wanted "quarter-sized" locks. (Translate that to bigger than normal.) Oh man, her hair dreaded like a dream! (Mad props to Carolyn the Coffee Fairy for keeping that dream alive.) She was really sweet to boot. Even in the larger size Brenna ended up with 59 locks. At 6.5 hours, it was definitely a later night than either of us had bargained for - and it ended up being a 12 hour day for me in the end. But we were both so happy with the outcome, I'm really glad we took the time.

The only real downside to taking the appointment was that I ended up missing Derby practice that night. According to firsthand accounts, it was "the most brutal" seen yet. So it's probably safe to assume I'll get my ass handed to me tonight. If you want to see the carnage firsthand, I'll be showing off my bruises afterwards at The Cobalt for the 4th Team Unveiling Party. Deets here.

Our Daily Dread

2010-11-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

This adorable face belongs to Kate! Her dreads took 5 hours straight - no rest for the wicked.

Speaking of no rest - I normally have more to say, but the Cocaine Moustache boys and Nashville Pussy rocked my face off last night, and I've gotta get it together enough to roll to Derby practice asap. Happy Friday, everyone!

Andrea

2010-11-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday afternoon I had a sit with Andrea, who came all the way from Campbell River! Andrea had been a client of another dread stylist, so the pressure was on. She was expecting a lot outta me... and on a Saturday, too.

The Mission: Andrea has about 30 locks, and she loves them. What she wasn't so keen on was the level of coverage she was getting as they grew out. So our mission this day was to start with the basics and maintain her roots - then pull on our fancypants for adding volume and density by filling in those gaps!

Step one: fulfill client's Rapunzel fantasy! Just kidding... I think. Look at that face! Clearly someone's enjoying themselves here. We're done the maintenance and just finished installing the superridiculouslyhighquality kanekalon fiber at the root of every one of Andrea's locks, some in her natural colour, others in subtle (and not-so-subtle) highlights. I back away so that she may bask in the synthetic glow...

And Ta freakin' DA! Mission :Accomplished! A few hours of steamy action later (stop right there, gutterbrain...) and all that loose hair is twisted up nice and tight in Synth Dreads, sitting snugly between Andrea's natural locks. Each individual section now has 3 dreads springing from it, bumping her total up from 30 to 90! That is a seriously full head of hair!

With a few washes, those synth dreads lose their New Lock Shine - they blend in really well with natural dreads. As her hair continues to grow, I'll move those locks up to the roots again and again - the quality of the hair is so good, you can keep using the same locks for years. When she gets tired of the turquoise, we'll switch it up, easy as a snip of thread! (That's easy, yo.) Should Andrea choose not to reinstall her synth, she can instead put them onto an elastic fall and tie them in when it suits her.

Thanks for hanging out, Andrea - it was a wicked time! Looking forward to seeing you in the spring :)

Our Daily Dread

2010-11-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Vincent. We first met about two months ago when he dropped in for a consult, only to have me turn him away; alas, his hair was too short.
So I was happy to see his name on the books in the morning, and stoked because dreads are the perfect way to dust off the cobwebs from the weekend!

Vincent requested average/slightly-larger-than-average sections, so I gave him the spiel about length loss (a la Ariel) and when I got the okay, off we went.

It's not tuff to tell that Vincent is a pretty fun guy to spend an afternoon with. We chatted about all sorts of stuff, which is how I learned about his awesome Origami CD cases - a really great idea for bands who don't wanna have to buy a case-lot of jewel cases. For more info, check out Vincent's website here!

Commitmentphobes. I love 'em.

2010-10-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

You've read the piece, you know that dreadlocks are kind of a big deal. You gotta palmroll them, and if you want them to look their best, you have to put some effort in. For at least a little while you have to - that's right, kiddos - commit.

If that just brought out your inner Iron Maiden theme song, you are not alone. Dreads are only as permanent as you want them to be, but if you're unwilling to look down the road a couple months, they may not be for you. Love the look, but need to be able to change your mind at a moments notice? Scope out these lovely ladies!

Synthetic Dreads give you the option of immediate extreme length without waiting, and without the maintenance of traditional locks. There is no palmrolling, and no product necessary. You can rock these awesome locks for on average two to three months. When time's up, you can choose to re-tighten them as is, change up the colours and make some new ones, or simply take them out and go back to your own natural hair. It's a great option if you're growing out your hair and want to disguise it for a while - your own hair is hidden underneath, safe and sound from your scissor-happy frustrations! (I feel your pain, friends.)

If you already have dreads and are looking to add some... zazz? (That's for becca. She just loves the zazz.) We can add Synth Dreads as fillers to the base of your existing dreads. It's a great option if you're feeling a little thin in your placement as well - a few synth dreads at the root can really fill in the gaps. I've got a ridiculous assortment of colours in front of me, natural to... not so much.

Still too much of a commitment? Need to be able to change your locks as often as your socks? Come on down to visit and we can chat about a Custom Fall. Double-ended locks on an elastic or a cord to be tied into your natural hair in seconds! Doesn't get any easier than that!

Waiting's for suckers!

2010-10-26T20:49:00.001-07:00

So stop me if you've heard this one before:

"I want dreads, but I don't want little stubby ones." (Bummer.)

"I want dreads, but I don't want them to stick straight out." (Total bummer.)

"I want dreads, but I would rather get a haircut from a rusty lawnmower than grow my hair out."

(Okay, that one's a direct quote from me.)

I want dreads, but... But what? All through high school I wanted dreads - but I could never get past the really gnarly 'growing out' phase. That special time when my puffy hair started growing out rather than out. When the celebrity I closest resembled was famous for playing Luke Skywalker. Yeah - that hair. Man, if only I knew then what I know now. So what do I know, anyways?

Human Hair Dreadlock Extensions! I really wanted long hair, but could not get there myself. I even tried regular human hair extensions, but they weren't for me. Too much daily/nightly maintenance for someone's who's essentially a wash n' wear kinda gal. So we pulled out my new extensions, and we kinda recycled 'em. What sounds easier - 5 gazillion pieces of long hair? Or 50? No contest, right? When I started my locks, my hair was about 4 inches long. Really! People who had seen me just days before had to do a double-take, they are that natural. No one could tell where my lock ended and my newly aded length began; not even myself. Long hair and easy styling? Yes, yes, and yes. Please.

How's it work? Well, this is something I usually take on over a couple days - the first one for natural locks, and the second for adding length. Most often, the appointments are roughly equal for time, about 6 to 8 hours (or about 1.5 seasons of Metalocalypse with bonus features. And singalongs.) Your new length is woven in the same method as your new dreads are started (or as I've tuned up your existing locks) using high quality human hair, so the join between your natural and your new long lock will be undetectable. There may be a slight colour/texture difference in the first weeks, but with a few washes and palmrolls, that dread becomes one unified felted lock fast.

This is serious rockstar hair! And it's without a doubt my favourite service to provide in the shop.

If you're interested in Dreadlock Extensions but aren't sure if they're for you, stop by the chair for a chat. Consultations are always on the house.

Our Daily Dread.

2010-10-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ariel came in for dreadlocks today! She popped in for a consult last week, and when she took her hair outta her cap I just about fainted. That is a lot of hair. Thankfully, she assured me she wasn't looking for a bazillion tiny locks, so I was reasonably sure I wouldn't have to clear my week.

So, as I had my morning caffeinebomb, and Ariel had what looked like a homemade raspberry smoothie (probably not designed to make me feel like a diabeetus-bound sugar junkie) we rehashed the day's plan. Turns out that while she's sticking to the plan of not getting really small dreads (phew!) she now wanted really BIG ones. Hey, no problem, I say!

Except there's a problem.

Ariel's a small girl. I couldn't make her sections very big or she'd end up with twenty locks, maybe. Extra large sections can look great to start out, but once they grow out you've got a ton of loose hair between very few formed dreads - definitely not the "lions mane" she was looking to rock! So, like the grownups we are (well, like she is) we made a compromise. I made the sections a touch larger than i normally would, and she gave the okay to give up her length.

Normally with the techniques I use, my clients end up losing anywhere from an inch to a few inches, depending on the state of their ends - far less than in the traditional backcomb-and-wax method. Most people are happy to sport a tapered dread to keep their length, and some folks straight up prefer the softer finish. With Ariel's hair, I backcombed far tighter than was strictly necessary to lock (pushing all her length to the scalp) where I could weave a tight, fat dread with a blunted end for consistency. We're both totally stoked on how it turned out!

"You can do that?"

2010-10-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, your hair can get a little out of hand. I'm not talking "loose hair, a little bit of joining" like my last post, I'm talking "Oh wait... why do I only have one dreadlock now?". There is a crazy amount of misinformation on the subject of dreads, and you need to be discerning about who you listen to. You would not believe the insane theories I've heard surrounding starting dreads and maintaining them. (I'm not going to get into it right now as that would deprive me of an excellent rant subject for a later post, but as a general rule you can safely avoid vehicle fluids and food, all right?)

Today I want to explain what goes into Dreadlock Repair and Reconstruction services. It's one of the more "wow! awesome!" services offered at the shop - it makes a huge difference in how people look at their hair. R&R is a step up in intensity from Root Maintenance, and it covers a whole lot o' dissatisfactions we see regularly. In repairs, I'm looking for folks with semi- mature/mature dreads who have neglected to maintain them, or worse - were never told how to by their stylists. Besides reattaching broken locks and strengthening weak spots, I can fix these common dread problems:

Matting between locks


Major joining

Undreaded sections

Irregularities in shape

Before

After!

In cases of Reconstruction, I'm looking at newer, immature locks. Most often they've been started at home, and just aren't as radtastic as my client would like. I start by resectioning, and reweaving from top to bottom to create tight, easier-to-maintain locks. It's tough to tell from the picture, but there are sections started in here - only problem is that they're waaaay too small. Sounds like a great idea at the time, until you have to individually palmroll 100 dreads. I'm not gonna say you won't... but I will say that most won't.

Before Reconstruction

After Reconstruction

And even after joining up most of her dreads, she still had about 50! After a few days the gaps become less visible, and the tightly woven locks start to lay flat. You have an almost-new head of dreadlocks! If any of these pictures look familiar, come on by to chat about it. I'll see what I can do!

please excuse all the wacky formatting, but i've been fighting with blogger all freakin' day. sorry about that migraine, kiddo.

Dreadlock Maintenance: Oxymoron?

2010-10-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah, don't think I haven't heard that before. And yeah, some people are content just letting them do their thing, but don't feel like that's your only valid option. Fact is, dreads don't start out perfect. More accurately, they don't stay perfect. They move, they change, they bunch up, they shrink, they expand. All the time! That's totally fine, and 100% normal. If you got your dreads started with me, I know you've gotten the palmrolling spiel and I've put the fear into you about not doing your homework... but we're just rolling into Fall around here, and for those folks who've neglected their noggins for the sake of sun and fun? It's time to pay the piper. (Psst - the piper is me!)

So, why do you want to come in and see me? (other than my sparkling wit and dazzling smile?) Root Maintenance is like the cleaning lady you only shell out for once a season. Sure, you're not getting out of doing the dishes or vacuuming - but it's nice to hand the heavy lifting to the pros once in a while, right? Maintenance is especially helpful to the newly dreadful, but I've got plenty of long-time clients who come in when they need to spruce up a bit. When I put in a set of locks, I recommend seeing that person once every 3-4 months for the first year, and as needed after that. When you come in, I'll be working in 3 key areas:

* re-sectioning dreads at the scalp and tidying up joins
* re-tightening undreaded roots
* re-incorporating loose hair at the scalp

These 7 year old dreads belong to Sylvia, who hung out in my chair yesterday. They look amazing (on the way to her knees!) and she maintains them well herself. She wasn't looking to reinvent the wheel here - she just wanted to clean up the sections and tighten up the roots. (We also touched up the greys on top, but that's a story for another piece.) So, a couple hours later, here she is - same dreads, just tidier and easier to maintain at home.

You don't have to "just deal" with messy dreads! So, if your boss is looking at you sideways, if you're a bridesmaid in your sister's wedding, if you don't wanna look like Sideshow Bob at Prom?
Come hang out in my chair! I'll leave the GameBoy out for ya.

Begin at the beginning.

2010-10-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hi, I’m Kris. Nice to meet you!

If you’re linking over from the website, then you already know a little bit about my rather… unusual job. For those of you who just stumbled in (yeah, i saw that) I’m a hairstylist who specializes in Dreadlocks, Extensions and Synthetics at the one n’ only Knotty Boy Lock Shop in gorgeous Vancouver, BC. (Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m used to the funny looks... Mom.) So, why would a fully trained and licensed hairdresser decide to turn to the dark side? Because it’s waaaaaay more fun over here! I'm not gonna exaggerate, this job rules - and this blog is where I get to rub it in.

Since we're just getting to know each other, I thought I'd spend this week explaining what it is i actually do. Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?

Dreadlocks! Awesome ones can totally be started at home by backcombing and twisting. But... you’re looking at about a year of daily palmrolling to achieve a mature and felted lock with this method. If you’ve got the time and patience for it, hells yes – go for it! I certainly didn’t. And it’s not the only way! If you’d rather do….well anything, actually… with your time, c’mon in and have a seat with me, friend.

These dreads here are about 15 minutes old. For reals! On average, they take about 6 hours (of watching Kurt Russell movies, Metalocalypse, and playing GameBoy Tetris.) They’re tightly sectioned at the scalp to keep them from joining, and to help as you get used to taking care of them. (That scalp becomes less visible, promise.) They’re totally customizable sizewise, and the ends can be blunted or tapered. I haven’t used any wax in these pics, though I recommend it in small amounts for maintenance. Above all, they look like dreadlocks! Right from the start! Totally naturally. Pretty cool, hey? Now you'll know what went into 'em when I post pics!

I gotta roll outta here - hair today, gone tomorrow and all ;)