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 FAQ2) 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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
