Ready to rock chic and trendy flat dreads? Your locs become more susceptible to flattening as they grow out and mature. If you’ve been rocking locs for longer than a month, this is a serious challenge you cannot ignore.
Hearing the low-maintenance tales may have influenced your decision to lock your hair. However, it’s often an untold secret that you should be one step ahead to protect your dreadlocks.
The smooth texture and roundness you see after installation must be preserved throughout time.
So, keep your dreadlocks as round as day one by using our advice. This article delves into incorporating proper mitigation into your routine care.
What Causes Flat Locs?
Flat dreadlocks can occur due to a variety of reasons. Understanding the causes behind this issue is crucial in order to prevent it from happening.
By identifying the actions that lead to the flattening of dreadlocks, individuals can take necessary steps to avoid this problem and maintain healthy and voluminous locs.
Wet Hair
Moisture is good for the hair but dangerous in certain circumstances. After washing your locs, you should ensure they dry completely because if they don’t, the wetness is a recipe for disaster.
Natural hair is softest and most fragile when wet. Hence dry hair is crucial in preventing flat locs.
Usually, drying them is a matter of patience. Do you have it in you to allow time to take its course?
When the dreadlocks are thick and long, they consume more drying time. You may opt for the dryer to quicken the drying regardless of the density and length.
We overemphasize the need for dry locs because sleeping with wet hair aggravates the flattening. Already you understand the aftermath when that happens.
Poor Foundation
The installation process plays a big role in the shape of the loc strands. As you do it, be keen with your sectioning on the scalp. The shape of the parting determines the chances of exposure to flat dreads.
You may be creative in this sector as there are many shapes to try. But avoid rectangular sections. Wide sections make the dreadlocks flatter with time.
Instead, go for squares, diamonds, or equilateral triangle partings as long as the sections are even. Whenever you have wide sections, divide them into finer, even sections. Or undo everything and start the parting afresh, but this time proceed with caution.
Lack of Maintenance
Failing to conduct the right maintenance in respect to flat locs is harmful to your locs. If you want them to flatten quickly, be reckless with your care and maintenance regimen. And this would result in more problems than initially expected.
To avert flatness, palm roll your new dreadlocks daily in the first 3 months. The locs are not yet hard and easily get squashed; thus, this great frequency is necessary.
After the 3 months, you can now relax a little and palm roll the dreads at least twice weekly. If yours are freeform dreadlocks, you needn’t do the palm rolling because the locs organically grow however they want. So, they are tougher from the word go.
How to Fix Flat Locs?
When flat locs set in, your focus shifts to elimination, as prevention is no longer an option. Keep in mind that the longer the dreadlocks are flat, the harder they are to round them. It’s important to work on the situation soonest to easily remove the flatness.
Palm Rolling
This is the first and most reliable remedy you can think of to tame flat locs. It’s most effective with damp hair. So, as you wash or moisturize loc strands, massage them by palm rolling.
But in the early stages of loc growth, you cannot wash your dreadlocks daily because of daily palm rolling. You only need to dampen the hair by spraying water on them and palm roll.
You palm roll your locs by placing each strand between your palms and gently rolling them back and forth. The hand motion puffs them up and brings back the cylindrical shape. It also trains and tightens the dread by reducing the hollowness inside and making them more compact.
However, the idea is insufficient if the locs have been flat for months to a year.
Adding Round Beads
Round beads are a better approach for a long-term solution. You rub them to be round and fit the strands into the beads until they are snug.
The beads train the locs to grow round as the internal structure follows the cylindrical dimension. Additionally, it reduces flyaways as the hair gets streamlined not to stick out along the loc surface.
Use the String Strap
Instead of round beads, you can use the string strap. After securing the string strap at the base, you wrap it over the strand, moving toward the ends. Like round beads, the string straps guide the hair to lock into the dread to form a neat cylinder.
Seek Professional Advice
If all attempts to resolve the issue are unsuccessful, you have no option but to involve professional help.
It is essential to seek assistance from a professional. Locticians, with their expertise and knowledge in this field, can offer valuable advice and recommendations. Through their knowledge and loc expertise, professional locticians provide insightful recommendations.
It is advisable to contact them promptly to address the problem effectively and in a timely manner. Get in touch with them as soon as possible to alleviate the problem in good time.
Final Say
Never wait until your locs flatten to take action. Never wait till the day your locs flatten to act. As always said, prevention is better and safer than remedy.
Remember, prevention is always better and safer than trying to fix the issue later. It is important to proactively work towards maintaining nicely round locs every day.
The shape of your dreadlocks not only affects their aesthetics but also their overall health. By staying proactive and attentive, you can ensure that your locs remain healthy, beautiful, and well-shaped.
Don’t underestimate the power of regular maintenance and care in preserving the integrity of your dreadlocks.
