HOW TO DYE DREADS AND LOCS

Hello and welcome back! I will hazard a guess that I am not the only person who gets bored of the normalcy of dreads, straight, black dreads, in all their plain glory. This is not to say that locs are boring in any state, but every now and then the curious like me get a bit adventurous and want to at least change the color of the locs to spice up things. Today's post is therefore about the process of dyeing locs; products, what to do, what not to do, the steps to follow, and of course some pictures for reference so enjoy 😉

Products 💸
This is perhaps the most crucial bit, because the products you use will determine your end result so take your time in finding the best products with the least harmful ingredients (if there is such a thing). If you are dyeing your hair a color other than the brown or blonde you get with bleach, you will have to get a product with double action, to lift your color which I assume is black like mine, and to leave the color of your choice. Another option is to first bleach your hair, then after at least a week dye your hair in your preferred color.
Though this seems harmful to your hair, I feel it is better than using a super strong agent once because:
1- You will have the time in between the dye jobs to pamper your hair and as long as you don't change the color every so often you can settle on undoing the dye damage.
2- You have a greater chance of achieving the color on the box if you start with very fair colored hair, which is what the results on the board based on.
On these notes, I did use this method for a while, first bleaching the hair to a light blonde, then sometimes actually just using food coloring to achieve the color I wanted, mostly red, albeit temporarily. I also used beetroot once, and was surprised it actually worked, but there were lots of flakes coming out of my hair as after I blended it I did not sieve it first but used the paste instead of the juice.
Also, make sure you collect everything you will need and keep it together to avoid running up and down, leaving traces and droplets of the gunk in your hair all over the place. These things are:
- [ ] A pair of disposable gloves
- [ ] A mirror or two
- [ ] The dye/bleach you will use
- [ ] Mineral oil to apply along the hairline
- [ ] Disposable plastic hair bag
- [ ] A dirty towel or other cloth that you don't mind getting messed by the dye; to wear,or drape over yourself and to clean up afterwards
- [ ] Lots of warm water. Seriously, lots of it
- [ ] Coconut oil and olive oil, for use afterwards
- [ ] Plastic container and plastic disposable spoon to mix your chemicals in.

What To Do 🎨
The steps are rather simple to explain, but the practical bit might take a little practice, so I have to insist that if you can get an extra pair of hands to do so, then this will be great. Anyhow, even the best diy dyers started somewhere so all the best and whichever way things go, know that you did your best ☺️.
- [ ] First off, get everything on your working surface, preferably the kitchen sink, and have some tissue close at hand to wipe off any sensitive or easy to forget areas such as mirrors, wall tiles, and of course your ears 😅. Also, you need to position yourself in a way you can maneuver while seeing yourself.
- [ ] Next, wear your gloves, and take the dye and its components if you will need to mix anything, now is the time to do so. Plastic is the best as most coloring agents might have an unfavorable reaction with metal.
- [ ] Boil the water you will need, and get the bucket ready with cold water but don't pour in the hot water just yet as it will lose temparature and leave you idle and prone to distraction while you wait for the dye to act.
- [ ] Thirdly, section your hair into patches, as big as you can manage without having locs slip out of the holds. If you want to leave your roots color in as is, part into smaller sections with rubber bands right at the hair root but if you want to dye from the root to the tip, then partition bigger sections with the rubber band loosely at the middle or near the tip because you will take it off.
- [ ] Now, you can begin to apply the dye preferably from the back which tends to be resistant for some reason. If you can manage to prop a mirror behind you to reflect the back this will be great, and better still if a friend can hold the mirror if they chickened out of applying the dye because they were (a little) scared by your ocd hehe....
- [ ] Once you have applied the dye or bleach on your whole head, wait for the time written in the instruction section of the chemical you used. Personally I leave it in for a few extra minutes to ensure it works the maximum best. If it calls for a long time that you don't necessarily have, pop your head into a disposable plastic hair cap and go for a brief walk or sit-down in the sun. You will also need to wear he cap if you have some additional things you need to do in the thirty or so minutes you have to wait.
- [ ] While waiting for the dye or bleach to act you can get your water ready i.e. Put it into the bucket and cool it down to the desired temparature and boil some more if it gets depleted. Typically it takes about three rinses to get all of the dye out and leave your locs as chemical free as can be, for me.
- [ ] Finally, dry your hair, air drying and sun drying are best if you don't want to get your locs frizzy and fuzzy by using a blow drier, but if you are short on time then just bite the bullet and do it as they have to be dry before you wear decent clothing, wet ones have a very high chance of staining your clothes no matter how well you think you dried them. Before they dry completely, apply the coconut and olive oil in sensible amounts directly to your scalp as it will work its way through your locs in its own time; excess topical oil will just end up on your clothes.

What Not To Do 🔬
Now here are the things you should avoid doing lest you mess up your dye job, your house, or your sanity;
- [ ] Do not do it if you are pressed for time and rush impatiently through the steps, it is ideal to set at the very least half a day aside for the job, as you will be tired and probably need a rest while at it or after you are done. A rushed job will probably yield poor results, and in case it goes wrong you will have no time to fix it and no time to enjoy it if it works. Also, locs are denser than loose hair so it's only natural for the process to take longer than it would on lose hair.
- [ ] Do not use your bare hands, as those chemicals are harsh for skin and needless to say, the color will be difficult to remove once it sets on your fingers. Also avoid getting it direct on your scalp to avoid the same issues with the fingers.
- [ ] Do not neglect to read the instructions that came with the dye or bleach, and follow them the best you can as additional processing time is the only thing I feel safe altering.
- [ ] Do not leave spilled dye or containers or anything that has the chemical on it lying around unwiped and unwashed as unknowing persons may come into contact with it and suffer the consequences.
- [ ] Do not fail to perform a skin sensitivity test because this will save you some potentially terrible side effects, and although I am yet to personally meet someone that has been affected, the warnings exist for a reason so do not ignore them.
- [ ] Do not set your goals too high, be hopeful but leave some room for error and know that you will learn as you go along and next time will be better than this time. Be happy with what you get and make the most of it, after all you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it all by yourself 🤗.


Feast Your Eyes 🍿🍾🌈
Here are some photos of a dye job I did a while ago, the start, the middle, and the end:

The Partitioning, done with bands at the root as I wanted to leave my roots black and was retouching the ends.

Corn rows in the damp locs so they would be a bit crinkly when dry, note the dye spotted green cloth protecting the pillow from getting dyed.

The next day, not a lot of crinkle as I took down the cornrows before the hair was completely dry, color was popping though 😜