What does a crochet hook do for dreads?

The Crochet Hook Dread Tool assists in creating and maintaining dreads using the crochet method, a natural dreadlock process. A crochet hook is used to pull the hair in tight so that it knots well.  When used correctly, crocheting dreadlocks should not tear the hair but create tight, well knotted dreadlocks.

How to use a crochet hook on dreads

What size crochet hook is best for dreads? Generally speaking, most people prefer to use very small hook sizes 0.6mm or 0.75mm.

1. Push the crochet hook through the centre of the dread where maintenance is required.

2. Once pushed through the dread, angle the hook so that when it is pulled back into the dread, it will catch different hair and not simply travel back through the same hole.

3. Pull the hook back gently, but not all the way back out. This action should grab some of the desired hair and pull it towards the centre of the dread.

4. Push the hook back out again and repeat from step 2.

How to maintain dreadlock roots?

Re-dreading new growth is a normal part of dreadlock maintenance. As your hair grows it is not locked up and so regular use of a crochet hook for dreading this new growth is a good idea. This can be as frequent as you want. For some people, they may choose to fix up regrowth less than once a year, but for most people, a good regrowth maintenance session is usually done every 2-6 months.

A few points for regrowth maintenance:

• When using the crochet hook for regrowth, be aware that this is the most sensitive area and can be quite sore, even a few days after maintenance.
• There will always be a couple of centimetres of hair right next to the scalp that will not be able to be dreaded.
• In order to get back as close the scalp as possible, either tear the dreads apart (this can be quite painful!) or gently use scissors to seperate them.

How often do dreads need maintenance?

As mentioned above, the frequency of maintenance is up to the desired look that one is going for. If you are going for a totally natural look, you might only do maintenance once a year or less. However, as a general rule of thumb, both regrowth and loose hairs/bumps can be maintained every 2-6 months. Though bear in mind, this is also dependent on the type of hair you have. People with thick curly hair that dreads easily will probably do less maintenance than someone with thin straight hair.

Maintaining Dreadlocks using the crochet method is a skill that takes time to learn so be patient. It is unlikely that you will have a perfect crochet technique in 5 minutes. It might take 10 or more hours of practice for the action to become natural, so a good method is to watch a few movies and just work on your dreads, or someone else's. Don't give up either, as once you have the technique, you will be able to have those awesome tight, neat and tidy dreads that you want!

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