3 Best Methods to Retwist Your Dreadlocks

How often should you Retwist your dreadlocks?

This is a frequently asked question. Generally speaking, retwist can be done during 2-6 months once. Usually, I don’t recommend starter locs to do retwist often. Frequently retwist them may cause hair damage like slow growth, traction alopecia or thin locs.

How to Retwist your Dreadlocks?

There are three major methods to do the retwist:

Interlocking Method to Retwist Your Dreadlocks

Basically, you take a crochet hook and connect your hair tip at the beginning of your locs. I would say interlocking crochet might be the best technique for smaller locs, because the interlocking method doesn’t show patterns much.

First, insert the hook from one side and pull the loc through the root out to another side. To make a solid retwist, you would have to repeat this multiple times. Keep rotating your hook insert angle while you are doing it. For smaller loc, you can insert the hook in two different points and pull the tips out through the opposite place. Cause 2 different points can already make the loc shape look even and stiff. For thicker locs, I would recommend using more points to do rotating, which will make your locks look seamless and natural.

The interlocking method can create compact and affirm locs. They can last 2 months without having to do frequent maintenance.

Palm Rolling Method to Retwist Your Dreadlocks

You can do the palm rolling method with freshly shampooed hair without gel, just keep the roots moist. Use your fingers to swirl the hair roots around in the direction of hair growth. The movement is typically goes in a clockwise direction, which makes it smooth. Keep using your fingers to roll it while smoothing it down. After shaping the roots, you can use a hair clip to make the curl stay. Of course, you can use your palm or comb to do the root rolling too. After you have done all the locs, make sure they are dried. You take off the clips and see those curls stay in shape, then you have the maintenance.

Crochet method to Retwist Your Dreadlocks

You will need a crochet needle to do this method. A tip for you to do the crochet retwist without getting the loc root too tight is that: grab a string of the excess hair from the roots, use the string to wrap those loose hairs around, and push your crochet needle through in and out to form the root base.

This should create the root base and it’ll prevent you from crocheting the hair too close to your scalp causing stress.

Then stick the crochet hook inside to go back and forth. As you rotating the needle and pushing it through the base of the lock. It pulls out the hair on the outside and brings them towards the core.

This method is the same as you would do instant locks or attach lock extensions. By pinching the hair from the outside and drawing it towards the core, locs become more secure and tight-knit.

The aim of this string wrap and crochet technique is to make your loc roots neat without causing any discomfort. The crochet method works best for people who want more of a free-form look with maintenance about every 3 to 4 months.

The difference between the crochet method and interlocking

All three methods can produce a really beautiful loc and great well maintained locs, but it really does depend on how you want your loc journey to be.

If you would like to wash frequently without having to worry about loc raveling, I recommend interlocking as long as the locks are small.

Crochet can actually be used for all hair textures. And this one is great for people who like to go longer In between maintenance with all of them you can wash your hair with crochet maintenance. It really does just like a lock from the roots and it lasts a really long time.

Palm rolling is usually great for everyone, easy and quick. But if your hair is kind of straight. Usually, it doesn’t really stay that long.

Deciding what method and how often you get retwist is always a personal call, depending on how your hair texture is and how your hair grows. If you are not sure about how to maintain them, you could ask a loctician for help or leave us a message. We are looking forward to hearing about your retwist journey.