Mini-dreads, also known as twisties, are a popular alternative to the heavier and longer traditional dreadlock and can be started with relatively short hair. Mini-dreads are also easier to maintain and less cumbersome than traditional dreadlocks and are used by athletes, celebrities and even corporate professionals as way to keep hair clean and neat. Creating mini-dreads is time consuming and requires knowledge of the back-combing process, but the hairstyle lasts for months if well maintained.
Grow your hair to at least 2 inches in length, with 3 to 5 inches being optimal.
Pick your hair out into an Afro with the pick or comb. Try to get your hair as straight and long as possible.
Part your hair in the middle, making a strong defining line.
Starting first on one side of your head and then moving to the other, separate your hair into 1/4-inch bundles.
Twist each bundle until it is as tight as possible and secure the end with the rubber band. Continue until your head is covered with rubber-banded bundles.
Spray the locking accelerator on your hair and scalp. Be sure to saturate each bundle of hair and your scalp.
Let the locking accelerator soak in for 15 to 20 minutes.
Undo the rubber band from the first section, and begin back-combing the hair with the pick or comb. To back-comb, comb the hair in a direction opposite to the one in which it lies naturally.
After you have back-combed the hair of a section until it is mostly knotty, twist the knotted hair again into a bundle and secure the end with a rubber band.
Back-comb and retwist each of the bundles of hair on your head and secure them again with the locking accelerator.
Use hair wax to coat each of your hair bundles.
Tip
Use a hairnet the first couple of nights to protect your new mini-dreads.
References
Writer Bio
Based in San Francisco, Ocean Malandra is a travel writer, author and documentary filmmaker. He runs a major San Francisco travel website, is widely published in both online and print publications and has contributed to several travel guidebooks to South America.