by Anthony MacGregor

Created on: January 23, 2009

Simply put, YES. It is very normal for dreadlocks to shrink, especially when they are just starting out. Dreadlocks are essentially a massive knot. Regardless of whether they were created from neglect or from back-combing or any other method, dreadlocks do indeed shrink. This is a normal part of their maturing process.

Consider a piece of string, perhaps a little curvy here and there but otherwise tangle free. Now take that piece of string, and roll it up in your palms for a few seconds. Very quickly the string tangles up into a ball. Immediately the length the string covers is shortened. This is where dreadlocks are one or two days after they have been set in (dreadlocks formed from neglect undergo the same process, but it happens much more gradually).

Now, like the losely knotted string, dreadlocks are fairly weak, and depending on the type of hair one has, they might come undone with simply showering or fiddling with it too much. In order for dreadlocks to mature properly they need to tighten, and this is where shrinking comes in. Going back to the string, if you only rolled it up for a couple seconds in your palm, you can probably eventually pick it apart and more or less straighten out the piece of string. However, if you really roll it up, tug at it, and purposely make it a tighter and tighter knot, you will notice two things - first the ball will become increasingly smaller. Second, it will feel stronger, tighter, much more resilient, the smaller it is. That is where dreadlocks want to be.

Shrinking is perfectly normal part of starting out dreadlocks, and I would say it is even encouraging - it is a good sign that they are maturing. Mature dreadlocks feel tight, strong - you can tie them up in knots, shower with them, go swimming, and they are still there (I have dreadlocks down to the middle of my back).

One word of advice though - be patient. Dreadlocks that are not fully matured and are still in their shrinking phase are incredibly annoying - they pretty much have a mind of their own. One day you will wake up and they will look just the way you want. The next they might resemble roadkill, and no matter what you do they will remain roadkill the whole day (hats and bandannas are convenient!). This is the stage where most people give up, and it can last anywhere from a few months to more than a year. But with a little bit of patience and persistence, anyone can have dreadlocks, regardless of race or culture. Good luck!

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