by Jen Leech

Created on: July 18, 2009   Last Updated: July 19, 2009

It is normal, and in fact a positive indication when you notice that your dreads are shrinking. Tightening is an imperative part of the natural dread locking process that forms healthy strong dreads. When making dreadlocks, they are going to start out a long way from the finished product. After you have started them, either by back-combing, twist and rip, or any other method (except for neglect, that will be different because you won't have formed dreads right away) they will have lost about one third of their undreadded length, and will be made up of loosely held together knots.

These loosely formed dreads will be misshapen and puffy. As you work the wax to your hair (enough to hold the loose hairs in) and palm roll them , they will begin to take the shape of more formed dreads. Washing your hair with a dreadlock friendly shampoo will help to speed up this process by removing oils that can cause the knots to slip out. It is important to use a dreadlock friendly shampoo because any kind of softener or conditioner will hurt your dreads and a knotted up scalp has some special concerns (dryness and itch) that dreadlock shampoo will help with. Your safest bet is going to be using a shampoo that is made specifically for dreads.

The process of locking up will start at about three weeks and will taper off at about six months when the dreads are mature. Products like dread wax, tightening gel and dread shampoo will help this process to get started much more quickly. My personal choice for these products is www.knottyboy.com though there are many other options available, check out what is in your area.

At about three weeks you will notice that your dreads are starting to come together more. As the knots tighten with time and movement the hair will begin to mat, otherwise known as locking up. When the knots tighten, the puffiness starts to go away. This is when you may start to notice shrinkage. It is perfectly normal. In fact, it means that your dreads are doing what they are supposed to, they're locking up.

When I first put my dreads in about a month ago, they were fluffy, frizzy and about an inch wide. At this point I have had them in for just over one month. I have been using dread wax, dread shampoo and tightening gel. They are about a cm in diameter now and are starting to get harder. With patience and regular maintenance you will soon have strong mature dreads that will have consistent width and texture.

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