How do you combine dreadlocks? - Dreadlocks FAQ's

There are a few different options for combining dreadlocks. Their maturity and size will determine the best method. If they're already locked and they are not thin dreads you can combine them with a Lock-Docta.

 

 

If you have a smaller dread that you want to combine with a larger dread the Loose Hair Tool does an amazing job:

 

 

Dreads that are very new can just be combed out and backcombed again as one dread. If you'd like to add some flair to your dreads (I'm not comfortable talking about my flair), you can use a strand twist to combine them:

 


Using a Strand Twist to combine Dreadlocks

 

I'd also put a hair elastic/rubber band at the roots, snug not tight, to hold the roots of the two dreads together. This will help them lock together as the dread grows.

Course you'll always want to clockwise rub them together as one dread after you combine them....

If the dreads are newer and haven't really locked yet you can sometimes get them to combine just by rubberbanding them together every inch or so. The dreads will just sort-of merge as they lock. This may take a couple months depending on your hair type and how mature the dreads being combined are.

 

If they don't have many knots in them and they are new, then combing them out and rebackcombing them as one dread makes more sense.

 

After the combined dreads have been locking as one dread for a month or so you should have some new growth that has locked and you can remove the rubberband at the roots.

Instead of combining the mature ends you also have the option of leaving them split at the end. Like a Y shape. This looks pretty cool but there's a neat trick you can do if you have a nice dread bead and you let the dread grow out for a while with the Y shape:

If the dreads were pretty small you can pull the two ends down through the center of the bead until the bead reaches the point where the dreads are combined.

Then fold the two ends back around, one on either side of the bead. Then pull them back through the center of the bead again.

When you're done it will look like the bead is in the center of your dread. Awesome Sauce! Large Dread Beads work great for this if you're combining two skinny dreads, larger glass beads work better for medium size dreads.