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Roots culture. Dreads are part of a way of life. A natural lifestyle. Found around the world and as far back as the dawn of man. This is the original hairstyle. Hollywood and rap culture have embraced Lock's as a fashionstatement but for the original man they are a spiritual connection to a higher vibration. God, Jah or Allah reaches down from the heavens and grabs you when you pass away. "They have kept me warm." "I have had to use them as a pillow at night." As an artist I love them. As a professional I am honored to help in the process of maintaing a healthy environment and style for my clients. I know various techniques and the right and wrong products to use. I have been dreading for years. Recently, I have had a extreme circumstance. A clients locks were removed from his head forcefully. It has been months of growing and shaping. Care for the hair that was left to grow again. Missing his hair he asked what could be done. The only option I had was to be patient and let them grow. Leaving us both disappointed. I came across a testimonial one day of a gentlemen who had cut all his locks off and months later had them reattached. He said he felt whole again. He was very emotional. I still didn't know how it was done!!! Countless hours of surfing techniques and stories from other industry professionals I came across a video. The answers that would take my skill set to a whole other level. A home video. Only a few views and one or two likes. A young girl sitting in a lawn chair with a dread lock boy sitting between her legs on the ground. Showing ever so simply, how she was going to reattach his locks for him. Perfectly. My missing link was found and it felt amazing. I reached out to my friend and told him not only what I learned but just how confident I was about it. Our next visit was to be epic. The reconnection of his lost locks. Perfectly. Picture break down: 1) His missing locks he had saved 2) His new locks. 5 months old 3) Each clip holds the reattached dread. Using a latch hook I gently weaved loose hair and merged the two pieces together making one solid. Taking my time, gently, in and out of the body until they were fused together. 4) Clips removed and I lightly twisted and shape, checking for security 5)Finished style..Perfect and strong as ever. The reconnection should last between 5-10 years. Below, a before and after of using the same process of weaving or interlocking loose hair and separated hair strands into one strong clean lock. It will always look like this now. Using a latch hook, crocheting the loose hair in and out of the body of the lock. Bring in hair, turn lock to the left, bring in hair, and repeat until desired look is achieved.  I am into building relationships. I am not a one time, on the fly, hairstylist. Every 4-6 weeks I hear stories of how your family is, how the job is going, the happy and sad moments of one's life. I take this all into consideration when I am consulting. What might be happening in one's life to want such a dramatic change. During an appointment that was suppose to be another segment of a long process of color correction, my client suggested to just" cut it all off". Her hair grown out for years and years, well past the bra strap, gone. Normally this would set off "alarms," that emotionally there might have been a epic event that has set the motion to shed one's hair. We mourn, the hair is cut. We break up, the hair is cut. This was not the case. I was willing to take this journey with her because even though her hair was in good condition, a series of Elumen hair color was unable to be removed from her hair. Thus leaving her with very limited color options of expression. I have watched her grow from a shy girl into an adventurous women. Admiring her youthful spirit, wanting to be free, I agreed. I was not sure how or what wave pattern would be released from her hair as we cut, so I took my time. She was the last client of the day, so there was no rushing the process. Taking it shorter, adjusting, sitting back and looking. I took me time to see what style wanted to evolve. A little shorter we would go again. It was 3 short styles until we settled on a final look. A textured pixie accented tips using Neuma styling pomade. It was a honor to be a part of such a beautiful transformation. You are not your hair. Your hair is a compliment of your own personal style and feel. A personal expression. |
AuthorAndrea Reynolds Archives
November 2015
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