interlocking dreadlocks what it is and why its not recomended ever

interlocking dreads is concidered 1 of the worse dread methods by all except unscrupulous "loctitions" who are just interested in taking your money.

what is interlocking?
its taking a dread, splitting the roots in 1/2 and forcing the dread through that gap in the roots. yes i know it already sounds like a dumb thing to do dont it? but wait, lets examine what this does

why is it not recomended?
when you push a dread through the gap in the roots your doing 2 things, creatting as gap and keeping it open and twisting the roots on either side 360 degrees from the otherwise straight roots.
this causes a tension with a tendency for the dread to want to untwist the roots and pop back through the gap..if there was room too, instead it may want to stick out at an angle to the gap.
typicaly interlockings not done once but over and over, in a pattern around the dread from different angles causing a chainlike or braidlike pattern of crooked dreads tucked through twisted gaps
this causes extreme weakness and causes more dread loss then most other damaging methods.

what are the benifits of interlocking?
none only psychological
they interlocker thinks it helps dreads to lock them up as tight as possible to the scalp. this is false. dreads require room to dread at the scalp, room to move and knot. interlocking removes that room and replaces it with a weakened gap so zero dreading occurs at the roots until A: its grown out enough to dread, or B: you interlock again
the interlocked sections ofcourse will dread even if weak, but not the way they should. often still having a braided look.

Update: the long term affects of interlocking

traction alopecia and balding!


why do they do it?
vanity..pure and simple they feel they must have perfect dreads and dreads that are locked up far too tightly to the roots
its missinformation that leads them to think dreads should dread right to the scalp

whats wrong with dreading to the scalp?
lots as i said before it wont really dread at the scalp without that room so to maintain it your constantly forcing the roots to lock, that causes weak roots
also c'mon think a momment.. how do you get your fingers under a dread to clean the scalp or for that matter scratch an itch if theres no room?
you can also cause uneven pulling even pain .

whats a better solution for root maintenance?
well thats just it, the thing many new dreads dont get is that the roots need no work at all!! when your dreads are formed and mature your roots are where all dreading occurs.. every bit of effort put into them is counter productive and damaging.

think for a momment dreads are natural they happen on theyre own, all dreading once formed happens at the roots dreads can grow manyt many years and that dreading at the roots remains constant without any help from you.

so why interlock and hurt your dreads?/

self concousness over that 1/2 inch of undreaded hair at the roots that nobody even notices.
basicly your screwing yourself cause you just cant see your not screwed..you look at the roots as a problem.. not as what they are the foundation of the dread

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1
updated by @soaring-eagle: 01/22/20 09:33:16AM

ooh, i really wish I'd have found this website before doing that to my dreads! i did it to very few, but I had no idea at the time!! i was just bored and messing with them one day in the early stages and decided to do it. i have no idea why i would even do this to my dreads! i was able to un-do most of the damage, but i feel so ridiculous now! >_< !

you will be ok. when i first strated some firneds did it tomy dreads after a few days it was really weird looking so i tried to undo most of them.. time will help i still have some with the braided look to them but not many qs said:

ooh, i really wish I'd have found this website before doing that to my dreads! i did it to very few, but I had no ide.a at the time!! i was just bored and messing with them one day in the early stages and decided to do it. i have no idea why i would even do this to my dreads! i was able to un-do most of the damage, but i feel so ridiculous now! >_< !

OK, so I've read your post and I completely respect your opinion; however the way you're stating said opinion is as though it is fact when it's not. There is nothing wrong with the interlocked dreads; as a matter of fact two companies exist for the purpose of teaching people how to master the art. The company names are Sisterlocks and Nappylocs, they are similar in technique but not exactly the same and one is much cheaper then the other. I happened upon this website when doing a search for interlocked dreads and I feel I should say something so that a person doesn't go away thinking that interlocking is damaging too their hair. Having said that I am sure that if done incorrectly you could damage your hair but so long as you or the person doing your hair know the technique you should be perfectly fine. I have interlocked dreads and they are lovely I did them myself they are not over tight and have no problems, I care for my hair and re-tighten it as needed which is normally every 6-8weeks. I hope that by reading this the author will do more research into interlocked dreads and see that they are not the problem, but that inexperienced people doing them are.God Bless

really then why does our site f=ger fiund bt about 15 people a day searching terms like "why did interlocking cause my dreads to fall off" or why are my roots so weak from interlockinginterlockings been well known to be the worse thing u can do long before the term interlocking existed, it was originaly "root flipping" but the word got out that root flipping was devestating so they changede the name to stay in businesshave you ever seen any sisterlocks or nappy locks lasst 10 years?i havent


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

in fact something u should be aware of is salons even salons that recomend wax and other very harful things generaly dont recomend interlocking, if salons that are routinely destroying dreads are smart enough to avoid interlocking that should tell u how bad it is


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I just had my hair twisted at a salon to start the process, the hairdresser told me to come back in 2 months time, when I did she interlocked my hair, it's been a week now and i'm just now reading this. Is there anyway I can take my hair out and start the process over, or is it already too late?

im not really sure it is just kinda pushed thru the roots but if its more then once its probably not comming outbut its just 1 weak point that may break in a year or 3 if u dont keep doing it u wont have weakness in the new growth


--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

you dont ever want to interlock and who ever told u u cant wash twists liedthats such bad advice all dreads dread better if u keep them clean u went to a salon i supose? salons are always a mistakeplease stop interlocking just wash your dreads thats all u ever had to dointerlocked dreads are not a good idea and the lumps are weak spots helen r said:

do you have bumpy locks? if not how do you interlock?

Sam said:

OK, so I've read your post and I completely respect your opinion; however the way you're stating said opinion is as though it is fact when it's not. There is nothing wrong with the interlocked dreads; as a matter of fact two companies exist for the purpose of teaching people how to master the art. The company names are Sisterlocks and Nappylocs, they are similar in technique but not exactly the same and one is much cheaper then the other. I happened upon this website when doing a search for interlocked dreads and I feel I should say something so that a person doesn't go away thinking that interlocking is damaging too their hair. Having said that I am sure that if done incorrectly you could damage your hair but so long as you or the person doing your hair know the technique you should be perfectly fine. I have interlocked dreads and they are lovely I did them myself they are not over tight and have no problems, I care for my hair and re-tighten it as needed which is normally every 6-8weeks. I hope that by reading this the author will do more research into interlocked dreads and see that they are not the problem, but that inexperienced people doing them are.

God Bless

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

actualy all the time and effort twusting was worthless and unesacary if all u do is wash they dreadso if the twists wash out they still will dreadall twists do is help define the sections helen r said:

hi, no-one told me i couldn't wash twists but i figured if i twist my hair then wash it a few days later it's not worth it. the twists would be wash out and all the time and effort would be wasted

soaringeagle said:

you dont ever want to interlock and who ever told u u cant wash twists lied
thats such bad advice all dreads dread better if u keep them clean u went to a salon i supose? salons are always a mistake

please stop interlocking just wash your dreads thats all u ever had to do
interlocked dreads are not a good idea and the lumps are weak spots


helen r said:

do you have bumpy locks? if not how do you interlock?

Sam said:

OK, so I've read your post and I completely respect your opinion; however the way you're stating said opinion is as though it is fact when it's not. There is nothing wrong with the interlocked dreads; as a matter of fact two companies exist for the purpose of teaching people how to master the art. The company names are Sisterlocks and Nappylocs, they are similar in technique but not exactly the same and one is much cheaper then the other. I happened upon this website when doing a search for interlocked dreads and I feel I should say something so that a person doesn't go away thinking that interlocking is damaging too their hair. Having said that I am sure that if done incorrectly you could damage your hair but so long as you or the person doing your hair know the technique you should be perfectly fine. I have interlocked dreads and they are lovely I did them myself they are not over tight and have no problems, I care for my hair and re-tighten it as needed which is normally every 6-8weeks. I hope that by reading this the author will do more research into interlocked dreads and see that they are not the problem, but that inexperienced people doing them are.

God Bless

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1