Semi permanent dread installation?

[neon_cupcake]

A shop in my town does dread installations that are 'semi permanent' .... My friend had hers in for about 3 months and they didnt even start getting loose....
I usually braid my dreads in but they tend to get loose after a week or so (my hair is quite layered) so i'm trying to figure out a technique that will make them last longer!
I think they braid the top a little then pull the hair through the dread with a crochet hook.... But I've tried and failed!
http://www.wildilocks.com/clients_2/dread_extensions
Here you can see photos of some installations they have done... they look so neat!
Can anyone help me out? I'm sick of having to re braid my hair each week and I dont know if I'm ready to commit to getting real dreads yet though I'm thinking about it

[rivetlicker_]

Doing dreads yourself often leads to them loosening quickly, because it's just harder to do it on yourself...
When I do installs on myself, they only last for up to 2 weeks (my hair is just crap for dreads). When I do them on other people, that is extended for a greater period of time (8 weeks sometimes!)
I blanketstitch braid (both on myself and clients).
I'm really unsure as to their technique.
I think your friend just might have slow growing hair, because by the 3 month mark, the hair would have grown on average 3cm.

Some tips for installing:
Don't use conditioner for about 2 washes before your install. The drier your hair, the better they will stick for an install.
Avoid pulling all your sectioned hair through the loops of SE's, only pull half through and braid around that.
For SE's, the smaller the loop, the better. This is where crochet/latch hooks com in handy.
Blanketstitch is an ideal braid because it is wrapped around the dread, thus causing more friction and less movement of hair!
If you hair grows fast, expect to be installing every 2 or 3 weeks.

[neon_cupcake]

I found this link in their care information section....
They talk about using the hook tool and washing hair with extensions in and maintenance
http://wildilocks.com/webstore/index.ph ... 9869a19ec9
I think I may have figured out how they do them.... I must find someones head to practice on ^_^ I'll take photos and make a tutorial if I figure it out

[rivetlicker_]

By weaving them back in sounds like creating permanent dreads. For a semi permanent install (ie, dread extensions as opposed to extenders), there should be no need for any form of weaving or hooking into place as the natural hair is just braided around the dread and is able to be unbraided to reveal the hair in its regular form. The hooking method they describe is for permanent dreads (aka dread extenders, dreads created and felted into your hair to create real dreads, or "silky wrap" dreads, where synth hair is braided into the natural hair then wrapped around with backcombed hair and sealed into place).

Judging from their work, they just seem to braid the dreads in with the 3 way braid method, using the dread's leg as the 3rd strand of hair. I do find this method to slip a lot easier than blanketstitch and not look as neat (plus blanketstitch allows the wearer to wear dreads a lot shorter than their natural hair!).

[Shay Wynter]

can someone tell me what a blanket stitch is?

i have been making dreads for a long time but only recently started installing so any advise and techniques are appreciated.

[rivetlicker_]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USr0Ti0GOk4

There's 6 parts that can be accessed through related vids.

[TwiggyDEVOUR]

Hmm interesting.. it looks like they braid on both sides of the DE dread. As in, you mainly braid down along one side of the dread, but here it looks like they split the sectioned hair in half and then braid the two pieces down both sides:

[Tripp]

Hi, I don't post here much but saw this topic and decided to come out from lurking and share an installation technique I have seen that is easy to remove but can also actually be the starters of real dreads. I had this done on my head a few years back by Jon of Furr hair here in Sydney. It might be a little hard to explain, if you want I can draw it up on paint.

The dreads were like single enders with no loop, they were just cut blunt at the top.
First he took a section of hair, and hooked the blunt dread end over the hair at the root (probably just easier to make SE's and pull all the hair through the loop I'd say, that shooould work).
Then he wound the natural hair around the base of the dread very tightly, this held the hooked part of the dread down. He didn't wind down the dread, just down about an inch then back up then down until all the natural hair was used up.
He then got a needle and thread in the same colour as the natural hair and stabbed it through the dread a few times, making sure all the wound hair was tied down tight. Snip the string and viola!

I had some installed like this for a bit over a month. They were extremely sturdy and showed no sign of even slightly loosening. By the time I took them out, real dreads were starting to form at the base where my hair had grown. If you just did some dread maintenance on the roots as they grow, you could keep them in indefinately. I, however, wasn't ready for the real dreads plunge, but taking these babies out was very easy you just find the threads, unpick them then unwind the hair.

I will warn though, it took about 8 hours to install these babies with two people working on my head at once, and if you do them tightly enough to last then you end up with a hell of a headache for a few days but it was so worth it.

[rivetlicker_]

I figured that was their method, but it's a shame they charge so much for such poor quality work, regardless of their installs. I often warn people of going there to get just semi permanent synth dread installs because it's not worth it unless you plan for your hair to dread. I've seen a few disasters. Their reputation is so dodgy.

[Tripp]

I figured that was their method, but it's a shame they charge so much for such poor quality work, regardless of their installs. I often warn people of going there to get just semi permanent synth dread installs because it's not worth it unless you plan for your hair to dread. I've seen a few disasters. Their reputation is so dodgy.

I used to get my hair done there a lot... he does some great work, but it's HIS work and no one elses, whatever you want isn't important. And it's beyond expensive. The dreads I got were reasonably well made, they didn't fall apart and had an even taper, but they weren't the most sleek and stylish ones available and I don't think he does swirls or transitionals at all. If you want semi permanent dreads, then there are DEFINATELY far better and cheaper places to get it done. I just didn't know that when I was 17 xP

Nevertheless, the installation method really was quite genius for keeping dreads in tightly for a long time, I can't say enough how firmly these dreads were attached to my head. I'll probably be trying it on my boyfriend's head soon ^_^

[rivetlicker_]

Maybe it was different a few years back, but what they've been producing as of late is just a disaster

[Tripp]

Maybe it was different a few years back, but what they've been producing as of late is just a disaster

I just took a look at their website and yeah you're right those dreads are terrible... his apprentice four years ago made my dreads. His apprentices never stay there for long, they can't deal with his attitude. He did used to do beautiful haircuts on me though, but they'd better be seeing as I was paying $200 for a cut an dye when I had a high undercut and less than shoulderlength hair. I did, however, have a friend who went there about three years back for some loose extensions and almost half of them had fallen out within a week.

After this brief conversation I no longer have any moral issues about stealing his installation method xP

[rivetlicker_]

Maybe it was different a few years back, but what they've been producing as of late is just a disaster

I just took a look at their website and yeah you're right those dreads are terrible... his apprentice four years ago made my dreads. His apprentices never stay there for long, they can't deal with his attitude. He did used to do beautiful haircuts on me though, but they'd better be seeing as I was paying $200 for a cut an dye when I had a high undercut and less than shoulderlength hair. I did, however, have a friend who went there about three years back for some loose extensions and almost half of them had fallen out within a week.

After this brief conversation I no longer have any moral issues about stealing his installation method xP

I would be careful when experimenting though as inexperienced hands, regardless of whether you've watched it done enough may lead to disaster! Don't use thread! If you can help it, just use elastic bands. Good rubber bands for braiding will do the trick.

[Tripp]

Maybe it was different a few years back, but what they've been producing as of late is just a disaster

I just took a look at their website and yeah you're right those dreads are terrible... his apprentice four years ago made my dreads. His apprentices never stay there for long, they can't deal with his attitude. He did used to do beautiful haircuts on me though, but they'd better be seeing as I was paying $200 for a cut an dye when I had a high undercut and less than shoulderlength hair. I did, however, have a friend who went there about three years back for some loose extensions and almost half of them had fallen out within a week.

After this brief conversation I no longer have any moral issues about stealing his installation method xP

I would be careful when experimenting though as inexperienced hands, regardless of whether you've watched it done enough may lead to disaster! Don't use thread! If you can help it, just use elastic bands. Good rubber bands for braiding will do the trick.

In this case to keep the wraps smooth I don't think a rubberband would hold it down as the hair was kind of flat when he wrapped it around mine... I can't really explain... Besides, rubberbands defeat the "pretty much permanent" side of this installation as they tend to come loose or snap even when using the really good ones. But I wouldn't recommend anyone try this kind of thing if they weren't experienced with dread installations anyway heh. I've personally had a load of experience with all kinds of braided and stitched in dreads and loose extensions so I think I can handle it

[rivetlicker_]

Ahh, so he wants permanent. Just don't use any glues xD

[neon_cupcake]

I actually figured out a good method with my friend that I think is what they do at the shop I posted a link to....
First I section the hair and use both sides of the DE with 1 section of my hair to do a braid really tight near my hair and braid for no more then a centimetre, then tie it off with an elastic. Next I section the leftover hair in 2 and braid down 1 side for another centimetre. I then measure where the hair goes down to on the dread and insert a latch hook tool through the middle of the dread and up through to where the braid finished, I grab the sections of hair and pull it through so the hair is concealed in the middle of the dread ^_^ It works good for the longer sections of my hair so that you dont see the braid going all the way down, especially when installing a different colour dread to my hair. I'll make a video later this week when I put them back in, they lasted over a month and werent getting lose when I took them out yestersday though my hair was starting to dread a little around the base... nothing I couldnt brush out though!