Maintenance and Repairs
Dreadlocks are often believed to be the lowest-maintenance hairstyle possible, but that's actually not the entire truth. Especially in the first year, maintenance is crucial. Not only does it keep your hair looking neat, it also prevents matting and allows the scalp to breathe. If too much hair gets pulled loose from the dreadlock, it can cause the bases to thin out and can lead to weak spots or locs breaking off.
Maintenance
Regular crochet maintenance is one of the best ways to prevent any issues. In their first year, I recommend a maintenance appointment every 8-12 weeks. After that, it's pretty much up to you, your schedule, and your budget. At a minimum, I recommend coming in at least twice a year to keep the bases nice and full, and prevent any matting from becoming a repair project.
Typically, a maintenance appointment will just be the roots and any bumps, loops, or zigzags that you don't like. Body maintenance is not standard for a maintenance appointment, so if you would like the bodies worked on as well, please let me know when booking.
Note: I do not recommend crocheting yourself. Not only is it difficult to do on yourself (I don't even do my own), it can lead to overcrocheting the hair, which will make the locs very dense and heavy, and can cause breakage. If you are looking for ways to keep your locs neat in between sessions, check out the Aftercare page.
Repairs
"Repair" is a broad term and can mean anything from strengthening broken locs to dematting to fixing weak spots to combining locs that are too small or splitting locs that are too thick. If the repairs are simple and quick, I will usually address them in the same appointment as a standard maintenance. However, if your locs have been neglected for a while and you are experiencing moderate to severe breakage and/or matting, this can be time intensive and painful to fix. On the bright side, there is very little that I can't fix, and bringing locs back from the edge of death is one of my favorite things to do. If you are unsure if you need a maintenance or repair appointment, feel free to email me at eldritchlocs@gmail.com, or book a consultation appointment online.