To get dreadlocks, you need to first partition your hair into sections. Your choice of sectioning will determine whether you have thin or thick locs.
This is a crucial decision at the beginning. Your hair will eventually get heavier and longer if you do not trim your locs. If your locs are too thin at the start, they will eventually break under the additional weight of new hair growth.
Options For Sectioning Hair
How you go about sectioning your hair is based on your personal preference.
The grid pattern is the most common example of sectioning hair in preparation for dreadlocks. The entire head is segregated into grids and dreads are formed by two sections of hair within the same grid.
The brick-pattern works by dreading together two sections of hair and then adding a third section from above that intersects with the newly formed joint dread. The brick pattern reduces the visibility of the scalp when the dreadlocks are still new.
Few people prefer triangle and circle sectioning as these are more complicated than the grid and brick-pattern of sectioning hair.
The choice of sectioning is also based on the type of dreads you want to end up with. Some prefer orderly locs while others favor a more random growth to their dreads.
How To Size Hair For Sections
The most common size for a section is 1 – 1 1/2 inches. If you have a smaller head, you may want to start with half inch sections to see what best suits you.