how to "dread curls"

i’ve been wearing my hair in what i call “dread curls” lately and people (ladies) often ask me, “how do you get your hair like that?” soo, i figured i’d do a…

how to: start with your hair blown semi-straight (if it’s curly, like mine, which is naturally like this) but keep some body in it. if you have straight hair, tease the roots with a comb or natural bristle brush in different sections around the crown of your head to get some lift. use an oil or hair smoother all over to protect your hair from the heat of the curling iron. do the curls in 3 sections starting with the underneath layer of hair, then middle layer, and top layer last.

i use a Tourmaline ceramic 3/4″ curling iron. the ceramic is better for your hair than metal and the 3/4″ size is perfect for the size curls i want. curl about 1 to 2″ chunks of hair at a time (change it up to get a more sporadic look), and curl away from your face. in the back of your head change directions for more messiness. now here is the trick for the dread curl look: do not curl the ends of your hair, otherwise you’ll get the prom/Shirley Temple look, instead, curl the middle part of the lock of hair, leaving the ends out, and then pull the curling iron down as you’re releasing the curl so you’re stretching the curl to get the dread look as opposed to bounce.

then muss it up, finger comb through some of the curls so they’re not so “perfect” and maybe a little more smoothing stuff if your naturally curly/frizzy or more teasing and a little spray of hairspray at the roots.

and voila! dread curls abound.



  • Tess

    Wait I really like your hair in the first picture. It looks like Winston’s! RAWRRR scat

  • kate

    haaaa!!!!…..

    don’t pet a little person.

  • http://kouragekritters.wordpress.com Keitra

    It’s about time someone posted how to do this the right way! My hair is such a mess all the time because it’s got a weird curl to it. I’ve been wanting to do something like this with it forEVER and could never figure out the right way to do it. Thank you! Now I just need to get a curler again. :-P

  • Hannah

    What do you do if your hair does not curl?

    • mr. kate

      If your hair doesn’t curl would try using a smaller barraled curling iron and curling smaller pieces of hair. Curling one-day dirty hair is usually better because it holds the curl easier. You can also try “dirtying” up your hair with a dry shampoo or baby powder. Also spray the piece of hair with a spritz of hair spray as soon as you release if from the iron to seal the shape in place. Even if your hair doesn’t hold the curl, you will still get a cool piecey look. Good luck!

  • Maria Perez

    My hair is naturally curly like that, but it is REALLY thick. How do you tame thick frizz with keeping the curls? Every product I try takes the curls out INSTEAD of the frizz!

  • Maria Perez

    Oh, i was trying to do the shoe as my  ”profile Pic!” :o

  • FashionWeakness

    Can you do a video? so much more help i cant follow it with the photos… ahah!