"Will these stay curly?"
I am often asked if my wool locs will stay curly. The wool that I use to make these comes from breeds of sheep that are naturally curly or wavy. Naturally curly/wavy wool tends to keep its shape better than straight wool that has been curled. I have felted them to resemble their natural curly/wavy texture, instead of trying to felt them smooth/straight, and then curling them afterwards.
The curl can loosen over time based on gravity, friction, humidity/moisture, and cleanliness/environment (accumulated dirt, oils, and styling products can weigh them down and/or weaken the fibers). While my locs are very well made, no hair extensions, regardless of who made them, what they are made from (wool, human hair, synthetic hair, yarn, etc.), or the style in which they are made (smooth, crochet, wavy, curly, etc.), will last forever.
"How do I do I avoid damaging these?"
In order to get the most life out of any type of hair extensions, you must take good care of them. Keep them clean, avoid harsh chemicals, and try not to snag them. Snags are a common problem. If you play with, or twirl your hair a lot (I'm very guilty of this), then the material can easily catch on long fingernails, rings, or bracelets. Earrings, necklaces, and hats can also do the same thing, so be careful. If you plan to wear them to bed, try wrapping them in a smooth silk or satin scarf and/or switching your pillowcase to a smooth satin or silk.
Wool, hair, and fur all shed. A lint roller works great for catching any loose little fibers. If you are careful, you can use a lint roller while the wool dreads are installed, just be careful not to roll over your hair.
"Can I wash them?"
Wool can be washed. Like hair, fur, and nails, wool is keratin based, and is more delicate when wet. I suggest uninstalling your dreads at least once every month to two months (depending upon how quickly your hair grows, what you put on your hair, work environment, etc.) and hand washing them in the sink, with a mild detergent or shampoo, and rinsing with diluted vinegar to help restore the natural PH of the wool. Gently squeeze out the excess water and hang to dry. If they seem to have lost too much of their curl, while they are still damp, you can braid the dreads and dry them the rest of the way with a hairdryer.
If you don't have the time to manually wash your wool extensions, you can use the washer and dryer. As all washers and dryers are a bit different, you do run the risk of ruining them or having them change shape, texture, and length. However, if you decide to machine wash your locs, the safest method is the "delicate" or "wool" cycle (cool water) for washing, and the lowest possible heat setting for drying. Make sure to put your locs in a garment bag or pillowcase. Although I heat-set the dye, and pre-wash the wool, exercise caution if washing with other items.
Looking for informative youtube videos? I suggest Tina Tiainen. There is only one thing that you shouldn't do when washing - the pulling. When Tina dries out her dreads after washing, she pulls on them and runs the towel down them - do not pull on curly wool. This method is ideal for straight dreads, but not so great for the kind I make because it can straighten out the wool. Instead, scrunch the locs and crumple them up to ring the water out. Here is her video for care and styling of wool dreads:
"How do I fix these?"
Your dreads got snagged or torn, the dye has faded, or they are just loosing their shape or fraying. Don't worry, mistakes happen, materials wear over time, and the sun can be brutal, but don't toss those woolies in the garbage just yet! While some damage can't be remedied, most of these issues can be fixed.
Wool can be re-dyed. Wool needs to be dyed with acid dyes. That sounds more toxic and dangerous than what it really is. The acid being used is either citric acid or vinegar. Yes, a plain bottle of white vinegar from the grocery store. If you are not near a craft store, and can't find little jars of powdered acid dye, your best (and cheapest) alternative is food coloring. Then just do some creative Google searching... "How to dye yarn with food coloring" or "dying wool with food coloring", will work nicely. I now use professional acid dyes, but I started out with just food coloring.
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I dyed these with food coloring and vinegar.
Here is an awesome video on dying wool with food coloring: |
While repeated exposure to hot water will cause any dye to fade, wool dreads can be boiled. I like to boil mine after every extended wear to sterilize and re-tighten them. This will help to reset the curl of dreads made from naturally curly wool (Icelandic, Teesewater, Wensleydale, etc). Laying them flat to dry or making sure to squeeze most of the water out prior to hanging will help them retain their wavy texture. Braiding them, then going over them with a hairdryer can add some extra curl. Tossing them in the dryer can really add some extra curl, but I don't recommend it, as it can be a bit difficult to control and can result in the dread getting destroyed.
Chilling the dreads in cold water (or placing them in the fridge first) prior to dropping them in boiling water is ideal. This process is a type of
fulling. It's basically a quick way to finish a felted piece. If your wool locs have become severely damaged, you may need to wet felt them by palm rolling, or small snags can be repaired by needle felting. Here is a video for felting wool dreads:
"How do you make these? How did you get that color? How did you make them UV?"
I frequently get asked how I curl my wool locs. For those interested in learning to make items similar to mine, I appreciate and respect your interest. However, I do not have any video tutorials or written instructions for how I make my items.
While I list the materials that I use, I do not share my technique or share a list of suppliers for materials/tools. As far as dye, I always list which type of dye I use, but I do not give out brand names or links to suppliers. From time to time, I use food coloring, natural dyes (such as walnut hull, coffee, and tea), and professional acid dyes. To get some of my sets to "glow", I use fluorescent acid dyes and optical whitener.
"Do you take custom orders?"
I will be taking a few custom orders during the Summer and Fall or 2015. I have listings for the custom orders available here (for the Icelandic Wool):
https://www.etsy.com/listing/240215770/custom-order-icelandic-wool-dread-set?ref=shop_home_active_9
(Corriedale Wool):
https://www.etsy.com/listing/239371344/custom-order-corriedale-wool-dread-set?ref=shop_home_active_7
I also have many pre-made sets available through my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/NVCL3ARBVTT3RFLY
"Do you make Vegan Wool Dreads?"
Technically, there is no such thing as "Vegan Wool". All wool comes from animals. However, there are a lot of gorgeous fibers made from banana, bamboo, tencel, soy, hemp, cotton, rose, and many others that can be turned into gorgeous extensions. However, only animal fibers (or blends with animal fibers) can be wet felted. Vegetable fibers can be needle felted. Needle felting is VERY tedious, and it would take me 20-30 times as long to make a set. I would therefore need to charge $2,500 - $6,000 for a full set, and it would take at least six months to complete. I'm working on a process to bring that price down, but it will be awhile before I will have any full vegan sets available.
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| I made these with a blend of Merino Wool, Bamboo, and Silk |
I do occasionally make dreads from synthetics, such as kanekalon and toyokalon (plastics) but the material isn't the greatest thing for the environment. Some of the dyes used on synthetics are not actually vegan. So if you are in search of a environmentally responsible, ethically sourced, and vegan product, synthetics probably won't work for you.
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| Some of my synthetic dreads. |
My preference is wool. It is lighter, can be dyed any color, and is a renewable resource. Sheep tend to be expensive animals, and the quality of their wool is dictated not only by genetics, but by controllable factors, such as diet, stress, weather, etc. So, an unhealthy poorly cared for animal would not produce a high-quality fleece. So,it would be irrational for any farmer to mistreat their flock. Unlike plastic, wool isn't bad on the environment. It doesn't sit in a landfill for thousands of years. Wool comes from a farm (most of which are located in the USA), not a factory in China, so there is no reason to be concerned about contributing to possibly unethical working conditions. For those with allergies to wool (or specifically the lanolin in the wool), I make dreads from Alpaca, which contains no lanolin, and I have blends with Mohair and Llama, which are also free of lanolin.
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| Dreads made from Alpaca |
Payment and Shipping Information
I accept payment through Paypal. I ship to the name/address that is listed on the Paypal account. I pack my locs by wrapping them first in tissue paper, then wrapping that in BPA free plastic wrap, then I place them in a mailer or box. All orders sent within the US include a tracking number. If you require insurance or different packaging, it is available by request, at an additional cost. I am willing to ship outside of the US. If your country is not listed in the shipping options, please contact me through the Etsy listing, and I will add your country. I ship directly from the Post Office. I ship every 1-8 days. During "Snow Season" I only ship one day per week, either Friday or Saturday.
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