Curly Dreadlocks

Curly dreadlock extensions combine a dense, hand-crocheted dread at the top with curls below it. The whole set is made of henlon, a heat-resistant fiber that tolerates about 150 °C, and the curls keep their shape without styling products. We make two curl types: Ariel spirals and soft waves. For straight dreads, see smooth dreads or textured dreads.

Ariel spirals and soft waves

Most curly sets have Ariel spirals, springy curls that run down the dread below the crocheted root. These sets come as double ended (DE) dreads, 50–55 cm long. Many of them include one thin braid in every ten dreads, often with beads or wraps.

Two boho sets, Black Boho Curly and Blonde Brown Boho Curly, have soft waves instead. The top of each dread is crocheted, and below it the fiber falls free in loose waves. These two come as single ended (SE) dreads, 60 cm long.

How curly dreads are made

Each dread is made by hand with a crochet hook and a comb. The root part is crocheted tight, so it holds firmly at the braid point, and the curls hang below it. Henlon keeps the curl through washing. The colour is part of the fiber, so it does not fade. After you order, Danila makes one dread first and sends you a photo to confirm the colour and texture.

Length and quantity

Spiral sets are 50–55 cm long and the wavy boho sets are 60 cm. Other lengths from 5 to 120 cm can be made to order. Every dread is 0.8–1 cm thick at the crocheted part.

• For a full head with DE dreads you need 40–45 for thin hair, 50–55 for medium hair and 60–65 for dense hair.
• With SE dreads you need 45–50, 60–65 and 70–75.

Curls add volume, so many people mix 10–20 curly dreads into straight ones. The dread calculator covers partial installs. Delivery time and cost for your country are shown under the buy button.

Colours

The curly range includes natural black 1B, browns, blondes, ginger and red tones, pastel pink and several ombres. Some sets mix two or three colours dread by dread. Beads in your set may differ slightly from the photos. See also coloured dreads and ombre dreads.

Care, heat and wear

• Separate the curls with your fingers every day, so they do not tangle with each other.
• Never comb or brush the Ariel spirals, because a comb pulls the spiral apart. The free wavy ends of the two boho sets may be combed gently; run wet palms down them afterwards and the wave comes back.
• Wash at most once a week with shampoo diluted 1:5, on the scalp only. Squeeze the water out with a towel without twisting, then let the dreads air-dry.
• Do not use conditioner. It loosens the thin braids of your own hair that hold the dreads.
• A sauna is fine for henlon. You can restyle the curls with a flat iron, but keep the temperature moderate and iron only through a damp cotton towel.

One install is worn for 1.5–2 months. Then the set comes out and can go back in straight away. A curly set lasts 2–3 installs. Free videos on installation and care are in the DaddyDread Academy.

Mixing curly dreads with straight ones

To add curls to straight dreads, buy a second set, for example 20 smooth DE dreads and 10 curly ones. Some of our synthetic sets already mix curls with textured or smooth dreads. In those mixed sets the straight dreads are low-temperature kanekalon, so keep the whole set below 60–70 °C.