Whether you’re about to embark on your loc journey, or you’re currently in the starter loc stage, you already know that retwisting your dreads is a routine part of the loc life. And though, sure, you could head to your loctician every few months for some quality retwist time, but some things are just nice to do from the comfort of your living room, you know?
So if you’re ready to learn how to retwist locs yourself, you’ll need a few things: a good show to binge (the latest season of Euphoria, obvs), the right tools and tutorials (ahem, like the ones below), and the advice of actual locticians. And lucky for you, I gathered everything you need to know about retwisting, from prep to maintenance, along with help from two expert hairstylists. Let’s get into it.
Meet the experts
- Erinn Courtney is a celebrity hairstylist and loctician based in Los Angeles, CA, who works with celebrities like Zendaya and Willow Smith.
- Chimere Faulk is a loctician and hairstylist and the creator of Dr Locs, a haircare brand for natural hair and locs.
Is it better to retwist dreads wet or dry?
Both hairstylists, Erinn Courtney and Chimere Faulk, agree that retwisting wet hair is both easier and better for your hair. Wet hair is more elastic and malleable to twist, says Courtney, whereas twisting dry hair can cause breakage and damage. And by "wet" hair, we don't mean just misting your hair with a spray bottle and calling it good—we mean freshly-washed hair that's super clean and residue-free.
"Before you twist, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo to make sure all the residue from products, dirt, and sweat is out of your hair,” says Courtney. In fact, a clean foundation is so important for a retwist that Faulk says she often washes her clients’ hair three times first: the first two washes focused solely on the roots, and the third wash focused solely on the lengths and ends of the locs to rinse out any residue from the scalp. Once your hair is clean and wet, you’re ready for the loc retwist.
How do you retwist dreads?
Regardless of the loc method you started with (i.e., comb coiling, palm rolling, or two-strand twists), the way you retwist your locs will be largely the same, according to Faulk and Courtney. Before you start, make sure you have clips, an extra-large hair tie, an alcohol-free gel, your silk or satin bonnet, and a YouTube tutorial for reference as you go (keep scrolling if you need a visual right now). Once you’re ready, take it one loc at a time:
1. First, you want to re-define the parting around your locs with a rat-tail comb. Holding your starting loc, guide the tail-end of the comb around the new growth to separate and define the parting.
2. Pick up some gel with your finger and thumb and pinch the loc at the root (where the new growth is), gently twisting the root clockwise, away from your face. “You want to twist the loc to the point where it’s still straight, not buckling or curling over itself,” Courtney says.
3. Clip and secure the retwisted section at the root so it doesn’t unravel, then repeat with the next loc, adding it to the same clip. Continue adding retwisted locs to one clip until you need another clip.
4. After you’ve fully retwisted and clipped every loc, you need to dry your dreads to set the twist, says Faulk, by either sitting under a hooded dryer for 30 to 60 minutes (shorter, thinner locs will dry faster than longer, thicker locs), or letting them air dry.
5. Once your locs are dry, remove the clips and enjoy the result of your hard work (and tired arms). To keep your locs moisturized, Courtney recommends spritzing a moisturizer spray throughout your roots and locs every few days.
Grab these before retwisting your locs:
Can you retwist instant locs and interlocked locs?
If you started your locs with the instant loc or interlock techniques, Faulk says you can either continue with the same crochet-needle techniques on your new growth, or you can follow the retwisting method above. Either way, here’s how to do it at home:
Retwisting instant locs
In addition to your clips, hair tie, gel, and bonnet, you’ll also need a crochet needle. You'll still want to start with clean wet hair, and follow steps one and two. But instead of twisting and clipping your loc, you'll want to thrust the needle in and out of the new growth as you twist to encourage the hair to loc up. Faulk says you can skip clipping the loc in place, since locking the hair with a crochet needle will help it to stay in place by itself.
Retwisting interlocked locs
For interlocked locs, skip the crochet hook and push your finger through the center of the new hair growth to create a gap (still on clean, wet hair), then flip the end of your loc through the hole in the new growth. Repeat the flipping motion until the new growth is twisted together.
Need a visual? Check out our favorite tutorials below:
The best tutorials on how to retwist dreads
Erinn Courtney's tutorial
How to retwist starter locs
How to retwist instant locs
How to retwist interlocked locs
How long does a dread retwist take?
A dread retwist can take anywhere from two to five hours—and where you fall in that range comes down to your skill level. Once you’ve been retwisting your own locs for months or years, you’ll be banging it out in a couple hours. But if it’s your first time doing it at home, settle in, since it can take some time. Like anything, practice makes perfect, and the more you do it, the faster you’ll get at it. And that’s what binge-watching was made for anyway, right?
How often should you retwist your dreads?
How often you’ll need to retwist will depend on how mature your locs are. If you’re in the starter-loc phase, try retwisting every three months, says Courtney, since your main goal will be to give your hair the time it needs to lock together. If you have mature locs (typically about a year or older), she says you can feel comfortable retwisting as often as every two weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows.
But honestly, if you do have mature locs, don’t feel like you need to adhere to a schedule. According to Faulk, the frequency at which you retwist comes down to your style and preference. If you like tight, neat, crisply parted locs, two weeks is probably your speed. But if you don’t mind letting them grow for a while between twists, wait several months, or, if you have freeform locs, just let them do their thing.
4 moisturizing sprays to try:
SheaMoisture Sugarcane Extract & Meadowfoam Seed Leave-In Spray
Final notes
Doing your own retwist for the first time might feel intimidating, so take it one step at a time. Put on a good movie, or schedule a FaceTime sesh with your bestie, and eventually, you’ll get the hang of it. And to keep your locs fresh, both hair stylists recommend always tying your hair down at night, and giving your roots a regular spritzing with a moisture spray to prevent dryness. And most importantly, take a zillion selfies of your work. I mean, you really earned it.
Sami Roberts was the previous beauty assistant at Cosmopolitan. Keep up with her cat-filled life in New York on Instagram.
