Most people believe that the only way to get rid of dreadlocks is to shave their heads entirely, or to wait for the roots to grow out and then cut the dreads off. These methods, while perhaps the easiest, will leave you with little or no hair. It is also seen as very cathartic, even spiritual, for many people to just shave it all off and have a fresh new start. But, for those of us who would like the change without the baldness, there are other options.
The difficulty in removing your dreads will depend on how they were created, how long you have had them, and your hair type. If you are willing to spend some money, you can buy a dreadlock removal kit from Dread Head, the company who specifies in all things related to dreadlocks, from their website. This is a slightly pricey line, but from a great home-grown, reliable company with an extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff. I have not had any experience with their dread removal kids, but have heard several successful testimonials. The other, more time consuming, method is to pick them out. Yes, despite most myths, this is possible; but it will take a great deal of time, patience, deep conditioner, and helping hands.
The first step is to cut off your dreads at least an inch above the tips. This is a nasty process in itself, so be sure to have a good, sturdy, pair of scissors. Also, when doing this, be sure to keep in mind that the actual length of hair within a dread is quite a bit longer than the dread itself. And, the more of your dreads that you cut off, the less you have to pick out. Do not start any unraveling unless your hair is wet, otherwise it will be extremely painful and even more damaging. Your best preparation would include washing the dreadlocks thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner, and running them under as hot of water as possible in order to melt and get rid of any wax or product residue. Next, apply a deep conditioner; I recommend Burt’s Bee’s Avocado Conditioner. This will make your hair more loose and manageable as well as stronger and less prone to breakage in the detangling process. Leave this on for 15-20 minutes before you begin brushing your dreadlocks out, as well as during the process. Another thing that helps a great deal is a detangling spray. Saturate the end of your dread with the spray, continuing to reapply as you work higher up the dread towards the root.
When combing, a steel comb is your best bet- well worth the extra 3 dollars. While plastic combs will do the job, they will also bend and break off teeth in the combing process. The best way to go about combing out your dreadlocks is to start with then ends, inserting the end of the comb into it and pulling downwards. Do not insert the comb so high that you have to break the hair in pulling the comb through. But, keep in mind that you will lose a lot of hair during this process. On the plus side, think of all the hair you would lose in washing and brushing your hair usually; this has not happened because you have dreadlocks! So, the hair loss during this process should only make your hair slightly less thin than it would be regularly. You are losing hair that would have come out long ago without dreads. When you continue picking out your dreads with the end of the comb, remember to keep applying conditioner and/or detangling spray. As you come to looser parts of the dread, you can insert the comb sideways through the dread and actually brush it out. But, be careful, because if you try to brush out too large of a section at once it will be extremely painful and unproductive.
After having long, thick dreadlocks for 2 years, I was able to finish brushing them out in a weekend (with the help of several friends) and salvage enough hair for a shoulder-length bob. With lots of patience and friends to help, you should be able to brush your dreadlocks out as well and avoid the buzz cut. Good luck!
