How to Puff Up Flat Dreadlocks

Established dreadlocks have a rounded, puffy look that stays put without too much trouble. New dreads need time to knot up and stay puffy, and until they do, they flatten out easily. You may notice flattening after you've slept on your dreads or covered them with a tight-fitting hat. If your dreads have lost their puffiness, you can fix them with a quick technique called "palm rolling." Palm rolling works best after wax has been applied -- if you skip it, the dreads will flatten out again fast. This technique is designed for real human-hair dreadlocks, not the synthetic variety.

Feel your dreadlocks for wax. If you previously applied dread wax to your hair and some still remains, you don't need to apply more now.

Warm up a quarter-sized amount of dread wax in the palm of your hand if you need to apply more wax. Let the wax soften.

Smooth the warmed wax over a dread, then rub it in well. Apply a bit more wax as needed. Repeat this for the rest of your dreads.

Grasp a dread between your palms. Apply a bit of pressure, then rapidly roll the dread back and forth between your palms for about 30 seconds. If your hands or arms get tired easily, you're using too much pressure. Repeat this process for all of your dreads.

Blow-dry your dreads with warm air for a few seconds. This melts the wax more, allowing your dreads to absorb it more easily. If you can see wax dripping down your dreads, blot the hair with a paper towel to soak it up.