Dreadlocks, also called “locs” or “dreads,” are a gorgeous hairstyle that both women and men, especially African Americans, like. Locs need consistency and commitment to grow and stay healthy. If you take care of your dreads, you’ll have thick and shiny locs that will last for years.
But it’s not rare for dreads to thin out and fall. If you’ve lost one loc hair in a year, you probably won’t be too worried about it. But shedding, thinning, receding hairlines, and even baldness that happens over and over again are serious problems.
If your dreadlocks are getting thinner at Crown or falling out, you should see a dermatologist as soon as possible. Or you can try the following solutions to prevent thinning of dreads at the crown.

Read on to learn about ten causes and solutions for thinning of dreads.
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Ten Most Common Cause Of Dreads Thinning At Crown
There are the following reasons for dreads thinning at the crown.

1. Heavy Products
Products that don’t dissolve in water don’t work well with locs because they build up and need harsh products and shampoos to get them out of the locs completely. And, if you use waxes, honey, butter, and creams on locs and don’t wash them out right away, they will build up and suffocate the locs from the inside out, causing them to thin and break.
2. Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia
This is a rare form of Alopecia that is more prevalent in older black women. However, other races and genders may also suffer from it. It is a chronic disorder with unknown causes. With CCCA, hair follicles are badly harmed and incapable of producing new hair.
3. Medications
Regrettably, certain prescription drugs and medical procedures might cause thinning of locs and/or hair loss on occasion. Without removing the medicine from your system, you and your hair care specialist have little to no influence over the amount of hair loss.
However, it is crucial that you inform your hair care professional of any drugs you are currently taking to ensure that there are no adverse interactions with any products they may use on your hair that could result in additional hair loss.
4. Hair Tension
Traction alopecia is the common term for hair loss or thinning caused by tension. If you continuously pull your locs into the same style or use too-tight hair accessories, you will quickly damage your hair follicles and trigger thinning. Also, severe stress at the roots, especially when intensive interlocking care is undertaken, will cause locs to thin.
5. Scalp infections
Infections like psoriasis, dermatitis, and folliculitis can cause hair to thin. Most of the time, these conditions cause the scalp to itch, hurt, turn red, and become inflamed.
6. Heredity
Most of the time, our genes determine how thick our hair is. This means that if hair loss and/or balding are common in your family, you may also be prone to these traits. You can take steps to lessen the effects, but there’s not much you can do about your genes. Sorry.
7. Waiting Too Long Between Maintenance
Not all hair textures and loc types can endure prolonged periods without maintenance. In particular, persons with fine hair, Microlocs, or Sisterlocks should not go too long between maintenance appointments, since this will cause locs to thin or fall out.
How so? Well, as your hair naturally falls, the free hairs from the scalp should wrap within the loc, adding to its strength. However, once too much time has passed, the shedding hairs begin to fall and/or grow away from the locs, and the roots become thinner.
8. Removing lint
There are numerous ways to remove lint from locs; however, repeatedly picking at the locs with your hands or cutting into the locs with scissors to remove lint will develop weak areas that are susceptible to breakage and thinning.
9. Diet
Diet is essential for overall health. A diet deficient in iron and folic acid can specifically cause hair loss. It can also cause other issues such as brittleness and dryness of hair.
10. Mental Stress
Stress is harmful to the body and can cause issues such as headaches and weight gain. Additionally, it can cause hair loss. A recent traumatic or stressful incident may result in temporary hair thinning.
Solutions For Dreads Thinning At Crown
You can try following home solutions to prevent thinning of dreads at the crown.

1. Treat Any Infections Of The Scalp
If you have an infection on your scalp, you will have a lot of problems. Not only will it thin your hair at the root, but it may also make you feel uncomfortable and itch a lot. Do yourself and your dreadlocks a favor and see a doctor about the infection on your scalp. After the treatment, you should feel better and see new hair growth at the crown.
2. Don’t Make A Tight Hairstyle
It is important to get your dreadlocks up and out of the way, especially if they are really long. But pulling them back into tight hairstyles like ponytails and buns can cause tension, which can lead to thinning at the crown. Choose hairstyles that are looser. For bedtime, you can also put them in a shower cap.
3. Avoid Harsh Products
Chemically processing and coloring your dreadlocks is a terrific method to add personality and style to your appearance, but it should not be done frequently. These harsh products will damage your hair from root to tip.
Additionally, you should avoid products that are overly thick, such as oil creams and oil-based products, which can induce residue and buildup. This can prevent new hair from growing, resulting in thinning hair at the crown.
4. Change Your Diet
Assess your diet. Do you consume a diet that is generally nutritious, nutrient-dense, and well-balanced? If not, you might want to consider changing your diet. Choose a “hair growth-friendly” diet. Your diet should contain a lot of folic acids Iron and vitamins E, D, and B12.
5. Reduce Tension
Whether a tragic event caused your stress or you have an ongoing stress issue, it is imperative that you take action. Stress can lead to hair loss and also causes health issues such as hypertension. Find stress-relieving activities, such as spending more time with family, listening to music, meditating, and walking. Find out what works and stick with it.
6. Get Short and Thicker Hair
If you are experiencing crown thinning, you may need to reconsider your dreadlocks. If you currently have longer dreads, thinner dreads, or a combination of the two, you may want to consider thicker and shorter dreads. This cut will not generate as much stress, which can reverse thinning of the crown.
7. Decrease Your Exposure To The Sun
Extreme summer heat can cause dryness, breakage, and damage to hair follicles. The constant UV radiation will inhibit hair growth and lead to hair loss. Keep your hair covered when you are outside for extended periods.
8. Wash Your Locs
A frequent misunderstanding is that you don’t need to wash your dreadlocks. Unfortunately, this is poor advice that you must immediately forget. While it is not necessary to wash hair daily or every other day, you should not go months without washing it.
The shampoo should be used at least once or twice every month to clean your dreadlocks. A mild shampoo will prevent excessive buildup and residue, which can inhibit new hair growth. A clean scalp will also promote new growth, which is crucial for dreadlocks.
When washing your hair, you should be gentle. Remember that stress is the enemy of a healthy scalp and strong, glossy hair.
9. Use Essential Oils
It is correct that you should avoid using oil-based products on your dreadlocks. These are overly thick and cause undesired residue to accumulate. However, this is not the case for essential oils. Essential oils are thinner and stimulate hair growth by interacting with hair follicles.
There are numerous varieties of essential oils available on the market. Certain oils, such as tea tree, peppermint, and Jamaican black castor oil, can maintain healthy hair without blocking hair follicles.
Apply essential oils to your hair after washing. For optimal absorption, massage them into your scalp. Bonus: scalp massages might stimulate fresh hair growth. Combining essential oils with a relaxing scalp massage is a surefire approach to reducing hair loss and stimulating hair growth.
10. Try Herbal Supplements
Try Ashwagandha and Saw Palmetto supplements. Ashwagandha can reduce inflammation and block the stress chemicals responsible for hair loss. It is an excellent treatment for telogen effluvium.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why Are My Dreads Thinning Out?
Many things can cause dreads to thin, such as health problems, medications, stress, using too many hair products, medications, tension, over-manipulation, or neglect.
What To Do When Locs Are Thinning?
You may prevent your hair from thinning at the crown and make it healthier and thicker by treating infections, avoiding tight hairstyles and accessories, eating well, and routinely washing your hair.
Why Are My Locs Thin At The Root?
If you continuously pull your locs into the same style or use too-tight hair accessories, you will quickly damage your hair follicles and cause thinning. Also, severe stress at the roots, especially when intensive interlocking care is undertaken, will cause locs to thin.
Now it is Your turn
Thinning of hair at the dreadlocks is a common concern for many dreadlocks users. It eventually leads to baldness if not treated. Fortunately, you can stop your hair from getting thinner at the crown and make it healthier and thicker by getting rid of infections, avoiding tight hairstyles and accessories, eating better, and washing your hair regularly.
We hope this article has helped you. Do share your experience, after trying these solutions.
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