NO!!! Absolutely not! Scissors are NEVER the answer unless you want to cut off your dreadlocks entirely. (They should not be used for separating either, for that matter!)
Cutting off those loose hairs is a very temporary solution that will cause a lot of long-term heartache, hassle, and potentially even damage. When you start your dreadlocks they depend on ALL the hair that you started that dreadlock with in order to be as strong as possible. Anytime you cut hair, that’s hair that should be in a dreadlock. Cutting loose hairs can create thin, weak spots in the dreadlocks even if and when you incorporate those loose hairs back into the dreadlock later on down the road.
Additionally, although trimming those loose hairs may seem like an easy way to tidy things up, make sure to never forget that hair is ALWAYS growing! Once you trim it up it’s just going to grow right back and now that you’ve cut it you’ll be dealing with annoying pieces of spikey, too-short bits of hair. Of course, technically you could keep cutting them but you’d just end up with weak spots as mentioned earlier! So your best bet is just to avoid cutting at all costs.
So of course now the next question is, if you can’t cut them what SHOULD you do with them? The first thing to look into is what product(s) you are using! Are you using wax? STOP! It acts as a lubricant and actually PREVENTS locking. Not to mention that it doesn’t magically wash out the way product companies tell you it does. It builds up and overtime leads to mold growth. What shampoo are you using? Just because a shampoo is “all-natural”, “organic”, or even it says it’s “residue-free” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for dreadlocks. Unfortunately terms like “anti-residue” or “residue-free” have become misleading marketing buzzwords used to sell products that aren’t really either of those things. The wrong product can lubricate the hair and prevent locking and lead to build-up and issue with mold down the road.
If the products you are using truly isn’t a factor, there are a few different ways folks use to incorporate loose hairs. Some of the easiest options are dread balling or simply wrapping the loose hair around the dreadlocks they belong in and palm rolling until the hairs incorporate themselves accordingly. (Or you can put a bead, rubber band, or temporarily tie in string to encourage the hair to lock into a dread.)
If you’ve got the tools you could also try using a latch hook or needle and thread to pull in those stray hairs. And, finally, even crochet can be used as well.
Just remember, scissors are NEVER the answer!
