NBA YoungBoy is an American rapper with a unique dreadlock style. The uniqueness of his semi-freeform dreads has captured the attention of rappers and fans, making many want to know how to get dreads like NBA YoungBoy.
To get his style of dreads, you need to grow your hair to about 3-4 inches long without combing or washing it. When the length becomes adequate, wash your hair one time only. Apply dreadlock oils to improve moisture and rub hair in a circular motion with a hair sponge or brush every day. Ensure you choose a direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) and stick to it.
Aside from the information above, there are other important things you need to know if you want to make a similar style of dreadlocks like NBA Youngboy. So, read on to find out.
Who Is NBA YoungBoy?
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, also known as NBA YoungBoy, was born on the 20th of October 1999 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. YoungBoy is an American Rapper signed to Atlantic Records, and he came into the limelight in 2015 with his first mixtape, “Life Before Fame.”
Youngboy’s song Bandit (ft Juice Wrld) won the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in 2021 and BMI R&B/ Hip-Hop Awards in the same year. “I Am Who They Say I Am” (featuring Kevin Gates and Quando Rondo), another song by NBA YoungBoy, won a nomination for BET Hip Hop Awards 2019.
NBA YoungBoy is popular for his personality, career, and hairstyle. While many rappers and fans love the dreadlock hairstyle, YoungBoy’s dreads stand out due to his hair type and dread pattern.
What Type of Hair Type Do You Need?
The hair type ideal for the NBA YoungBoy dreadlock is Type 4C. This is the hair type he has, and it is a tightly coiled pattern hair, which is ideal for making freeform dreads.
How Do You Determine Your Hair Type?
Since the hair type determines the ease with which you can make dreadlocks, knowing your hair type is important. There are four different types of hair;
- Kinky
- Curly
- Wavy
- Straight
Kinky hair usually appears rough and coarse and is the best type of hair for growing dreads like NBA YoungBoy. The hairstyle resembles the alphabet Z. They are also prone to breakage. There are three different types of Kinky hair;
- Type 4A: This Kinky hair type is soft
- Type 4B: This hair type is wiry
- Type 4C: This hair type is wirier than the 4B
Curly hair stays curly irrespective of how much effort you put into straightening. This hair type is prone to tangles and resembles the alphabet S. There are three types of Curly hair;
- Type 3A: This type has loose curls
- Type 3B: The curls on this type are neither tight nor loose
- Type 3C: This type has tight curls
When there is a slight curl pattern at the ends of your hair, you have wavy hair. There are three types of wavy hair;
- Type 2A: Hair here is both wavy and thin
- Type 2B: Thickness here is medium
- Type 2C: This type of hair is wavy and thick
On the other hand, straight hair falls flat from roots to tips, and there are no curls or waves. This hair also has a silky texture coupled with a high quantity of oil secretion. There are three types of Straight Hair;
- Type 1A: This is straight hair that is very soft, shiny, and smooth. This hair type lacks volume
- Type 1B: This hair type is thicker than type 1A
- Type 1C: Hair here is thick and coarse while being straight.
Once you can determine your hair type, deciding what dreadlock style is ideal for you becomes easy.
How Do You Get Dreads Like NBA YoungBoy?
Getting the NBA YoungBoy style of dread is not as complicated as it appears. It is a semi-freeform dreadlock style. This style is ideal for individuals with Kinky hair. If left organic and unmanipulated, this hair tends to mat at its base and lock at its tip.
Can You Do It Yourself?
NBA Youngboy has type 4c hair that easily tangles, locks, and forms skinny dreads. Since the NBA Youngboy dreadlock style is a semi-freeform style, you can do it from the comfort of your home with the right technique and tools. The requirements are the right hair type (Kinky), a good dreadlock oil, and a hair sponge or brush.
How Long Does Your Hair Have to Be?
3-4 inches is perfect for the semi-freeform dreadlocks style. However, it is advisable to let the hair get to 4 inches before using a sponge to shape it up.
What Process Should You Use?
The major difference between the freeform dreading style and NBA Youngboy dreading style is the loose root system.
While the freeform dreading style has bound roots, the semi-freeform style has loose roots, with each dread standing separate from root to tip.
Incorrectly doing the semi-freeform dreading style could lead to flat locks, a thin base, or a slow locking process. So, what process should you use to ensure you get the ideal NBA Youngboy dreads.
- Twisting The Hair: This is the first process in semi-freeform dreadlocks and is probably the bestway to start dreads of this style. It involves rubbing the hair using a hair sponge. Before twisting the hair, you must choose the direction of twist (Clockwise or anti-clockwise) you are most comfortable with. Maintaining the direction you start with is the key to a successful twisting, as changing directions midway would lead to unraveling dreads. Rubbing the hair also helps increase hair growth due to improved blood circulation on the scalp.
- Part Locks at the base: While twisting, ensure no fusion of locks at the root. To achieve the NBA Youngboy dread style, individual locks have to stand apart from each other. You can do this by consciously separating the locks at the base at least once every week.
- Moisturize Locks: For Optimal loc health, moisture is essential. When locks are dry, they tend to break, making you lose hair. Washing hair using a sulfate-free shampoo and organic oil is one way to improve hair moisture content. Applying organic oils on semi-freeform dreads helps improve their appearance. When massaged into the scalp, the oils also help boost blood circulation, which improves hair growth.
What Products Do You Need?
Hair Sponge
The hair sponge is a hand tool that has textured holes and grooves to give your natural hair the perfect curls or twists throughout your dreading process. To form dreads, rub the sponge in a circular motion on your hair but ensure you stick to a particular direction.
Moisturize Oil
This product includes Coconut oil and Argan Oil. These oils are ideal for the NBA Youngboy type of dreads. The Argan oil contains antioxidants that repair the damage done to the scalp. It also leaves a little residue that makes the dreads shiny and smooth.
On the other hand, Coconut oil penetrates the NBA Youngboy dreads more than other oils. It contains vitamins and minerals that help prevent breakages and split ends.
Hair Spray
This is an essential product to have if you want to make NBA Youngboy dreads as it helps replenish hair moisture. It makes dreadlocks elastic, reducing the hair’s tendency to break. Using Hair spray before twisting leaves your dreads tangle-free.
Tips For Maintaining the Dreads
- Ensure Minimal Hair Manipulation and tension: To ensure optimal growth and development of dreads, reduce styling and manipulation. This also helps avoid bald patches. Excess styling would hamper the growth process, causing locks to become flat. Also, try to alternate hairstyles at least once in two weeks, so you do not stretch hair in the same direction for long periods.
- Clean hair frequently: Dreadlocks are a mass of hair, and they tend to trap dirt and impurities from the environment. Accumulation of dirt and debris on semi-free-forming locs due to improper cleaning leads to a buildup, resulting in thinning roots.
- Part Hair roots: Separate your dreadlocks at the base at least once a week to ensure the roots do not fuse.
- Loc Rubbing and Base Wrapping: These are light grooming processes you have to incorporate into your dreadlock shampooing routine. They help fasten the locking process and keep the locks healthy and strong, reducing their tendency to break.
- Wash hair with Shampoo: Wash your hair once a week using a sulfate-free shampoo
Getting a similar style of dreadlocks like NBA Youngboy is quite easy to achieve. All you need is time, patience, and the right hair type. To grow NBA Youngboy dreads style, you need to allow your hair to grow 3-4 inches long. The ease with which your hair forms dreadlocks like NBA Youngboy is dependent on the type of hair.
