When I first bought one of these steamers I would extend the rod as high as it would go, put the hose straight up and set the wide nozzle end in the U shaped hanger thingy. Sorry I don't know what to call it, but those who have these types of steamers know what I mean. This method allowed me to stand with my arms raised up and steam dreads without having to touch the steamer wand. It was great but it tired out my arms, and I really got sick of standing
So, I decided to do a little bit of modifying!
My last steamer died. It recently burned out after almost 3 years of abuse
I believe it's discontinued as I can't find it for sale in a store or online. I'm actually really angry that it's discontinued because it was PERFECT for this modification.
I went out and purchased a Conair garment steamer in the same style:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/18 ... v_XSG10001
This is the steamer I'm using in this tutorial.
I didn't have much of a selection locally, but I was in a pinch and didn't have time to order one. It's not completely ideal because the hose comes out horizontally. If you buy a steamer directly for this purpose I would suggest one with a hose that exits vertically or semi vertically, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/PS-200-Perfect-Co ... d_sim_k_47
Anyways, on to the good part:
I wanted to sit in a chair or on a couch to steam my dreads, and to keep my arms at a neutral level.
Measure your hose so you don't cut it too short, or leave it too long. I find that a bit of slack is ideal, and you can always shorten it later. If the hose is cut too short boiling water could jump out and spit at you! Cutting it at 1.5-2 feet would probably suit most people, but feel it out so you don't have regrets. I had to compensate for my hose's horizontal exit position, so mine is longer.
Utility scissors work good for cutting the rubber, which is often tough and hard when it's at room temperature.
Here is how I cut my hose:
The next bit is IMPORTANT, and it serves more than one purpose.
I use clean cheap washcloths cut up into quarters. I place them on top of my cut hose end and use an elastic to secure it around the tip.
The most important reason for this is for protection. With the hose cut so close to the base, and with the hose being just an open end, the steam comes out stronger. Water also has a tendency to spit out in small amounts depending on the steamer. The washcloth slows the steam slightly and protects you from having boiling water spit at you. Depending on the model and output of your steamer you may want 2 or 3 layers of washcloth covering the tip.
Secondarily the washcloth provides a smoothing function when steaming the dreads which will be addressed at the end of the tutorial.
Now you'll need some ribbon, a shoelace, a small rope etc. to tie and secure the hose to the hanger rod of the steamer. The hose must be tied tightly enough to the rod that downward pressure doesn't move it. It must also be secured at more than one point to prevent movement from side to side. I generally wrap a shoe lace around it numerous times covering a 4-5 inch area of the hose. Also, my pictures are slightly inaccurate...If your steamers hose protrudes horizontally be sure not to let the hose sag lower than it's exit point. This will cause water to collect in the hose and cause a burping effect which will interrupt your steam flow.
Great, now we're ready to steam some dreads!
Keep in mind these pics are staged because I didn't have anyone around to take pics tonight so I couldn't hold the dread with both hands like I would if I was actually steaming.
Sorry I didn't get a before pic of the backcombed dread. For SE's I start by putting a wooden pencil or chopstick through the top hole and steaming the loop first, being careful to keep my fingers away. For DE's I start in the center of the dread with my hands on either side, and do one side at a time. I use my left hand to twist and slowly pull the dread over the steam.
At the same time I use my right hand to anchor, smooth, and tuck away random hairs into the dread before it goes over the steam. During this time the dread is also pushed downward onto the washcloth where the frizzies are smoothed down.
Keep twisting and pulling until the dread is steamed below where you will cut the ends.
Here's how I hold the dread in my right hand:
Not the best steaming pics, but they give the general idea. This steaming method gives you a lot of control of how the finished dread will look. Cut your end off and you have a fresh dread:
As a sort of disclaimer, do this at your own risk and use common sense. I mean when modding the steamer and while sealing. Steam/boiling water will easily give you a 2nd degree burn, and I've experienced a couple from not paying attention. They hurt a lot!!
I'm a bit tired, so I may edit this tomorrow if I'm not making sense and just rambling.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or corrections let me know
-Ashley/MizzzzBarr/FASD
