We generally recommend against DIY colouring of dreadlocks, unless you know better.

The reason for this is mainly the consistency of colouring products, which are designed for free-running hair, which acts as a sort of mop, keeping the (often, quite powerful) chemicals from behaving in unexpected ways.

Colouring dreadlocked hair, there are two basic pitfalls:

• the formula (of the colouring agent) is too thin, and permeates the centre of the dread, ignoring the outside, which is the part you'd want to get coloured, and / or

• the formula is too thick, and acts too much on the outside of the dreaded section, leaving a visibly uncoloured section just below, and what does permeate the dread is resistant to rinsing, retaining residue, and creating havoc on hair and possibly other tissues.

Timing is a factor also, as the action on dreadlocked hair of the colouring agent(s) will be not exactly the same as what is intended by the manufacturer.

This really is best left to an expert near you, but if you are determined and (hopefully) know what you're doing, too much rinsing just might be enough.

Be safe!