Your virtual locs preview
Dreadlocks Filter — Try Locs First
Preview starter locs, microlocs, faux locs and more on your photo. Compare size and length before you commit.
No photo handy? Try a sample:
Choose Locs for Your Photo
Selected:Shoulder-length locs
Designed to turn your hair into locs while keeping the rest of your look.
7 locs styles · Coily, curly, wavy and straight hair · Free credits for new accounts
The locs edit
Explore 7 Dreadlock Styles on Your Photo
Compare loc size, how each look starts and the upkeep it asks for. Six looks share one portrait; the men's short dreads use a separate example.
Shoulder-length locs
The classic length, with locs that just reach the shoulders.
- Loc size
- Medium locs, about 1 cm thick, on even partings.
- How it starts
- Often about two years of growth from short hair; if your hair is already long, crochet can create locs in one session.
- Upkeep
- Root maintenance every four to eight weeks, and thorough drying after each wash.
Dreads Filter Before & After on 3 Textures
Compare AI-created loc previews on short coils, straight hair and long curls. Drag each slider to see the change.
Men's Locs at Shoulder Length
From short coils to locs that reach the shoulders — often about two years of growth from a short cut. See the destination before you start.
Starter Locs on Straight Hair
Straight hair can loc too, usually by interlocking or crochet, with a longer, frizzier budding stage. Check how short locs frame your face.
Microlocs on Long, Thick Curls
Fine locs keep the length and movement of long hair. The installation takes a long time, so compare the size first.
6 Checks Before You Commit to Dreadlocks
How you'll look with dreadlocks is only half the decision. Locs grow over months and years, so weigh these details — ideally with a loctician — before you start.
Locs often take a year or two to mature, and taking mature locs out usually means cutting them. Combing out is sometimes possible, but it is slow and costs some hair.
Coily hair often locks well from comb coils or two-strand twists. Wavy and straight hair can loc too, usually with interlocking or crochet and a longer budding stage.
Three common ways to start locs. A loctician can suggest the method that suits your hair.
Loc size is set by the partings on day one. Smaller parts mean more locs and a longer install; larger locs start faster but feel heavier and dry more slowly.
Parting size decides loc size, and it shapes the look for years.
Young locs go through a budding stage — frizz, shrinkage and a few unravelling ends — often for several months before they settle. Previews show mature locs, not the first months.
Budding is a normal stage. Your preview shows where the locs are heading.
Many locticians suggest root maintenance every four to eight weeks. Retwisting too often or too tightly can thin the roots and strain the hairline.
Gentle, regular root maintenance keeps partings neat without pulling.
Wash with a residue-free shampoo and skip heavy waxes that build up inside. Longer locs can take hours to dry fully, so plan wash days around drying time.
Dry locs all the way through so moisture doesn't linger inside.
How to try on dreads
See How You'd Look with Dreads in 3 Steps
Upload a photo, choose a locs style and compare your preview.
Step 01
Start with a Clear Photo of Your Hairline
Use a front-facing portrait with even light, your hairline visible and hair off your face. You can also start with a sample photo in the tool.
- Even light, a visible hairline, no hats or scarves.
- JPG, PNG or WebP · Up to 10 MB
Step 02
Choose the Locs You Want to Preview
Choose from seven styles, from starter locs and microlocs to faux locs and short dreads with a fade. Generate a preview to see the look on your photo.
- Starter locs, microlocs, faux locs and more.
- Select a style, then generate your preview.
Starter locs
Microlocs
Faux locs
Step 03
Compare Loc Sizes and Save a Favorite
Compare your preview with the original, then download a result to keep or to show your loctician.
- Compare your hairline, loc size and length.
- Save a result, or try another style.
Before
After
AI-created illustrations. Your preview will depend on your photo.
Beyond the preview
Bring Your Locs Preview to a Loctician
Save a preview and talk through these four details at your consultation, so your loctician can plan locs around your real hair.
Loc Size and Parting
Point to the size you like and ask how the parting grid will look.
Starting Method
Ask whether comb coils, twists, interlocking or crochet suit your texture.
Length and Timeline
Compare your current length with the preview; a preview can't predict how fast hair grows.
Maintenance Plan
Agree on retwist timing, wash-day care and what to do at home between visits.
Dreadlock Filter Tips and Common Questions
Preview details, credits, photo tips and what to expect from real locs.
Upload a clear, front-facing photo with your hairline visible, choose a locs style and select Add locs. Compare the preview with your original or try another style. The tool accepts JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 10 MB. AI previews help you explore a look; real locs depend on your hair, method and time.
New accounts receive free credits to try the tool. Generating previews uses credits; check the amount shown in the tool before generating. You can review additional credits on the pricing page.
The previews show settled, mature locs. Real locs usually pass through a budding stage first, with frizz, shrinkage and some unravelling, and any added length comes from your own growth over time. Treat a preview as a picture of the goal, not a prediction of how or when your hair will grow.
Locs can form on most textures with the right method: comb coils and two-strand twists are common on coily hair, while interlocking or crochet is often used on straighter hair. The edit is designed to follow your photo, but AI results can vary, so ask a loctician what suits your hair.
The tool is designed to change only the hairstyle, adding length where a style calls for it, while keeping your face, skin and natural hair color. Generative edits may introduce small differences, so compare the result with your original. To try a new shade, use the hair color try-on.
Choose starter locs, shoulder-length locs or short dreads with a taper fade. The short-dreads example uses a separate men's portrait to show the intended shape, and the before-and-after section includes shoulder-length locs on a man.
Young locs can sometimes be combed out with conditioner and a lot of patience, usually with some hair loss. Mature locs are usually cut. For a real-life trial first, faux locs are installed with extensions and taken out after several weeks.
Both words describe the same hairstyle. Locs have deep roots in Black communities across Africa and the diaspora, including Rastafari, and they also appear in other traditions. Many people who wear them prefer the word “locs”; we use both because people search for both.
Still have a question? Email us at support@haircolorchangeai.com.
Explore More Braids, Curls and Hairstyles
Preview another protective style, texture or cut.
Try AI Dreads Before You Start Your Locs
Choose a locs style, compare your preview and save a reference for your loctician.
Free credits for new accounts · Previews use credits