I had some navy blue jumbo braid that wouldn't dread properly,
so I tried steaming it straight. It worked! It gets ratty pretty quickly,
as this picture taken after a day's wear shows, but nothing that can't
be steamed back out again.

Loose hair in navy blue, Sweet Red and Hot Red (some braided).
Synthetic dreads in Hot Red and red/Hot Red candycanes.
SFX Nuclear Red hair color.