Location:
Zipcode: 48205
Country: US
Recently Rated:
Stats
Profile Tag Cloud:
washing dreadlocks guide
washing new dreadlocks or old
tip: cold cold water will eliminate dandruff and dread itch! wash with slightly cool water, but rinse with cold as you can stand.
new dreadlocks
always use either a non residue soap or the baking soda deep cleanse . many recommend washing with a stocking over your head and being very gentle not to disturb knots, this may make sense in backcombed hair that tends to unravel easily. many say its not nesacary, i never did myself, and i went natural and found my hair was more knotty not less after every washing. so the use of stockings is highly debatable.
mature dreadlocks
mature dreads don't require such gentle methods, just wash as you feel you should. mature dreads are more forgiving to conditioners and residues too, but residues once building up in the dread will be harder to remove so they are still best avoided.
methods of washing
1: flat palm method- gently rub the head with a flat palm in a circular motion (no it doesn't matter which direction..lol)
2: finger scrape method- with fingertips/nails scrape the scalp around and between dreads and under the roots careful to not scrub the dreads themselves much
3: no scrub deep cleanse- using the baking soda deep cleanse simply pour the solution over your head (keep eyes closed tight) and leave it in to soak a good while. 10-30 minutes depending how dirty the hair/scalp.
after all washing techniques simply rinse the soap/baking soda through the dreads and rinse very thoroughly
soap, shampoo, other selection
1: just cause its non residue doesn't make it great. look for soaps without sls's (sodium laurel sulphates or any ingredients that don't sound natural)
2: dreadheadhq and knotty boy soaps are ok, the only thing they make that is worthwhile and not harmful, however due to theyre lies and practices of pushing harmful products many ethical dreadheads prefer to boycott them entirely.
3: dr bronners 18 in 1 magic soaps are great for most people, but should be diluted 18-1 , however in some water types it may not rinse well.
4: the baking soda deep cleanse cleans better then most soaps, eats away at any build up dry skin and leaves you feeling extra clean, plus is cheap, you most likely have it in your kitchen, and is a natural part of the environment so is not polluting.
don't use dread wax!
dread wax is pure residue, it builds up and never comes out unless you take extreme measures to remove it
wax buildup traps dirt and moisture which leads to mold and in nearly all cases dreads being cut prematurely due to grossness.
more information
dreadlock products forums
dreadlocks maintenance forum
baking soda deep cleanse cleans
dreadwax information and removal
all dreadlocks forums
the dreadlocks site
be aware tho that most palm oil comes from slave labour..im not sure most but alot thats 1 reason dreadlockshampoo wont use it there are safe sources but u really need to research deeply
Coconut and palm are healthy I think from googling for dreads...ill throw in extra sea salt as a measure perhaps as well
id be more concerned that it would be too conditioning
heathers more of a soap expert then i am
hi... i enjoy making soaps for my own use here in australia.my daughter has dreadlocks and i want to make her some.here is my usual soap making recipie120 gm lye200gm coconut oil200 gm palm oil (environmentally sourced of course)water / goats milkwould this be okay for her hair...or will this cause any residue ?she wants a shampoo that contains no residue...and i want to make her a gift for her birthday.i just want to know if you think my recipie will be okay.i realise you also use beer instead of water and the kaolin clay as a extra substitute..i am sure that would be lovely as well...look forward to you reply.thanks
In case anyone is wondering, there's a gigantic bag of baking soda sold by arm & hammer, I found it at BJ's wholesale club and it was around $6. I was pretty annoyed buying those little boxes all the time only to have them clump up. The resealable bag is so much better.
Also, I did see your recommendation about using them on mature dreads first. I am boiling up a batch but the great thing about this stuff is that I can also use it to clean other stuff and also as a laundry concentrate so nothing lost....Thanks!
Absolutely! I have tons. Actually, what I do is I save the nuts that I use for my laundry. it is recommended you use about 5 nuts per load and you can use them an average of 5-7 times. The start to get a little soft so I put them in a jar. I know they still have "life" so I figured I would use them for something. Well, I just boiled them to make the "shampoo" and they got sudsy so they sure did have more life! These things are awesome.
Yes, send me your address. I'll get some out to you on Monday.
others have discussed them and im not sure if anyones tried them or not its worth a try but id feel better trying em on mature dreads 1st
any chance u could send me a few to try
enough for a few washes
I saw this topic on another thread but this one is more recent so I wanted to ask here...
I have about 2 pounds of soap nuts/soap berries because I wash my laundry with them. I have been *trying* to do research on whether or not they are good for dreads - mostly the residue issue. They look like they would be perfect for dreads as most blogs are saying they control dandruff and balance the scalp and prevent infections. I have also seen a few comments about how they have made people's hair knotty (which in our case is a good thing) but these were all complaints from women who want silky smooth keratin treated hair. So I will take that comment as a PLUS.
I am not a scientists plus I have dreads that are only about 2 weeks old so I want to get input from anyone who has any after reading this article. Based on this information on them I am willing to give them a try and make the "shampoo" but if I am missing an important aspect of their organic makeup that would NOT be good for dreads, I would like someone to STOP me!
If all sounds good I will report back with my results. Here is the link (althought there are tons of info sites on these little balls of awesomeness):
http://betteralive.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Use-Reetha-or-Soap-Nuts-for-Washing-Hair
whaty do u wash with