How many days can you go without washing your dreads before they start to smell?

Been a long time since i posted last.

Its been about a year and a few months of neglect for me guys. My dreads are coming in satisfactory. Recently i was kind of happy because for the first time someone actually said something about my hair.

They actually asked "how did you get your dreads?" Made me feel legit haha.

but thats aside the point of this thread.

on topic,

I noticed that after washing my hair and my dreads have dried they smell nice and fresh like the soap i wash them with.

After only 2 days of no wet or wash though i seem to notice an odor. Not a horrible stench but the type of odor one might expect if they hadnt washed their hair in a few days.

So im wondering does this sound weird to you? or do dreads just naturally start to smell bad faster than undreaded hair when it hasnt been washed?

the nightmare of dread rot is always on my mind.......

Your thoughts?

updated by @pwntus: 02/14/15 10:02:45AM

define smell bad? i dont think mine ever smelled bad unless i did get lil musty from tyn em up wet

ive gone long periods when i wasnt able to wash for weeks and weeks i hated the feeling but never noticed a smell

but then again i like to smell like the forrest like camp fire smoke

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Dunno man, i go quite a while sometimes without washing, i only wash when i wake up and think "Damn, my hair is dirrrrty" lol, it smells sometimes but not much, depends what uve been doing really.

Mine smells like smoke after a few days, so I wash it. I have a very close friend who hasn't even washed hisdreads in 2011! Honestly, his hair looks dirty but has no bad smell....

agree, def depends on what you're doing. I mean,if ya go to a carnival, you'regonna comeout smelling like a carnie

It depends on your lifestyle. If you workout often then they are going to smell a lot sooner than others who don't. Mine begin to smell like gun powder after a week lol. Also, if you smoke and are very active that complicates things even more. If you can smell your dreads, so can everyone else. I would wash no less than once a week Your dreads will thank you

Yikes

, im feeling a bit paranoid now. this is usually after maybe 2-3 days of not washing. im not sure if im just overly worried though or if dread rot is a legitimate culprit.

I read here that dread rot usually smells horrible when your hair is moist. Does this apply even after you just washed your hair? because my hair always smells nice and fresh after i wash it. It just seems that they start to smell i guess musty after only a few days.

Basically the smell i usually get from wearing a beanie for hours and then taking it off and smelling my hair is the type of smell im talking about when i havnt washed my dreads for days.

I ve gone months without washing and its fine. I only washed it because I went to the beach. Anyway I have recently gone one month without washing my hair and it smells fine. I had a mixture of vitamin e oil, and drops of some essential oils like rosemary, lavender, and some other stuff (sorry i mixed it last summer) once a week or every few days. I currently use a bottle of Sproil when I feel that I need it but its still full and just sits in my bathroom waiting to be used.

I have had my dreads for 2 and a half years-

I have no sense of smell, but my boyfriend has never said anything, or my friends about my hair ever smelling bad. I went 3 months with out washing mine, and I just wash with baking soda when I have to. Just make sure that you aren't putting a hat on with wet or damp hair, or leaving a towel on your head to long. Make sure they are completely dry before washing again and you should be fine!

I got the compliment today that my dreads smell like memories:)

Hmmm when you guys say "Going with out washing"

do you mean you havnt even gotten your hair wet?

Or do you mean "havnt washed" as in havnt used soap on dreads?

I guess in between that time, I got my dreads wet once when they were dyed. But besides that nothing else.