Oily hair. A road to a slow dreading process.

I have had issues with dreading my hair in the past. I had about 10 inches of long locs, but for some reason they would not form. A year later, I am again on this journey with about 5-6 inches of hair. I went to a local guitar shop and met a guy with awesome dreads. I asked him basic questions about dreads. He told me to not use Dr.Bronners until my dreads have matured. He said to wash my hair as soon as it felt oily or dirty. I looked online and saw that many who have just started their journey are using Dr.B. I wait 3 days to wash my hair, but by the first day I have not washed my hair, it is already oily. Could my oily head have to do with a slow dreading process? Would I have to wash my hair everyday to have nice locs? Which shampoo should I switch to if Dr.B is not the way to go for the first few months?

updated by @maleny: 01/13/15 09:52:35PM

I dont have dreads and never have. I have been trying off and on the past year id say anyway, from what i have learned yes your hair will not knott if its oily it needs to be clean and residue free. If you have good water at your house( no hard water) Bakeing soda wash is the best thing

If you can, get Vicki's liquid dreadlockshampoo (advertised on this site). It is the best shampoo. It is called Lockin Up shampoo.It gets your hair ultra clean. It is residue free.

peace and blessings

Vicki's shampoo is the best! I've been using it for a few weeks now and knots are forming all over. The best advice I have seen is to wait until the day after your hair gets oily to wash it. I used to wash my hair everyday, but since starting my journey I wash every third day without getting terribly oily. Good luck!

Hi Maleny, I left you a map before to show you that you have hard water where you live, Dr.Bronners WILL leave behind a residue that will slowly build up, you don't want to use that one. If you use the baking soda/acv rinse, purchase a large Jug of water from the grocery store (like cooler size if you can) and use that for your 1/2 cup baking soda & 5 cups water mix. Since your hair is oily, you can probably skip the ACV rinse or maybe just do it once every 2 or 3 weeks (1 capful of ACV with 5 cups water, pour over head and rinse right away for you). Many of us here do swear by the DreadlockShampoo, we've tried it and it is the best out there....peace

Even do the ACV just once a month, if using the BS wash. People with an extremely oily scalp don't use it at all. It is recommended to wash 2-3 days a week, If you need to do it more in the beginning, that's okay, because your dreads will not be mature for about a year or so, they will still dry quickly. As for your oily scalp, try rinsing your head at the end of the wash & rinse with as cold as water that you can take. That will close off the oily pore glands on the scalp. I have oily skin and my hair has still not dreaded around the faceline and behind the ears, so yes, oil does stop sections from dreading, the knots just slip out. Everyone's hair and scalp is different, so trial and error to how often you need to wash yours. Eventually cut back on the days and by the 1 year mark you should be able to be close to going a week without getting oily hair. Good luck, you will find what works best for you, so don't worry....Peace