Looking for the perfect baking soda (BS) ratio and apple cider vinegar (ACV) ratio? How about the home made recipe for dread accelerator using sea salt...Then this post is for you. Ratios and how to use them.
Baking Soda wash, (also called Sodium Bicarbonate or Bicarbonate Soda)
- Mix 1/2 cup of BS with 5 cups water. Wet your head first and then pour this mixture onto it. Let it set for 10-20 minutes on the scalp to exfoliate it. There is no need to scrub, does it all by itself. Just go about washing the rest of your body, shaving your legs, or guys...whatever else it is you do in the shower. Okay, so now the time is up....rinse this out well.
Now you will follow this with an ACV rinse. It will balance back the PH levels on your scalp and hair. Any brand will be fine
- Mix 1-2 cap fulls (the bottle cap) of ACV to 5 cups of water, pour over head and rinse out within one minute. Any longer an you can over condition your dreads. This is a fantastic conditioner for dreadlocks.
***NEVER MIX BAKING SODA AND APPLE CIDER VINEGAR TOGETHER or you will get a chemical reaction**** It can damage your dreads and burn your scalp.
***If you have a slightly oily scalp, a normal scalp or dry scalp, then follow up with the ACV rinse or you will dry out / fry out your dreads over time by using the baking soda wash only***
For hard water, the baking soda does not dissolve completely nor react the same with the water, so you can do one of two things:
- boil your water first, let it settle down so the sediments settle to the bottom of the pot and gently pour out your 5 cups of water to mix the BS with
- or purchase a large jug of water from the store, I use a water cooler size jug, last forever!
Conversion Table:
1/2 cup = .24 liters = 118 ml
5 cups = 1.18 liters
1 cap full = 1 teaspoon = 5mll
3 1/2 tablespoons = 1.5 ounces
Mix your own SEA SALT SPRAY OR SOAK. You can purchase sea salt from drug stores, fish aquarium stores, bulk food stores and health food stores. Whether you put it in a spray bottle, or pour the entire contents onto your dreads (wet the hair first if pouring it on, it absorbs it better). This is a locking accelerator, great to use to help your hair /dreads start to knot up.
- Sea Salt ratio: Mix 3 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt to 5 cups water and mix well to dissolve.
***Never leave this on for longer than two hours or it will dry out your hair, rinse it out well***
**finish off you shower with a cold head rinse, as cold as your head can take. It not only feels very refreshing, but it closes the pores, and relieves & prevents scalp itch**
updated by @the-barrellady: 02/14/15 01:01:29PM