Mildew and Rot Knot questions

Found some mildew (mold?) in some of my dreadlocks. Here's one pic (I tried to get more but got extremely frustrated due to my
 inability to take pictures of the back of my head).
Been told by my younger sister that my hair smelled like a 'closet' and a friend once sneaked a quick sniff of them once after a
 scheduled wash, he said they smelled like a wet dog. I knew right then that something was up cause I've read that that's a huge
 red flag of mold/gunk and such. Up until now I would brush it off cause, well c'mon who wants to admit that they have gunk in
 their hair!? Plus as much as I hate to admit this is that I think I got used to the smell and I didn't check the actual
 dreadlocks cause I thought I was doing everything correctly. But NOW I'm noticing the smell even more now.
So the buildup I have is towards the root of the dreads. If I were to grab the part of the dread that has the gunk between two
 fingers and put pressure or move my fingers in a circular motion, it feels sticky and mushy.
I've been using the shampoo bars from dreadlockshampoo (tea tree and peppermint bar) these past 3-4 months. Could it be the
 bars?
Any who I recently bought the Rot Knot (mold killer) off dreadlockshampoo website and I want to ask any instructions on how to
 properly use it? I've also read about a 'Deep Cleanse' and the ol' 'BS/ACV' wash. Which of these three would actually remove
 the problem I have?

P.S. I'm 25 months in the natural/free form method (my profile pic was taken the 2 months after my last hair cut lol). I've only done the bs/acv until  recently switching to the shampoo bars.
 Only maintenance I do is wash and separate

the rot knots awesome ..just really saturate them squeeze it into the core  and leave it in smelling yummy at least 10 minutes ..don't worry about using too much use enough to really saturate em i used an entire bottle at once and it rinses with ease..i think maybe what you have is sebum buildup?

your scalp maybe readjusting from the harsh bs/acv and overproducing sebum trying to re-self regulate

use the rot knot continue with the bar

ask her about the charcoal deep cleanse its not listed on the site its special request for now but it super clreans

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

After looking up what sebum buildup was about, I'm think that's EXACTLY what it is! Thanks for pointing that out Wonder how long it'll take to self regulate. I've waited  this long in my journey, whats another month or two right? haha 

 I wash mine every 4-6 days. I don't rinse at all between either (I cover them bad boys up). So I'm definitely gonna try the product in my next wash. Also I've been air drying mine since the beginning, I don't use a towel or blow dryer to quicken up the drying process. I do squeeze the life of them though. Air drying is good right? As long as they have enough time to dry of course.

 thanks for the advice soaring eagle. 

what do you mean you don't rinse between and why do you cover them up

how long do they take to dry

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I don't rinse in between because if I do my scalp gets very oily afterwards. So I just wait for that ONE day to wash them, and don't bother in between. I've rinsed them before (for certain  situations) but don't like the outcome. I cover them up when I shower so they don't get wet, usually with a shirt or a Walmart plastic bag lol. 

So the days that I don't wash my dreads I mainly shower at night, so I cover them cause it's usually late and I don't won't be able to let them dry if I wet them. On the scheduled days I DO wash them, I try to get it early in the day, and I'd say it takes about half the day for them to dry. 

Do you recommend rinsing them in between the washes? 

oh i just was confused by what you meant haha

often people used the bs/acv and would cover them during the soak..and not rinse between the bs and acv ..which made them chemically react which they did not want that reaction..

i was just making sure that wasn't what you were saying

i'll tell ya also that my skin has had less dryness less issues if i shower when i wash my hair and not vice versa .. ofcourse diet has a huge impact on how often you may need to shower

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

The Rot Knot smelled so good! That has to be the best smelling product I've used in my dreads (if only the bars were similar). And like you mentioned, I didn't limit the  amount I was using, so I REALLY soaked the dreads in the liquid. Going to continue using it until that buildup goes away. 

I'm in a budget so as far as my diet goes, I'm that college diet. I do shower every day though, a habit I guess. But like I said, I cover them up so they don't get wet, unless its a scheduled wash.

I'll ask about that charcoal deep cleanse! 

The Rot Knot smelled so good! That has to be the best smelling product I've used in my dreads (if only the bars were similar). And like you mentioned, I didn't limit the  amount I was using, so I REALLY soaked the dreads in the liquid. Going to continue using it until that buildup goes away. 

I'm in a budget so as far as my diet goes, I'm on that college diet lol. I do shower every day though, a habit I guess. But like I said, I cover them up so they don't get wet, unless its a scheduled wash.

I'll ask about that charcoal deep cleanse! 

isn't that stuff yummy!

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I'm just going to add in... are you having suitable time for your dreadlocks to dry? That is also a BIG BIG factor in dread rot. Not having adequate time for your dreadlocks to try. Sometimes they feel dry, but they aren't completely. Also refraining from sleeping on them wet. I usually get up early in the morning like 7... haha and wash them if it's nice I let them hang out of the car window... lol. My dreadlocks are really long and thick so they take anywhere from 12-16 hours