You can also find it under Chickpea or Garbanzo Bean flour. Besan is the Indian term for that flour so it should easily be available in health food stores or even your regular grocery if you are lucky.
I get it from health food stores. You can get a whole bag of it for around 5 dollars and that would last you a good 6 months-1 year depending on how often you wash. Even longer if you wash once a week. i wash at least twice a week and i still have a lot.
And yes, i agree with Soaring Eagle that for non afro hair that it may be too much moisture. Coconut oil goes through all of your hair layers.. so thats 100% moisture penetration and its the only thing that moisturizes your hair that way next to water. Even I use just a finger-amount for my hair.. especially since they are baby locks.Also apply to only dry hair , if you apply it to wet hair it would hold in water longer which makes your hair take a little longer to dry.
With the push of Soaring Eagle, I wanted to share with you guys my washing routine that is/was used throughout Southern India traditionally. While I am not Indian, I use this regimen with the up most respect and I am receiving great results. It is great for anyone and it really keeps the hair clean and soft.
The Besan (Chickpea Flour) is used as a hair shampoo. It naturally has the highest saponins among all of the foods that contain saponins. In India, they take the flour and mix it with water and apply it to their heads for a few minutes. Then rinse. And then apply coconut oil every other day. I have modified this to better fit us with locks. What I do is I take a 10-12 oz container(make sure it has a top), then I take a panty hose and stretch it across the top, and I take roughly a teaspoon and a half (sometimes 2 teaspoons) of besan it put it in the panty hose. then once done I pour some hot water through the hose until the container filled up. Then I shake it and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. I use the panty hose so that the particles will not become stuck in my locs and usually the tea ends up being particle free.
Once done, I go and rinse my hair through some plain warm water to loosen up the dirt and then I remove the panty hose from the container, squeeze out the excess water into the container, and then pour the tea over my head. I leave it one for at least 5 minutes but you can leave it on longer for a deeper cleanse.
Then I allow for my hair to dry without applying any coconut oil. Usually I apply coconut oil before I wash which is a traditional way of washing that was usually done so sometimes depending on how long I left it on I dont need oil but I still put on a tiny bit if needed once my hair is dry. Since my locs are young, I apply coconut oil maybe twice a week so that my locs would not have to much moisture which may stop the dreading process.
Thats it! If it helps my locs are 3 weeks old and I am a brand new member. I hope this helps.. Please feel free to comment or ask questions.
(edit by soaringeagle) if you dont have african type hair or pretty mature locks you should skip the coconut oil cokmpletely till mature
I live in Washington DC and you would probably literally have to say a brazilian portuguese sentence on a speakerphone to know who is Brazilian.To look Brazilian is very complicated, because every Brazilian looks different =) I used to be teased in school here because people would say because of my dark skin, kinky hair, and non european features that I wasnt Brazilian. But you have to realize that most Americans are only exposed to Adriana Lima , Gisele Bundchen, etc. so its very hard for them to understand how complex our backgrounds really are. And I am a little scared to go to the Southern Brazil because of the violence. And yes, Bahia has a strong African background. Bahia is actually the 2nd state with the largest African descent after Nigeria. You have a very beautiful family! I hope to have a baby one day as well. =)
Woah! Amazing! Hahaha, it feels great to have another fellow Brazilian as well. Its a dime a dozen where I live. And especially brazilians (partically afro brazilian, which who I am) women that have locs let alone natural hair. I do not have to explain any farther the complexes that can be apparent. lol
I was going to ask you the same because of your name ahahaha
you have beautiful progress! ive been on the neglect road since my second day of my locs.. just washing and separating and they are already locked after 5 weeks, so i know that your locs will only flourish from here! great progress!
also just to add i think that having dreads that are "neat" and healthy at the same time isnt going to happen. Its one or the other in my opinion. I just leave my locs be and occasionally i wear a headband. you have to know that in the beginning your definition of neat is not going to exist. there will be loops,tangles, knots, and plenty of fuzzies and the more you fight it the less you are going to enjoy your journey. but the farther along the better they will be trust me. Just keep your hair very clean and nurtured and it will happen. =)
can twisting locs also lead to slower loc growth/retention? I have a friend that says the less he retwists the more he retains loc length.. would you agree?
This is the truth, I was thinking about this the other day. Locs or Dreadlocks are what I believe one of the most universal things among us as humans because how can you judge when everyones hair would be the same right? This is why I wish everyone had locs. Then a big majority of vanity that is present in this world will be nonexistent.
