First Baking Soda/ACV Wash

Just had my first baking soda and apple cider vinegar wash. I did not follow the quantities at all. I started off trying to, but Americans are weird with their gallons and cups and whatever, so I ended up using estimates and judgment. Then I stopped caring and used like 20 drops of tea tree oil lol. Anyway, instead of pouring the baking soda rinse on me, I soaked my dreads in it for a good while. Then the apple cider vinegar with some tea tree oil.

I've combed out a few of my dreads over the past few months because of them being basically rock-hard because there were so many flakes in some of them. One of them still was like that and hadn't been combed out. After this, I checked and it's a LOT softer. There are still a few flaky areas on the dread, but for the first wash? I am VERY impressed. My mum even noticed that my dreads in general look a lot better and softer, so I'm very happy. Just need to refine the measurements a bit more.

Also can anyone give me anymore suggestions for essential oils? I know lavender and rosemary, but any others that might be good? Jojoba?

updated by @tara-c: 01/13/15 09:57:41PM

I use about a half decilitre in about 0.5 litre water and it works fine for me. Then i mix the oils in the same bowl and dip my head into it and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. After im done in the shower i do the acv and rinse it out.

And btw, 20 drops tea tree sounds pretty much.

the measurements simple 1 to 10

1 anything to 10 anythings

should be easy for ya metric folks with 10 fingers to count on

no matter the unit used its stilll just a 1 to 10 ratio

a cups any container of any size built to hold water

fill it 1 time with baking soda 10 times with water

that "cup" could be anywhere from a shot glass to a 55 gallon drum depending how long your dreads are (actualy 1 +10 55 gallon drums might be considered a pool)

i guess even 10 buckets is alot
but you get my point

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Hi Tara, yes as SE said 1:10 is the ratio for your baking soda mix... This is the most standard ratio that u can use. However some people's scalp might be different so be flexible and adjust ur ratios after a few trial and error. You will surely get the hang of it and understand whats best for u.

I use 100g of baking soda to a little over a liter of water (1100ml maybe). You can soak your dreads in as u did or just pour it over your scalp and let it stay in for 20 min. After washing out the baking soda just put in a capful of acv or a tablespoon or two in a liter of water. Pour over the head and let it stay in for a minute and wash that out well... If after a wash your hair feels dry its an indication that you might need a lil more of the acv, or u might have to let it stay in a lil more longer. acv will help make ur dreads feel much softer. If after a wash ur hair feels oily, it could be an indication that u might have used a lil more acv than needed (but more the dreads get mature the more conditioning they may need). If after a wash u feel a sticky white thing still left on your scalp, it probably could be an indication that the bs mix was either a little weak/wasn't left on for long enough/ the exfoliated skin wasn't rinsed out properly.

For the essential oils, i have used lavender, tea-tree, rosemary, peppermint and geranium oil. They can be used in dilution with water... But all oils are different and should be used in different amounts. But better would be carrier oils.. Jojoba oil is not an essential oil. Its a carrier oil in which u can mix your ess oils. Jojoba oil is excellent for the scalp. I have started massaging my scalp 1nce every sunday with 6 drops lavender and 3 drops tea tree mixed in jojoba or coconut oil (u may use a lil more). All the above mentioned oils are very good for the scalp and i feel its quite necessary, once your dreads start maturing, a little bit of conditioning is absolutely fine.. lavender and rosemary is good if u have a dry scalp, lavender peppermint is good for oily scalp. tea tree is one of the best for dandruff if used in lesser amounts and even for oily scalp... 20 drops i guess is much more than u need...

Sorry, this went tooo long... i'll shut up now :P hope this will help

Thanks guys so one cup of baking soda to 10 cups of water would be fine? I'm pretty sure I used a lot less baking soda, but I don't see any problems so far. My dreads feel very soft and lovely, so I'm very happy.

And Ojas, thanks for the info so could I put jojoba oil in with the ACV, or would I not want to use the oils all together?

Yes you can add jojoba in ur acv... you can even add essential oils in ur bs mix. You can even add around 4 drops of ess oils in normal water and use it as your final rinse.. no need to rinse that out. I sometimes add a few drops of oils in my normal bathing water. It soothes your senses... Very helpful to uplift your mood... But, in my opinion, most helpful for the scalp would be massaging 1nce a week maybe. Leave it on for a couple of hours and then wash your hair...