What do you wash with?

As you look around the forums, you'll notice that many of the people here talk about dreadlockshampoo.com. That is because it truly is the best shampoo for your locks. Vicki designed it so that no matter how hard or soft your water is, her shampoo will always rinse out completely, and won't leave any residue.

Now you may wonder: "What about Dr. Bronners or the BS/ACV wash?" "Thats what I was always told to use".

For many people, BS/ACV or Dr. B's is a great choice. However, Dr. Bronners is a castile soap. Castile soaps are great. But what no one ever tells us is that if you have hard water, castile soaps don't rinse out well. if you have normal straight hair, it's no big deal. But with dreadlocks, the residue from Dr. B's will build up and cause mold/mildew problems, and weigh your hair down. BS does not break down completely in hard water. This causes it to build up in your hair.

I tried to find a few maps of hard water that will help anyone new to locks. If you are not sure about what your water quality is. See below. Hopefully it'll help. If you are still unsure, you can always call you local water treatment facilities. They are generally very friendly and helpful. I have tried to call for a few members, but they require more information than I had on hand. Like An address, and name. (I don't know why they need that information). But they are governemt agencies, so don't worry if they ask for beurocratic info.

updated by @baba-fats: 11/15/15 06:19:33PM

I'm glad you posted this!! I live in Las Vegas with very hard water and tried using BS/ACV for some time. I was very precise in my measurements and I never felt that..."Oh, My hair is sooo clean feeling" lol, that most people post. I am using the Patchouli Bar from DreadLocks Shampoo and boy what a difference! I absolutely love it!!! Not only does it make my hair feel clean but the smell is amazing! I couldn't believe how long my hair smelled good. (I wash every 2-3 days) Thanks again, I thought I was doing it wrong somehow.

That's awesome. Nope. You weren't doing anything wrong. It's just not common knowledge that a salt in water that already has a lot of minerals in it won't dissolve well

common knowledge....sure....show off. LOL!

lol. I'm a bio major. And have taken enough chem classes to know about super saturation of solutions. And even then, I didn't know about how BS would mix in hard water until I came here.

We all learn from each other. And there's always more to learn. That's why this community is great

I had a big problem with the dreadlockshampoo soaps leaving residue when I first started using it. I found myself having to hop back in the shower and rinsing again and again. Then Eagle and Vicki mentioned that I was probably not lathering up enough. Since then I started using a little more shampoo. Or, when I use the bar, scrubbing more. I haven't had a single problem with residue.

I'd be that that's your problem. Try using more soap next time. It may seem counterproductive. But it does work.

I'm going to chime in here. I love the dreadlock shampoo bars but i too get build up after a few uses so that's why i alternate with the lush bars. In the beginning i wasn't using enough then i was told to really get a big lather going. No amount of rinsing resolves it. I've kind of just dealt with it because i really love the scents of vicki's bars and i have about 8 of them that I'd really like to use up. It just goes to show that not all products work for everyone.

How do you know if you have build up from DLS? It is all I use and I'm a bit surprised at the recent posts regarding residue. I would think if DLS leaves residue, then there probably isn't anything that doesn't.

I wash my dreads more now than I ever have, because it is such a joy to use the shampoo, and the ease with which it seems to wash out, I think I currently have very clean hair, what I am getting at, is, that when I previously had dreads they weren't clean very often, but that was how everyone was, I'm not saying folks with dreads are dirty (the old stereotype) but we just didn't wash them that often. This whole thing of ultra clean dreads is certainly new to me, don't get me wrong, I like having clean hair, but it certainly didn't concern me before, and if I didn't wash often now, it wouldn't worry me either.

Clean hair does dread quicker, but not so clean hair dreads too. The average dreaded person on the street is not washing the dreads two or three times a week, that is for sure.

peace

Thanks Heather. I've been waiting for you to join.

Tim: When I first used DLS and noticed residue, it was a tacky, sticky gunk that I could feel as my hair was drying. When I squeezed a lock, grey goo was all over my fingers. It's nearly impossible to miss. But after I started using more soap in my washes, I haven't seen or felt any residue

Thanks Baba. I have never felt that. I believe the DLS is the best shampoo. peace

Baba Fats said:

Thanks Heather. I've been waiting for you to join.

Tim: When I first used DLS and noticed residue, it was a tacky, sticky gunk that I could feel as my hair was drying. When I squeezed a lock, grey goo was all over my fingers. It's nearly impossible to miss. But after I started using more soap in my washes, I haven't seen or felt any residue