gooey dreads

I normally use the recommended mix for washing dread - the essential oils and baking soda. At other times I have used the dreadlocks shampoo bar. I find my scalp does better when I use the oils. After washing my hair tonight, I noticed that I seem to have some sort of buildup at the base of my dreads. I wet my hair every morning (my shower is my caffeine) and was every few days followed by the vinegar rinse. I usually concentrate on the ends and getting them dry, but today I am noticing this gooey stuff at the base of the dreads. It's whitish to off-white and sometimes even on the dirt-looking side. I think it may be a little smelly too but the oils are so strong right now I can't really tell. I also sometime will run my fingernails on my scalp and end up with the white stuff under my nails.

Anyone else experience this? What did you do about it and any idea what's going on?

updated by @floaterwomyn: 01/13/15 09:52:58PM

White stuff is flakes / Dandruff. That means your scalp is too dry.

I used virgin coconut oil and i'm clean now.

Wash Less

How long have you been wetting your hair every morning? And what is the smell like? Is it musky, like wet dog? And does it keep smelling after they dry? If it keeps smelling afterwards, it could actually be a sign of mold. Getting your locks wet every day doesn't let them dry out completely. Even if they feel dry to the touch, they can still be wet on the inside. And if they keep staying wet inside, mold and mildew take hold and start to grow.

You need to wash them a bit less. Even if you shower every day, just avoid getting your head wet. Wash every other day - once a week. That'll give them at least 48 hours to completely dry inside and out. That way, no mold will grow. If there is mold, there are ways to get rid of it. Drreadlockshampoo.com is coming out with a great mold killer for locks. I don't know if it's up on their site yet, but it's in post production. Ask Eagle about it. Or message Vicki about it.

Usually that goo is sebum, though. It happens when you either have hard water with the BS wash, or aren't using enough BS in the solution. Do you know if you have hard water? If you have soft water, try using a little more BS. If there isn't enough to completely exfoliateyour skin, dead skin will build up and create that gooey mess on your scalp

That is dead skin and oil. It makes a pasty cream when mixed with soap and water. I used to get it occasionally. Before you wash...gently scratch your scalp to loosen up the flaky skin. I have a metal hair pick that i use before each wash. While shampooing your scalp...use your nails and gently scratch your scalp. Then make sure you rinse well. It will take it all away. Just make sure that you are not scratching hard enough to break skin.