Washing advice needed for flake-ridden fool.

Hi,Where to start... I've had dreads for just over 7 years and, what I've since learnt seems to be an ultimate sin, I used wax a few times through the first year or so of dreading.What else might rile a few of you, I washed my hair only a couple of times in 2005, having started dreading in the summer of 2003. Despite many peoples' belief I had no problems with my scalp, itching or otherwise. My dreads were never smelly, greasy or bothersome (proved by the annoying dicks in bars who insisted on sniffing and poking my locks and seeming surprised by their non-scent and superficial cleanliness)My scalp had started to become irritated a couple months ago and then after dunks in the sea and a beating sun on holiday a few weeks back, I have had dandruff from hell. The feel of needing a full wash is like never before, and I have flakes forming and falling so fast it's like a nativity scene on my shoulders.I've never felt the need to join a dreads forum for advice or help before, but now I give in! I'm going to accept and attempt any potions, mixtures and products anyone can throw at me...think of it as your own project, the most convincing and nicest sounding technique will probably be tried first but I'm nearing desperation and ready for anything!I've been applying a Rosemary & Thyme mix a few times a day to the scalp at the front of my head, which has given temporary relief so far, but the flakes and itches return within an hour or two of treating. The worst dandruff is at the front of my head, mostly as it is so visible. But the very back/bottom of my head is probably the most irritating for itch and flake-count, both areas incidentally are the only spots on my scalp which get wet daily in the shower.A few of my dreads are absolutely solid at the bottom, which is where my fears of sitting/rotting water lie. So drying my dreads is my biggest concern as the wet-dog-whiff that followed me round after the couple washes in 2005 was a nightmare. So I guess it makes sense to keep washing from now on until my hair adapts and gets used to the process. Loosen them up a bit maybe and eventually get rid of the nastiness in there, and look forward to fruity smelling locks for the future?Any advice on first tackling unwashed dreads, tips on drying those solid ends would be great, but mostly the best, fastest and most effective treatment for megadruff would be appreciated.Go easy on me...Regards,Callum.I have a few recent photos in my profile, but may provide close-up scalp images soon.
updated by @callum-wheatley: 02/14/15 07:39:17AM

ok wax in the ends is why they are solid and prone to mold dreads should never be solid so remove the wax u might even want to comb ouut the tips loose tipes dry way way way fasternow washing1/3 cup baking soda 10 drops teatree 30 drops rosemary (optional add 10-30 pepermint lavander thyme) in 1 gallon of waterpour over wet dreads let soak 10 minutesrinse wellmix 1/3 cup apple cider vinager same oils pour over head wait 3 min rinse well with freeeeezing cold water the cold water helps a tonoptional add a few drops (10-30_ jojoba as conditioningwere u the 1 that said u crocheted too? thats bad tooid take extreme measures to remove the waxandwash them this way at least weekly or twice a weekdry in sun or blow drybut sun drying will help kill the mold u got in them (the wet dog smell is mold caused by the wax)


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Lovely, thanks guys.Well sun drying is definitely not an option here in England! The mrs' dryer's going to be getting a lot more use than it did before.So, I'll tackle this wax and try free up some of these ends then. Although that smell was only when they had been exposed to water everyday for about 3 weeks, it soon stopped but I guess it's lying in there waiting to be woken up so I'll try and get as much of this freed up before taking the wash to it.As there is no wax and a lot 'puffier' dread at the top, would I be alright to start this wash on my scalp only straight away?I've always been proud of my tidy nub dread-ends for the past 7 years but I guess it's time for a change, for the best!Is Avena Bodysplash the only recommended product? Struggling to find any for sale on UK/Euro sites,

Since your dreads are long and you only waxed the first year or so you may be able to get it out with heat, though I've heard from some that boiling doesn't remove all of it, it certainly can start the job. I have a friend (actually he was a friend's friend originally) who also is not on this forum, who upon seeing my newly dreaded journey has asked for advice and help (he has massive congos). His dreads are almost 10 years old, down to his ass nearly and unfortunately have some wax in the ends, same as you he started with some wax but realized it unnecessary and stopped but it's still in there. I bought him some wax removal shampoo from KnottyandNice333 and once it gets here I'll see how it does and we'll try to take before/after pictures. We tried body splash (it's just almond oil, orange oil, lime oil and botanicals) and it certainly does soften it up, but his dreads are massive thick so it seems to be a slow process taking multiple times. Boiling removed some as well and wasn't as scary/tough as it would have been if he had shorter hair, but it doesn't seem to remove it all. It definitely makes a huge dent though, you can see the wax in the water afterward and feel it on the ends as you squeez it out.He barely washes also, mainly because having that long of dreads can be a bit tough to handle when wet, but maybe if I can get some pics and get him to join the forum you can all see the before and after...

Hey Rawsum, I had seen a few of your posts about removing your wax, you say you have now used a full bottle of the body splash? Do you think all the wax is gone now? Which was the best process, spraying it on and kind of twisting it around like a crank then waiting? I have a friend with just a little wax on the ends of his dreads, and trying to help him remove it. He hasn't joined the forum yet though I've mentioned it, but I used the info here for advice on how to remove it for him, cuz back when I waxed the first time my solution was to shave and start over, he is not wanting to cut the wax out, but our first 3 rounds with body spray only seems to do a little, the last time I helped massage it in and he said he left it on the whole night, washed out the next morning with dish soap and he doesn't think it's working fast enough. I haven't seen him since (about 2 weeks) because he works a lot and has a way awesome job that involves traveling a lot, but I will be seeing him next week, maybe there's a tried and true method that works faster you've found?PS he didn't really care about the wax till I told him about dread rot/mold, and explained the wax was definitely still in there, and we kinda squished around the ends to show him it was in there still. Then he freaked. Since he doesn't wash much he hasn't had any mold mildew issues, but when they get wet they kinda smell like old gym socks on the bottom, the only part that was waxed (he says the smell goes away when it dries) rawsum said:

whoa ! you have some righteous dreads there man ! I am sure there will be more input and my experience is limited but do take a look at the BS/ACV rinse don't be tempted to double the recipe unless by volume and have a tub/basin to do the soak for the main mass of your dreads .. then probably repeat the same process with a shorter soak time for the ACV.. you could also collect the leftover wash/rinse water to get an idea of the progress you are making along the way from the first to the second to the third wash/rinse etc.. be sure to take very much care to completely dry the dreads between applications (shake them like a whip and let centrifugal force and gravity help (don't wrap up on your head etc.) and don't be tempted to rush the process.. it's been seven+ years to this point so a few weeks to correct an issue is to be expected For sure take proactive approach to eliminating the wax from your dreads because the experience says it's still there and will no doubt be hampering the health of your dreads.. I used gross amounts of wax for the first months of so called dreading and I used 1 complete spray bottle of the bodysplash to help eliminate the wax from my dreads.. you have a greater mass of dreads than I do but have used minimal wax over the first months of dreading (7 years ago) so you too may get complete results with one spray bottle.. hard to guess really .. I am curious about the texture of your dreads too... I found mine only began the process of actually dreading to a more natural condition once the wax was eliminated.. the pic in my profile is from around the 5 th or 6 th application of the bodysplash and there has been greater dreading since then for sure.. I will get some more pics up later today to compare I will also say that I have continued the body splash for the 11th conditioning without all the scrubbing or the dish soap etc. and found the dreads oil free and soft with only the BS/ACV rinse after the bodysplash soak..

hope this helps .. rawsum

yea thye knottyand nice soaps listed on the same page as the bodysplash will work toothe bodysplash isnty availible in stores anywhere only online if u cant get it shipped to u then contact rawsulm directly he can reship it to u (have it shipped to him then reshipped to u)the knottyandnice soap seems to work too its slower doesnt soften it up quite as thouroughly but does seem to help get ot out so both are an option worth trying


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Ok thanks. Yes he thinks it's all in the ends since he hasn't used wax except for the first few months, his dreads are 4 or 5 years I think.I wasn't hitting it hard cuz I was essentially just doing what you were doing, reading your posts, then trying to reproduce the results. I think next time he comes over then we might try just really soaking up those dreads with the solution then tying them up in plastic wrap or something and giving it a whole day or something to emulsify the wax.Thanks for your info!

rawsum said:

yep.. I am quite confident the wax is gone.. my method is what worked for me and yes it was a bit of cat and mouse with the progress.. at first it seemed like it just softened the wax and not much more but it was slowly peeling the layers away with each bodysplash conditioning .. here's an excerpt of a comment I left elsewhere that explains what I noticed along the way...
"the progress was not immediate and progress was cumulative sort of.. the more wax that was removed the softer they dreads became.. some loose hairs that had been stuck in a uniform dread were freed to begin proper dreading is what it seems like.. that is on the outside and close to the surface in general I think,where one can see what's going on.. on the inside, yes the dreads become softer and yield more to the pinch of your fingers with each wash but there's still a core hardness of wax that is shrinking with each bodysplash wash.. As the washes continue over time that softness (freed hair) begins to actually dread for real and so the outer layers texture become more firm to the pinch but still softer in general and WAY more rippled with lots more bumps n' lumps inside and some hoops n' loops popping out on the outside.. It's been a sort of yo yo effect really .. less wax.. more softness and more volume and then more actual dreading which takes up that fluffy volume and forms actual dreads which gives the impression of less volume again and a natural firmness.. Then another bodysplash conditioning and again less wax in the core of the dread .. more internal softness and volume which again continues to actually dread which again leads to a more firm but rippled effect inside the dread that seems to again shrink the volume of the dread and so on goes the evolution of the dread without wax.. with this actual dreading I will mention the overall length has lessened.. as they dread they are getting shorter or at least keeping pace with my hairs growth ..

.. my situation was different though as the wax was along the whole length of the my dread inside, whereas your friend presumes the wax to be at just the ends.. The soak is very important so even if it's just the ends that get the treatment to tie them off in a bag or shower cap for a good length of time will for sure help the progress .. and yes all the manipulation is important.. work the bodysplash into the wax deep in the core of the dread.. hope this helps.. rawsum

p.s. since the bodysplash isn't touching the scalp in this case it would be safe to hit it hard and long right off the get go.. I used caution with the soaking time (15min, 1hr, 2 hr, 4hr, 8 hr and then up to 12 hr soaks) since mine were wrapped in a plastic shower cap over my whole head.. so the risk for irritation was there to slow down my approach

Right, here's the buggers....

Not at all pleasant and making me quite self concious when talking to people now as it's so noticeable. It's spread quite far out of the hairline too, and the majority of my scalp doesn't seem to be half as bad as the edges.I've emailed Avena and hope to have a couple of 165ml bottles on their way to me soon enough, although i might have to start treating my scalp this weekend as I can't wait much longer! Eager to battle these flakes as soon as I can, I'll just have to keep the waxed parts of my dreads as dry as possible.
updated by @callum-wheatley: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

This is definitely more than just dandruff, looks a lot like psoriasis.A lot of the medicinal treatments for psoriasis include salicylic acid, which is found in very small amounts in Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera on the scalp may help, but go with the natural plant, not a store bought gel which may contain more than Aloe Vera.Home remedies for psoriasis also include ACV dabbed (like on a cotton ball) on the effected area, because it ballances the scalp, so that may help.I wonder why the psoriasis hit now all the sudden when never effected before. Make sure you get plenty of Vitamin D and E, those really help also.

Callum Wheatley said:

Right, here's the buggers....

Not at all pleasant and making me quite self concious when talking to people now as it's so noticeable. It's spread quite far out of the hairline too, and the majority of my scalp doesn't seem to be half as bad as the edges.

I've emailed Avena and hope to have a couple of 165ml bottles on their way to me soon enough, although i might have to start treating my scalp this weekend as I can't wait much longer! Eager to battle these flakes as soon as I can, I'll just have to keep the waxed parts of my dreads as dry as possible.

updated by @tatyananashi: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

Ok,I have Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil and lavender oil.I'm about to try a quick hot/near to boiling water soak to try and free up some of that wax before I get hold of my Body Splash. I'm then going to go with my first baking soda rinse and soak, and then the cider vinegar rinse.I'm probably going to go more toward SoaringEagle's 'super clean dreads' recipe and hopefully not shock my scalp too much.Going to have to find a cheaper oil store online too, there was a couple more oils in town that were recommended to me which I didn't get due to the price. Also had a few more people saying it's looking more like psoriasis too, so I got myself some vitamin D and E. Might have to see how this progresses before seeking medical advice.