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I tend to use a lot more shampoo than I think most people do. My hair doesn't lather up proper and feel squeaky clean until I do a second lather and rinse. My normally straight hair is starting to coil on my sides and bangs, but I'm afraid it's only going to result in very few dreads. Like the hair on top is merging with the hair on my sides. I wash every day because my hair tends to build up gunk and oil incredibly fast. Now that I'm washing more, it seems to be doing a lot more. Hopefully not too much hair falls out.

@dreadstpauli how many locs did you start out with and how many did you end up with? Did you go full natural, tnr, backcomb

sorry i have never counted them, but it is normal that it starts somewhere while other parts seem to do nothing! I have started full natural and my hair has started where i have slept most on (back first and a little the sides later) I would not wash every day, try every 2nd and at the end of your wash rinse with really cold water. The water will close your pores and after some period of adjusting it should get way less oily. If you want, you can only rinse with cold water every 2nd day, without shampooing. That helped me a lot in the early stages. I have washed every 2 or 3 days.

The gunk could also be residue from the shampoo you use. It is best to use special shampoo for dreadlocks, or at least some natural, residue free soaps or shampoos.

and not use so much.. lather is absolutely unnecessary for cleaning

in fact, 'rich luxurious lather' they use as an advertising gimmick, is what causes shampoos to be toxic.. sls

don't worry about lather, its the clays (if u use dreadlockshampoo) that do the cleaning not air bubbles caused by carcinogenic skin irritants

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I thought the dreadlockssite shampoo doesn't leave residue? Currently using the Tea Tree one.

When I don't get that lather and really get a good scrub, I'm left with white gunk. It's not residue, it's dead skin and oil. I also get it on my nose when I don't exfoliate. Strange. Not sure what I've been doing different, but I stopped blow drying my hair and stopped rinsing out the shampoo with hot water and my hair is becoming curlier on my sides and front. Hopefully in about a month I see a really big difference. In the meantime, I keep uploading my weekly progress.

I still get air bubbles in my hair when I'm rinsing out. No matter how much I rinse out, despite my hair not actually being dreaded, I get bubbles. They aren't soapy though.

If I wash without shampooing, I smell like wet dog or so I've been told.

The skin on your head needs time to get used to a different washing rhythm and other products, so give it some time to get used to it. The dead skin

and oils should get better after some time.

there is no dreadlockssite shampoo thats dreadlockshampoo just cause its the best and i say that so often don't think i'm profiting off it haha

yes you should scrub the scalp well  but that doesnt require excessive shampoo 

i get that on my nose and ears too ..dry flakey skin like subbhoric dermatitis or something i always use the shampoo well around my nose and ears as well

also, i use cool to cold for the entire wash not just rinse

only reason to wash hot is if your excessively oily to remove oils better then rinse cold

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Auto correct corrects anything that has dread in it to dreadlockssite. Guess it goes to show how much time I spend on here even if I'm just lurking. I've been lurking for so long now. It wasn't until recently I finally made an account.

So you only wash your head with cold/cool water?

I tend to use hot water because I feel a lot cleaner, but did notice that my hair is starting to go from straight to coil/curly now that I'm using colder water to rinse out, I'll give cold water only a try next time. I tend to do a lot of walking and the pollution in the city is terrible to the point where I feel like I can't breathe during rush hour traffic so I do feel I need to wash often.

I exfoliate that stuff on my nose. On my head, i just make sure a scrub really well.

since switching to cold water (for whole shower) most of my dry skin issues improved a lot.. hot water dries the skin right out 

i read about it for dandruff so decided to try it, and was amazed by the affect. 

with cold weather i use slightly warm water and just that slightly warm water  makes my skin a whole lot dryer and flakey

god i know what ya mean about the city, after a run only like 20-40 blocks and  my skins covered in a black film, you can't see it but can scrape it off and it cakes under your nails.

i feel cleaner in the woods, even covered head to toe in mud and ash, the city grimes more a toxic sludge

most of thats  tire rubber in the air and burnt oil,, but with all the industries, oil refineries and everything the airs full of carcinogenic crap.. and with the current head of the epa not understanding what the p stands for  its going to get worse

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1