Possible soap/dandruff buildup?

Hey SE,

So I have been noticing this one dread above my ear becoming tighter, smaller and stiffer slowly over time, and never really thought much of it beyond maturation of the dread, seeing as how this dread has always been leaps and bounds ahead of the others in maturation. However, on closer inspection I noticed it looks like something is building up in it.

Ive always had dandruff and thought this could be the cause, as i've noticed it happening to a lesser extent on other dreads in high-dandruff areas of my scalp (theres a picture of 2 dreads on the front that have much lighter sections on them than the rest of my dreads, although this may just be due to being overdry). I just reached 16 months of free forming and decided to start putting some oils on my scalp after washing to bring some moisture back and hopefully get rid of my dandruff, but I also realize this could easily be due to using too much shampoo, improper rinsing or not being careful enough with body soap.

I figured my best bet was to show you guys on here and see if you can give me a better idea of what it is/what to do. I used Vicki's super deep cleaning bamboo charcoal shampoo yesterday to try and clean it, to no avail. These pictures were taken today (day after the wash).

p.s. just to give you the most info possible, I've never used wax and have always used vicki's liquid soap and her charcoal deep cleanse since i switched from the BS/ACV, as well as rot knot on a monthly basis this last winter (although, I think i finally got the constant mold problem of my wet climate figured out!)

is it lint?? I had like a single piece or two of lint once. I had asked a friend about this and was told it happens sometime and isn't always easy to get out, but my impression was that it was harmless.

Or, if it's definitely not lint, I mean, it also kinda looks like...well, two thoughts. I'm thinking sometimes I'll get that when I use tightening sprays...or it could maybe be hair tips poking out, like the hair follicle bits that fall off as your hair grows out.

Does it smell or is it greasy when you squeeze it through your fingers? I had residue from using soap (yeah, ignorance) in it and when I'd squeeze it through my fingers over it, I'd pick up the  smell/residue of the soap. That's how I knew. Sadly, I had to comb mine out, but others here might be able to help better. Actually, I've since heard of clarifying shampoos. I believe Neutragena has this.

Well, hopefully someone else posts because I'm no expert, but this has been my experience with daily interest and observation for almost 2 years.

You could have something there with the tightening spray idea! It seems like it could be a mixture of that and residue from what I'm now seeing.

I found another brand of shampoo from a small shop that claims to gently remove buildup over time, strengthen dreads and give them back the oils they need (all vegan/small batch made, their freakin amazing) and after a deep clean and 3 washes with this new shampoo, the dreads seem to be slowly softening up and becoming less dense. Not 100% sure if it's because they were too dry from tightening sprays, or if the slightly clammy/sticky feeling at the end of my dreads after rinsing justifies the residue idea.

If I squeeze really hard (because this dread literally has almost no give from how tight it is, at least right now) I can feel a slight stickiness in the dread, but no smell comes through. I think my current assumptions is the locking spray tightened them a little tighter than I'd hoped, and it made it easier for buildup to occur slowly over time. this is my first set of dreadlocks so I greatly appreciate you sharing your experiences!

Sounds soo familiar! Except my tightness was due to the crochet hook (highly frowned upon on this site). I have just a few partials with that method, but I did neglect on the rest, hence the tightening spray. I found the spray getting on those matured dreads though and looking similar to your pics, but those usually wash out with the next wash. Still, I try to be careful spraying around those areas or just use the spray less often. btw, I use the Dollylocks brand (tightening spray and refresher spray, but honestly skeptical about the shampoo which is a different topic), but I only speak for myself. I believe SE will tell you to just go natural and just wash He's usually here daily, but I think he's off at the Rainbow Gathering for awhile. Not a big secret. As I said, he's on daily typically, so he'll be back and reply when he can. Meanwhile, I'll try to represent the best I can when I pop in.

Thank you for the advice!!! After a couple weeks, I have an update and some additional questions.

I stopped using the sea salt spray and switch to a shampoo without sea salt. as I mentioned before, the shampoo claims to help slowly remove build up, and it seems to be softening up my dreads immensely which gives me hope this is true.

I think I may have found another cause of buildup, though. I ran out of dr bronners around the same time I first posted this feed, and since this is the soap I use for cleaning my body and not my dreads, I started using a bar of dove soap that was laying around my bathroom. I noticed my dreads were getting sticky while drying, and wrote it off as the long term residue working its way out until I used vickis super deep clean charcoal shampoo the other day.

It worked wonders, all the visible residue had gone away and my dreads felt soft and clean, but then the next wash came and the white areas reappeared with a vengeance. I realized it was probably the residue from the dove soap causing it and stopped using it, and bought a raw Shea butter plant-based body wash to start using yesterday, and did a second dread wash to try to get the residue out even though it was the day immediately after the wash were the residue reappeared. (I typically wait 2 full days in between, but was feelin desperate)

There's still very noticeable residue in my dreads, which I slightly expect since it wasn't a super deep clean, but I'm getting a bit frustrated over this, so I figured I'd post an ingredients list of everything I've been using and see if I can't get some advice.

Shampoo: used 2-3 times a week, rinsed out in the shower for 35-40 minutes each time
Ingredients: plantain ash, cocoa pod, aloe Vera, melaleuca, distilled water, burdock root, peppermint, sage, almond oil, olive oil, palm oil, HC2, essential oils.

"Mane puddin": I rub a tiny amount of this on my scalp after washing to add oils back to my hair and help fight dandruff, used ever time after washing
Ingredients: aloe butter, almond oil, olive oil, coconut oil, lemongrass and tea tree essential oil.

"Lemongrass tea scalp tonic": I use this rarely as a leave in spray when my locks are especially dry, most noteably after a deep clean
Ingredients: aloe Vera, olive oil, lemon grass, peppermint, melaleuca, essential oils, burdock root, HC2

deep cleanse is, as described, vickis organic bamboo charcoal deep clean detox

Any worrisome ingredients you see, please speak up! I am trying to convince myself it's just going to take a couple washes now to get the dove out of my dreads, since I've stopped use, but I could use some reassurance from the group that this was in fact the cause and that I'm taking the best route to solve the problem.

My final question is how long should I wait before doing another deep cleanse? I know typically you want to wait a month at least, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't chomping at the bit to get this funk out and make sure I've tackled the problem.

Thank you for all your help, and I apologize the post ended up being so long!

the charcoal deep clean can be usded all the time but does tend to dry the hair

i would skip the many puddin 1st off try that our that does not appear to have troublesomme ingredients but you do add it after every wash..

the shampoo looks ok unless its superfatted i would try 1 of vickis other bars  just to rule that out

the puddin i would suspect the most

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Alright, awesome! I'll do the charcoal for a couple washes and lay off the puddin until I get everything out of them, and until I can make sure the new shampoo isn't the cause. I'll report back in a few weeks with another update, thanks again!!

why use the puddin at all?

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I've had bad dandruff my whole life, I typically use medicated shampoos to deal with it but I've been looking for a natural cure, especially with dreads. Honestly, the "mane puddin" oil mix is the first thing I've found that actually got rid of it, even on the 3rd day without washing. the lady who makes them is an apothecary owner and master "natural skin therapist", and her stuff is amazing from what I've seen so far (as long as it's not the cause of the buildup, which I haven't determined yet)

When I've verified it's not the cause of the buildup, I'll post the info for her website so you and he rest of the community can get a feel for her stuff, if you'd like