Hello to all the dread-heads!
First of all, I hope anyone reading this is feeling great today and healthy and sane in these crazy times!
My name is Jony and I'm from Israel (originally from the USA). I had dreadlocks that I made by myself using twist and rip and they matured really nicely during a 3 year period, I only waxed them once when they were in their first week, they were really beautiful dreads but I had to cut them off when I turned 18 and had mandatory drafting into the army (IDF). When I removed them they were very filthy, I didn't shampoo my hair for the whole 3 years, yes you heard right, and I also almost never got them wet. So they looked awesome and I always kept the roots nice and tight but they were filthy!
I remember filling a hotbath after cutting them off and shampooing my hear for the first time in 3 years, the water turned black! Also the wax that I had used 3 years earlier (sex wax / surfboard wax) was visible in the middle of each dread, in the parts of the dreads that were 3 years old. The newer growth only had buildup (mostly dandruff) because I never washed!
Needless to say they were also kind of stinky!
SO
Today i'm 31 years old and have decided to get new dreads in! This time I went to a salon because well, I didn;t have the time or patience to do it all by myself like last time and I also had a feeling that doing it at a salon would loook better and also that they would mature faster.
This time around I wash my dreads with water almost daily (when I shower) and also lather them up with soap and rinse about once a week just so I know i'm not walking around with a dirty set of dreads.
I also use the following natural products:
1) Grape seed oil
I have found that oiling my dreads and scalp a little on a daily basis keeps way dandruff, moisturizes the dreads so they feel and look healthy and also keeps away any annoying itching scalp sensations. This time around (unlike when I was a teenager) I have had a rel issue with itchyness, I don't remember having itchyness as a teenager but this set of dreads itched like CRAZY before I found the grape seed oil.
I have also found that daily rinsing keeps my scalp moist, and keeps away the itchiness, but it takes 2-3 hours for my dreads to dry up which is annoying, So some days I use only the oiling.
Itchyness and dandruff is a real issue for me. The grape seed oil and just regular rinsing with water is my cure to all dandruff and %95 of itchyness.
2) Aloe vera gel
Helps with frizzyness, I have natural organic aloe vera gel, and use it once in a whiloe when the dreads get really frizzy, they are still only 3 months old and have not really matted up yet.
3) Eucalyptus / Lemon Essentian Oil Extract
Sometimes if I go to sleep with my hair still moist i'll get a bit of a moldy smell in the morning, so I put a couple drops of extract in my hands and rub it all over my dreads, making me smell really good and fresh.
My favorite product: I think the best product I use is the grape seed oil, I tried a few different oils such as olive oil, but they all have a scent and color which I don't really like. Also the grape seed oil is absorbed really fast into the dreads and scalp and after 2-3 hours there is no grease, unlike other oils. It also leaves no residue whatsoever. It has done wonders! I have zero dandruff and %95 less problems with itchiness.
Salon Maintenance?
I was really obsessive about salon maintenance until now, in these 3 months I went to the salon for maintenance and crotchet of frizzyness on all the dreads and roots 4 times, which is obsessive I know. I'm going to stop with the over obsessiveness now I hope!
Last But Not Least
Wax?
This time around I have not waxed, but the frizzyness, as I stated just now, is getting to my head! I ordered dread wax on the internet and will do 1 and only 1 course of waxing, to reduce frizzyness and will try to get the my dreads de-waxed using a hot air hair dryer and / or de-waxing products once they really mat up and the frizzyness gets better after a few months. I only plan to wax once, to help with frizzyness and so I don't have to go to the salon for crochet every 2 weeks and to get the frizzyness off my mind.
So this is my current dread-journey of 3 months, summed up, into one post! Hope you enjoyed reading it and or learned something new. I'm happy to have signed up for the forums here and am looking forward to any comments you may have to my post,
Thanks and take it easy,
Jony