Switching from BS/ACV to Shampoo.... Dandruff concerns.
General Questions
Hey all,
I'll start with my question, then bore you with all the details and disclaimers, lol.
I'm wondering if switching to a dreadlock shampoo (either bar or liquid) will worsen my dandruff.
My dreads are at about 3 months now, and are all starting to lock up pretty nicely. Granted, about half of the tips are still fairly loose, and all of the roots arereally loose, The majority of the locks have tightened and knotted up pretty dang well within about 4-5 inches around the middle (they are all probably between 8-11 inches each).
Since I started on April 18th, I have been using a BS wash with Rosemary, Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil, and Lavender as well as an ACV rinse. In addition, I have been spraying salt water on them when they are about half-dried for the past 3 washes. I always use cold water for every step of the wash and rinse. I also wash every 3-4 days, as was the case before I had dreads.
Ive learned recently that switching to a dread shampoo, either a bar or a liquid, will help accelerate the remainder of the dreading, but I have one large concern... I have had pretty bad dandruff my entire life (one big reason why I have only washed my hair every 3-4 days for the past 10+ years). When I use the BS/ACV, the dandruff and the majority of the buildup I have comes loose and rinses off, but on the third day after the wash, my scalp starts becoming really itchy and i start discovering new patches of dandruff. I've tried replacing the ACV with T-Gel on occasion (not the tar gel kind, but the salicylic acid)as it is designed to remove the buildup and has the same acidity of the ACV so the pH balance of the wash remains the same.
So it comes back to this: Will my dandruff worsen if i switch to a shampoo? If it does, could i just keep using the salicylic acid shampoo as well? Im concerned in this case that it will dry out my hair since there will be no +pH base to counter-act the -pH acid...
Sorry for the whole autobiographic novel, but I think all of it directly pertains to my question.
Thanks in advance, peeps!
updated by @ryan-c: 01/13/15 09:30:46PM