Forum Activity for @heather

Finally got it to work

Dread Products

i've been trying the dreadlock shampoo bars off and on since they came out. i think i've bought three so far. the problem that i was having was that they seemed to leave me with a ton of residue no matter what i did. i ended up getting a shower head water filter last spring which i thought was going to solve all my problems. unfortunately, i still ended up with the same residue issue. i really had abandoned them thinking they were never going to work for me. recently the goddess scent was released and i was intrigued. it sounded lovely and regardless of my troubles i ordered a bar. it does smell amazing and was so excited for my hair to smell amazing too. unfortunately i had the same issues. i figured i was just a glutton for punishment and set it aside.

recently we had a heat wave in the middle of winter and my scalp went nuts. it's always been pretty dry but it turned excessive which caused mad scratching and dandruff. i seriously thought i had lice or something. it was so bad that i was considering shaving my head. instead i messaged some friends on here that use the bars and found that i might just be doing it wrong. i normally would lather the bar in my hands and then scrub my scalp with my finger tips and repeat this all over my head and then rinse. everyone i spoke to said use ALOT. so this time i did the same thing but i also rubbed the bar all over my scalp and continued to wet the bar between passes. i ended up with a huge billowing cloud of bubbles on my head. i then scrubbed my scalp well with my fingertips and then rinsed. i rinsed for about 10 minutes using cold water. i also turned my shower head to the massage setting and really got down to my scalp to be sure there was no soap left behind. worked perfectly!!! no residue, my scalp is improving, and my hair feels nicely balanced.

so if you have horrible hard water like i do and have had issues in the past with the bars just remember to use ALOT of soap during your wash and you'll be golden:)

p.s.- did anyone try the new sandalwood or cedar shampoo bars yet? i'm curious how they smell and i want to buy more soap:)

updated by @heather: 01/13/15 09:48:22PM

sea salt?

Dread Maintenance

they still don't work for me.

soaring eagle said:

stuff from thast sites very safe and amazing i literalytried to make residue i used over 1/2 a bar o=in 1 wash..thats like months worth rubbed and rubbed it on a dread till the outsidewas caked in soap rinsed for seconds and it all rinsed awy super easy

sea salt?

Dread Maintenance

super simple to make yourself. just add about a tsp of sea salt to a spray bottle full of water. i got my spray bottle from the dollar store. i used bottled water so i can avoid the crap in our hard water. my mix is way less in salinity than ocean water so i don't have an issue with leaving it on for a day or two. just avoid your scalp.

acv won't really "condition" your hair. it just brings the ph level back down from the bs. dreads should feel a bit dry but not to the point of brittle. i've found using a ph balanced shampoo works well for me with a sea salt spray every so often. bs/acv makes my scalp angry:(

Deep Cleaning.

Introduce Yourself

you could also do a soak with the baking soda. same recipe as se mentioned but do it in the sink or in a bucket. submerge you locks and scrub your scalp. use a cup to get the bs mix of the parts of your scalp that you can't get under the water. soak for as long as you can handle, squeezing your dreads to make sure the bs gets deep inside each lock to clean them out then rinse, rinse, rinse. do a mild acv rinse (no soaking needed for this part) and then rinse again.

i've found the best result doing a soak versus just pouring it on. plus now that my dreads are more mature i like to be able to really squeeze them in the water to get them really clean.

Any help would be appreciated!!

General Talk

i never had any luck with the sweater over the pillow thing. i just ended up with red cheeks:/ i slept in a wool tam in the beginning which seemed to help more.

soap for dreads

Dread Maintenance

soap + hard water = soap scum:/

Doogie said:

BUT,how is it with hard water?

goldie locks said:

Okay so I know there are many different "dread" soaps out there, yet there is only one soap I will ever use. Songhai black soap. Not saying these other soaps aren't good or succeed in their intended result, but I'm passionately devoted to this soap and it's simplicity. I'm the unknown spokesman and face of Songhai. If you've never used it give it a try. Liquid for the dreads and bar or paste for the body. Once you go Songhai black (soap), you'll never go back.

At night

Dread Maintenance

i wear mine down but they are starting to become a problem. they've shrunk up so much that the big blobs on the ends are now at my neck and it kind of feels like i'm sleeping on stones. also they usually end up laying all over my face. i'm hoping to get one of these soon. www.dreadsock.com/

updated by @heather: 07/11/15 04:47:25PM

Dreadshampoo alternatives!

Dread Maintenance

i dilute all shampoo. its a lot harder to rinse out if you don't. get yourself an empty hair color applicator bottle from a beauty supply store. it has a long nozzle which helps aim the shampoo right at your scalp. i add a few squirts of shampoo and then fill the rest of the way with water and then shake it up. natural shampoos have atendencyto be low sudsing which is sometimes more difficult to get the shampoo to move all through your hair but the diluting in the bottle helps. also i will sometime do a second wash which ultimately results in much more suds andultimatelysqueaky clean locs:)

Fimbul said:

Yay! Thank you Heather! Do you dilute it or just use it straight from the bottle? they offer 2 packs on amazon for 7 something x

Dreadshampoo alternatives!

Dread Maintenance

i love bentley organics shampoos!!!! its a uk based company and unfortunately they stopped selling them locally in the states (as far as i can tell). i've ordered it online though. the one you mentioned cleans really well but don't expect a ton of suds since its sls free. it can be a bit on the drying side so i tend to use it in the summer. i want to try their frequent use one next (orange bottle). it sounds wonderful. good luck!

Fimbul said:

I did find this one, wasn't sure about some of the ingredients though:

Bentley Organic Shampoo Normal to Oily Hair - Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Betaine, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice Powder*, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Oil*, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil*, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil*, Limonene*, Glycerin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Extract, Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Fruit Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid.
* Certified Organically Grown Ingredient

Dreadshampoo alternatives!

Dread Maintenance

this one looks good. the cleansing ingredients are gentle and theessentialoils are great for the scalp. the other one might be good too but i personally hate castile soaps because they leave soap scum.

Fimbul said:

http://enaissance.co.uk/acatalog/info_2915.html

Would something like that be ok?

x