How do you wash your dreads?

I know this comes up a lot. It's no secret that clean dreads are better than dirty ones. They knot better, smell better, and look better when they're nice and clean.

So, what are some of the ways you clean your locks?

Me, I wash them about 1-2 times a week with baking soda. I make the bs into a paste while in the shower. Then I gently rub it into my roots and scalp. If I have any left over I might put it on my dreads but usually I don't. Then at the end of my shower I rinse my hair thoroughly to make sure all the baking soda is out.

Last week I did my first deep clean (my dreads will be 9 months on the 25th). They were starting to feel icky and so I felt it was time. I took about a cup of baking soda, a Tbsp of salt and a Tbsp of lemon juice and put that into a big bowl. Then I filled the bowl with warm water and stirred until all the bs had dissolved. Then I laid down on the floor, with pillows propping me up a bit, and let my dreads soak in the solution for about an hour.

After I squeezed out all the water (which was by this time an icky greyish brown) I went and took a shower. I did my usual with the baking soda except I rubbed it on my dreads too. Then after washing my body I rinsed out my dreads really good, squeezing them to get anything left inside out.

I plan to do the deep clean maybe every other month (more or less depending on if they feel like they need it).

I like using baking soda. It's something I've used even when my hair wasn't dreaded (except then I conditioned it with diluted apple cider vinegar after rinsing out the bs). It's cheap and effective.

But I'm curious what everyone else does and how they like it.

*hugs to all*
Jess

 

Hiyaaa

For my first couple of washes I used a mix of baking soda and lemon juice mixed together in a jug of warm water. I poured it about a 3rd of it at a time over my head, rubbed, left while I washed and rinsed out. However, I struggled with really greasey hair before I had dreads, and I found bs just didn't feel like it was fully cleaning my scalp.

After this I changed to using Dread Fusion soap bars, which I've continued to use since. My scalp feels completely fresh after washing, and it smells lovely, it's almost a shame it doesn't leave any scent behind! I was washing my hair twice a week when I first started using the soap, and I've now got it down to once a week, which suits me fine. The only thing I will say is that, the last couple of days I've begun ripping a couple of chunkier dreads to seperate them, and I've noticed a bit of soap residue in the dreads. This is possibly down to me not rinsing well enough, despite spending at least ten minutes rinsing after I've shampood, or could be down to the soap itself. I'm thinking of getting some of liquid soap to water down and see if that seems to solve the problem...

 

I mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 lt of water, and that's it. Pour it over my head, scrub my scalp a little and then rinse while squishing the dreads.
sometimes I add rosemary and/or lavender tea and I smell delicious for one day

 

i use dr.bronners peppermint soap i love it, makes me and my dreadies all tingle, good stuff

 

I got through a box of baking soda, I liked how soft my dreads were but couldn't decide about the smell. Now I'm trying regular washing with heavily diluted tea tree oil dr B

 

Jimbo, what smell? I've been using baking soda for a long time (used it on my hair for a year before dreads) and never noticed a smell. What does it smell like to you?

 

If I play with a dread (roll it or whatever) my hand smells like baking soda. Maybe my ratios were off! I think I prefer Dr B anyway for the lovely suds

 

Ah, it could be that you didn't rinse it out enough. Baking Soda doesn't come out as easily as soaps and shampoos so you have to really rinse it. But if you like Bronners then more power to ya. lol I personally didn't feel my hair was clean enough when I used it. But then again I'm not sure my ratios with that weren't off. lol

*hugs*
Jess

 

LOL @ dreadlock noobs.

The dirt helps it lock, it mixes with the wax and is what holds your dreadlocks together.

I'll LOL when all your dreadlocks fall out.... everyone knows you're not supposted to wash them.

 

I Have Been Using Baking Soda For 19 Months, And Unless I Have Nasal Issues

I Am Not Aware Of Any Smell, To Me It Has NO Smell....

I Just Use A Plastic Funnel To Put About Half A Table Spoon In A 1.25 Litre Coke Bottle.

One Kg Costs $3.00 And Lasts About 6 Months Washing Every Day In Summer And

Every Second Day In Winter....

Brilliant Stuff, Wish I'd Discovered It Years Ago.

If You Don't Like The Fact It Smells Neutral, Put On Some Perfume /

Deoderant / Aftershave ...........Problem Solved...:2thumbsup:.



Cheers Glen.

 

I was using much more than that.
Maybe I'll buy another box and cut the ratio by lots. Although, if you wash your hair that often, I reckon just rinsing would be enough to never see flakes!
Roorshack, you're getting lazy with the trolling, that one was too obvious!

 

The same way I washed my hair before I had dreadlocks, with shampoo.

Lather.

Rinse.

Repeat.

 

It feels like a deep clean doesn't work for me anymore, because last night when I rinsed, there was no murky water nor when I put them in the bowl. But now I realized that I didn't wait for the dreads to let the bicarb in-

 

if there was no murky water, it probably means youve got the shit out......

 

These Bi carb/ACV do shit for me and leave my hair feeling greasy and unclean, so I just use any old shampoo really. Currently using Lush's Seanik, but I have a sea salt based shampoo tester to try out. I have no qualms about using supermarkets 51p shampoo though, I just like a bit of luxury in my miserable existence.

 

Lather n' Rinse.

T-Gel or Lush's Big.

 

How is Big? That's the tester I was talking about in my previous post.

 

I'm really liking it. My hair is stupidly healthy and straight so the Big helps give a big of tack to my loosies.

 

i have never used bicard or acv - i think i'll be trying out some acv when i switch up shampoos from time to time.
right now i'm using neutrogena's anti residue shampoo. i was washing every two or three days and am now up and over a week. it's a great shampoo, awesome for right before starting dreads as well because it just strips everything off your hair and makes it wild. the only downside i could say is because it is rather chemical, i have to rinse like forty thousand times. and it lathers up quite a bit, which i feel helps me mentally feel clean.
when i'm out of this bottle i'll probably move on to standard shampoos, the cheap ass super smelly kind, and see how that goes for a while.

 

baking soda + acv works wonders for me