**READ ME** - the sticky icky wax sticky thread (wax removal)

I quit using regular shampoo about two years ago. I have a slightly different, but similar hair-washing routine, that would work well for those of you with dreads. I use a couple tbs baking soda in a cup full of really hot water. Massage that into my scalp, then rinse with a dilute lemon juice solution (like two or three squirts from the lemon shaped juice thingy you find at any grocery into same cup, rinsed and refilled with clean water). I do this once or twice a week, and rinse with just the lemon juice on in between days. Some people use apple cider vinegar for the rinse instead of lemon juice, but we have really hard water here, and the vinegar was leaving this slimy residue behind as it reacted with the minerals in the tap water - gross!
What I noticed is that the first couple weeks my hair was really nasty as it adjusted to not being stripped of all its natural oils by harsh shampoos. I gave up once and tried shampoo again, and it left my scalp burned and itchy! (it's the SLS, nasty nasty chemical that is, and it is in dreadheadhq's shampoo ) So I haven't looked back. It took a few months to get my exact routine down, as it all depends on your hair and your water supply what will work best for you. But it is so much healthier and better for your hair!
The vinegar or lemon juice is a conditioner, so for dreadlocks, don't use much, just a tiny bit in some water and rinse really well. Lemon juice or vinegar (but not white vinegar, use apple cider or red wine vinegar) will also help rinse out any soap scum if you have hard water and are using bar soap or liquified castille soap to wash your hair.

anyway, have fun with it! It is so much better for you than shampoo, and a lot easier on the pocket book than shampoos made specially for dreads (which is silly, because most of them are nothing more than castille soap like you can find elsewhere for about $4 a bar).

Here's a link I found on the "no-poo" method, but if you google it you can find tons of stuff!


ETA - here's a good article explaining why shampoo is EVIL!

 

I'm so gald everyone enjoyed !!! I got a compliment the other day ~ this dude says " you have the cleanest looking dreads I have ever seen" I thought that was pretty spectacular = ) I've seen some real grody looking ones before and unfortunately they're the kind of people who give the impression that all dreads carry bugs and that dreads aren't washable.

 

mamaboogie, is that your lil daughter with dreads in your sig pic?

 

yep

 

awwwwwwwww i'm thinkin if she keeps em for a few years, will they grow faster than she does? we dont want any lil mamas trippin over their locks heheh

 

heya mamaboogie, how often can I use that recipe of yours? I'm not using shampoo anymore and I was told not to use apple cider vinegar but once a month.. but I'd rather wash like once a week! could I?

 

it totally depends on your hair and your water supply. experiment around until you find what works. Also bear in mind, that the longer you go without using commercial shampoo, the less oil your scalp will produce and the longer you can go without washing. But you still gotta shower LOL - just massage the clean water into your scalp with your fingertips on the days you don't scrub.

 

ok but it's not like using it too often will irritate my scalp or anything?

 

not that I know of, but it might. My goal was to have to wash less often, because with regular shampoo I had to wash my hair at least once or twice every day or it would get greasy-looking.

 

yeah I used to wash every day!
anyway, I'll check it out, thanks

 

man i just have to comment again on how much i love this concoction! i have it sitting in my dreads right now! i use it once a week and have for the past few months, and it rocks.

 

Tea Tree oil shouldn't be more than $5-7$ USD for one ounce. May sound like a lot but essential oils last a very very long time. I bought a bottle of peppermint oil something like 3 years ago and only used half of it. This price estimate is only for my area. I can't see it varying greatly. There are some places I have seen that would charge twice this price so beware of scamming "health food stores". Most health food stores have prices very comparable to other health food stores. Shop around..

 

bump

 

love this stuff... used it for the first time this morning, itched like hell while it was in the towel but now my hair is really clean and knotty and feels lovely thanks, kyndmama!

 

BUMP!! ***

Hey guys! Just a reminder of how AWESOME this stuff is! It has been making it's way around the internet and tons of myspace groups!! I am getting amazing response!

 

I had forgotten all about this thread when I was offline for so long. I never got to try this but I intend to this weekend....


I've been using some half-assed clear SHAMpoo and I'm sure my dreads are loaded with residue.. Can't wait to get em' clean!

 

Oooo, I'm off to buy the ingredients I don't have! (just tea tree oil)

Can't wait to clean my dreads tonight!

 

GREAT GREAT concoction! Simply amazing, I cant wait to have some dreads to clean, LOL

Sounds like its a perfect solution to some dirty/ or not so dirty dreads.

 

My dreads weren't very dirty at all!

It tightened them up a LOT! Awesome recipe.

I'm never putting it on my scalp again though. Just the dreads, thankyouverymuch. I had a hella hard time scrubbing all of the baking soda gunk off of my scalp. Maybe I made the concoction too thick, but...yeah, it did NOT want to come off.

 

That's weird, Knotdirty, although I haven't tried this recipe before, I used baking soda as a cleaning agent for my hair for about 12 months before I decided to dread and I always found it to be pretty water soluble, maybe it's different in dreads?