Okay.... so let me start off by saying that every thing I have written below is my own opinion, and does not reflect that of DreadHeadHQ or the members of http://www.dreadlockssite.com. I'm assuming that most people reading here are probably at least vaguely familiar with this 'event' within the dreadlock internet community at large. If not I'll give a little history, but honestly this isn't a history lesson, it's an opinion piece, so if you want to know more details you can visit KJC's Dreadlocks.TV Dreadlock Treaty web page to view his initial treaty letter and the progress to this point. OR you could check out he official knotty johnny clean dreadlock debate thread on the dreadlockssite.com forum, too. And, last but not least, you can head on over to the Dreadlocks Treaty Debate facebook group, to round out the experience.
Things all started on May 7th.... a Friday? I can't remember. Anyway, someone posted the link to the thread on the dreadlockssite forums and I headed on over and joined up. I have visited there a couple times for research for past blog entries (crocheting and wax entries, if you're curious), so I was happy to get a screen name so I could participate on the forum. The officially start time was 8 p.m. and so I was waiting on the site and on the site chat at that time, excited for it to begin.
About 20 minutes in or so, KJC (finally?) posted his initial letter, which can be viewed at all of the above links in some place or another, and the fall-out began. This was the only post that KJC was to make on the site, much to the dismay of many forum-goers who were falsely expecting a live debate. I discovered only today that a live debate was never actually the goal or expectation (for KJC, anyway). SoaringEagle, the founder of http://www.dreadlockssite.com, clearly expected a live debate (and had set up to host one on his site) and when it was not delivered as mistakenly expected, the carnage began. The mud-slinging and name-calling followed quickly. Those few DreadHeadHQ cross-overs from facebook tried to defend KJC (often ineffectively or equally offensively) to little avail. (Myself included!) I guess maybe it's just my lingering good faith in humanity that leads me to the strong belief that although the debate so far as failed, it was not in purposeful sabotage by either opposing party.
Today on the facebook page and dreadlock.tv site KJC posted that apparently the idea and challenge for a debate actually took place in a heated argument (involving plenty of negative accusations and name-calling) through comments posted on one of KJC's youtube videos. Now, I think that the idea for a dread wax debate is a GREAT one. I think the information and facts need to be settled once and for all. However, I think anger and frustration may not have been the best emotions under which to decide the conditions of said debate.
Things have just been escalating further and further every day that passes. At this point I'm so frustrated I'm not sure what to suggest. No one seems to be able to agree on any terms for how this debate should be run. You know what? Forget this post, LOL. I'm tired of the debate. I'm taking a break. If I feel up to it maybe I will update again in the future after everyone stops being so pig-headed about everything. F this S.
I was browsing Facebook this morning on my Blackberry and one of the groups I am a fan of, Midwifery Today, posted a link on their wall about a nurse-in in Iowa. This article really fired me up about an issue that has really bugged me for a while now. In the blog entry (linked above) they describe how a poll posted on the news story indicated that a stunning 32% of respondents answer that they felt nursing mothers should re-locate to a designated feeding area to breastfeed their children. I am completely appalled at this. It is stories like this that test my faith in humanity.
First off, at this point it is common knowledge that BREAST IS BEST!!! No matter how hard formula companies try, they have not yet and probably never will match the benefits of breast milk. I don't think there is any way for them to include all of the anti-bodies that the mother's body produces specialized specifically for their infant at that moment in time. It's an amazing system. Mother Nature knows exactly what she's doing and although it may sound judgemental, I think that any mother who consciously chooses not to exclusively breastfeed for at LEAST the first six months of life (as opposed to those who are unable to for medical reasons) is short-changing their child. The breastfeeding relationship between mother and child has so many benefits, not just to baby, but to mommy, too.
Breast milk is highly specialized for each individual child by their age, health status, and dietary needs. The mother's body knows intuitively what the baby needs. Breastfeeding, especially in the hours and days following birth, encourages a deep bond between mother and child that can be difficult to reproduce otherwise. (I have plenty to say about this and the institutionalization of birth, too, but that's for another entry another time.) In addition to those thing, studies have shown that breastfeeding for at least six months in a lifetime can significantly reduce the mother's risk for breast and cervical cancer.
Regardless, however, of a person's choice to breastfeed their own child or not, the idea that there are people out there AFRAID that their child might catch a glimpse of a mother's breast while feeding their child is, in my opinion, absolutely ludicrous. And, as far as I can tell, this nonsense can be traced to the horrible sexualization of nudity and breasts in particular in our country. People have this irrational fear that the sight of a human breast is so inherently sexual that it will emotionally and psychologically scar their children for life. What are we teaching our children by shaming the human body in this way? Little girls learn to hate their bodies and little boys learn to objectify them. I think that there is NOTHING more beautiful than a mother breastfeeding her baby and I LOVE when my 16 month old daughter gets to view other babies and children nursing. It is teaching her about the nature order of things, yes, but also showing her what the primarily function of the breasts are; feeding our young.
In fact, I am also disgusted by how the entire human body has become sexualized in our culture. The idea that the simple state of being naked is sexual. I undress to shower all the time, and I am in no way intending on getting laid as a result of it. I fancy myself to be something of a nudist anyway, and I think our society's general attitude towards nudity not only fosters poor body image, but also teaches our children than to be human and to be in a human body is somehow dirty or naughty. As a good example, I have a friend who has a 3 year old daughter. She told me an anecdote about her MIL coming for a visit. Her daughter loves to run around the house naked and she encourages it because (1) it's comfortable and (2) why not?? While her MIL was visiting, however, she kept chasing the little girl around the house with panties trying to get her to wear them. The whole time, my friend couldn't quite peg why it bothered her so much that her MIL was trying to cover her up. It wasn't until after her MIL had left that it hit her; she didn't want to teach her young, impressionable daughter that her vagina is dirty. That's right, folks! Vaginas aren't dirty!
The article about the nurse-in hit the nail on the head when it said that the issue of breastfeeding is a FEMINIST one. I am irritated when I see the display of colorful nursing cover-ups sold by most children's stores. To those women who are not comfortable enough with their bodies to not use one (which I don't and, I might add, still aren't flashing any copious amount of flesh without), I encourage you to be brave. Just remember when you gave birth and room full of nurses and doctors were staring at your vagina. You weren't modest then and there's no reason to be modest now, LOL. Okay... so I guess that's a little harsh, but I guess there's some small part of me crying out here and saying that nursing cover-ups are just perpetuating the sexualization of breasts by suggesting pretty explicitly that they need to be or should be covered.
AAOJWER()&*!@#$%IH@#$TLKNASf This issue just makes me so MAD!!!! Seriously. Breasts are for breastfeeding. Children should see breastfeeding to know what breasts are for just like they are taught what their eyes, ears, and noses are for. If you don't like looking at it DON'T LOOK, but I think a breastfeeding mother and child is one of the most beautiful sights I've even seen. Babies are made to breastfeed. Breasts are made to breastfeed. Get over it.
God must have smiled on Knotty Johnny Clean and all dread heads around the world when he developed the wonderous thing that is the DreadHeadHQLoose Hair Tool (version 2.0). In my opinion, it is the single most useful dread-related item ever invented. However in my travels across the interwebs, I have received multiple messages and e-mails requesting that I post a blog about how to use it. So, here it is!
The DreadHeadHQLoose Hair Tool is pretty much a latch hook with a pointed end to help the user to insert it neatly into the dread. Some sites have claimed that, especially in mature dreads, using it can create holes. My dreads are only 11 weeks old, but I haven’t had any issues with holes yet. Considering that it isn’t recommended to use crochet hooks bigger than 1 mm for the same reason, it only makes logical sense that the Loose Hair Tool would do the same. Naturally either they cause holes or they don’t, but I haven’t heard any complaints from anyone on the DHHQ Facebook page yet. I plan to continue using it unless there comes a serious hole issue.
I mentioned in my entry about crochet that I don’t recommend doing it anymore frequently than every 4 weeks. More frequently can cause breakage (which adversely affects the overall strength of the dread as its strength comes from the long fibers) and prevent the dreads from locking (because you are continuously moving the hair around instead of letting it do its own thing). So, these techniques, particularly in the middle of my dreads, is how I tide myself over between crocheting, which honestly I do VERY little of at this point. More or less, this is ALL I’m doing now, so pay close attention so you can put the Loose Hair Tool magic to work for you!
Ultimately, there are three different places you can use a loose hair tool: the tips of your dreads, the middle of your dreads, the roots of your dreads. If you have dreads you either are of two general philosophies; loose hairs are unsightly, or loose hairs add the character of the dread. If you are of the latter school of thought than read no further and leave those loose hairs alone. I personally like my dreads to look really neat and this technique helps me achieve just that. Anyway, three different places. No matter what part of the dread you are working on with your tool, the technique is the same. The only difference being the manipulation of the tool because of your head being in the way, LOL.
I already have a video I posted on YouTube about how to blunt the tips of your dreads. Here is the first video I posted to help you out. The second one, which I recorded just last night, talks about it, too, but in less detail. If you are just starting out pulling in your ends I suggest the first. If you are just doing touch-ups where you already pulled in the tips the second video will suffice. If you are super bored you could, of course, just watch both.
Now, of course the first step of using your Loose Hair Tool is to find the dread(s) that need some work done. Usually I do my maintenance when I am in the bathroom after doing my business. I usually will start to inspect my dreads and subsequently find some hairs that I absolutely MUST fix right then and there before I loose track of them. This results in a nearly endless quest to find every single loose hair to pull in and fix…. I could get stuck in front of the mirror for hours, I swear. So, I’m not really picking out every dread that needs it in advance. I just do it as I find where its needed.
Now, I HIGHLY recommend Lock Peppa. As I say in the beginning of this second video, the Loose Hair Tool and Lock Peppa are my absolutely FAVORITE maintenance tools. How anyone can live without them in their maintenance routine is mystifying to me. Lock Peppa just makes everyone so much easier and helps all that hard work you are doing to stay put instead of just coming undone. (Keep in mind, though, that your natural hair texture can make maintenance and dreads in generally harder work -- silky, slippery hair being a good example.)
Once you have those things set up you can get started. Here is the video I created to illustrate to you how to use your Loose Hair Tool. Per usual, there are text directions after the video, although honestly I think it would be PRETTY hard to grasp this technique without the visual examples shown in the video.
Find a dread that needs loose hair pulled in.
Isolate the hairs and hold them in place while dipping your fingers (thumb and index finger) into some Lock Peppa. Use the covered fingers to twist the strands into a small knotty lock and hold them in place while getting your Loose Hair Tool so you don’t loose track of them.
Pick up your Loose Hair Tool. Guesstimate how far up the dread the loose hairs would be pulled and insert your Loose Hair Tool into that spot, feeding it down towards the loose hair lock.
You want the Loose Hair Tool to poke out in the middle of all the hairs you are trying to pull in.
Feed the loose hairs into the latch hoop and close the latch hook around them. While holding the Loose Hair Tool, pull the loose hairs taut within the hook to make sure the entire strand is pulled in.
While keeping very gentle pressure on the strand to make sure it is entirely pulled in, pull the Loose Hair Tool back through the dread the way it was inserted bringing the loose hairs with it!
I recognize in the video and will re-iterate here that the hardest part of learning to use your Loose Hair Tool is discovering how to comfortably and efficiently manipulate the tool to operate it. I think many people have difficulty getting the hair into the small loop, (1), and (2) have a problem closing the latch over it once they do. All I can say here is that like many other things in life, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!!! If people still have major issues with this after viewing this blog entry and the included videos, I will attempt to do another video that captures more detail (closer up) of how I get the hair into the tool while I am using it.
So, the Loose Hair Tool is a godsend. It is the best tool ever created for the maintenance of dreadlocks, in my humble opinion. For those who have crocheted and are going crazy with all the frizzies and loose hairs that have come loose since your last crochet, give these techniques a try and I think you will find it makes a HUGE difference and make for some kick-ass, tight dreadlocks!!!`
I have been away for so long! I have to apologize for those of you who may have been following along religiously for my absence. However, I assure you that said absence was not in vain! I spent Sunday night through Thursday night putting dreadlocks in for a friend. He has/had beautiful, long naturally blonde hair.... and a big head, literally! To add insult to injury, he wanted to have skinny dreads... about 75 of them. So, I told him when he arrived that by the end of that night I wanted to at least finish his sectioning. Well, it turns out that my 15 month-old daughter did NOT want my friend to be hogging all of my attention, so it took me THREE hours to section his hair into 3/4 inch sections. (Using my trusty rat-tail comb and polyband elastics.) After all of that it was time to hit the hay. df The next night we only got through 9 dreads after I got out of work and we fell asleep. He had just come back from an extended stay in Thailand so, still jet lagged, he was about passing out while I was working on his hair. So, I took the opportunity to take a nap myself and ended up falling asleep for the whole night! At the right, here, you can see how far we got before falling asleep!
The next day we started dreading in earnest. We worked from the time I woke up in the morning (from about 9:30 through bedtime around 9:30 that night). We had gotten about halfway through his head to having about 32 done. That makes 23 dreads in 12 hours. I was averaging two an hour, but that includes breaks to eat, stretch, and hit the restrooms. It didn't help that in the chair he sat in his @$$ kept falling asleep, LOL. That night my back was killing me and I was grateful for a night's rest before having to go back at it again. To complicate matters I was on a deadline. My friend only came through on his way back home to Erie, PA and his ride was coming to get him Thursday night. This was last minute Tuesday and I was really concerned about getting them all done in time!
The following day we started in the early afternoon after getting through with a half day of work and got through half of the top of his head leaving me with 16 left to complete the following day before having to be ready for his ride to pick him up. In the photo you can see how the hair on his right side of his head is still pinned up.
The next day we got through the whole rest, but his ride decided to come the next day to make sure that we weren't rushed in finishing. So, here are the final photos including the one and only one of ME actually working on his hair!
The last image is a shameless plug for the dread coils I've started making! You can find them on my Etsy Shop! This is one of the Five Element Dread Coils. Please check them out! My next blog entry (to be posted tomorrow) will be about how to use the DreadHeadHQLoose Hair Tool as so many people have requested a blog about it! So, stay tuned for that!
Okay so its been a few days since I updated and I thought I'd let y'all know what I've been up to. I guess the most pertinent news is that I *finally* got my application to apply for DreadHeadHQ Sponsorship. I'm WICKED psyched to finish that up and send it back to KJC. I'm just waiting for Meg (whose hair I dreaded last weekend and it came out AWESOME) to post the photos from her dread party to send along with the application. I am looking forward to seeing where that will take me.
As I just mentioned last weekend I helped Meg put her dreads in. She now has 55 suh-weet dreads. We backcombed and crochet 'em all and pulled all of her ends in right at the get-go. She knows that she will have to frequently touch up the ends as the dreads begin maturing and doing their own thing. It took us, over the course of two days, probably a total of 16 hours or so to put in her dreads. It would have likely taken us much less time if we had just backcombed without the crochet. She started by washing her hair with DreadHeadHQ Dread Soap and then sprayed it with Locking Accelerator. She toweled off much of the excess moisture and blow-dried her hair so we could section it. We did approximately 1 inch sections with the ones around her hair line a little smaller so she can style it a little more easily (like the people who put in my dreads did). Meg has pretty thin hair that's prone to breakage so we wanted to make sure we didn't give her dreads that were TOO skinny. I think their size is JUST right! We used the DreadHeadHQDread Comb and Lock Peppa to backcomb and I used my 0.6 mm crochet hook to get 'em nice and tight! Like I said, we took pics on her friend, Elizabeth's camera... I'm just waiting for them to upload and post them on facebook so I can share some of them. ^_^
This past week has been pretty non-eventful. Our condo was shown once with mediocre results. We signed a pre-foreclosure agreement last Thursday saying that if we don't manage to sell this property (short-sale or otherwise) by July 30th they will foreclose on us. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that, but I have to admit I'm not particularly optimistic about it. I did have a dream a few nights ago that we received two offers, one for $90,000 and the other for $96,250 (oddly specific, I know!).... so maybe it was a sign... here's hoping!!!
My mom made an official offer on the house that was accepted for $118,000, and it was inspected a couple days ago. They found termites and some structural damage equaling about $2,000 which I guess the owner is taking care of. And I hear the closing is probably going to be at the end of June. I was kind of hoping she would close a little sooner so we could start moving our already packed stuff into the new basement. We will be, as previously mentioned, moving into her garage. Glamorous, I know. But... as my mother so poignantly put it, it's better than being homeless.
In other news, I have finally gotten off my butt and starting making some dread coils! They are listed in my Etsy shop; Sylph Wings Designs. I created a Seven Chakra Dread Coil with gemstones to represent each chakra. I think I want to tweak it some... but they are currently available! So, check it out! I have plans to also make one with gemstones to represent the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit), and another with gemstones to represent the four directions of the medicine wheel (East, South, West, and North). Keep an eye out for those!
In other exciting news we have a friend coming over to stay for a few days on his way through to Sherman, NY for me to put dreads in HIS hair! I will take plenty of photos to share!
The hottest debate in the entire dreadlock community is the question of dread wax: Is it good or bad? Well, it turns out that as far as I can tell the answer to that is not so simple. I want to begin first by addressing the claims made by both sides of the argument. I think that myself, being relatively unbiased and new to the dreadlock community am of an ideal position to make a sound judgement on the nature of dread wax and whether it truly is or not a valid tool to encourage dreads to mature.
Proponents on the anti-wax side of the debate believe a great varied and many bad things about dread wax. The most poignant of their arguments is that dread wax builds up inside the dread indefinitely and cannot be completed washed out. Even multiple attempts with multiple techniques of removing dread wax can and often are unsuccessful. They say that although wax can be used to make new dreads looking more mature that it prevents locking. There are images abound on the internet of dreads cut open to show white build-up in the middle of them suggesting that it is from wax build up. Another similar claim is that the wax can crystallize or permanently harden inside the dreads . There are also images of two pots, one empty and the other filled with what we are left to presume is dirty wax and water. All of the anti-wax information out there basically argues these two points.
For every argument wax-haters make against wax there is a rebuttal found by proponents for the use of dread wax. The proponents of waxing (generally companies that sell said dread wax and those who have managed to use it to grown and maintain successful dreadlocks) maintain that the low melting point of dread wax (DreadHeadHQ Dread Wax in particular) allows it to be washed out of the hair with hot water. Waxers claim that dreads waxed properly do not attract any more fuzz and dirt than non-waxed dreads because if you wax properly the wax is in the middle of the dread not the surface. Waxers further believe that wax holds the hair in the dread in place and increase the memory of the hair, encouraging it to compress and lock sooner. In response to the claim that wax can harden inside dreads, KJC himself explains that he has had a tub of DHHQ Dread Wax sitting out uncovered for a few years now that is still just as supple and pliant as it was when he first opened it debunking that claim. He suggests the white residue is just regular dirt accumulated by wax that was not properly cleaned.
Ultimately what does all this arguing mean? Well, here’s what truth I have gleaned from reading all of the hot debate:
Wax does build-up in dreads even if you use it in the proper, suggested amounts even if the build-up is very little. It is still there. KJC himself did his own experiment to attest to this. He minimalized the build-up explaining that in the entire test dread the build-up was only 0.32 grams (you can fit this much and more underneath your finger nail). However, the fact is that it is all too easy to use TOO MUCH wax. The appropriate amount is so miniscule that its no wonder people are overwaxing even with reading all the directions and suggestions for use. (Here is KJC's big rant about dread wax on the DHHQ site, LOL.)
I’m sorry, but no matter what you say I find it highly unlikely that waxed dreads don’t attract more dirt and fuzz. It’s just ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Even if you blow-dry your waxed dreads to encourage it to find its way to the center of your dreads and use a paper towel to absorb extra on the surface of them like KJC recommends, waxed dreads collect more visible fuzz. Some people are very diligent about picking fuzz out of their dreads. If you are willing to do the work then go for it.
On this count both sides are right. Yes, waxed hair will not lock up because it causes it to be slippery and YES, waxed, already locked hair, will stay put and increase the memory of the hair to help it lock up. This is another case where the ease of using too much is high. Does wax help dreads lock faster? Maybe, but I’m hard-pressed to find hard evidence proving this claim. I’m inclined to think it’s the same or a little longer, but I can’t be certain considering that I, myself, do not use dread wax.
No, wax cannot crystallize or harden. I don’t think that wax causes crispy, hard dreads. I do think its possible and likely that the dirt and fuzz attracted BY the wax creates the hard dreads. I’m not sure, honestly, what the best way to handle this build-up is beyond cutting your dreads out and starting over. I’m sure someone out there has created some deep-clean dreadlock product that claims to get it out… let me know if you find one that works! If it IS wax that is helping to hold in the fuzz as residue or build-up in the dread your best bet is to use one of the many dread wax removal techniques you can find all over the web. Just type ‘dread wax removal’ into google and watch the crazy amount of hits you get.
I just want to make another point here before I wrap it up. Some people on the anti-wax war path have suggested that dread wax is for dummies and you're basically stupid to buy into the propaganda that says it helps dreads mature. According to them, the only reason companies like DHHQ sell it is to make money and they don't care if they ruin a bunch of devoted dread heads' hair along the way. Okay. So, I'm not saying I know Knotty Johnny Clean personally here, but DreadHeadHQ is a whole of two hard-working people (KJC and Knotty Sloan) and I have to say that I do NOT believe that crap for a second. They are two dread heads who know what's up and if they say it works, I believe 'em.
When I got my own dreads my intuition was telling me that with how easy it is to use too much wax and screw up your dreads the risk just wasn’t worth what rewards I would reap. After all I’ve discovered here I am standing by that same conclusion. Yes, you can use dread wax to make some kick-ass dreads, but why bother when its so easy to ruin them just the same. If you are willing to take the risk to have better looking dreads sooner then dread wax is for you (and I would definitely recommend DreadHeadHQ’s dread wax which has a lower melting point and more viscous texture than Knotty Boy’s). But if you are willing to wait a little longer for neat-looking dreads without worrying about accidentally over-waxing, then skip the wax and enjoy the dread journey in its organic goodness.
((Images taken from http://www.dreadlocktruth.com))
A surprising number of people have indicated in my poll that they would like me to make an entry about washing your dreads. I have been doing some more reading and I really wanted to address a couple of other issues in this entry as well. I want to address not only HOW to clean and shampoo your dreads, but also how frequently you should wash, and I want to address the stereotype that dreads are dirty or gross.
Firstly, the biggest questions people usually have is ‘how often should I wash my dreads’? There are several factors to consider in this question. On the DreadHeadHQ website they say to wash your dreads every 2-3 days. Honestly, I think this is way too frequent, ESPECIALLY for new dreads! The wonderfully helpful people at DHHQ correctly explain that clean, dry hair locks and matures faster than dirty hair. However, washing also loosens loose hairs and can cause a lot of frizz. The theory here is that the oils from your scalp will loosen dreads and prevent them from locking. However, it is entirely relative. If you washed and brushed your hair (and stimulated your scalp) every day before dreads at first things might get a bit greasy. This is because your scalp is used to getting a certain amount of stimulation and when it doesn’t it begins to produce more oil. Even with ‘regular’ hair they say that you only need to wash your hair however often as you do, because your scalp will adjust its oil production accordingly. If you regularly wash daily than after two days you will have greasy hair. If you only washed every 2-3 days, after 3 days you’ll be oily, and so on and so forth. Having dreadlocks is no different. Hair is hair!
The biggest complaint I get about washing less frequently is that the itch is unbearable! This, too, is a result of less scalp stimulation. Without dreadlocks, you are brushing or combing your hair and stimulating it every day (or at least I assume you did!). Once the dreads go in that comes to a screeching halt and the scalp needs time to adjust. The itch is your scalp craving stimulation and there are two major ways to get it: wash your hair, or scratch it and DON’T wash your hair! I can’t say enough for the DreadHeadHQ Head Honcho! This was an invaluable tool for me for the first few weeks of dread-hood while I was still in my itchy period. Another option if you haven’t ordered your Head Honcho yet is to clock-wise rub… not only does it stimulate the scalp and quell the itch, but it helps to encourage knotting and locking at your roots! If you continue to wash your hair every 2-3 days you will never be able to space out your shampooing, and at the beginning of your dread journey especially frequent washing can be a real downer as far as fuzz, loose hair, and frizz!
After your dreads are established you CAN wash more frequently if you want to, but at that point why bother, IMHO! LOL. When my dreads were first put in by my wonderful dready friends, they told me right off the bat DO NOT WASH YOUR DREADS FOR A WEEK! Occasionally, someone will send me a message asking me what I do to maintain my dreads for them to look as decent as they do considering their young age and I firmly believe my washing frequency and technique has a big part to play in that. Although things get itchy and sometimes oily, it gives the body of the dreads more opportunity to lock in between shampoos. I have never shampooed more frequently than once a week since getting my dreads in. In fact, many dread heads only wash every TWO weeks, which I am building myself up to slowly. Although some of us like to be dirty hippies, just because you only shampoo every week or so doesn’t mean you can’t shower in between! Invest in a good shower cap to wear to prevent dreads from getting wet on non-washing days. And, another important thing to note, I didn’t wash the dreads themselves until just last week (8 weeks old). When your dreadies are just starting out and aren’t established yet all you really have to do is wash your scalp/roots. Realistically, that’s where all the crud, oil, and grime is, anyway and it feels fantastic!
As far as scalp itch goes there are some other things you can do to minimize it. If you are using any products (Read: Lock Accelerator) that specifies NOT to get it on the scalp, follow the directions and DON’T do it! Any products that use sea salt, in particular, can make scalp itch worse and cause dandruff. Also, if I haven’t mentioned it yet, make sure you’re using a shampoo that is residue free! The DreadHeadHQDread Soap is top-notch and comes highly recommended by this dready mama! Residue is also a big cause of scalp itch in even non-dreaded hair.
So it took some finagling, but I manage to get a video of myself shampooing my own dreads to give you an idea of how you can go about it yourselves. Below the video is some text directions on how to wash, too!
HOW TO WASH YOUR DREADLOCKS:
Naturally, if your going to wash those dreadies you gotta get ‘em wet first! So step in the shower and soak those dreads before you get started. (Okay… read the whole instruction list first…. THEN hop in the shower!)
Squeeze some of that DreadHeadHQDread Soap into your hand… I usually start with a full palm-full about the size of a half dollar or more.
Start lathering it up on the top of your head, using your fingers on the scalp to massage it in between all your dreads.
Squeeze more Dread Soap into your hand (about the same amount) and rub your hands together and lather up the sides of your head the same way as the top of your head.
Finally, squeeze just a bit more soap into your hands and lather up the back of your head and give the whole scalp a good, stimulating massage.
Next, which I only recommend if your dreads are AT LEAST a month old, preferably closer to 6-8 weeks old, you can begin rolling sections of your dreads in between your hands like palm rolling. Roll down the entire section of dreads to get ‘em good and clean.
Repeat the above step until you have gotten every dread.
Rinse! Make sure you rinse them out REALLY good. You do NOT want a soap left behind inside the dreads themselves OR on your scalp.
Squeeze your dreads to get the excess water out. You will probably have to do this a couple of times to get all the water out.
Drying your dreads is beyond the scope of this article, although DreadHeadHQ has a great section on their website about how to dry your dreads. At this point, once I step out of the shower, I will wrap my dreads up in a towel to get some of the excess water out, spray with Lock Accelerator, and put the towel back on my head until I’m finished getting dressed for the morning (about 5 - 10 minutes… since usually my shirt won’t fit over the towel). Then I take the towel off and let ‘em air dry! I didn’t mention this in my blog about dread beads but if you have them, make sure you shift them around throughout the day to make sure that the dreads underneath them dry really well, too!
Now, another thing I want to address before I sign off for the night is the cleanliness issue. There are some people who claim that people with dreads have dirty hair because we shampoo less frequently. That is simply NOT the case! Like I talked about earlier, the less often you wash your hair the less oil your scalp will produce. So, if you have dreadlocks and only wash your hair every 1-2 weeks your scalp is producing a negligible amount of oil. That, in addition to the fact that dread heads religiously use (or should use) residue-free soap, means that in all actuality, people with dreadlocks actually can have CLEANER hair than our non-dreaded brothers and sisters who use shampoos and conditioners with all kinds of fragrances and moisturizers. I repeat: DREADS ARE NOT DIRTY! DREADS ARE PROBABLY CLEANER THAN REGULAR HAIR! I am not aware of any official studies on this issue, but I think logically, you’ll agree that it’s the case!
The only thing that can stop misconceptions and ignorance about dreadlocks and cleanliness is EDUCATION! I love answering questions about dreads and encourage all my dreaded friends be prepared to field questions from all kinds of people who are fascinated by your awesome dreadlocks! I hope this article has helped you all out and I look forward to your comments! Happy Washing!
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Instructions and products
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I'm a proud, crunchy mama to my daughter, Phoenix. She is my whole world! I am also a student, a business student, a student of spirituality, and a student of life! I'm just going with the flow of the Universe as best as I can...
