Dreadlocks can be low-maintenance, but not NO-maintenance. Read on for care instructions after your appointment...
Dreadlocks can be low-maintenance, but thy're not NO maintenance - at least not if you have standards for their comfort and aesthetics. Whether you've just gotten new dreadlocks, extensions, or had maintenance done, all that new crochet work is fragile and requires special care. Read on for basic aftercare instructions.
Keep DRY for 2 weeks - and that means DRY. No shampooing, swimming, tubing, water slides, water balloon fights. All those tiny, fragile, new little knots we created need to be babied. Wet hair is heavy, and the weight will put tension on those new knots before they're ready to support themselves. Keeping your hair dry for 2 weeks will give those knots time to start tightening up and getting established. 2 weeks. You got this.
Use dreadlock-safe shampoo - Not all shampoos labeled "dreadlock-safe" are actually dreadlock safe, so I recommend getting good at reading ingredient labels. I will be doing a blog all about shampoos soon, but for now, you want to use shampoo that is Sulfate-free, Residue-free, and has no waxes (PPG's or PEG's), or silicons. You can find safe shampoos that aren't necessarily made for dreadlocks - read, read, read! I've tried many, and honestly found some that were okay, but my all-time fav is CULT+KINGs Astral Amino Shampoo. Why? It's an ingredient powerhouse that's great for all hair (locked & loose), and it rinses fast AF. That means everything. If you prefer a shampoo bar, their WASH Bar is also a great choice, but not recommended for color-treated hair.
Be gentle, once a week or so- Baby your hair for a while. That crochet needs time to establish itself. for new locs and new extensions, don't worry about sudsing up the entire length of your locs, and don't shampoo too often (it'll dry your hair and scalp out). Focus on gently massaging the scalp, leave shampoo on for a couple minutes, rinse, repeat, and rinse again, for a long time. As you rinse, the suds from the scalp will run down the length and do a fine job of cleaning the loc bodies in most cases. Squeeze your locs as the water and suds run down, and rinse, rinse, squeeze, rinse. The #1 most common issue with itchy locs is that folks don't rinse well enough, and it gets very uncomfortable. And this is why I heart Astral Amino. Shoot to shampoo 1-2 times weekly. Dirty hair struggles to lock up, so I wouldn't want to go longer than 2 weeks max between washings.
Do not EVER apply wax of any kind to your hair!!!!- Wax is not water soluble. There is a name brand out there in the dreadlock world that still promotes dreadlock waxing. PLEASE don't ever do this! Once it's in your locs, it is there likely forever. It causes many issues such as: hair not drying properly leading to mold and mildew, nutrient deficiencies, lint buildup, and just general nastiness. I honestly recommend steering very clear of any product brand altogether that promotes waxing. So yucky.
With one exception, do not condition your locs - There are some dreadlock conditioners on the market, but I do not personally recommend this, reason being, just rinsing the shampoo completely is a challenge for many, and conditioner is a really fast way to cause more problems. Simply put, it's not worth the risk. If you care for your locs properly and give them the moisture they need from safer sources, conditioner just isn't necessary. It's marketing.
Loose Ends = the one exception: If you have locs with loose ends, I do recommend conditioning your ends ONLY - do not condition the loc bodies. Our loose ends benefit from conditioner and stay healthier and looking nice longer when you give them this extra tlc. After performing your regular shampoo ritual, squeeze excess water from locs and dump your head upside down. Apply a quarter-size dallop of quality conditioner to your finders a work through the ends only. Before rinsing, use a wide toothed comb to gently comb through your ends and remove any tangles (doing this with the conditioner still in provides slip, which means less tugging and less hair loss from your ends). rinse very well, in a way that the conditioner-water isn't running over your locs. It is very important that the conditioner stay away from the loc bodies, and is rinsed all the way, or there is the possibility of transferring leftover residue to your locs through regular wear.
Do not apply oils to baby locs- Baby locs have a tendency to get dry, but it wont stay that way. Fight the urge to oil your babes too soon, though. Conditioning oils have their place, and it's not for these guys. The oil provides too much slip, and as we've covered, the new knots aren't ready to stand up to that yet. Wait until locs are mature - typically 6 months +/- with the Seienstyle method - and then use oil sparingly. Only a couple drops to start, you can always add more. Too much oil makes locs that are too heavy and lie flat and lifeless, and it also means you have to wash more often. No thanks.
Other products are optional, but helpful- I'm a cosmetologist, so a naturally love hair products, but please be picky-choosy if you opt to add more to your routine. Tightening sprays and gels can be super helpful, especially in the beginning of the dreadlock journey, but use wisely. Most tightening products include salt that, while being helpful when used properly, can also be very drying if over-done in either amount or frequency. When it comes to tightening, I reach for CULT+KING JELLY. It had 3 kinds of salts, and they are balanced with humectants like Aloe Leaf juice, vegetable glycerin, and banana fruit (read C+K ingredient lists - they're insane), so it doesn't dty out locs. I apply it to my hair after each shampoo when it's damp (not dripping), and it nourishes my hair while helping the new growth loc up and flyaways are less fly-y.
Keep decorations minimal- When it comes to new locs, it is important to know that their natural movement is exactly what encourages then to mature - we want them rubbing up against their neighbs as much as possible. When you wear your locs tied up daily, or if you wear a bead in the same place for too long, those locs (or a small bead-sized section of one loc) isn't able to benefit from that movement, and can lead to locs that take longer to mature (which can lead to a greater amount of other issues), or sections of locs that have weak spots, which can lead to thinning and weird joints/unnatural bends in the loc. I know that decorating them is a ton of the fun, and though I recommend waiting, I understand it's tough. If you do decide to wear beads or string wraps, please don't wear them super tight, or for more than a day or two. Move the bead around to a different loc each day. When you wear them up, don't use elastics are anything that's super tight - we don't want to bind them up and cause creases in them - and try to wear them up in different style each day, so it's not tied in the same spot consistently.
Whew. I know that was a lot, but I want you all to feel confident in caring for your beautiful babes, and to have more than just a "do-this, dont-do-that" list. Oh - here's another Don't for ya - DON'T GET YOUR LOC CARE ADVICE FROM RANDOS ON THE INTERNET. Now, I am not the end-all-be-all of dreadlocks, and there's a lot out there that I don't know, for sure. This is just my recommendations, based on many years of working with hair, and by personal trials. Use common sense. Don't use anything that isn't water-soluble. And have fun trying things - maybe not in the first few months, but ultimately, experimentation is the number one way that you'll get to know your locs the best. Pay attention to them. If you try something new, watch and listen to them, and they 're telling you that the new thing isn't working, the stop doing it. Once they're mature, there's not a whole lot that you can do to them that'll ruin them in one go (except waxing...never ever!). Just pay attention and think before you spend money on some new product that IG recommended to you. Read the labels, every time. And you'll be good:)