How do you give your dreadlocks a deep clean? - Dreadlocks FAQ's

 

Deep Cleaning Dreadlocks

 

You may have noticed that whenever washing dreadlocks is discussed the focus is on the scalp and the roots of the dreads. Since oil doesn't get transferred from the scalp to the hair when you have dreads you never get "oily dreads". In fact dryness is what usually occurs if you don't moisturize.

It makes sense to focus on the scalp for day to day washing but you can't neglect the body of the dreads entirely. Soapy water will run through them and be rinsed out in every shower, that's why they smell clean and don't get nasty, but every month or two you should give them a nice deep clean. How often depends on your activity level, environment, etc. If you run the fryer at Mickey D's you might want to give them a deep clean every week. =]

If your dreads are still maturing and you are not yet done using dread wax you should always use a Hot Rinse to remove wax from your dreads before you do a Deep Clean. Otherwise you'll mostly just be removing wax. I would suggest doing your first Deep Clean immediately after your second Hot Rinse at the end of month two.

A deep clean can be done with 1/2 Cup of DreadHead Dread Soap, 1/2 Cup of sea salt (optional), and 1 gallon of nice hot water. Mix everything in a large, deep bowl or  a shallow, wide-mouth bucket, whatever is handy. Dunk your dreads and get them saturated. Work the soapy water through the dreads. Squeeze and twist them under the water individually and in groups so they really get flushed out. Now let them soak in the hot water for about 10-15 minutes. When you're done take a hot shower and wash and rinse them as you normally would.

If you've had your dreads for a while and never given them a deep cleaning you are likely to notice them feeling lighter, fuller and more springy.