Ever heard this “don’t get dreads, they are dirty!” I can’t
tell you how many times I have heard someone say that dreads are “dirty” when
in all reality dreads are just like any other hair style- though, will admit
they are QIITE high maintenance.
So where does the misconception of dreads being dirty come
from? Well if we look back we can see that during the 60’s and 70’s there were
a group of people known as hippies. Bare with me. Hippies were not dirty –well maybe
by yesterday’s standards they were but I think we’ve all seen Hoarders- in fact
they would be considered what many know today as ‘naturalists’. Many people
would make their own soaps and conditioners –in fact its pioneers like them who
are why I can run a business like this and have people say ‘oooh’ and not ‘....EW’- they knew that synthetic chemicals didn’t belong
on the human body. However In doing this they may have underestimated the
amount of cleaning agent to put in their homemade concoctions.
During this time
there was also an influx of Caribbean immigration to the United States. Rasta
meets Hippie –oh yes and we can’t forget to give Bob Marley LOTS of credit for
this. Hippies adopted the dreadlock style however many people would not
maintain their hair and would end up with a “knotty dread” matted look. Because
most people in this scene were almost nomadic, they really didn’t have time or
places where they could wash their hair, so seeing a hippie who had dreads with
pet hair, grass and dirt in them was not uncommon.
Nowadays if you see someone with ‘dirty’ looking dreads I’d
say it’s probably safer to assume they don’t know how to care for their dreads –let’s
not assume they don’t shower just yet. Dreads can be a very confusing style to maintain
because they turn out differently on all hair types. For instance the locking
time on someone with type 4 hair is much shorter than someone with type 1 hair.
This is why many loctitions discourage washing the hair while you are waiting
for it to loc up. Contrary to popular belief however it is possible to wash
your hair if you have dreads in the beginning stages-bear in mind if one un-locs
you will have to re-twist it up or whatever method you use to maintain the
shape of your dreads.
If you are having trouble cleaning your lovely locs, try
these tips!
GET BUTTER NOT WAX! Using butter like our Coconoix Butter Cream
will add shine and won’t weigh down your dreads, allowing for bounce and life! Read
our blog post about wax here, and don’t make the mistake of using it on your amazing baby
dreads
Cleanse your hair, do not shampoo it. Let me explain. Castile
soap sits just above household ammonia on the ph scale, this is what is used in
most shampoo this, this is the cleaning agent. Shampoo basically strips your
hair of everything that is helpful to it and all nutrition that your scalp
needs. Cleanser works on the natural ability that water has to open the cuticle
of the hair. Most cleansers such as our aloe based cleanser contain vitamins
and natural oils. Also shampoos can leave icky residue on your dreads that over
time can cause mold. The man pictured here to the right has dreads that are the product of wax, shampoo and low maintenance... don't end up like him!
If you are like me and you are a DIY lover, then try this
low-cost recipe
1.
Make the rinse by mixing 1/3 cup of apple cider
vinegar with 1 qt. of distilled water. Put the mixture in a plastic bottle and
bring it into the shower or bath.
2. Apply the apple cider vinegar rinse to your hair. Leave it in
for a few seconds. Rinse your hair using cold water to seal the hair shaft and
create more shine. Because vinegar is acidic, using the rinse daily is not
advised. Try it once a week at most. Pay attention to how your hair responds
and adjust use accordingly. You don't need to condition hair after the rinse.
3.
Dry your hair with a towel. If you notice a vinegar
scent after you're done rinsing, don't fret. The smell will disappear after your
hair dries.
Do you have problems keeping your dreads clean? Have you tried a recipe like
ours? Tell us about it in our comments section.
