Washed Locs and a Product Update

I washed my dreads on Monday. Even though I'd left them to form for a month I was still wary of how my dreads would cope... Oh yeah, remember when I said I had dandruff a week after the salon? Well it was the aloe gel I chose to retwist with. Once it was dry it flaked. I wasn't too upset about it. I'd rather it flake off than stay gooey, matting into my hair. I'm no longer using it.

The aim was to wash my scalp thoroughly with minimal agitation to my hair. Natural Afrodisiac has a brilliant post on washing baby locs and one of her tips was to use a canter bottle instead of a pressure shower. She also recommends using rubber bands to section off the dreads. I saturated my hair making sure to pat the water in instead of letting it hit me full force. Then I squeezed the water through several times. I then filled my spray bottle with a bit of shampoo (more on that below), witch hazel, and lots of warm water. once I'd sectioned my hair into loose ponytails I held the bottle about an inch from my scalp and sprayed the solution through each row avoiding my hair completely. After that I went about massaging and scrubbing in small motions and left my hair saturated for around 10 minutes. Following that I washed out the spray bottle and filled it with plain warm water. Without the lid I poured the contents over my head several times until the shampoo mixture was all gone and squeezed my hair in a bath towel to get it mostly dry.

I started retwisting and palm-rolling from root to tip so they'd stay in for another month. For the locs that had unravelled a lot I comb coiled from the roots down to where some matting had started. I didn't use extra products to retwist them and after a less than comfortable night's rest I removed the clips the next day. I'm very pleased.  Now they shake whenever I move my head and some were even hanging in my eye before they shrank a little. Washing them still gave me that unravelled fro look even after waiting a month but I accept that, that's how they'll be until they choose to knit together properly. The thicker locs have unravelled a little already (day two) but I've retwisted them back and clipped them down until they were bone dry.

Moisture-wise they feel so soft and smooth. I started using shampoo just before Christmas and stopped using oil and water to moisturise them. I just found it wasn't working. I'd spray them with water and oil but they'd be dry and crisp within a few hours. I did a ton of research into products and looked into Damien Walter's YT series. He offers lots information on hair care which enables anyone to take from it what they require. I concluded that his philosophy for clean dreadlocks was to: cleanse, condition and moisturise consistently using a cleansing shampoo and moisturising shampoo. He expresses that there is no 'all in 1' product but that a good arsenal of relible products are essential.

So that's when I decided to find a good product. I wasn't confident about using conditioners just yet and several contained alcohol for some reason. I did feel confident that ACV rinses were a good substitute for "clarifying shampoos", which I haven't used in quite some time, so my focus went toward finding a genuinely "moisturising shampoo". I read up on the effects of proteins and sulphates and what to look for in any ingredients list. I found Creme of Nature's Kiwi & Citrus Ultra Moisturizing Shampoo. This is definitely my shampoo of choice. My hair feels clean and conditioned and I love running my fingers through it. The softness lasts for several days.

I took a ton of photos during and after washing. I'll put them in a following post since this one's already word heavy.

DREADLOCKS ARE...

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DO NOT use without permission. All videography is freely available on Youtube**

Week 33: How d'you clean dem dreads?

If you've been keeping up with my journey over the last seven months you'll know that I don't use shampoo or conditioner on my baby locs so I thought I'd do a quick post on what I use to wash my hair instead.

Now you may be thinking, how have you survived for so long without shampoo? Well I was plenty skeptical at first but it's become quite normal now. I guess the main reason I stopped using shampoo was for fear of loc buildup from various ingredients that I still don't know much about. I also haven't yet used a shampoo or conditioner that actually delivers what it promises, even products specifically designed for afro hair weren't dazzling. What I use now leaves me with clean, healthy hair that feels light and manageable.

Products:

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Baking Soda
Aloe Vera Gel

Method:
Once I wet my head with warm water, I apply a runny paste made with a 2:1 ratio of, ACV:Baking soda, through my scalp (going row by row to ensure complete coverage). I then massage and gently scrub my scalp until I'm ready to rinse (alt: leave on using a shower cap for up to 20 minutes before rinsing). I follow up by massaging the aloe gel onto my scalp (once again row by row) and spread it onto my hair. After massaging for a further 5 minutes I rinse thoroughly in very cool water and I'm done!

It's a bit of process but here's how I prep the aloe vera gel on those days where I have time for a bit of luxury cleansing:

You can clean your hair with the aloe alone or you might try adding it to your current shampoo. Goes well with a herbal rinse too. (simmer herbs in boiling water for 10-20 minutes, strain and use water when cooled)

Click the link for a video on a Rosemary Rinse

Aloe uses:
Face mask
Shaving gel (tried and tested)
Antiseptic
Anti-inflamitory
Personal lubricant (who knew)
Edible ingredient (food & beverages)
Laxative
Teeth cleaning
...to name a few


Oh and before I forget, I recently came across a short page of information and discovered that my cleansing method is considered to be a 'no-poo' approach. Never knew it had a name lol. Click here to have a read.

DREADLOCKS ARE A LIFESTYLE

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DONOT use without permission. Slideshow made at photosnack.**

Week 19: The Sauna Experience

Hey everyone, busy week mid August ending with a womens retreat (my gran, mother and me) where I had my first ever steam and sauna experience and what an experience it was.

Firstly, why did no one tell me how brilliantly awesome H2O really is? I enjoyed myself so much and really took to the luxurious treatment. My gran has been going for over 30 years (and looking as youthful as ever because of it) and yet only now have I taken the plunge.

When we met up with my gran she had three bags. THREE!!! I'd barely thought to bring oil, talc and a swimming costume and was still feeling quite prepared but never could I have imagined to what true depths my grandmother's weekly sauna attendance had in store.

Inside she had; fresh aloe vera leaves, ginger, honey, nectarines (for lunch), tea tree oil, ice water, normal water in a spray bottle (for the sauna) a salt scrub, flip-flops, a shower cap, a face cloth, a towel, a rubber sitting mat, a full body steaming suite, deep conditioner, and serval pairs of exfoliation gloves.

Boy oh boy, prepared or what? And none of it was unnecessary I tell ya. All the while I followed obediently and did as she did minus the hair treatment (I'd re-twisted the day before). She steamed for 1 hour and sauna-ed for 2 more and then it was time to exfoliate, alternating between a hot shower, a cold shower, some more steaming, a deep condition, rinse (and repeat).

My skin has never had it so good. I wince in remorse for the countless hours of my young life spent pacing through various beauty care isles grabbing at the latest "Clinically Proven" miracle to go on sale. My locs reaped equal benefits. besides puffing up and needing a re-twist, they where bea-hooti-fully soft and shiny, and looked as soothed as I felt. I had a micro-panic when I felt my hair  had swollen so I decided to salvage the situation by attempting to re-twist with bantu knots, which would've been quite cute had I not been rushing. Nonetheless it preserved my parts and I didn't mind waiting until I got home.

Inspired, I made a ginger and lemon body scrub that can also be used for a moisturising scalp exfoliator. Follow up with a your favourite shampoo and deep conditioner using a steamer or shower cap and towel:

Ingredients:

4 tbsp Brown Sugar

2 tbsp White Caster Sugar

1tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1tsp Pure Coconut Oil

1 tsp Ginger (peeled & ground)

1 ¼ tsp Lemon Juice (from concentrate)

DREADLOCKS ARE A LIFESTYLE

**Photography ownership is held with the blog account holder. DONOT use without permission**

Week 11: The Scalp Massage (hair shots)

We all know that a good massage can diminish stress and fill us with clarity and

relaxation but what are the benefits of scalp massage for the dreadlocked individual?