Monthly dread maintenance routine

1. Apple cider vinegar rinse

On top of my daily and weekly routine, once a month I follow my hair washing routine with an apple cider vinegar rinse. I mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 8 ounces of water in an old shampoo container.

After shampooing and rinsing my scalp, I pour the ACV mixture all over my scalp and let it absorb for five minutes. [Apple cider vinegar neutralizes the pH balance of the scalp and will help to minimize the itchiness.] Once the five minutes are up, rinse the ACV completely off. It won’t hurt you to leave it on, but if your scalp gets wet, you will immediately regret it. There’s nothing like the tangy smell of vinegar during a workout! (I hope you got the sarcasm in that one.)

2. Sea salt spray

Once in a blue moon, I’ll spray my hair with sea salt to encourage them to lock up (especially the loose parts). This spray will help tighten and knot your locs quicker but is extremely drying to your locs. If you spray it on a couple of hours before you wash your hair, you will get the locking benefits without the risk of too much damage. Make sure you’re not spraying this on your scalp since the high concentration of salt will dry out your scalp too and can cause more itchiness and dandruff. Try this easy recipe

If you’re one of the rebels that want to spray it on after washing your hair or at random times throughout the week, make sure you add some essential oils to the mix to give your hair some moisture (or follow up with a moisturizing spray). I don’t recommend this by the way.