Weekly dread maintenance routine
Along with my everyday hair routine, I wash my hair once a week. It’s important to wash your hair in the morning to give it enough time to dry throughout the day. Leaving your hair wet for too long can cause mold to grow, and no one wants that!
1. Shampoo your scalp
When I first started washing my dreads, I would wash everything: the scalp, the locs, the ends…all of it! It took me a long time to realize that this was unnecessary. What needs to be washed every week is the roots of your hair because that’s where the oils are being produced. Your hair needs to be clean to lock properly so make sure you’re washing it once a week or once every two weeks tops. Use residue-free or clarifying shampoo only so that no residues accumulate inside your locs.
2. Wrap your hair in a microfiber towel
Microfiber towels are amazing for absorbing large amounts of water and not leaving any lint or cotton pieces in your hair (like a regular towel would). Any microfiber towel will do but has worked great for me. I usually leave my hair wrapped for an hour or so.
3. Palm roll your dreads
I find that it’s easier to shape my locs when they’re wet. I usually use this opportunity to palm roll all of my dreads which also helps squeeze some of the remaining water that’s being held hostage in there.
4. Let your hair dry
At this point, your locs will still be damp so you can either let them air dry or you can speed up the process with a hairdryer. Either way, make sure you’re not styling them because that will cause your hair to dry unevenly and might cause problems later on if portions of your hair don’t dry completely. The thicker your dreads are, the longer they’ll take to dry of course.
5. Blow dry your hair before going to sleep
Last but not least, if your hair is still slightly damp before going to bed, make sure you blow dry it (in the lowest setting for better hair protection) until you feel it has dried out completely. If your hair is wet for too long, the dreads can grow mold inside of them and dread rot can occur. This means you might have to go through the painful process of getting the mold out, or take the easier solution and cut them off. Make sure that never happens by drying them out properly in the first place. 🙂
6. Wash headbands and silk bonnets
I like to change my headbands and sleeping caps the same day I wash my hair. I use the same one for the entire week and change it after my next wash (a week later). This helps to keep the dirt from old headbands/bonnets from getting into the clean dreads.
1. Shampoo your scalp
When I first started washing my dreads, I would wash everything: the scalp, the locs, the ends…all of it! It took me a long time to realize that this was unnecessary. What needs to be washed every week is the roots of your hair because that’s where the oils are being produced. Your hair needs to be clean to lock properly so make sure you’re washing it once a week or once every two weeks tops. Use residue-free or clarifying shampoo only so that no residues accumulate inside your locs.
2. Wrap your hair in a microfiber towel
Microfiber towels are amazing for absorbing large amounts of water and not leaving any lint or cotton pieces in your hair (like a regular towel would). Any microfiber towel will do but has worked great for me. I usually leave my hair wrapped for an hour or so.
3. Palm roll your dreads
I find that it’s easier to shape my locs when they’re wet. I usually use this opportunity to palm roll all of my dreads which also helps squeeze some of the remaining water that’s being held hostage in there.
4. Let your hair dry
At this point, your locs will still be damp so you can either let them air dry or you can speed up the process with a hairdryer. Either way, make sure you’re not styling them because that will cause your hair to dry unevenly and might cause problems later on if portions of your hair don’t dry completely. The thicker your dreads are, the longer they’ll take to dry of course.
5. Blow dry your hair before going to sleep
Last but not least, if your hair is still slightly damp before going to bed, make sure you blow dry it (in the lowest setting for better hair protection) until you feel it has dried out completely. If your hair is wet for too long, the dreads can grow mold inside of them and dread rot can occur. This means you might have to go through the painful process of getting the mold out, or take the easier solution and cut them off. Make sure that never happens by drying them out properly in the first place. 🙂
6. Wash headbands and silk bonnets
I like to change my headbands and sleeping caps the same day I wash my hair. I use the same one for the entire week and change it after my next wash (a week later). This helps to keep the dirt from old headbands/bonnets from getting into the clean dreads.
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