The Care and Feeding of Dreadlocks: Beat Dry Scalp with Essential Oils

So you've gotten your hair nice and knotted. You've palmrolled those locks smooth. But now what? Can you wash them? What do you wash them with? How often can you wash them? So many questions, but you can find almost all of the answers here.

Washing your hair should be as much a part of your life as it was pre-locks. Typically, every three days is sufficient to keep dreadlocks fresh, and clean, and smelling fabulous. When your locks are new, less than a month old, you want to help them with their structural integrity, as they learn to knit together. Washing helps dreads to lock up, but it can also unravel the work you've done. An easy solution, is to wear a nylon stocking on your head, and shampoo through that. The stocking holds the dreads together, while allowing for scalp massage, and the application of shampoo. New dreads are also sensitive to extra oils and conditioners, as these things make the hair slippery, and slippery hair doesn't knot well. So make sure you continue to use a residue free shampoo.

There will be times when you are doing things which have the potential to leave your fresh new locks all skunky, dirty, and gross. Airbrushing paint, or working at a construction site, anything with harsh chemical smells, or lots of airborne dirt and dust can be scary for locks. During these times, it is best to keep your head covered with a scarf, hat, or wrap of some sort, to keep the ickies out of your hair.

There will be times, especially in the beginning, when you stare at the ca lander, longing for 'wash day'. This is because the itchies have hit. Although it is perfectly natural for the scalp to go through a period of adjustment with dreads, it is still a pain in the bum for the locked. Because dreadlocks need to dry completely to prevent mold growth within the dread, scalp treatments can relieve the itchies in between washings. You can use a number of things, but what has worked for me, is filling a 20 oz spray bottle with 10 drops of tea tree essential oil, 7 drops of rosemary essential oil, 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract, and a teeny, tiny, dollop of 100% aloe vera juice/gel/. Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water, and apply between dreadlocks, directly to scalp. Also note that rosemary essential oil can act as a stimulant, so if you've got sensitivities to caffeine, or other stimulants, it's best to forego the rosemary. You can also add in a few drops of an oil which smells pleasant to you, to mask the odors of the tea tree oil if you so choose.

The internet is rife with products to buy for dreadlocks. Waxes, accelerators, shampoos, and so forth. But the truth is, you can make most dread necessities in your very own kitchen. Products which tighten dreadlocks can include aloe vera, lemon juice, and salt water, either from the ocean, or by mixing sea salt with tap water. Beware of getting saltwater or lemon juice on your scalp, as that can dry out and irritate the skin, leading to the dreaded itchies.

As your dreads mature, they may start to feel dry, and sort of like straw. If you feel like they aren't going to unravel at a thought, then use a pea sized squirt of aloe, diluted with water, and smoothed evenly over your locks. This will moisturize the locks, and also hold down any busy, frizzy, flyaways that have escaped from their home dreads.

Stay tuned for tips on how to decorate your newly knotty head.