…even more so since dying my dreads coz I don’t want the dye to fade too fast. I wash the roots very thoroughly, but I don’t stand and painstakingly massage shampoo into every single dreadlock (apart from anything else, I can’t afford to get through shampoo that fast!). Neither do I rinse every single lock as you might a sponge, squeezing and wringing the water through it. I guess I kinda treat them more as one mass. Of course I rinse until the soap appears to have gone, and as I don’t use any wax or residuey stuff, I guess it should all be fine. I don’t have a bathtub at home though, only a shower, and sometimes wish I could fully immerse my dreads, like if you were washing an item of clothing by hand, you know?

Yesterday, after a rummage through the kitchen cupboards for some kind of big pot, I came up with our 13 litre stew pan as a solution. I filled it with hot water plus some Dread Head HQ shampoo and cider vinegar, which soon turned murky after my dreads had been scrunched around in it for a while. I shampooed them very generously, rinsed them in a fresh lot of water then with the shower. They certainly seemed clean afterwards, but not all that different to how they usually are after washing.

I dunno. What does everyone else do? Is it really that important to thoroughly wash each entire dreadlock every single time or is it enough to shampoo the roots well and do the rest with a little shampoo and a good rinse? What about a good vinegar soak once a month?

My dreads don’t smell or have any wildlife yet as far as I know