The Best Way to Wash Your Dreadlocks to Avoid Mould, Bad Smells and Hair Loss

It may seem impractical to wash your dreadlocks regularly but to maintain healthy, hygienic locs, it is essential to wash your dreads once a week or at least bi–weekly. Washing your dreadlocks keeps your hair hydrated, whilst allowing your hair and scalp to be cleansed, which assists maintaining healthy hair and hair growth. Click here to find out why it is important to wash your hair frequently. However, washing your dreadlocks, especially if they are long and/or weak, requires a different technique to washing unloc’d hair for several reasons, for example:

• Washing dreadlocked hair incorrectly has the potential to make your locs smelly and mouldy;
• Washing your dreadlocks the regular way can trigger hair loss.

If you want to avoid smelly, mouldy locs and hair loss when you wash your dreadlocks, follow the following steps:

The Best Technique for Shampooing Long Dreadlocks to Avoid Bad Smells and Hair Loss

If your deadlocks are long and thinning/weak, it is important to continue to wash your hair and not be deterred because of the fragility of your locs. Washing your dreadlocks is still an essential part of hair hygiene and health, as it prevents the build-up of bad bacteria and odours. Also, if you are undergoing treatment for hair loss and using products such as ProTress, washing your locs are part of the regime. So, one way to shampoo your dreadlocks without causing further damage is to follow the following steps:

• Prepare a large bowl with warm water and add shampoo. Stir the shampoo into the water gently with your hand. Have a vessel nearby to pour shampoo water over your scalp.
• Fill another bowl with lukewarm water.
• Gently place your dreadlocks in the bowl of warm shampoo water and cleanse the locs by gently messaging the locs in the shampoo water. Fill the vessel with water and pour over your scalp, then gently massage the shampoo into your scalp. Washing dreadlocks in a bowl reduces the impact of the weight of the water on the locs which can in turn put excessive pressure on the hair bulb and can trigger the loss of dreads, particularly if they are in a weak and vulnerable state.
• Continue to cleanse your locs in the bowl of warm shampooed water for 10-15 minutes until the water is discoloured, that way you know you have all the dirt out.
• Gather your shampooed dreadlocks in your hands and transfer them into the bowl with lukewarm water, massaging the shampoo out of the hair. Use the vessel to pour water on the scalp to rinse the shampoo away. Lukewarm water is used to rinse the hair and scalp because it helps to close the hair shafts.

How To Avoid Mouldy Smelly Dreads After you Have Washed Your Hair

The composition of dreadlocks consists of hundreds of individual hairs loc’d together, which, if not dried properly, the cluster of hair in each loc can create a damp, moist environment for mould and bad, damp smells. This is why it is exceptionally important to ensure that dreadlocks are thoroughly dried after shampooing. Using a towel, or a hair dryer on low heat (to avoid heat damage) to dry your dreadlocks thoroughly helps to avoid mould and unpleasant smells. Remember, if you wrap your locs, which are not completely dry after washing and go to sleep, your dreadlocks becomes almost completely deprived of air and the damp environment which they are now in become fertile ground for mould and bad, stuffy smells, whilst also prohibiting your locs from drying fully.

ProTress Essential Scalp Therapy Energising Shampoo and Lotion cleanses dreadlocks effectively, whilst improving strength and thickness.

If you are suffering from thinning locs or are starting to notice bald patches around your scalp, then you should seek treatment as soon as possible to avoid further hair loss. Click here to find out how to prevent hair loss if you have dreadlocks. The quicker you get treatment for hair loss, the higher the chance of restoring hair growth. ProTress Essential Scalp Therapy Energising Shampoo and Lotion helps to prevent hair loss and activate hair growth. Find out more by clicking here