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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 17, 2016 18:38:48 GMT
Hello everyone! This is my first post and sorry it is so long..
My dreads are about a year and 7 months old. They have shrunk a ton( much more than I expected.) I think I may be near the end of that phase and they are starting to actually grow a little.
I have two questions. First i know that the roots having loose hair is normal. I seem to be getting a lot of new growth that is loose in random locations. I have pieces that are probably 4-5" long. A lot of them are around the boundary of my hair (i.e. Face ,back of neck,etc) i assume because of oil from the face and stuff it keeps that hair more conditioned. But will that stuff ever lock? Or is it pretty normal to just always have those chunks of long undreaded hair kinda spread around?
Second question and more important is washing related. I used to wash my hair after work at like 5-6pm and then do my best to dry them before bed at around 11-12. I am not sure they were getting totally dry. I started having some wet towel smell issues so i changed my routine. I now get up early before work (like 5am) and wash before work then they have all day to dry. I think this is working out much better. I use dollylocks and sometimes their tightening spray, although I feel sometimes it makes my scalp itchy. So i dont use it everyday and try to spray it off my scalp. But whenever my hair is wet like after washing it tends to have that wet smell. Not so much wet towel or wet dog. Maybe kind of a less severe in between smell. Now as it dries it fades and once they are dry they don't smell a bit like anything(just hair.) But if they are wet i notice the smell. Any clue? I try to do a deep cleanse once a month. But honestly probably happens once every 3-4 months with a ACV treatment afterwards before washing them. Thanks for any help.
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Post by morri on Feb 18, 2016 12:14:04 GMT
The loose hair is something we all have. I use a sewing/darning needle to sew the loose hair in.
It sounds like you are washing your hair too often and the centre isn't getting completely dry. What job do you do?
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Post by danzia on Feb 18, 2016 13:16:00 GMT
One of our members figured out it was her towel that had a moldy smell that caused her dreads to smell. So maybe check out your towels? I only ever use a fresh towel on mine.
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 18, 2016 14:14:25 GMT
The loose hair is something we all have. I use a sewing/darning needle to sew the loose hair in. It sounds like you are washing your hair too often and the centre isn't getting completely dry. What job do you do? I work as a counter salesman in a refrig/hvac business. No restaurant or anything stinky. I realize my original post made it sound like I wash every day after work. Not the case. I was washing every three days or about twice a week. I now honestly only wash about once a week and sometimes stretches a bit longer just because i plan the day around them having time to dry. Weekends my wife works and I watch our seven month old. So I cant really take the time to wash them on weekends like I did. Weekdays I workout at like 6a before work. So usually one day a week i wash instead and lift during my lunch that day. |
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 18, 2016 14:19:00 GMT
One of our members figured out it was her towel that had a moldy smell that caused her dreads to smell. So maybe check out your towels? I only ever use a fresh towel on mine. I mainly squeeze out as much as possible. Then I have one of those microfiber towels. I will squeeze and rub with that then I go outside and headbang a few times and squeeze with the towel again. Then Ill wrap my dreads in said towel for 15-25 min then Its air dry. I have tried a blow dryer a few times and not noticed a large difference in the ends not dripping or anything. I tried the Lazy dreads method of towel over head and funneling a hair dryer in but the back of the dryer seems to either suck my hair or the towel in. Maybe I will try the clean towel thing. It doesnt get used for anthing else. But i do just hang it up to dry but i do not wash it each time,just every couple. I have never noticed a smell when checking it. But maybe it is different once it becomes wet again. |
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Post by morri on Feb 18, 2016 14:21:28 GMT
I see  I would recommend a deep clean use 3/4 cup of bicarb, some lemon juice, a few drops of tea tree oil and plenty of hot water. Try to keep your hair in the liquid for at least 10-15 mins so it can work it's magic. Then give your locks a really good rinse. |
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 18, 2016 14:40:10 GMT
I see I would recommend a deep clean use 3/4 cup of bicarb, some lemon juice, a few drops of tea tree oil and plenty of hot water. Try to keep your hair in the liquid for at least 10-15 mins so it can work it's magic. Then give your locks a really good rinse. I intend to do one of those every month but again becauae of the time it takes. I have been doing it about once every two-three months. I usually soak in hot water with some baking soda and a few drops of tea tree and peppermint oil for 30 min. Then i either rinse some AcV over them and then i wash like normal with shampoo. So you dont actually wash afterwards? I just found it weird that they dont have a smell all the time. Just when they are wet or maybe a tiny bit when very sweaty. |
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Post by iriemama on Feb 18, 2016 17:16:41 GMT
Have you tried putting tea tree in your soaks? That seems to remove any chances of any mold growth. Hope that helps!
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 18, 2016 17:44:19 GMT
Have you tried putting tea tree in your soaks? That seems to remove any chances of any mold growth. Hope that helps! Yes maam I do. I really never thought it was mold just because they dont smell at all now. It isn't an all the time thing which I would have thought mold would be. It is just when they are wet. |
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Post by vincsl on Feb 19, 2016 15:41:28 GMT
I always noticed that my hair would smell weird during drying process, but once its completely dry, smell would disappear.
I only had mold once in a few dreads, during a summer trip to Cuba, due to a mix of wet and high temperatures, but as soon as I noticed it, I washed my hair with vinegar and it was gone.
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 19, 2016 18:48:24 GMT
I always noticed that my hair would smell weird during drying process, but once its completely dry, smell would disappear. I only had mold once in a few dreads, during a summer trip to Cuba, due to a mix of wet and high temperatures, but as soon as I noticed it, I washed my hair with vinegar and it was gone. Thanks! Maybe it isnt really an issue then. I will try the fresh towel thing just incase. So when you had mold,you could definitely tell? |
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Ziggy
Alumni
Seven years and counting!
Posts: 33 
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Post by Ziggy on Feb 20, 2016 19:58:50 GMT
The bicarb soak does it for me. When I "deep clean" nothing comes out, the water is clear (I think it's because I usually wash my hair in the bath, not the shower, so they are regularly soaked). But they come out smelling wonderful. I get a wet dog smell a couple of times a year, a half hour in hot baking soda followed by a regular shampooing leaves them smelling like clothes dried in the sun (a wonderful, clean smell if you haven't experienced it).
The other thing to do, take ALL of your towels and throw them in the washing machine with about two cups of vinegar. Wash on a long hot cycle and dry well. This will leave your towels very clean, fresh and odor free.
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Post by morri on Feb 22, 2016 16:14:35 GMT
Ziggy,I agree about washing hair in the bath. I've never had gross deep clean water, and I put it down to washing my hair in the bath.
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Post by vincsl on Feb 22, 2016 17:14:20 GMT
I always noticed that my hair would smell weird during drying process, but once its completely dry, smell would disappear. I only had mold once in a few dreads, during a summer trip to Cuba, due to a mix of wet and high temperatures, but as soon as I noticed it, I washed my hair with vinegar and it was gone. Thanks! Maybe it isnt really an issue then. I will try the fresh towel thing just incase. So when you had mold,you could definitely tell? Oh yes, mine had green spots near the roots, ew. |
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Post by gingerdreadman on Feb 22, 2016 17:30:42 GMT
Thanks! Maybe it isnt really an issue then. I will try the fresh towel thing just incase. So when you had mold,you could definitely tell? Oh yes, mine had green spots near the roots, ew. Oh damn! And you cleared them up without cutting them off? |
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