It's when substances get trapped inside the middle of your dreadlock - this could be a whole variety of things including shampoo, dirt, substances from work like grease and even smoke! This causes the dreadlock to become very hard, much heavier than it needs to be and also can lead to mould in the inside of your dreadlock due to water getting trapped in there and unable to dry out properly.
In my experience the most common form of build up in the dreadlock community is from not rinsing your locks properly after applying shampoo. Shampoo is dreadlock safe as long as we all remember to thoroughly rinse on wash day and get every little bit out!
Build up is treatable but even easier to prevent! Here's a few tips:
Prevention
Diluted shampoo
Dreadlocks are much denser than loose hair and because of the sections it also makes it very difficult to apply shampoo effectively across your whole head.
My first tip I give to all dreadlock newbies - dilute your shampoo! Dilute it until it looks like water - as long as it suds we're good to go! Squirt that soapy watery combination directly onto your scalp and gently scrub your scalp using your palm or finger tips.
By diluting the shampoo we're making in thinner and much more managable to manouver through our locks. Due to the thin nature of the mixture we now won't have thick pockets of shampoo to try and rinse out, this makes the rinsing process much faster and much more effective.
Another highly suggested prevention against build up and mould is by completing dead soaks regularly. Deep soaking your locks is when you add a deep soak product (usually a powder made by a dreadlock professional) to a small bath of water to soak your locks in. The ingredients in the powder help to pull out any excess build up with in the centre of the lock. Completing this at least 4 times a year will ensure your locks stay fresh and healthy.
Dreadlocks are much denser than loose hair and because of the sections it also makes it very difficult to apply shampoo effectively across your whole head.
My first tip I give to all dreadlock newbies - dilute your shampoo! Dilute it until it looks like water - as long as it suds we're good to go! Squirt that soapy watery combination directly onto your scalp and gently scrub your scalp using your palm or finger tips.
By diluting the shampoo we're making in thinner and much more managable to manouver through our locks. Due to the thin nature of the mixture we now won't have thick pockets of shampoo to try and rinse out, this makes the rinsing process much faster and much more effective.
Another highly suggested prevention against build up and mould is by completing dead soaks regularly. Deep soaking your locks is when you add a deep soak product (usually a powder made by a dreadlock professional) to a small bath of water to soak your locks in. The ingredients in the powder help to pull out any excess build up with in the centre of the lock. Completing this at least 4 times a year will ensure your locks stay fresh and healthy.
Treatment
Much like the prevention technique the treatment for build up involves deep soaking your locks using a powder product created by a dreadlock professional. This will involves 2 rounds of deep soak followed by your regular shampoo routine.
When build up is identified it will almost always present in the base of the dreadlock closet to the scalp about 2-4 inches from the scalp. This is because the dreadlock is always a little looser in this area and it makes it much more susceptible to gathering build up.
When build up is identified it will almost always present in the base of the dreadlock closet to the scalp about 2-4 inches from the scalp. This is because the dreadlock is always a little looser in this area and it makes it much more susceptible to gathering build up.
After an effective build up treatment the water will be very dirty much like in the photos above. Which is why at least 2 soaks is required!
When completing a deep soak treatment it is important to throughly scrunch every one of your locks while they're being soaked and it is important to use very warm water to help pull out the build up.
When finished all 3 steps your locks (especially the roots) will be much fuzzier but that just means it worked because there is no longer build up weighing down the fuzzy hairs. After your deep soak routine you're ready for your maintenance session!
COMMON MYTH
You won't get build-up if you use an organic shampoo.
False X
ANY shampoo will build up in your locks if not rinsed out properly. The left over product in your dreadlock dries out causing a white powder to harden in your locks and get trapped.
Thoroughly rinsing your locks after applying diluted shampoo will be the most effective prevention against build up of shampoo in your locks.
ANY shampoo will build up in your locks if not rinsed out properly. The left over product in your dreadlock dries out causing a white powder to harden in your locks and get trapped.
Thoroughly rinsing your locks after applying diluted shampoo will be the most effective prevention against build up of shampoo in your locks.
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Lunalockshop Deep Soak Powder and Inflatable Basin are available for purchase!
.Find them on this website under the 'Dread Care Products' heading!
Deep Soak Powder -
Inflatable Basin-