Oiling your dreads for nutrients and shine
Don’t be too consumed by the notion that your dreads are supposed to be shiny. Shine doesn’t equal health. What you should be worried about is excessive drying and dandruff, which can resort to hair thinning and hair fall.
The great thing about oils* is that they can help give your hair added sheen and tons of nourishment. The latter is what you should be mainly concerned about. Giving your scalp nourishment can help to deter and prevent problems with dandruff and thinning, which in some cases can lead to entire dreads falling out (I’ve seen it happen before!)
There are oils* that are I think are better than others, and of course, I like to add special ingredients to make them even better. Here’s what I mean…
- Calendula infused olive oil*, which helps to stop and prevent eczema and dry scalp issues
- Rosemary oil* to help add shine, kill germs and alleviate dandruff
- Marula oil for nutrients
- Horsetail for stimulating growth and strength
I mix these all together and use them as a regular “moisturizer”. I like to spritz their hair with water when doing this because it seems to soak in better. But doing it on dry hair may work best for you. I also find placing this concoction inside of a spray bottle makes it easier to apply. I like to apply this from root to tip and directly into the scalp, while retwisting their hair. Then throughout the week, I will just apply it generously all over.
Re twisting your dreads without wax
I’ve done away with the waxes years ago and have resorted to only using aloe vera gel*/juice and castor oil*. I mix equal parts of each and shake up the bottle.
This does get messy since it can sometimes get drippy. But the amount of hold that it has on the twists is impeccable and once dried (air or under a dryer), it proves to be just as great as any wax.
Also, it lasts for a very long time when you tie your hair up at night with a satin or silk scarf*/doo-rag (why I only have to do their hair twice monthly).
Using this mix also doesn’t create that nasty buildup that locking waxes and creams tend to have. I battled with that at the beginning and struggled with cleaning their hair.
It made me regret convincing them to get dreads! But I’ve found this to be thee solution. Caring for their hair is minimal now, since their hair holds up longer and the amount of nutrients their scalp and dreads are getting keeps it looking live and well.
So how are you currently caring for your dreadlocks? Do you use your own natural concoctions?