A naaniFAM Member Wrote...
"Hi, i have very curly hair and i got dreadlock 3 months ago by backcombing and using ropes. However, I didn't know much about dreads by then and was pessimistic about the fact that my i kind of looked like a caveman at first.

Therefore after 3 weeks I put wax on my hair. It helped initially and made the hair look a lot neater, however I later realized that the movement of my hair was prevented as a result of the wax. New dreads didn't get formed, neither did my dreads become tighter. It rather helped to keep the hair together, just like jelly helps keep your hair stable.

I'm very regretful that i used wax, especially since I didn't need wax at all. I tried using soaking my hair in hot water. It helped a little bit, but still my hair is quite immovable. Because the parts of the hair except the roots have wax on them.

When I backcomb or twist the hair from the roots, dreads don't get formed easily in the roots because the it's hard to accumulate hair towards the roots. I'm wondeirng if you can suggest a good way to get rid of all the wax so that I can continue to grow my natural dreads. Or is the situation very pessimistic (the only solution is to cut the parts of my hair that have wax on them?)" -- thanks, dreadistan - New York

Dreadlocks Product Build-up
More and more I beginning to realize that much of the build-up experienced by people with dreadlocks has little to do with the actual products they use but rather, the way in which they use them.

How much product do you put on your dreadlocks after and in-between shampoos?  Whether it be a butter, a pomade, a gel, jelly or oil, many people have a tendency to over-applicate.  The truth is, it doesn't matter how "light" of a product you're using if you're over-using it.  That'd be like eating a box of low-fat cookies and wondering a week later why your jeans don't fit.

The other, and more pervasive cause of build-up, is improper rinsing.  There are so many of us who shampoo our hair dreadlocks effectively but do a poor and inadequate job at rinsing.  What's the point of the shampoo loosening up the dirt and oil if you're not going to rinse it away?  In the end, not only will the dirt and oil remain but the shampoo will be in there too.

In this section, I want to give you some really simple techniques to insure that you are mimizing build-up and if you've already fallen victim to it, ways in which you can effectively remove it.

Dilute your Shampoo
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.  Although castile and no-sulfate shampoos maybe a little more expensive, they can be diluted without negatively effecting the cleansing properties of the product.


Every time I shampoo my locks or that of a client, I generally dilute naani's naturals Sulfate Free Shampoos 2:1 (2 parts shampoo, 2 part distilled water or less depending on how thick the client's hair is) and the Castiles 1:1 (sometimes 2:1 depending on the length of hair...for longer hair I like thinner shampoos).  What this means is, if I purchase an 8oz bottle of castile shampoo, I end up with 16oz of product.  So instead of paying 10 bucks per bottle, I really only paid 5...the same amount I'd pay for a quality over-the-counter shampoo.

Far too many of us hop in the shower, dump the shampoo on our locks and move them around until our whole head lathers up.  What happens if there's not enough lather?  Well we turn right around, dump some more shampoo until we get a nice foam going.

The problem with doing this is that although you're distributing the foam, the majority of the gel-like shampoo is still concentrated at the dump site.  When you rinse, you may rinse thoroughly but the dump site remains saturated.

Thus by diluting your shampoo, you avoid dumping.  Instead of having a gel-like consistency, your shampoo is now watery and will distribute itself more readily.

When you dilute your shampoo, do so in small increments and in a seperate bottle.  Start with 2 ounces of shampoo and dilute it based on the suggested ratios above.  By preparing your shampoo mixture before each session, you can reduce build-up and save money.


I'm not a big fan of shampooing dreadlocks in the shower.  The longer your dreadlocks, the more attention they need.

Simply put, it may take a few minutes to bathe a toddler (there's less surface area) but if you, as an adult, wash your body in the same amount of time it takes to wash a babe...eeeeeeeeeeeeewhew!

Just because it smells clean don't make it clean.  By washing too quickly, you're basically doing a "cologne cover-up."  Your hair takes on the smell of ths shampoo but the dirt and filth remain.

For most people I urge them to shampoo their locks over the tub, basin or sink.  During each lather I suggest that they sit down in their most comfortable chair and wash their locks while watching tv or listening to music.  Rinse and repeat.  Following this procedure insures that you've truly washed each and every lock from root to tip.


Rinse Properly
Your final rinse is the most important.  Again, this is where people encounter build-up issues.

Unless the product you're using is extremely heavy and/or you overapplicate, most products will be loosened during the shampooing process.  Thus with proper rinsing, you should be able to effectively rid yourself of most residue.