How to Maintain Dreadlocks

A lot of people have the misconception that dreadlocks, once formed, will keep on getting dirty, dry and smelly and nothing can help it. However, this is not true. You can have clean, well-moisturized and healthy dreadlocks for as long as you wish. But yes, nothing comes for free, and maintaining dreadlocks is no exception. In this case, you will have to work a bit quite often. Dreadlocks require time, care and patience from you. First of all, you need to learn about the various things that you should always keep in mind to take care of your dreadlocks. You will find a vast amount knowledge on 'Dreadlocks - how to maintain' in hair care magazines and websites. Read them and find out all the tips and techniques that you can try to maintain your dreadlocks. If you do not have that much of time, then do not worry because you will find all the basic hair care and dreadlocks maintenance tips here in this article. Spend a few minutes on reading, and learn how to maintain new dreadlocks as well as mature ones.

How to Maintain Dreadlocks

• Wash the dreadlocks at least once a week. Use a residue-free shampoo for washing. You may need to wash your dreadlocks more frequently if you sweat a lot on your head.
• An alternative to cleaning dreadlocks with shampoo is to use a mixture of apple cider and water in the ratio of 1:3. This is a natural and excellent cleanser and the best answer to the question 'Dreadlocks - how to wash it naturally?'.
• Twist the dreadlocks right after taking a shower, i.e. when your hair is wet. This will ensure a longer life of the dreadlocks.
• Massage your scalp twice a day. It will maintain proper circulation of blood. This will, in turn, help in releasing natural oils in the scalp, preventing dryness and natural breakage of dreadlocks.
• Massaging will also tone up your scalp. This will decrease or completely eliminate the need for using conditioners and other hair care products on dreadlocks.
• In case your dreadlocks look frizzy and brittle, you will have to apply conditioner on them for preventing breakage. If you wish, you can apply the conditioner only on the dreadlocks.
• Try to use chemicals as low as possible because it will attract dirt, dust and other chemicals and will eventually lead to dreadlocks damage. The best idea will be to use hair care products especially made for dreadlocks.
• Whenever you use shampoos or conditioners on your dreadlocks, rinse them completely. Dreadlocks act like sponges and absorb chemicals. Rinsing them well with water will remove any chemical trapped in them. This is very necessary for good and long-term health of your hair.
• Check for the fabric on which you sleep. By sleeping on fabrics like cotton or flannel, you may damage your hair over time as they cause the dreadlocks to pull against them while sleeping.
• The fabrics that are considered to be the best for maintaining dreadlocks are silk and satin. However, if you have to use cotton bed sheets then wrap your dreadlocks with silk scarf while you sleep. More on dreadlocks head wraps.
• You will often find build-ups in your dreadlocks. They are suitable for microbial growth. This may give rise to infection on your scalp. An ideal option to prevent microbial infection on scalp is to sterilize it with an antiseptic agent on a regular basis.

All the above mentioned tips on 'Dreadlocks - how to maintain?' are quite simple but the secret in this particular case lies in practicing them regularly for a long time. Hence, make all these tips for dreadlocks maintenance a part of your lifestyle and keep turning heads towards you.