How to Take Care of Dreadlocks?

Your dreadlocks are your crowning glory, but they’ll wither away if you don’t put in the work to help them thrive. If you want your locs to grow strong and long, you’ve got to keep them clean, moisturized, conditioned, and protected. But where do you start? In this article, we’ll tell you how to take care of dreadlocks from start to finish. Let’s get right into it!

How Often Should I Wash My Locs?

Keeping your locs free of dirt, debris, and excess oils is essential to reaching your loc goals. But if you wash them too much or too little, you could be in trouble.   

In general, you should wash your dreadlocks every one to two weeks. You may have heard that you should wash them once a month; while this does work for some, once a month won’t be enough for everyone. 

To determine your ideal loc washing frequency, try washing them once every two weeks and see how they react. If they still feel dirty, wash them more often. If they feel dry, crunchy, or stripped, wash them less often.  

Keep in mind that everyone’s loc washing routine will be a little bit different depending on:

• How much your scalp sweats
• How heavy-handed you are with products (twisting gel, moisturizers, oils, etc.).
• Whether your locs suffer from chronic dryness.
• Your lifestyle and how active you are.

How to Choose Shampoo?

Shampooing is a hallmark of loc care. Unfortunately, not every shampoo is good for locs.

Some aren’t formulated with enough cleansing power to remove gunk from deep in the locs. And others are way too harsh and may leave your locs crying out for moisture. So, which shampoo should you use for your locs?

The best shampoos for locs have the following qualities:

• They are formulated for locs.
• They don’t leave behind residue that could get trapped and build up in your locs.
• They contain natural ingredients that nourish the hair and scalp.

With that in mind, choose a natural residue-free loc shampoo. You can find them in-store, but you’ll have many more options if you shop online. 

Hint: Pass on Dawn dish soap and Dr. Bronners Castille Soap. There are better options out there.

How to Dry My Locs?

If you don’t want moldy, mildewy, or smelly locs, you’ll need to fine-tune your loc drying routine. Since locs are tight and compacted, air can’t easily get inside. Plus, mold and mildew really like wet, warm places.

Any time your locs remain wet or damp for an extended amount of time, these issues may come up. To minimize how long your hair remains wet or damp, use a hair dryer or hooded dryer to dry it at least part of the way. Most people only need up to 30 minutes under the hair dryer to get their locs mostly dry.

After your locs are almost dry – about 80% - you can air dry if you’d like. If not, feel free to use a hair dryer or hooded dryer to get them 100% dry.

What Are the Detailed Instructions?

Washing, conditioning, and drying your locs is a systematic process. To ensure you’re providing the best possible loc care, follow these detailed instructions:  

Step 1 – Shampoo

Step into the shower, turn on the water (not too hot!), and allow your locs to get dripping wet. Then, apply your residue-free shampoo on your roots first, as this is where most of the product and biological buildup settles. Make circular motions with the pads of your fingers to scrub away the gunk. Then, pull the shampoo down the entire length of your locs and scrub them all.

Step 2 – Rinse Thoroughly

Rinse your locs well after shampooing. If you don’t, the shampoo left behind will harden and remain in your locs afterward. Squeeze and release your locs repeatedly as the water runs over them. It could take several minutes to rinse your locs thoroughly, so try your best to be patient.

Step 3 – Apply Your Conditioner

You need conditioner to ensure that your locs remain soft, hydrated, and moisturized. Apply your loc conditioner all over your locs, focusing especially on the ends, and wait for the amount of time indicated on the packaging (usually 3 to 5 minutes).

Step 4 – Rinse Once More

Rinse your conditioner out with the same intensity as before. You don’t want to leave any conditioner behind.  

Step 5 – Apply Leave-in Conditioner and Dry Well

Most loc’d kings and queens use a leave-in conditioner to maintain their hair’s moisture levels between wash days. You can, too! Just spritz it onto your hair and smooth it in with your hands. Follow that up with a thorough drying session with your hooded dryer or hair dryer. Be sure to dry your hair until it is 80% to 100% dry to keep fungi and bad smells away.

What Is the Hair Care Routine for Dreadlocks?

Washing, conditioning, and drying your locs is not all you should be concerned about. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you build a comprehensive dreadlock care routine:

1. Every 1 to 2 weeks: Wash, condition, and fully dry your locs. Feel free to oil your scalp also (only if you feel it’s necessary).
2. Every day or two: Spritz your locs with a moisturizer. If your locs feel moisturized, you can skip this part of the routine.
3. Every night: Cover your locs before bed to control frizz and boost moisture retention.
4. Every 3 to 6 months: Do a loc detox where you soak your locs in an apple cider vinegar solution. The soak will pull out toxins and residue from your locs and give them a nice, clean start.

How Often Should I Retwist?

The generally accepted recommendation is to retwist your locs every 3 to 4 weeks for starter locs. Teenage and budding locs can be rewisted less often – every 4 to 6 weeks. Once your locs are mature, you can go longer between retwists – up to 2-3 months.  

Note: If you’re freeforming, you won’t ever retwist your locs – you’ll let them form organically.

Related Reading: How Often Should You Retwist Your Locs?

So, there you have it – how to care for dreadlocks. We urge you to follow the tips and recommendations in this article to master dreadlock care and help your locs thrive. We hope you found all the information you were looking for, and we wish you the absolute best with your locs!