Have you ever heard that it’s close to impossible to properly clean dreadlocks? In our many years of experience we have not only realized that that’s actually just an unfortunate rumour but we have also tried and tested many different recipes in order to find the perfect combination of ingredients to clean locks. Today, we will introduce you to one of our favourites: The deep cleanse. Ingredients: 30 g sodium bicarbonate 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 tablespoon of sea salt 60 ml apple vinegar Directions First, add all of the ingredients into a large bowl of warm water or your kitchen sink. Start with the salt, give it some time to dissolve completely, add sodium bicarbonate, lemon juice and apple vinegar. Place your locks from top to bottom into the bowl, then let them soak for about 15 minutes. After you’re done you will probably notice that the water has gone much darker. Take some time to really wash your locks properly, maybe even use your usual washing routine to get everything out. Once you’re done, simply dry your locks and go on with your day feeling clean and refreshed. How it works Adding water and sodium bicarbonate together creates sodium hydroxide, which is a strong base. It goes straight to the core of the locks, and helps you get rid of dust particles, soap and dandruff. Compared to shampoo or body wash, this mix is much more aggressive due to it’s pH value and is perfect for fully cleansing locks. The vinegar has antibacterial properties, the lemon juice and sea salt improve the felting quality of the cuticle layer of your hair. A word of advice
- Be careful and do not use this deep cleansing ritual too often. This will dry out your hair increasing the felting of your locks. However, when done too many times in a row the deep cleanse also comes with the risk of ripping and destroying your locks.
- The sodium hydroxide is skin-friendly but if you do have previous skin issues or know that your skin is rather sensitive, please be careful.
- If you have dyed your locks, maybe before putting all of them in the bowl take a test strand and see how the colour reacts to the cleanse. There is always the risk of the colour being drawn out.
