Like..it was BAD. Bad bad.
Exhibit A....
Yeah, I know it's gross. I've been dealing with dandruff since I was a permie. I drink a crap load of water, take vitamins, massage my scalp and know all of the tricks to get rid of dandruff, but it still keeps hangin' on, so whatev. I don't even care anymore. The good thing about the locs is that the dandruff can hide. Somewhat.
But it still itchies like a mofo. So the evening before I washed, I scratched my scalp with a rat tail comb. I wanted to uproot as much of that dandruff as I could. It was EVERYWHERE, y'all.
Eww, I know but I didn't want y'all to think I was exaggerating. BTW, one time for the 2-week curl job! I attribute their long stay to cold weather and Florida's lack of humidity. And as much as I love curly locs, I actually missed the straight locs too.After I uprooted all of that dandruff, I massaged my scalp with a blend of olive oil and peppermint oil. Donned the locs with a cap and went to bed.
BTW, I think my locs are getting too long for the satin cap.
Anyone have any suggestions of what I can use next? I already sleep on a satin pillow case and I don't want something that really hugs my head. Tension on my head brings about migraines and migraines=semi death for B.
Anyway...the following day I washed 2 times with almond castile soap. I was crossing my fingers that I didn't have any build-up but nope...build-up galore was waiting for me. I poured that stank apple cider vinegar over my locs and concentrated on the areas where build-up was out of control; which for me, are the locs behind my ears.
It worked!
As it always does. I love what ACV does but I just HATE the smell and I know using it too often isn't good for color treated hair. It strips and strips and strips. *sigh* But what options do I have? I wonder if distilled vinegar would work? At least with that I can add a few drops of some kind of essential oil. Gotta do my research on that.
After rinsing the hair thoroughly with ACV I knew that I would have to put the moisture back in my hair. Regular conditioner was not an option. So Mommy (the permie who knows so much about natural hair care that she just just go natural herself) recommended that I do a hot oil treatment. DUH!!!
I poured warm olive oil all over my locs and massaged my scalp. I sat under the dryer for 10 minutes. I rinsed my hair to get rid of any extra oil. I didn't want the locs to be "soaking" in oil.
And then I re-twisted just the first 2 row of locs.
Remember....I vowed to not re-twist or latch for a month. 2 more weeks to go! But the first 2 rows don't count. It's just in me to always have them looking manicured and neat. But the back? I don't be carin'!
Is this really 2 weeks of new growth or did some slipping happen?
I mean, crap! I know my hair grows fast but Lawd!
I retwisted with aloe vera gel. NO MORE USING BUTTERS TO TWIST. I love how they work but it's maximizes the build-up.
I sat under the dryer for a good 20 minutes and viola!
But I'm ALL about smell. And my hair just didn't smell prettyful. I sprtized it down with Oyin Handmade's Greg Juice. Love that it's oil free! And then for church the next day....
I like this routine!
-Uproot dandruff
-Massage scalp with olive oil (I'll do this until I make a pre-poo serum)
-Wash with castile soap
-Clarify with ACV
-Hot oil treatment with olive oil (next time I'll add more essential oils)
-Rinse
-Re-twist if needed
-Sit under dryer (until the summer comes around).
-Spritz with Greg's Juice for smell.
That's it! I think I've found a nice routine. My hair feels and smells good and my scalp feels so much better. I think I'll do this once a week or so.
I was thinking about infusing nettle and adding it to the pre-poo serum? And I'm also thinking about making a leave in conditioner. This would alleviate the need to do a hot oil treatment EVERY time. Hmmm....
