Current Shampoo: Head and Shoulders 2-in-1

As promised, here's the review of my current shampoo...

Now a great deal of naturals/loc'd ladies are anti-commercial brands because of their SLS and parabens. I used to be the same way. I am now at the point where I like to use what works; be it natural or commercial. For my danduff, this stuff works! And it smells a whole lot better than tea tree oil. Which, by the way, never worked for me. None of those essential oil blends did. Boo!

Head & Shoulders 2 in 1 is genius. I don't know why I never thought about using or making a 2 in 1 before. A lot of loc'ers stay far away from creamy shampoos/conditioners.

Some say they may contribute to build-up. BUT...I haven't had a build-up issue since visiting my loctician. I have used this shampoo twice and it rinsed thoroughly both times.

To apply it, I rinse my hair and make sure it's soaking wet. I dump a good size dollop on the top of my head and gather all of the locs around it. The shampoo lathers well but it's not TOO lather-y. See...

I let it sit for a good 2-3 minutes. I rinse and repeat.

One of the things that I think helps prevent build-up when rinsing the hair is a strong shower head. The one I have has good 5-6 pressures. I turn it on the highest to blast the shampoo out of the hair. It is as hot as I can stand it. What I'm left with are sparkling locs.

But at the same time, they aren't crunchy or brittle. They are soft and feel well-conditioned. The latter is a must since I have color treated hair. Not to mention I've been spending a lot of time outside lately and the sun can't be that cool for my hair.

I can't say I like how the stuff smells. It isn't "medicinal" but it isn't terribly fragrant either. I suppose this is a good thing as a crap load of fragrances on a dry scalp can only make the dandruff flare up even more.

It really really works well for my locs, y'all. I'm excited! Too add a little more moisture (and smell) to the locs, I spray Oyin Handmade's Greg Juice all over. Happy locs!

The itchies aren't as bad when I use this. I still get a little dandruff after the second week of washing. But this is a HUGE improve. I'm usually battling dandruff a few days after washing. Maybe with prolonged use, my scalp will get better. Only time will tell!

I still like to use castile soap but since I'm on this mission to have a healthier scalp, I have to use products that are specifically designed to help treat it.

Thanks a ton to Rayne for this recommendation!

Of course you know where to find it, drugstores, grocery stores, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. It wasn't more than $6.

A funk-less ACV rinse!

I did it! Since apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinses are obviously going to be a part of my washes, it is imperative that I find a way to get the smell to not be as.....stank. Some folx say that the ACV smell dissipates after a few moments. Er uh...that was never the case with me. And I've tried using just a tiny bit and I still endured pickle smellin' locs. Which does nothing for my social life. HA!

Anyway---this time around I made a rinse instead of just pouring a cup of ACV and water over my head. I used about 2 oz of ACV in about 4-5 cups of water. I then added about 4 drops of peppermint essential oil. I wanted to add rosemary, but couldn't find it.

The result...clarified locs with no lingering smell. It worked! However, my locs seemed to be drier than usual. I ended up putting some conditioner and water in a spray bottle and spritzing it over the locs. It gave me the softness I was looking for but it wasn't enough.

Still working on the perfect wash/conditioning regimen. I'm almost there, y'all!

Dandruff and a new wash routine?

So after complaining about that build-up issue, I've been hesitant about washing my hair again. It's like I WANT to but I don't want to even deal with that build-up mess. BUT, my scalp was itching like mad and my dandruff was out of control.

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....

Product Review: Oyin Handmade Uber Poo Bar

Yayyyy, look at me, look at me! I'm doing a product review. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing my best with good ole' LocRocker and that makes me sad. Clumps requires sooo much and oftentimes LocRocker gets the bottom of the barrel. My apologies! I will do a better job at making this job a great resource for fellow loc'ers, naturals and those interested in hearing me talk about how fine with men with locs are. <---Lil' Wayne excluded. Hahahaaaa!

Okay, sooo....I finally got around to thoroughly using my Oyin Handmade Poo Bar. I'm leaving that "uber" part out because eww....I hate that word. LOL, I don't know why--it just kinda makes me wanna hurl. Anywhoovers, on with the review!

Oyin Handmade Poo Bar

Price: 5 out of 5 ($7 for the Grand Poo bar, $11 for the Uber Poo Bar)
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5

What it claims: "The Uber Poo Bar is a truly succulent option in the area of non-detergent cleansing: it’s made from a glycerine-rich soap base enriched with moisturizing oils and butters like castor, shea, and cocoa. The Poo Bar is a gentle, low-lather cleanser that leaves hair clean without the stripped, dried-out feeling left by many detergent-based shampoos. Some of my testers even stated that they didn’t need to use conditioner afterwards! Simple to use & with a mildly herbal smell. Travels like a dream." (source)

The truth: I like!!!

What I loved about it: My hair didn't feel...you know, like how traditional shampoo makes your hair feel.

What I didn't like: It ain't the easiest thing to use on locs.

Overall: Simply put....I LOVE this bar. When I was first introduced to Oyin back in '05, I never really wanted to try this. I was used to shampoo and the "bar thing" didn't seem up my alley. Don't know what I was thinking.

I like it. Because it has glycerin in it, it doesn't lather up like a traditional shampoo. I'm okay with this. It cleanses the hair beautifully and doesn't leave behind any strong smell. Actually, it doesn't smell like anything at all. I'm okay with that too. Sometimes shampoos are TOO strong....and really the only thing that is making them smell like that are some synthetic ingredients like fragrance.

The bar looks like this when you first get it:


Jamyla (owner of Oyin...loves her!) recommends that you break this baby off in chunks. I agree. Using this big block ensures that you will use up more than you want. So I broke mine off into a piece like this:


That's better. I am still struggling with finding out a way to get it alllll over my locs. I take the block and smooth it all over my locs but it seems like it takes forever for it to get distributed evenly. By the time it does, I feel like I'm left with half of the bar. That's no bueno. However, I'm assuming that's the case because I don't know what I'm doing. My locs adoooore the bar. And yep, I don't need conditioner after it.

Which is a good thing because lately when I use conditioner and AFTER I rinse it out, it looks like this.


Yeah, don't ask because I don't know either. I mean crap....I know I have dandruff and some build-up but my words!

I'll talk about that later. Just know that Oyin Handmade poo bar is FANTASTIC for locs. I would imagine it would just as well on naturals too. Mannn, I wish I had this when I was rockin' the TWA.

Oh, before I go...check out some of the tips that Jamyla gave. You'll have to enlarge to see 'em.


I love me some Oyin...such a great company. I'm a 5 year supporter and ain't gon stop. I'll be reviewing the Greg Juice and Honey Hemp conditioner soon. I already reviewed both on Clumps but Loc Rocker deserves 'em too.

Peace and loc've...