I just got my hair locked and I totally agree with everything you said. I have not washed my hair in almost 3 weeks, but it is because my hair has not fully locked in place. I am looking forward to wasking my hair every two days. Thank you for the information it makes me feel a lot better about my locs.

Prior to going natural I wore a perm. I went to a loctician for a consult. I was told that I had to wash my hair with laundry detergent for one month in order to prepare my permed hair for locs.

The worst advice EVER, for me anyway, was to "melt some beeswax in a pot, let it cool off, and use it to palm roll your hair." Talk about a set up. What a mess...

I went to an all natural hair salon and the loctician dry twisted my hair, I mean she put me under the dryer for 10-15 minutes and THEN twisted my hair. My hair is soft and somewhat fine and at the time only about 1-2 inches long. So, by the time she started to twist I was bone dry! Also, she used a ridiculous amount of product.......I took my "never been used" sample jar of Yummy Locked Down Butter and she used about half the jar (on my 1-2 inch twists). I spent the rest of day blotting the excess from my head with paper towels! I know this was a function of the amount she used and not the product itself (cause it's the bomb). Luckily, I had previously been to another shop that was really good, so I knew the above locticians practices were not kosher. Needless to say, I never went back.

The very first time I attempted to lock, I went to a "natural" salon. My first mistake was that I didn't bother to ask her what product she was using because back then I didn't have a clue myself. She used brownish product that looked like mud, I found out later that it was a mixture blackgel, beezwax and vaseline.....ugh. She told me that in order for my hair to lock, I should not wash it for two months but I could come to her for a "touch up" every other week. This "touch up" consisted of her saturating my hair with seabreeze, and then squeezing all of the brown gunk out of it. And then applying more of it on ($70 a pop). She told me that the severe itching and the brown flakes were simply a part of the locking process. It didnt take me long to realize that this woman didn't know what she was doing...

Worst advice, or rather unsolicited advice from a "perm-head," was that I should not consider locking, because my hair texture would not take to it ....so glad, I think for myself, and at 19 months later, my hair is locked and sitting on my shoulders!

I REMEMBER I NEEDED TO GET MY HAIR RE-TWISTED THE DAY BEFORE MY GRADUATION. WHEN I GOT THERE, THE PERSON WHO NORMALLY DOES MY HAIR WAS GONE FOR THE DAY. HOWEVER, I THOUGHT SINCE MY LOCTITON IS THE MANAGER AND DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB, WHY NOT LET SOMEONE WHO WORK THERE DO IT FOR ME? THE OTHER LADY WASHED MY HAIR THOROUGHLY AND THAN SHE APPLIED THIS CREME. ALSO, I REMEMBERED ASKING HER IF SHE WAS PUTTING CREME IN MY HAIR. SHE TOLD ME I HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE ALMOST ALL OF HER CLIENTS USES THIS PRODUCT. I HONESTLY BELIEVED HER...PROVIDING I DIDN''T KNOW BETTER. SO, SHE PROCEEDED ON MY HAIR, THEN I WENT UNDER THE DRYER. MIND YOU, THIS IS THE NIGHT BEFORE MY GRADUATION. WHEN I WAS DONE I TOOK A LOOK AT MY HAIR IT WAS RE-TWISTED BEAUTIFULLY AND SO SHINY AT THE SALON. EXCEPT THAT SO CALLED "SHINE" WAS NOT SHINE..... MY HAIR LOOKED LIKE I HAD POWDER ALL OVER IT....TALK ABOUT PURE RESIDUE. SAD THING IS, I DIDN''T REALIZE IT UNTIL I GOT HOME. I HAD TO APPLY ALOT OF SEA BREEZE AND RE-TWIST MY HAIR ALL OVER AGAIN THAT NIGHT. I WAS SO UPSET. HOWEVER THE MORAL TO THE STORY IS, NEVER AND I NEVER GO TO A DIFFERENT PERSON OTHER THAN YOUR ORIGINAL LOCTITION NO MATTER HOW DESPARATE YOU ARE. IF THAT IS THE CASE, DO IT YOURSELF!!!

Started locing my hair in Nov 04 at a loctitian. My hair is naturally soft in texture. I have been told that I will not be able to shampoo my hair until the locs are fully formed which may take up to 1 year. I have a problem with this as my hair is smelling and does need to be washed. I have been told that I could use a tonic to clean the scalp but if I wash my hair the coil twists would unravel. Please help!! I dont think I could go without washing my hair for 1 year. I am very concious of the smell of my dirty hair. please advise. Is the information they have given me correct.

Greetings naturegirl, Ask yourself, do you really even need to ask? Why would you want a hair style that would force you to live uncomfortably for one year? Why would you endure filth, dirt and odor for such an extended period of time? Are dreadlocks really that important to you? Do you honestly believe that everyone with dreadlocks didn't wash their hair for a year? Although many don't believe it occurs, yes, there are so-called "professional" locticians and dreadlocks stylists who urge their clients to not wash their hair for months on end. The most extreme cases are similar to that of naturegirl where the stylist scares the client into refraining from shampooing for up-to one year. It's disheartening and sad and it also explains why the majority of the world believes that dreadlocks stink. If you were one of the unfortunates who refrained from shampooing due to the ill advice of another, then how can we blaim non-dreadheads for thinking dreadlocks are filthy, employers for thinking that dreadlocks are not professional or potential loved ones for going no further than a handshake? It's nasty. It's inexcusable and frankly, if it don't sound right, it ain't. At naani we attempt to refrain from giving arbitrary time limits on shampooing. At most, you may see suggestions of waiting 4-6 weeks but I think even that's pushing it. Why? What if you work out everyday? What if during that 4-6 weeks you went rockclimbing with friends or had a food fight with your kids? Dreadlocks time limits don't take into account individual life experiences but your stylist should. YOU should if you're caring for your locks on your own. Stylists who tell you that you can't do this or that because of your hair texture, because of the method THEY chose to start with, etc, are not doing you a favor and frankly, most of them probably don't deserve your money anyway. There are so many articles here on naani regarding this topic. Use the search engine for more information on shampooing dreadlocks. As visitors, it's important that you take the time to search the site, to read the information presented here, to use the message boards before asking questions. It's not fair to the staff and it's not fair to you either. You can't expect someone to hold your hand when it's time to grow dreadlocks and those of you that do often end up in the chair of a stylist who gives you the worst advice known to dreadlocks kind or those who use "gunk" on your hair that never seems to go away no matter what you try. Use your common sense. Use the resources available to you. Ease your own pain rather than looking for others to do it for you. By educating yourself and using a bit of common sense, you will be able to filter out the garbage. In the end, you will still have questions but there's a difference between truly not knowing and not taking the opportunity to know. --much luv, naani