How Long Does It Take To Shampoo Thick Locs?

“How long does it take to shampoo your locs?”

That’s a question with an evolving answer. Once upon a time, I spent no more than 45 minutes, shampooing AND retwisting my locs. Now, I really have to give myself a pep talk to even begin the shampoo process. What’s even funnier is that I really wish that I could shampoo my hair weekly like I did 4 years ago, but the way drying my locs and life with two kids is setup… I don’t have that kind of time.

My last shampoo process took at minimum 45 minutes. That does not include the time I spent conditioning my locs. The bulk of the time during the shampoo process is usually spent rinsing. Rinsing, rinsing, rinsing and more rinsing. I would say the thickness of my locs coupled with my near bra-strap length hair are to blame. I can no longer hop in the shower, shampoo my hair and still have hot water to wash my self with. Instead, after lathering my hair with shampoo I cut the water off to cleanse and then turn it back on rinse. Otherwise, I use all the hot water in the house— just to wash my hair.

Once I am in the shower, I strive to do at least 2-3 shampoos and rinse throughly in-between. And now that my locs are older, and colored, I condition my locs for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, I use the waterfall method to ensure all the shampoo and conditioner is out of my hair so that I don’t have any residual buildup. You can watch what a full wash-day is like for me in my recent video “Thick Locs Wash Day“. What I don’t show in the video is my drying process, but I normally share it live on my Instagram stories [@CurlyNuGrowth]. If you would like a post about what it takes to dry my locs 😅 let me know in the comments!