How Can I Get All The Shampoo Out of Locs?
Arguably the most time-consuming part of maintaining thick locs for me is the shampoo process. It definitely takes me longer to shampoo my hair than it does to retwist. And if I am spending that much time washing my hair, the last thing I want to do is find left over shampoo. For you, the shampoo process might not take as long but your locs may feel brittle or dry a few days after wash day. That can be a sign of residual shampoo in your locs. Thankfully, I discovered a way to ensure you’re rinsing shampoo out of your locs completely.
How to Make Sure You’re Rinsing The Shampoo Out of Your Locs
First, you do not want to use shampoo or cream-based conditioner at it’s full concentration. Diluting your shampoo and/or creamy conditioner is ideal. I prefer to use a bowl for dilution. You could also dilute your products in a spray bottle. Diluting the shampoo will ensure that it is evenly distributed throughout your locs. This helps tremendously when it comes to rinsing.
Next, the rinsing is extremely important to getting all the shampoo out of your locs. However, where most people go wrong when cleansing their locs at home is the lack of high water pressure. The water pressure at the salon is much different than what comes out of your sink faucet or shower head. That is why even when you’ve rinsed for 15 minutes in the shower you can still find shampoo in your locs. The most ideal place to use for your final rinse at home is your bath tub faucet. The water pressure is typically much higher and the amount of water is greater. You can see this “Waterfall Method” in action in my latest video “How To Make Sure All Shampoo Out of Locs”. (NOTE: If you have hard water in your area you should definitely get a water filter to remove mineral deposits.)
Lastly, after you have finished rinsing your hair thoroughly you want to perform a “buildup test”. You can do this while your hair is still wet. You want to squeeze towards the ends of your locs while also pushing upwards. This motion will reveal if there is any residual product left in your locs. I like to do this test on a few locs in various sections of my head to make sure all the shampoo is out.
Give this method a try and let me know in the comments how it works for you!
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Blog Comments
Tasha
August 2, 2020 at 6:21 pm
I can attest to how important doing this is. I felt a major difference in my hair when I started the waterfall method after seeing your video. You are truly a guru. Thanks again as usual.
Sharon Joyce
October 26, 2020 at 2:30 pm
I have been doing my locs for over 5 years and they haven’t grown from the shoulder length in the past few years , I have tried just about everything on the market. What am I doing wrong?
Jocelyn Reneé
March 3, 2021 at 11:17 pm
It may be a result of an internal situation— stress, hormones, poor diet, lack of hydration, medication, etc. You don’t want to look outside yourself for a product and start to focus and heal from within.