Why I Detox My Locs, Even Without Seeing Buildup

I never use baking soda to detox my locs— its way too harsh! Actually, I take that back, I did use baking soda and ACV on my locs one time and it was SO drying. I remember, back in 2013, watching Youtube videos that showed how mucky and dirty the detox water became. At the time, I just wanted to have a video like everyone else showing how my water transformed from clear to dirty brown. Such a disgusting goal, I know. But what I learned after doing my first detox soak, was that a detox soak removed buildup WITHIN my locs and made them feel really light and airy. So, I knew adding a routine loc detox soak was a necessary addition to my regimen to maintain healthy locs. Now, here I am 7 years and 2 sets of locs later still doing detox soaks for my locs. The only difference is now my locs are also twice as thick and twice as long!

How I Do a Loc Detox Soak At Home

I strive to detox my locs at least twice a year, and by that standard I am overdue by at least 6 months. Thankfully, last week I discovered this extra long basin in my kid’s bathroom and figured it would be a great time to do a much needed detox soak. One of the reasons why I had been avoiding doing a detox was because my my last detox I was very painful. The position that I had to be in to get my locs and scalp in the bowl was so uncomfortable. I think my back and neck were hurting for a good week afterwards. So as I was contemplating doing the detox and scheduling my next Chiropractor appointment earlier than usual— it dawned on me. Remember when you were a kid and your mom washed your hair in the kitchen sink and you laid on the counter? Why not use that same set up to do a loc detox?! Duh! So that Is what I setup, but instead of putting my head in the sink, I used the basin. It worked perfectly. I climbed my grown self onto my kitchen counter and I was able to comfortably get all of my locs and scalp into the detox!

My water didn’t turn mucky brown— it actually turned green— since my locs are dyed aquamarine. A lot of oils and what I am going to assume is sweat and/or grim were also present in the water. And I am sure there was a whole lot more residue removed from my locs that I couldn’t see. This is why I encourage everyone with locs to detox their locs regularly because once you start to see the buildup it is already a problem. Even if you use the most natural oil, the purest gel, or the tears of an African elephant to shampoo your hair you still need to detox.

Check out my recent loc detox setup and results in my latest video, “Loc Detox Soak With Thick Locs” and let me know if you have any questions about detoxing your locs! I will post a “Frequently Asked Questions About Detoxing Locs” article next week with answers to your questions!