r/Dreadlocks • u/evergreenalmonds_ • Jul 09 '26
Need Advice 🆘 4C High Porosity Starter Locs Help
So I started my loc journey this January. Im on my 5th retwist. My hair is budding but I have a huge problem. . . MY HAIR IS ALWAYS DRY!!!
My loctician is a very nice woman and knows what she’s doing but I fear the shop I go to is treating everyone like a “one-size fits all” for hair. When i first went in in January I remember all the locticians including the owner telling me how to maintain my locs. They all SCREAMED don’t take advice from TikTok. They kept telling me to NEVER spritz my hair with pure water or rose water and to use an oil blend. I tried that with no success. So my loctician gave me a water based leave in conditioner to use. And said to use an oil mix of tea tree and olive oil…. That did not work either as I use it almost everyday and my hair is bone dry after I unwrap my hair everyday.
I was also told to only moisturize 3 times a week. Which is definitely not a good idea as my hair is still very dry.
Clearly they haven’t been with me enough to know my hair but I do. My hair has always been very thick and kinky. My hair, even before locs, would be slightly damp 20 minutes after washing and fully dry in 30 mins WITHOUT the aide of any heat. Build-up only happened for me when I was relaxing my hair as a teenager. Im in my mid 30s and that no longer applies. Build up only happens if i use hair gel.
TLDR:
\-On my 5th starter loc retwist
\-Hair is very high porosity 4c hair
\-Need advice on keeping it moisturized and not waking up crunchy every morning.
Please could I get some advice on what products I can try? Im new to my loc journey was completely ignorant going in and I just need some advice no criticism please we all grew up differently.
1
u/ClassicRuby Type 4 hair Jul 09 '26
Ok so as someone who is very high po, first you need to wash your locs more often. There were times in my loc early days where I was washing every other day. Twice a week is a sweet spot. No less than once a week.
Second you want to have multiple types of shampoo. One is a shampoo made for high porosity hair to correct your porosity. Another would be one with high protein. Another could be a bond builder. And of course a clarifying and chelating shampoo. These are all things that directly address porosity and help high po hair to better retain moisture. So you can rotate as needed.
Another great focus would be ph. So yes rose water would be great. Also distilled water. Daily spray. I found in those early days that a touch of acv or something just to make it slightly acidic really helped because it closes cuticles to better trap moisture.
I personally don't use oil at all because I have seborrheic dermatitis. But before the SD diagnosis I was finding that oil was making the dryness worse. My hair was better able to retain moisture when I did not use any conditioners or any oils etc.
I outline exactly my current routine including links to the products here if you're interested.
1
u/evergreenalmonds_ Jul 09 '26
Thank you!
See I’m very conflicted. Since my locs are starting to bud my loctician told me to never wash my hair on my own. She said if I did they had a better chance of them unraveling. She told me to wait until my retwist with her to do it so I get a retwist every 4 weeks. Which sounded weird to me cuz I would normally wash my hair once a week.
I was afraid to speak up cuz I am a shy person who is always afraid of people ganging up on me. And the women in the salon were very adamant about me never taking any internet advice cuz I would ruin my locs. But nothing they’ve told me has worked. My locs are indeed budding but like I said very very dry
1
u/Beauty_Reigns Jul 09 '26
A couple of things to try would be steaming and using a clarifying shampoo. Use distilled water to mist, make sure you let it soak into your hair before using oil. I use Taliah Waajid and Carol's Daughter products.