How to Dry Dreadlocks After Washing Them

It is super important to completely dry your dreadlocks after you wash them. If left wet for too long, they will develop dread rot. Dread rot is the mildew formed on dreadlocks which produces a foul smell.

There a people who have had to cut off their dreadlocks due to the dread rot because they couldn’t get the smell to go away. This is not fun at all since it happens when the dreadlocks are mature. The last thing you would want to do is cut your dreadlocks especially after working so hard to grow them.

Why You Should Dry Your Dreadlocks Fully and Quickly

Dreadlocks are densely packed on the inside, especially mature dreadlocks. This means that there is little air that circulated within the dreadlock for it to dry fully and quickly naturally.

Thankfully, dreads will naturally wick most of the water retained towards the tips. Due to gravity most of the water will find its way to the tip and drip off.

You will however notice that even after water dripping off, there will be water left if you do not dry your dreads completely and in the right way.

If you let your dreads dry naturally in normal sunny weather, it might take all the day to fully dry them. In the long term, your locs will end up with a ‘wet dog’ smell. This smell is a result of your dreads developing mildew which is also known as dread rot.

How to Dry Your Dreadlocks After Washing Them?

Here are the steps to follow to dry your dreadlocks and avoid developing mold and odor:

1. Wring them out. After you are done washing your dreads, you should remove the excess water by pressing them with your hands.
   Work through the length of your dreads to make sure you get as much water as possible.
2. Use a microfiber towel. After you have pressed the water out, use a microfiber towel to pat your dreads dry. Wrap the microfiber towel around your dreadlocks to draw water from them. When done, wrap the microfiber towel around your head to continue drying your dreads.
3. Use a hairdryer. After removing the microfiber towel from your head, use a hairdryer to get rid of the wetness left behind.
   Ensure that you dry your entire head and all the dreads when you work the dryer around your head.

Using a hairdryer is the best way to ensure that you fully dry your dreadlocks quickly.

You can also tuck your dreads into a portable bonnet and attach it to your hairdryer. Get yours here.

 

Conclusion
Lots of people prefer the all-natural way when it comes to cleaning and drying their dreadlocks. You will however notice that mold will form on the long and thick dreads because they are not completely dry.

Make sure you follow the drying steps to have healthy and odor-free dreadlocks.