I soaked my locs in Listerine mouthwash! For 1 hr. I diluted it 2 parts to 1part water. Then I rinsed it out and washed with diluted washing up liqiud. I did this in a bowl and you should have seen the colour of the water. BROWN! (Ladies, try washing your locs in a bowl or sink. squeeze the soapy water through them. You'll see how murky the water is) Then rinsed rinsed rinsed. My locs now smell of listerine original. But the smell is gone. I will wait a few days, assess and maybe repeat 1 or 2 x more. The side effect is, my locs were really soft. Listerine gets rid of dandruff, clarifies, conditions...it does contain alcohol, but also some essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus,and mint. Methyl salicylic and menthol. Well, there you have it. It kills germs, bacteria, fungus and is antiseptic. This is why it works. The washing up liquid does a pretty good job of drawing impurities and oils out of the locs. So far, it's a winning combination if you want to get rid of gunk on your scalp and in your locs. I think it's worth having this treatment every 12 weeks. If you have a problem with your locs, you might have to repeat this every week until the smell goes. You will also have to find a way to put moisture back into your locs.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
How to get rid of that stale smell in locs-Listerine
I noticed my locs had this stale/smoky smell. It would disappear when I washed it only to reappear a few days later. Lately I've been sweating so much that I abandoned my satin bonnet for a strong hairnet so my locs can breathe. I believe it's the excessive sweating coupled with colouring that created the smell. You've all heard about mouldy locs. Well I didn't want that so I knew I had to act fast. I added baking soda to my shampoo washed and rinsed with diluted acv, but the smell returned. So, I decided more drastic action needed . LISTERINE. I soaked my locs in Listerine mouthwash! For 1 hr. I diluted it 2 parts to 1part water. Then I rinsed it out and washed with diluted washing up liqiud. I did this in a bowl and you should have seen the colour of the water. BROWN! (Ladies, try washing your locs in a bowl or sink. squeeze the soapy water through them. You'll see how murky the water is) Then rinsed rinsed rinsed. My locs now smell of listerine original. But the smell is gone. I will wait a few days, assess and maybe repeat 1 or 2 x more. The side effect is, my locs were really soft. Listerine gets rid of dandruff, clarifies, conditions...it does contain alcohol, but also some essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus,and mint. Methyl salicylic and menthol. Well, there you have it. It kills germs, bacteria, fungus and is antiseptic. This is why it works. The washing up liquid does a pretty good job of drawing impurities and oils out of the locs. So far, it's a winning combination if you want to get rid of gunk on your scalp and in your locs. I think it's worth having this treatment every 12 weeks. If you have a problem with your locs, you might have to repeat this every week until the smell goes. You will also have to find a way to put moisture back into your locs.
I soaked my locs in Listerine mouthwash! For 1 hr. I diluted it 2 parts to 1part water. Then I rinsed it out and washed with diluted washing up liqiud. I did this in a bowl and you should have seen the colour of the water. BROWN! (Ladies, try washing your locs in a bowl or sink. squeeze the soapy water through them. You'll see how murky the water is) Then rinsed rinsed rinsed. My locs now smell of listerine original. But the smell is gone. I will wait a few days, assess and maybe repeat 1 or 2 x more. The side effect is, my locs were really soft. Listerine gets rid of dandruff, clarifies, conditions...it does contain alcohol, but also some essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus,and mint. Methyl salicylic and menthol. Well, there you have it. It kills germs, bacteria, fungus and is antiseptic. This is why it works. The washing up liquid does a pretty good job of drawing impurities and oils out of the locs. So far, it's a winning combination if you want to get rid of gunk on your scalp and in your locs. I think it's worth having this treatment every 12 weeks. If you have a problem with your locs, you might have to repeat this every week until the smell goes. You will also have to find a way to put moisture back into your locs.
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9 comments:
Wow!!! this makes so much sense, I never would thought of it...the blog world is truly a blessing... I'm still defaulting on the egg treatment, now I have this to add... I'm gonna try it as soon as my curls straighten up & I'm due for a wash....
I did an egg mayo treatment a while back. Now I'm wondering if it leaves residue trapped in the locs. let me know how you get on.
Thanks for posting this tip.
Never heard of the Listerine before, this is a very interesting read. It is good that you jump into action as soon as you smell the stale smell. The BS & ACV should have work as well (had a friend who had that issue as well) but she ask for my help to clean her hair and I basic took each lock she had (hers are thicker regular dreads) and deeply washed it (I mean one on one care lol). The water came out very brown as well. Either way the when you have that kind of smell on your lock, it an indication there are some kind of buildup going on, and you need to clean it out. Listerine may be less work to remove the buildup so I may give that a shot if I run into an issue like that again. Love your blog :D.
Kreyola, I read someone's post on napturality who used a listerine rinse on her locs. I was shocked initially, but decided to research it myself. What I found convinced me to try it. It treats dandruff, psoriasis, various skin conditions, both bacterial and fungal and also deep cleanses leaving locs softer. It deodorises,, can be used on cuts, rashes, burns etc
Thank you so much for the helpful information! I am definitely going to try this. I just have a few questions.
How did you soak your hair for an hour? Did you saturate your hair then put on a plastic cap?
Also what is washing up liquid? Is that a special shampoo or soap for the hair.
Kamilah, i diluted 2parts listerine with 1 part water. I put it in a bowl and dunked my locs in it, thoroughly saturating them and covered with a plastic cap. I put a layer of cotton wool around the edge to stop it going in my eyes.
Washing up liquid is the UK equivalent for dawn or dishwashing soap.
...I tried this but don't think I soaked long enough. My daugther's hair had this musky smell that would come back just days after washing.
Make sure you soak it for at least 1hour and you may have to do it more than once.
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