We’ve all had that moment where we find something foreign in our hair and have no clue what it is. Sometimes it’s something as simple as dandruff, but other times the consistency, smell, and color can lead you into believing it is anything but dandruff, or toothpaste.
The most common conclusions to this turbulent question is, it’s either build-up, lint, dandruff, or mold. If it’s not any of the four options mentioned above, then someone in your house probably has some serious explaining to do. Let’s draw on the characteristics of each of these free-loaders. Once you’ve got the diagnosis down, then you will know the proper treatment.
Determining Dandruff
Most of us are pretty familiar with our scalp conditions and, whether we have dandruff or not. This can change from season to season, and even house to house. The condition of your scalp may react to the hard water you may encounter in one house and not another, or can occur from the extreme shifts in temperature. When you notice white flakes around your scalp and roots the best solution is to drink a lot more water and to try to wash your locs more frequently. Very often, dandruff can be due to an overproduction of your scalp sebum. If you were going 9 days plus between washes try going down to 7 or 8 days.
Long Lasting Lint
While lint may be confused with dandruff or build-up, lint is very much unique to its own kind. The easiest way in determining whether or not it’s lint or build-up is by inspecting your roots and locs after a wash. If you still notice the white foreign substance in your locs while they are wet then it is usually lint. Lint is usually thin fibres and debris that have gathered in the locs over time. Lint can accumulate in locs from cotton pillow cases and scarfs, or just floating debris in a dusty environment. A soft brush for locs usually works at removing lint from mature locs.
Build-Up Bummer
There are several ways in which build-up can grow inside your locs. The most common cause of buildup is by using products that are not natural and are not made for locs. These products will leave behind waxy residue inside the locs and will grow overtime. While the appearance of build-up may fade after a wash, it certainly isn’t disappearing. Make sure to use residue free products on your locs. Dr. Locs pre-cleanse is specifically designed to pull up any lint, residue, dirt and debris from the scalp and locs in order to prevent build-up in locs.
Anything-But-Mild Mildew
Mildew grows inside the locs after the build-up in the locs has been growing and cozy for some time. While build-up doesn’t always have a foul smell, mildew always always does. Mildew will grow due to excess build-up where the bacteria can feed and grow. Clarifying formulas are designed to deeply clean the locs both inside and out ensuring you remove any build-up or potential mildew.
