Product Buildup On Locs: My Attempt To Get Rid Of It

I’ve had my locs for about 17 months now and I’m starting to see some progress in terms of growth. Yippy! I must say locs need a LOT of patience, I feel like they’ve been at one length for a long time. However, I ABSOLUTELY love them!

My biggest gripe right now is dealing with product buildup especially by the nape of my neck; It looks so unslightly! It looks like white specks or lint that is lodged between your locs. I think it happens if I shampoo and/or condition my locs and I don’t rinse out the product very well.

So I have decided to try and do something about it. I have read about using baking powder (which can leave your locs very dry and dull-looking) and the other alternative is to do an Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) rinse . What I like about Apple Cider Vinegar is that its a great cleanser but at the same time it doesn’t strip a lot of moisture from your hair. I used to do a lot of ACV rinses when I had an afro and it worked very well.

I did the rinse over the weekend and this is how I did it:

• I bought the regular Apple Cider Vinegar from PnP for R 13.99
• I mixed 2 cups of warm water with about 2 tablespoons of ACV (it’s very strong so you don’t want to use too much of it) and poured it into my regular spritz bottle (it’s easier to apply with a spritz bottle).
• Before I applied the ACV to my locs I first shampooed my locs. I use Tresemme’s Naturals shampoo.
• Then while my locs were damp I sprayed the ACV mixture all over my locs, concentrating towards the nape of the neck where I have a lot of buildup.
• I then rubbed each loc carefully between my hands and you can do this for about 10min for your whole head.
• I then rinsed it out and conditioned my hair with Tresemme’s Naturals Conditioner.
• Once I had washed off the conditioner I moistured my locs with Organic Root Stimulator’s HaiRepair Vital Oils For hair & Scalp but you can use any oil such as Coconut Oil or Olive Oil.

This is the result after I did the ACV rinse:

As you can see there is some improvement even though not ALL the buildup was removed. I will keep trying to do the ACV rinses regularly (twice a month) and hopefully all the buildup will go away over time.

NB: Remember not to overdo the ACV rinse. It can really strip the moisture out of your hair and leave it feeling very dry.

Do you guys have any other suggestions on how one can remove buildup on locs?