Help - Mold in Dreadlocks :(

Hey there, ive had my dreads for around 2 and a half months now. This is my 2nd time of having them. The 1st time i had them for around 7 months and i brushed them out after and they had a greeny/grey powder inside. Im pretty sure this was mold.

Having dreads again i was so worried i would get mold again so i read up and did so much research before and ive done everything right but ive found the same powder in my dreads again.

Ive tried using an apple cider vinegar rinse but nothing has changed.

ive heard about using a bleach/water rinse or applying rubbing alcohol on my dreads?
Has anyone else got any tips - i REALLY dont want to have to get rid of my dreads

And what am i doing wrong?!

Thanks!

 

that stuff could be many things. dirt, wax, mold... other things that get picked up and eaten by the dreads. but most likely a mix of the first three if you used wax.

thanks to the great knotty community we have on these forums... somebody has come up with a really effective deep cleaning concoction. i have not tried it myself, but those who have seem to have gotten great results. here's the link the the concoction's thread:

http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=136945


apple cider vinegar wont really clean much. it will some bacteria, but just end up replacing what it killed with the bacteria in the vinegar. what it does is changes the ph which throws off the other bacteria.

bleach/water... well thats just not a good idea. if your hair is not discolored or platinum blonde right now, it will be after you use bleach in it. so don't do that.

and don't use wax, incase you have thought of that idea.

hope i helped.

 

what kind of products/shampoo/soap do you use in your hair? how often do you get it wet? does the power smell musty?
i reccomend a really strong vinegar rinse. go ahead and use white vinegar actually. its very effective at killing mold and mildew and well as bacteria. some people use it as a bathroom and kitchen disinfectant. it needs to sit for a long time to really work. let it sit in your hair (wrapped in a towel) for at least an hour before rinsing, i would do two or three hours or even overnight.
or you can use a really stong tea tree rinse. get a 5ml bottle of tea tree and empty like the whole thing into a big bucket of water and stick your head in it (dont get this in your eyes). wrap in a towel and sit for a while, like at least an hour i would say. tea tree is a really good anti-fungal.
use the deep cleaning concoction after the mold treatment to get it all out. i dont think that the deep clean alone could kill all the mold spores inside your locks.
if its mold, either of those treatments should get rid of it no problem.

 

Great thanks alot, i shall get trying that one tonight

Thanks for the help guys x

 

high five scatteredleaves, we saved a head of dreads.

:cheers2:

 

unless you used wax or put your dreads up in a tam when wet you really shouldnt get mould
i get heatstroke extremely easy so anytimne the temps over 80 i end up dumpin water obver my head all day long to cool off so my dreads are lil moist (mostly near roots) alot in summer but in 18 years never once got mould (altho once wore a wool tam in a downpour and then they smelled funky for a day)
i do get some trapped fuzzies that when they start degrading can look powdery like mould but it is just random blanket or towel fuz that got trapped and began to biodegrade after awhile

tea tree is 1 of the stroingest antiseptics known and should kill off whatevers in there
the deep clense is amazingf for getting it all out

i would noty suggest leaving the vinigar overnight
its too condituioning and would most likely start unraveling your dreads
also..i remembver way back doing stuff with vinigar like soaking eggs bones and other odd thingfs in vinigar overnight and it would make them like rubber
imagine what it could do to hair overnight
ofcourse u should use it diluted
but i wouldnt leave it on longer then 1/2 hoiur at most

 

right ok, so tonight i soaked my dreads in apple cider vinegar and put them in a towel for around an hour, then washed them. Then i used the deep cleaning concoction and left that on for around 2 hours. I then rinsed and blow dryed and its still there its in pretty much every dread (i got my friend to check over them). I slightly pulled apart one dread and it looks like fluff/powder, and i do wear a greeny tam alot but surely i wouldnt get fuzzies from the hat in each dread?

i did use wax a few times, but i havnt in a good month as ive read up and decided agaisnt it. I wash my dreads around once every 2 weeks. The only thing i can think of is im not drying them right?

I REALLY dont want to have to brush them out and start again, but this might be the only way.

If anyone has any other ideas its much appriciated!

Thanks for your help so far guys x

 

it could easily be from the tam.
you arnt washing too often and as long as they get dry within a couple of days, you really shouldnt have mold.
the best way to tell is just to smell it. you will know right away if its mold, it will not smell right. if it just smells normal, its almost definitely hat fuzz.

 

they do smell fine, and i do dry them well. i reckon if i just dont wear the tam for a while and see if it manages to clear up and hope for the best

Thanks so much youve been such a good help x

 

I dunno sounds to me that you have dried up wax in there..
I mean if you haven't actively tried to get the wax out, ie;
hot water n stuff, it could just be that.
Wax.

 

I've been worried about mold lately too! I've had my dreads almost 2 years and lately I've been finding some gray spots on the tips, and under loops. They look like lint, but I've found 6 or 7 lately so it seems weird. I haven't been blow drying my hair lately, just air drying, and I'm wondering if that caused it. I cut the spots out or off so it doesn't spread if it is mold. Any thoughts, or anything similar?

 

daisy had mine 18 years and like i said i got spots with fuzeds trapped exactly like u describe i can pick at em and get alot out but i dont bother much
its definately not mould if it wsas ya would for sure smell it
i air dry too takes 30+ hours
but never had a prob as long as i dont put emn in a hat wet

the green fuzz is odviosly tam fuz rtrapped in wax
waxd will attract anything u put near it so yea u goty alotta dirt and fuz stuck in em

do the wax removal (someone plzzzz stickuy that and the deep clense (combine em even)

once ya got all the wax out ya shouldnbt get sio much fuzz trapped in em

 

I try to blow dry my locks as much as possible, have you tried the baking soda/lemon juice etc mixture (theres a link at the start of this thread) as that does help, as some stuff came out of mine when i gave it a good soak. Also ive heard about using orange essential oil - but i think thats more for getting rid of wax. do you wax yours?

the stuff in my dreads is more inside the dreads, as mine are still pretty new i can pull them apart a little and its inside there. It does look like lint but i just dont think that much can get inside in such a short time? Im going to give them another good scrub tomorrow and try to get as much out as i can! Do your dreads smell moldy?

 

Thanks like i said im going to have a good go again at them tomorrow and i hope i shall have a strong result.

Im so glad i found hipforums

 

Well, my dreads don't smell at all...actually they smell pretty good I think I was just freaking out a little. Thanks soaring eagle! I did the baking soda rinse twice and it cleaned my scalp really well.

 

yea its a huuuge difference isnt it?
i mean after the deep clense i feel like 5 poiunds lighter

 

good luck! sounds like wax to me. But hey, don't feak out about it!!!! It is ok to have a bit of crap in your hair. Wether that be mould or fuzz. You don't need to start over, that's just silly!!!

 

yeah, since nobody actually mentioned the process to get the wax out yet, ill give it a quick rundown.

simply get some water as hot as your head can stand, either from the shower head or a pot of water and dunk your dreads in that to melt and break down the wax. and wash it allll out. you may have to do it a few times before your all cleaned up.

i would follow that up with the deep clean method. i wouldnt cut or comb out your dreads unless you absolutely know there is no hope. that would suck to have to redo them for a third time.

 

hey all, new here.

I've had my dreads for about 5 years now. Probably a few years ago I started to notice some of the same things you describe - fuzzy stuff, mostly blue/grey colored. inside the dreads. some of it is DEEP inside, some of it is on the outside and is clearly lint/fuzzies, but what I want to know is the stuff that is in deep .... what is it? I wash them about once a week with regular shampoo and conditioner. sometimes i cut an end off and dissect it....sometimes there is a lot of blue/grey stuff in the center. its mosty at the tips of the hair, not the roots, and i also notice some of it near the roots as well. when i start to pick at it, i try to notice if it smells funny or not, but its hard to tell.....

i really hope this isnt mold. ive had these things for over 5 years and im thinking about cutting them as they are getting to be a pain in the butt. starting to make daily activities difficult. but...im in a metal band and headbanging is one of my daily activities. haha.....

 

Well I don't want to jump to conclusions, but did you ever use wax? If so then that could be what it is. Also you said you can't really tell if it smells funny or not, what does it smell like when it's wet? If it doesn't smell bad when it's wet then it's probably not mold, it could be partly residue build up if you're using regular shampoo and conditioner.

I would suggest soaking them with ACV (apple cider vinegar) diluted with water, that helps a lot to deep clean them. As well as that you can use baking soda/bicarb mixed with tea tree oil, it's anti fungal so if there is mold in there then it will help. You could try switching to just washing with baking soda/bicarb + tea tree oil and see if that makes things better.

If your hair doesn't smell moldy then I wouldn't think at all about cutting, just deep clean them over a period of time and see if it helps. Of course it's very difficult to remove things that are buried deep inside dreads, but if it's not smelling then it's probably not worth stressing too much over. Good luck