Kitchen Cures: Natural Clarifiers For My Locs

Anybody that knows me, either in real life or from this here Internet knows that I am a Loc Rocker © Brittany of locrocker.com I decided to go natural in 2004 after a horrific experience with a relaxer. It was my last relaxer, February 13, 2004. The Big Chop came a year later in February 2005 and my locs were born in August of that same year. That was the best decision I ever made for my hair. I can honestly say I’ve never been happier with my hair as I’ve been in the last six years.

After going to only two locticians in 4 years, I started doing my own hair last summer (save a few interlocking sets by my friend Yonna). The biggest problem I’ve had is being able to get my hair as clean as I’d like it to be. Locs hold on to EVERYTHING: Lint, dust, pollen and any type of product you put in them (which is why I try to use the lightest and most natural things I can find in my hair). I’ve tried all kinds of shampoos, conditioners and rinses and still struggled with yucky build-up in my locs, especially at the base of the individual locs.

I got an idea while cleaning my kitchen, using baking soda to clean the stove top and some cookware that had stuck-on grease: “I wonder if I could use baking soda in my hair to break down that build-up?” Yes, I’m crazy, I know. But I’m sure if you’re an intelligent person that has any experience with baking soda, you can see the logic in this!

I went straight to Google and searched “washing locs with baking soda” and I found a post entitled “Natural Clarifiers” on this blog called Loc Diaries. The young lady who writes the blog pulled five hair clarifying recipes from different sites as remedies for the kind of build-up I deal with in my own locs. The first two involved Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) which most Loc Rockers have at least heard of as a rinse, if they haven’t used it already. The second one is the one that intrigued me, because of the baking soda factor. I was reluctant to try it because the article she linked back to was written by a non-black person and they went on to mention the use of beeswax for locs. I disregarded that thinking that must be a necessity for non-blacks with locs, but something told me that there was some merit in the baking soda/ACV combo.

So I got my generic brands baking soda and ACV…

I buy generic brands of basic sh*t like this.

And followed the instructions:

Recipe B:  The Combo — ACV+BS

For a proper cleanse, a combination of vinegar and baking soda should be used. First, pour the baking soda into the palm of your hand. It should be enough to cover your palm. Then, place both palms together and then release them over and into wet hair. Rub the baking soda around and into your dreadlocks. Then, get your vinegar spray bottle and spray it all over the head. This will cause the baking soda to bubble up, which causes a deep cleansing. If no bubbling up occurs, add more baking soda and spray the vinegar again. Now, rinse out the vinegar and baking soda thoroughly with water. Purified water works best, but many people would rather not buy water for each time they wash their hair. Once the dreads are rinsed, shampoo following the instructions on your clarifying shampoo. The clarifying shampoo will clean away any residue left from the baking soda, as well as bring the hair to the consistency needed to keep the dreads locked and healthy.

I sat with this kitchen-ass combo up on my hair for about 15 minutes. In that time, I went back and took a look at the third recipe. This one involved adding some vodka (!!!!) to a clarifying shampoo and washing your locs with that:

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