My friend Ty recently adopted a set of dreadlocks, and they’ve moved in where his hair used to be. He’s rocking the Bob Marley look like a champ, and is tolerating his collection of new nicknames remarkably well. The cost of dread products, on the other hand, is far less tolerable. The descriptions on dread waxes and shampoos make them sound as if they are formulated from the souls of hippies gone by at the top of a magical Rastafarian mountain, and the prices generally match. I set out to unseat this legend and make my own.
From the dream waxes I researched, and the one Ty brought in for me to feel up, they’re basically an oily paste of beeswax, assorted liquid oils, and some honey or glycerin (though those seem to be optional). So, basically body butter, often heavily spiked with a blend of essential oils that instantly triggers memories of folk festival and fair trade coffee shops.
I started off with beeswax and unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada), two favourites of mine. The beeswax hardens the entire mixture, and unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) has a sticky texture that’s beneficial for dread forming. Hemp oil seemed like a no brainer for its great green colour and high protein content. Next up, jojoba oil (USA / Canada), which is high in Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) and absorbs relatively quickly.
Lastly, some honey and glycerin. Because they’re water based they help thin out the oils, cutting down on the amount of oil you’re spreading in your hair. The honey is antibacterial, hopefully helping to fend off anything that might be interested in taking up residence in your new dreads, and glycerin is a popular additive to shampoos and other body products for its softening properties.
The wax comes together easily, and the honey and glycerin emulsify into the oils very well, giving you a light green waxy balm that’s great for dreads. Ty testified that it worked really well, and he really enjoyed the lack of scent after his previous wax, which was crazy fragrant. You can, of course, add any essential oils you like.
Hemp & Honey Dread Wax
12g beeswax (USA / Canada)
28g unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada)
10g hemp seed oil (USA / Canada)
10g jojoba oil (USA / Canada)
12g honey
2g vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada) (optional)Melt the beeswax, unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada), hemp seed oil (USA / Canada), and jojoba oil (USA / Canada) together over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey and vegetable. Whisk as the mixture cools—it won’t emulsify until the mixture is closer to room temperature.
I am starting my dreads this weekend (for the 2nd time). I am anti-wax but I wonder if you might have a decent recipe for no-residue shampoo instead of following the no poo methods. I have gotten shampoo from dreadlockshampoo.com but i really can’t afford to keep doing that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
You’re in luck, Shauna—I’m currently developing a dread shampoo, using the same dreaded friend as my test subject 🙂 Stay tuned for it!
Excellent! I’m already subscribed, so I’ll keep my eyes open. Thank you!!!
Awesome! I’m hoping for early July if the development process goes as planned 🙂
Do you have a recipe that will get rid of unwanted facial hair that grows on top of the lips? What would you suggest?
When it comes to hair removal in such a delicate area it’s best to go with something permanent like laser or electrolisis so you don’t have to worry about re-growth and ingrown hairs 🙂 That’s my opinion, anyways.
Use the sugaring recipe you get at about.com
It’s cheap and easy. I only managed to use it with strips (btw, the disposable strips can easily be washed multiple times in your washing machine at 30C with the gentle cycle, so no need to throw them away) but not with the traditional method that uses no strips.
And it’s far less painful than the petroleum based wax you get at the beauty salon. I have a very low pain threshold and I switched to this recipe after a couple of times of leaving the beauty salon in tears. I cannot say that’s a pleasure, but it’s not painful anymore.
Thanks, Mrs G—maybe I’ll have to give it another go 🙂
If you’re still interested, sugaring is an easy “at-home”, and there’s lots of really simple recipes online, as it’s just sugar, water and lemon.
(ftr, laser isn’t considered permanent, only electrolysis gets that distinction (and it’s slow going if you get the kind that works…30sec+ _per hair_).)
You’re much braver than I, Dawn—I don’t think I could stand the pain of sugaring my upper lip!
Thank you Dawn. Sugaring has to be better than using the chemical I am currently using.
Good luck with it 🙂
Awesome post! Although I could’ ve used it 8 months back when I got mine. You can also, if you like, tell your friend to not heavily wax his dreadies cuz it helps a bunch with the rot, and that he can also use aloe gel which lasts forever, is natural, washes out with every wash and actually helps dry up the dread rot! This from a looooooooooot of research! It’s also what I use. He can also add e.o to it (lavender, rosemary or tea tree- or all of them) to help out. Good luck on the journey to him!
Thanks, Dorey! I’ll be sure to tell Ty to pop over here and read through the comments—it sounds like you’re a dread-‘spert 😉
Yeah, I freaked out a little bit and spent a whole bunch of time reading AAAALL the blogs out there! there’s a whole bunch of info, the good part is that you can adapt it to your likings. But the general gist is the less you fidget with your dreads the faster they ‘mature’, the faster they’ll look ‘normal’.
Hey, research is never a bad thing 🙂 I’ll be sure to pass your tips along!
Also, OMG I desperately need that residue free shampoooooooo!!! yeeeey!!! you’re my DIY queen! I think salt and coconut oil, which are drying could help… again, yeeeeeey!!!
I’m already working with coconut oil, but I’ll see about adding some salt as well 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
Wow this is the first time I’ve seen any dreadlock products on a DIY blog! Very cool. One big tip I couldn’t not mention without moving onto the next post – tell your friend to ditch any products. Speaking as one with almost 5 year old dreads, any products, especially waxes intending to “create” dreadlocks are there purely for money-making purposes. They not only create a moisture barrier for water to become trapped and quickly grow mold and become smelly, but they actually inhibit the hair from locking up tighter, because they need to move and rub on each other constantly. He will ultimately need to cut those babies out once they start to stink. His best bet for long living, healthy, clean and stink- free locks are some very simple and cheap products. 1) Neutrogena residue-free or Live Clean clarifying Apple Cider shampoo diluted in water. Use it often, several times a week to start to keep them locking up tighter! 2) avoid crocheting the locks as it causes breakage of the hair that will begin to loosen and fall out 3) the no-poo method doesn’t work to tell with locks when used regularly, but is great for sporadic deep cleanse soaks. 4) sea salt water sprays! 5) hats, especially made of wool, will help them knot up quickly! Thats pretty much it! Healthy natural dreads needs less product, not more 🙂 If he desires a bit of conditioning, stay away from regular conditioners and put a few spoonfuls of coconut milk into the diluted shampoo. Have fun 🙂
Thanks for the tips, Paulina—I’ll be sure to pass them along 🙂
First off I LOVE your blog! I can’t even begin to say all the things I find amazing about it. You are always my first stop when working on a new product.
I feel like I recently saw a spray for dreads on your site and now I can’t find it. Can you please point me in the right direction? Thanks!
Thanks, Sarah! I don’t think you saw that dread spray here, though 🙂 I’ve never made one!
Could you use coconut oil?
You could use it in place of the shea butter, but that will change the texture of the wax as coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature than shea butter. You can read more here.
Thank you for your tips . I have locs n I wanted to know with your hemp n honey will it tighten my locs. I’m having a problem finding something to keep them tight when I retest them. Where can I find hemp oil?
Hey Okesha! As somebody who has never had dreadlocks I can only say that my tester liked this wax and found it worked. Have you checked my gigantic list of places to shop for a hemp oil supplier? Your local health food store would be another place to look.
Since the recipe called for honey and vegetable glycerin, how long is the shelf life? Thank you so much.
Honestly, there is no way to accurately answer that question. Although honey and glycerin are both water soluble, neither of them contain water (at least not usable water—see the link at the end), so there is some debate about whether or not their inclusion necessitates the inclusion of a preservative. You are certainly welcome to include one if you like. I would also recommend reading “Hurdle 3” here for more information.