Sea Salt Spray
Sea salt spray is a process accelerator that can assist in the formation of new locs. It also is useful to add extra grip and texture to hair in preparation for dreading. You can get the benefits of sea salt by swimming regularly in the ocean or, alternatively, you can make a sea salt spray at home.
To do this you will need a small, reusable spray bottle (Binn Inn is a good place to find these), pure sea salt (non-iodized), and some warm water. Mix a generous amount of salt into the warm water - enough to make a strong solution, but not so much that it will clog your sprayer.
To prepare your hair for new dreads, spray the sea salt all over your hair ensuring that you reach the undersides of your locks as well. You should do this once per day up to two days prior to your appointment (or as instructed in consultation).
For newly created dreads, use the sea salt spray all over once per day for the first week, then reduce application to every other day and then to once per week. If your dreads start to get too crunchy or your scalp becomes flaky or itchy, reduce application and/or lower the amount of salt in the spray.
After the first few weeks of your dread journey, the sea salt spray is no longer required unless you find your locs to be quite oily, in which case the continued use of a salt spray on a weekly basis is advisable.
While sea salt can be helpful in the locking process and restore balance to otherwise oily hair types, consistent long-term use can be damaging to hair. Thus, it is important to follow the schedule as advised above, but also to pay attention to your hair and scalp and make common sense judgments about when to use more or less sea salt.
If you spend frequent amounts of time in the ocean, it may be advisable to rinse your dreadlocks with non-salt water afterward, leaving the ocean salt in one’s hair only on occasion.
Frizz Taming
The best way to combat frizz in between maintenance sessions depends on your hair type.
For afro hair or any hair type with lots of small, tight curls, palm rolling is a worth while effort. Separate a single dread, gathering the regrowth at the root, twist, and roll the dread tightly between the palm of your hands until the hairs lock in. Repeat with each loc.
For most other remaining hair types, the sable brush (or boar's hair brush) method works brilliantly for a quick tidy up. You can purchase this type of brush from most pharmacies or they are also often found at The Warehouse.
You will also need a small, reusable spray bottle, and a bottle of your favourite essential oil (Binn Inn is usually a good place to find both these items). Add around 20 drops of your essential oil into the small spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Feel free to make a blend of your favourite oils to achieve your desired scent or properties.
Put your dreads up (or down) or however you intend to wear them. Spray the solution all over your exposed dreads and use the sable brush to gently comb the frizz back/down (in the direction of root to tip).