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How Often Should I Use Sea Salt On My Dreads?

Many people use sea salt sprays on their dreads to help them lock up faster. Sea salt is a great solution early in the loc stage; however, it can cause some problems if used incorrectly.

Dreads are an epic hairstyle, but they require care, time, and patience. If you don’t let them mature in a healthy way, you’ll never get the great locs you want.

If you struggle with loose dreads, or they aren’t locking up much in the first year, sea salt can help.

From sea salt loc spray to loc wash, oil, and more, get the organic loc products you need for happy, healthy dreads.

Related: Best Black-Owned Loc Products

Are Sea Salt Sprays Good for Dreads?

Yes and no — excessive use of sea salt can dry out your dreads and damage them. However, the drying properties of sea salt also help to prevent dread rot.

It’s not uncommon for frequent beach-goers to experience their locs forming quicker than others; this could also be what started the rise in popularity of sea salt sprays for dreads. 

Too much sea salt can cause your locs to become brittle over time because it can remove moisture and natural oils that your dreads need to stay healthy.

For new hair growth and starter locs, sea salt sprays can accelerate the loc tightening process. 

Will Sea Salt Help Form Locs?

two women with dreadlocks standing next to each other

Yes — sea salt will help tighten loose dreads and tame frizz, creating a cleaner look. However, less is usually more for sea salt sprays; you don’t want to dry out your dreads too much.

Locking sprays can use any salt, but sea salt derived from evaporated seawater is the best choice.

You should not use refined table salt — it’s highly processed and contains anti-caking agents; anything you spray in your locs can leave residue, so the less processed, the better.

Using sea salt on young dreadlocks can help dry them out, making them coarser and allowing them to knot faster, resulting in better locs. Sea salt sprays are an excellent way to help your starter locs mature faster.

How Often Can You Use Sea Salt On Your Locs?

Because sea salt can dehydrate hair, excessive use can cause damage. However, if you’re using it on starter locs, you can use it more often to speed up the locking process.

To avoid damaging your hair, use sea salt spray as often as you wash your dreads (e.g., if you wash your dreads weekly, you can use sea salt spray weekly too).

However, if you use a high-quality sea salt spray designed for locs, you might be able to use it more frequently. For example, our sea salt spray contains additional ingredients (aloe vera juice, argan oil, etc.) to give you the benefits of sea salt without damaging your dreads.

How to Use Sea Salt Spray

If you have shorter locs, you can put your head down and mist the sea salt sparsely from overhead. If you have longer locs, you’ll want to separate each loc with your hands and apply the sea salt from the roots to the tips.

Related: Summertime Loc Care

For locking and styling, you’ll want to comb the sea salt spray through your hair using your hands before styling or twisting. This method worked great for tightening your starter locs.

Benefits and Downsides of Sea Salt for Your Dreads

Some potential benefits of using sea salt in your dread care routine include:

  • Getting more mature, tighter dreads: Because sea salt removes moisture from your hair, it provides some unique benefits for locs. Sea salt dries the hair, pulling each strand tighter together, resulting in tighter dreads. Another bonus is that sea salt is a natural product by nature.
  • Experiencing less frizz: Other than tightening your dreads, using a sea salt spray also helps tame frizz that’s challenging to deal with — this helps give your locs a much cleaner appearance.
  • Preventing dread rot: Damp dreads lead to dread rot, which is one reason why we don’t wash our dreads too often. The drying properties of sea salt mean that using a sea salt spray can help prevent mold and mildew from growing in our locs while getting the other benefits.

The biggest downside of using sea salt for your dreads is also one of its benefits: it causes moisture loss. While this is excellent for preventing dread rot, it can also damage your dreads if used too often.

What About Lemon Juice and Sea Salt?

a man holding a lemon in his hand

Many people add lemon juice to their sea salt spray mixture — but is it a good idea? Well, we don’t recommend it.

Lemon juice (like sea salt) is extremely drying to your dreads. However, when combined with heat or sunlight, lemon juice will also bleach your locs and cause them to become fragile. Using any citrus juice on your dreadlocks for long periods can cause irreversible damage.

In addition, lemon juice can cause your locs to become stiff and take on a sticky texture that attracts lint, dirt, and other debris. 

DIY Loc Sea Salt Spray

If you want to make your own dreadlock spray, it’s not too difficult. You’ll need sea salt, warm water, and anything else you want to add (like essential oils — we add ylang-ylang oil to our sea salt sprays).

The important part is getting the ratio of sea salt to water right — you want to use 1.5 teaspoons of sea salt for every cup of water in your spray.

That’s it; that’s all you have to do. However, we recommend adding in a few drops of essential oil or two of your choice to help retain a little moisture in your locs.

Don’t want to struggle with the hassle of making your own loc products? Then, see us at Lion Locs, and get your high-quality, organic loc products hand-made in the USA without the hassle.

Is Using Sea Salt Spray Worth It?

When you decide to start your dreadlocks, you’ll probably want them to mature immediately. While that won’t happen, using sea salt spray can help speed up the locking process and won’t cause long-term damage if used correctly.

Related: Keep Your Locs Fresh

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