Anytime you feel that your locks need to be washed, just wash them. If you're using Knotty Boy Dread Wax and you've just done your dreads up with it for the first time, try to not wash for at least a week to give them some time to dry out a bit. After that you don't have anything to worry about when you wash - you can always rewax the loose pieces back into the main locks. And in fact, washing them actually helps them develop faster, as it's removing the natural oils from your hair that cause those new knots to slip out!

When you wash, give your scalp a really good scrub with the Knotty Boy Dread Shampoo Bar or Liquid Shampoo (see section below called The Itchies or the Dread Shampoo page for reasons why you should use this 'poo!). Don't use regular shampoos from the drug store or salons - they contain conditioners and other chemicals that soften and detangle hair, not knot it up! And don't worry about washing the dreads themselves, the soap that runs down from your scalp will clean them just fine and you don't really want to mess with them too much anyway. Just keeping your scalp healthy is the super important part. Also check the Dread Shampoo page for more detailed instructions on how to use our Knotty Boy Shampoos to wash your dreads.