7 Best Shampoos For Dreadlocks [Buying Guide]

Best Shampoo For Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks enjoy unique popularity in today’s fashionable world. One can create dreads by interlocking or braiding the strands. By doing so, your hair becomes tightly twisted and gets neglected from regular brushing, which affects the flow of oil and moisture between the scalp and strands. This process will eventually lead to the oily, irritated, and dandruff-created scalp, with dry and brittle strands.

So, to resolve this weak and damaging hair condition, the specialized shampoos that can give extra care to the dreadlocked hair is essential! The best shampoos for dreadlocks are unique hair-cleansing products that keep the scalp intensively cleansed and healthier against germs and product build-ups. Their nourishing properties strengthen and moisturize the strands to prevent split ends, breakages, and other damages, that are common with the braiding process.

In this article, the details about the best shampoos for dreadlocks are discussed. It gives information regarding the features of dreadlock shampoos, their advantages to braided hair, and much more!

Best Shampoos For Dreadlocks Reviewed

Best Shampoos For Dreadlocks

Out of numerous products, the detailed reviews about the 7 best shampoos for dreadlocks are discussed with their benefits and limitation.

1. Total Body Black Earth Shampoo – Best Overall

BOTANIQUE SHAMPOO
Total Body Black Earth Shampoo 8OZ.

Total Body Black Earth Shampoo

Why you’ll love this

Cherish your dreadlocked hair with the ultra-nourishing formula of Total Body Black Earth Shampoo!

This product was formulated by the renowned hair care specialist and cosmetologist Dr. Talia Waajid. She has created this shampoo by incorporating the best-ever natural ingredients that make the tresses intensively cleansed, softer, hydrated, and manageable.

Its natural extracts revive damaged strands and support healthier hair growth. The presence of organic fragrance relaxes not only the hair but also the mind!

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What We Liked

  • Antibacterial Property: This best shampoo for dreadlocks contains natural ingredients having a richer concentration of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Dreadlocks are more prone to germs and oil build-ups and with this super-cleansing formula, you can eradicate the debris more effectively. This product also stays gentle over the scalp and removes residues without stripping the natural oils. Also, the soothing property of this formula calms the irritations, itchiness, and other scalp discomforts that are usually associated with dreads.
  • Nourishing Property: The presence of Rosemary Extract, Yarrow Root Extract, Wheat Germ, Vitamin E, Sage Extract, Etc., enhances the energizing power of this shampoo. These components furnish essential nutrients and vitamins, upgrading the overall strength of the hair follicles.
  • Enhances Hair Growth: The natural ingredients of this shampoo penetrate the shafts and improve their shine and flexibility. They make your hair stronger and anti-breaking while creating dreads. Also, this shampoo highly combats hair fall, holds dreads, and upgrades the growth of the new shafts.
  • Moisturization: Dreadlocks become easily dried and damaged. So, this specialized shampoo contains thirst-quenching ingredients such as silk amino acids, Vitamin E, Olive Oil, Black Seed Oil, etc. Despite enhancing hair growth, these components improve the moisture content and protective barrier of the locks. They prevent split ends, flakiness, etc., making the tresses softer, manageable, and easy to lock. 
  • Suitability: This shampoo stays best for making the dreadlocked hair cleaner, healthier, and rejuvenated. The holding, nourishing, and conditioning features go great with all hair types, including the dry, damaged, sensitive, and over-processed types. It is also a vegan and cruelty-free product, devoid of artificial colors, fragrances, and other harsh chemicals. This creamy lathering product suits both starter locs and retwisting.
  • Fragrance: The natural extracts of this shampoo furnish a sublime scent that stays highly refreshing.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Detangling Effect: This shampoo can sometimes detangle the locs and undo the dreads on certain hair types while nourishing the tresses.

2. Jamaican Mango and Lime Tingle Shampoo – Best For Dry Scalps

BOTANIQUE SHAMPOO
Jamaican Mango and Lime Tingle Shampoo, 16 Ounce

Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo Bar

Why you’ll love this

Jamaican Mango and Lime Tingle Shampoo contain the traditional Jamaican recipe, which does wonders on cleansing, nourishing, and rejuvenating the dreads!

Its antioxidant-rich formula soothes and relieves the scalp against infections and energizes the hair follicles from within. This shampoo highly prevents hair fall, external hair damages, and other unhealthy hair conditions.

It also has an intense moisturizing feature, making it best suited for dry scalp types.

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What We Liked

  • Thorough Cleansing: This shampoo furnishes the gentle-yet-excellent cleansing benefit to the damaged scalp conditions. Its natural ingredients include mango seed oil, manuka honey, peppermint oil, etc., which contain high antioxidant and antibacterial features. These components clarify the scalp against product and oil build-ups, germs, etc., making the dreads remarkably cleaner, softer, and manageable.
  • Anti-Dandruff Benefit: This best shampoo for locs highly prevents the scalp from flakiness, irritations, itchiness, and other discomforts that may weaken the hair follicles. Its tingling effect stimulates the scalp, enhances the blood flow around roots, and strengthens the hair naturally.
  • Nourishing Formula: The active ingredients of this shampoo contains fabulously energizing property. They furnish the hair-strengthening vitamins, minerals, fatty and amino acids, and other nutrients to the root, upgrading the hair’s overall texture. This shampoo makes the tresses flexible, stops hair fall, and improves the growth of healthier and thicker shafts.
  • Moisturization: Mango seed oil, manuka honey, and menthol have impeccable hydrating features that drench even the low porous hair with nourishing moisture content. These components revitalize the dry and brittle ends, enhance elasticity, and improve the hair’s natural protective barrier. They obliterate frizzes, hair breakages, and other issues, making your knots healthier and flawlessly groomed.
  • Suitability: This tingling shampoo stays highly energizing on all hair types, particularly the dry and damaged scalps which require a soothing and extra-nourishing formula. It is also free of parabens and other harsh chemicals.
  • Fragrance: The presence of natural and refreshing lime fragrance makes the cleansing process ultra-calming.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Contains Sulfates: This shampoo contains sulfates that can sometimes make the locks brittle. It may also strip out the hair coloring if you have colored dreads.

3. Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo – Best For Type 4 Hair

BOTANIQUE SHAMPOO
Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo 8oz

Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo

Why you’ll love this

Enjoy the extremely refreshing and strengthening benefits of Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo on your Type 4 hair dreads!

Its all-natural ingredients rejuvenate the irritated scalp with a fresh flow of energy. The presence of essential oils strengthens and nutrify the dreads intensively and makes the locs well-moisturized.

This shampoo furnishes the slight tingling effect to refresh and revive the hair follicles and prevent hair fall issues.

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What We Liked

  • Cleanses Scalp Effectively: This residue-free shampoo contains a blend of peppermint, tea tree, hemp seed, and rosemary extracts that are very rich in anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. These components cleanse the scalp thoroughly against oil residues and germs build-ups and relieve the hair follicles from hair-weakening debris. Also, this shampoo soothes and calms the scalp irritations, infections, itchiness, etc., and keeps the dreads healthy against external damages.
  • Nourishing Property: The slight tingling effect of this shampoo enhances the blood flow around hair roots, strengthens the shafts, and stimulates hair growth. Also, the nutritious blend boosts essential vitamins to the hair, keeping them stronger and energized.
  • Moisturization: Essential oils such as olive oil, hemp seed oil, castor oil, tea tree oil, etc., provides concentrated fatty and amino acids to the hair. They make the locks elastic, softer, and moisturized and prevent the issues of hair breakages, brittleness, etc. This best shampoo for dreadlocks also stops hair fall from the root and enhances the twisting process for blemish-free dreads. The presence of tea tree oil keeps the locs conditioned and healthier for longer!
  • Suitability: The ultra-cleansing and calming formula of this shampoo stays best for oily, damaged, and Type 4 hair types (kinky and coily hair), which are more prone to scalp oiliness and dirt. It is a biodegradable and non-toxic shampoo that works best even as a refreshing body wash.
  • Fragrance: The natural peppermint fragrance stays seductively fresh and lovable. It further appreciates your cleaning process.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Not For Sensitive Scalp: The extremely sensitive scalp type can find this shampoo to be strongly invigorating.

4. Dread Head HQ Dread Dreadlock Soap – Best For Sensitive Scalps

BOTANIQUE SHAMPOO
Dread Head HQ Dread Dreadlock Soap

Dread Head HQ Dread Dreadlock Soap

Why you’ll love this

The oil and residue-free formula of Dread Head HQ Dread Dreadlock Soap does gentle cleansing on the sensitive scalp types. It clarifies the hair follicles without creating the stripping or irritating effect.

It does not contain dread-destroying oils or conditioners and thus, nourishes the locs without untwisting.

This specialized formula also quickens and upgrades the dreading process with utmost perfection.

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What We Liked

  • Gentle Washing: This best shampoo for locs contains a mild cleansing property that washes away the dirt and debris from the scalp without being harsh. It neither strips the hair’s natural oils nor creates inflammations on the hair follicles while shampooing. Thus, the sensitive scalp types that are more prone to irritations can use this shampoo for refreshing the dreads.
  • Nourishing Feature: Lack of oil doesn’t mean lack of nourishment! This shampoo strengthens and upgrades the hair follicles while cleansing. It energizes the roots, prevents hair fall, and enhances hair growth for healthier and denser-looking dreads.
  • Holding Property: This product makes the locs softer and hydrated without undoing the twists. Its oil-free formula ensures high holding benefit and makes the dreads ultimately tightened and perfect.
  • Suitability: This shampoo stays best for sensitive scalp conditions and starter locs that require high holding properties. It has no artificial colors, fragrances, oxidizers, and other harsh chemicals that can make the hair brittle and damaged.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Fragrance: It contains no revitalizing aroma, and those who prefer scent while washing may find this product inappropriate.
  • Creates Frizzes: The absence of essential oils limits the hydrating power of the shampoo. So, your dreads may become frizzy and dull in the end.

5. Dollylocks Tea Tree Spearmint Liquid Dreadlock Shampoo – Best For Oily Scalps

BEST SHAMPOO FOR SENSITIVE SCALPS
Dollylocks 12oz Tea Tree Spearmint Liquid Dreadlock Shampoo

Dollylocks Tea Tree Spearmint Liquid Dreadlock Shampoo

Why you’ll love this

Containing the plant-based clarifying formula, Dollylocks Liquid Dreadlock Shampoo creates an invigorating feel to your scalp with utmost nourishment!

Its organic ingredients cleanse and unclog the follicles against debris and oiliness. Its intense moisturizing feature keeps the locks softer, fresher, and well done without weighing down.

The hypoallergenic and residue-free features are further the advantages!

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What We Liked

  • Clarifies Scalp: This shampoo contains antibacterial and antioxidant-filled botanicals such as tea tree oil, spearmint oil, witch hazel extract, grapefruit extract, etc. These components rid out the scalp and hair follicles against dirt, germs and oil build-ups, product residues, and other debris that make the hair weak and dull. They highly balance the hair’s pH level and cleanse the roots with a fresh and clear sensation.
  • Calms Irritations: The anti-inflammatory property of this shampoo soothes the hair follicles against irritations and infections due to dandruff, excess sebum production, and other flaky scalp conditions. They unclog the roots and stimulate blood circulation to eradicate hair fall issues and stimulate hair growth.
  • Nourishing Formula: Tea tree oil, organic coconut, grape seed oil, and other botanical extracts furnish utmost energizing benefits to the scalp and dreads. They provide vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc., to the locks, making them flexible, stronger, and softer. Also, these nutrient-filled ingredients prevent the dreadlock damages such as hair breakages and split ends.
  • Moisturization: The hydrating benefit of this shampoo keeps the strands healthier and conditioned. It rejuvenates the dreaded hair, keeps the frizzes and tangles away, and enhances the twisting process of the hair.
  • Suitability: This shampoo is a hypoallergenic, lightweight, and residue-free product that appreciates the dreads without creating greasiness, allergies, or a heavy feel. Thus, it stays suited for oily, damaged, and sensitive scalp types that require gentle-yet-intense cleansing. 
  • Fragrance: The tea tree fragrance with a hint of coconut aroma creates a lovely smell.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Ineffective Lather: This natural formula creates insignificant lathering that may harden the cleansing process sometimes.

6. Dollylocks Dreadlock Shampoo Bar – Best For Type 3 Hair

BEST SHAMPOO FOR TYPE 3 HAIR
Dollylocks Organic Shampoo Bar for Dreadlocks, Vegan Shampoo with Coconut Oil, Essential Oils, Sea Salt, Plant-Based Shampoo Bars for Hair, Residue Free...

Dollylocks Dreadlock Shampoo Bar

Why you’ll love this

 
Dollylocks Dreadlock Shampoo Bar is the next best botanicals-based cleansing bar that clarifies and hydrates the tresses more gently and effectively!

It soothes and resolves the itchy and damaged scalp conditions and makes the dreads look well-rejuvenated. This shampoo bar also makes the locs voluminous and highly tightened.

Its hypoallergenic formula and lightweight featu

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What We Liked

  • Rejuvenates Scalp: This best shampoo for locs contains the anti-bacterial and antioxidant-rich components of mango seed extract, sea salt, grape seed extract, coconut oil, neem seed oil, etc. These ingredients obliterate the dandruff-creating bacteria and revive the skin against itchiness, flaky layers, irritations, etc. They eradicate residues and germs build-ups over the scalp and enhance the overall strength of the hair follicles.
  • Nourishing Property: Coconut oil, hemp seed oil, sea salt, and other natural extracts furnish essential nutrients and amino acids to the hair roots. They strengthen the strands and enhance the growth of the healthier shafts. Thus, despite cleansing, this shampoo bar also fights against hair fall, split ends, hair breakages, etc., to make the dreads denser and energetic.
  • Moisturization: The presence of essential oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, etc., drenches the dreadlocked hair with the high hydrating feature. They make the tresses impeccably moisturized, softer, and elastic, making the twisting process easier and damage-free.
  • Tightens Dreads: The presence of Hawaiian sea salt in this shampoo bar volumizes the hair, revitalizes the scalp, and upgrades the tightening process of the dreads. It makes the locs tighter and perfect.
  • Suitability: This shampoo bar has a lightweight and hypoallergenic features. Its cleansing and calming properties go well with damaged and sensitive scalp types. In particular, type 3 hair (springy and curly hair) can highly benefit from this product.
  • Fragrance: This shampoo has a refreshing lime fragrance that creates a clearer feel to the tresses.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Undo Dreads: The over-concentration of oils can sometimes undo the dreads on oily hair types.
  • Ineffective Lathering: This natural formula may not yield significant lather while cleansing.

7. Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo Bar – Best For Dandruff-Prone Scalps

BEST SHAMPOO FOR DANDRUFF-PRONE SCALPS
Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo Bar

Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo Bar

Why you’ll love this

Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo Bar contains all the best features, present in Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo, but at the bar form.

It is 100% natural and non-toxic, which soothes the scalp and rejuvenates the tresses with its biodegradable formula! Its essential oils eradicate skin irritations and inflammations and thus, work best for damage-prone scalps.

They also have high nourishing and moisturizing features that keep the locks away from brittles and breakages.

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What We Liked

  • Effective Cleansing: This best shampoo for dreadlocks contains a blend of rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree extracts, acting as a rich source of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It cleanses the scalp from impurities and calms and unclogs the hair follicles against flakiness, dryness, irritations, and itchiness. Its invigorating formula furnishes the fresh and chilling feel with the ultra-cleansed scalp result.
  • Nourishing Property:  Its 100% natural ingredients furnish energizing nutrients to the hair root, stop hair fall, and enhance natural hair growth. It obliterates the weak and dull look from the tresses and makes the dreads healthier and rejuvenated.
  • Moisturization: The blend of essential oils boost amino and fatty acids to the locks, preventing split ends and other dreadlock damages. It makes the hair well-hydrated and flexible and creates a softer and well-done look to the dreads.
  • Suitability: This shampoo bar is devoid of any chemical agents that stay harsh on the hair. It is biodegradable and has an utmost soothing formula to work gently on dry and damage-prone scalp types. This residue-free shampoo bar yields high foaming to make the cleaning process quicker, easier, and effective.
  • Fragrance: The peppermint aroma of this shampoo bar furnishes a fresh and clean feel to the locks.

What We Didn’t Like

  • Residue: Though it is a residue-free product, continuous usage may leave residues due to its high foaming feature.

Final Verdict

All dreadlock shampoos discussed in this article have high antibacterial benefits that furnish gentle-yet-effective cleansing. They make the scalp and hair follicles impeccably energized by boosting richer sources of nutrients. These shampoos also obliterate hair fall and dandruff issues, stimulate hair growth, and moisturize tresses. Above all, these shampoos stay non-stripping and dread-enhancing.

Particularly, Total Body Black Earth Shampoo stays outstanding in cleansing and revitalizing the dreads. It is formulated by a reputed hair care specialist, incorporating a unique blend of natural ingredients. It cleanses the scalp against irritations and infections and makes the hair follicles healthier. The moisturizing feature creates the softer and well-manageable radiance to the dreads. Also, it is free of harsh chemicals and contains richly-nourishing components. Thus, all hair types can benefit from this product.

In this article, the dreadlock shampoos addressing different scalp conditions and hair types are discussed. Identify your scalp concern and select the appropriate product to enjoy the perfectly-braided dreads with utmost health and perfection!

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Yogeshwari Ramadass

Yogeshwari Ramadass

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