Can Dreadlocks Mold? A Loctician’s Honest Answer and Care Guide

By Ann-Marie Christell, Seienstyle

The misconception that will not go away

My name is Ann-Marie Christell, and I have been a professional loctician for over 26 years. In all that time, two beliefs about dreadlocks have followed me everywhere. That dreadlocks are dirty. And that dreadlocks get moldy.

So many people believe this, and so many people who dream of dreadlocks are held back by it. I want to answer the question properly, because the truth is very different from the fear. Can dreadlocks get moldy?

The short answer: once in 26 years

Can it happen? Yes, but only in very rare circumstances. For dreadlocks to get moldy, they need to be cared for in the wrong way, consistently, over a long period of time.

In 26 years, working with people from all kinds of backgrounds and with every kind of hair, I have seen mold in one person's hair. One.

Having dreadlocks does not mean your hair will automatically start to mold. It is not something dreadlocks do. It is something that happens when certain conditions come together, and those conditions are very much in your hands.

The one time I saw it

This was many years ago. Someone booked a maintenance appointment with me, and back then I did not yet have a conversation with new clients beforehand. Today I always do, either by message or on a video call, so I know who I am meeting and what they hope for before they sit in my chair.

She arrived wearing a hat and sat down without taking it off. After a while, I gently asked whether we could remove it.

Underneath, her hair had become one dense matted layer across the whole head, like a thick carpet, with a few clusters of dreadlocks hanging below it. When I pressed the carpet, it was wet. It had clearly not dried properly in a very long time.

I rarely use scissors in my work, but this was one of those few times when I had to cut through the hair to see what was going on underneath. What I found were layers of hair color that had been applied again and again and never fully rinsed out. And in the bottom layer, closest to the scalp, there was mold.

Once mold has settled into hair like that, especially between layers of color residue, it is extremely hard to remove. There was no way to save the existing dreadlocks. The kindest solution was to cut the matted hair away, have her deep clean her hair thoroughly over time, and only then create a fresh set of dreadlocks, so she could start again in the best possible way.

Why mold happens

That experience taught me exactly what mold needs. Two things, together.

The first is moisture that never leaves. Her hair had not been allowed to dry fully for a very long time. It stayed damp, day after day.

The second is residue trapped inside the hair. In her case it was layer upon layer of hair color that had never been properly washed out.

It is also worth noticing where the mold was. It was in the dense matted layer against the scalp, where air and drying could not reach, not in the dreadlocks hanging below. Mold grows where hair stays wet and residue stays trapped. Take away those conditions, and it has nowhere to grow.

How to prevent it: wash, rinse, dry

If you wear dreadlocks and worry about mold, the care that prevents it is simple.

Wash with the right shampoo. Use a shampoo made for dreadlocks, one that does not leave residue behind. Wash your hair at least once or twice a week.

Rinse properly. This is the step people rush. Rinsing well means lifting your dreadlocks and working through them under the water until all the shampoo is out, not just letting water run over the surface.

Let your hair dry completely. This is the most important part of all. Make sure your dreadlocks are fully dry, all the way through, before they get wet again. Damp dreadlocks that never get the chance to dry are where problems begin.

That is it. Clean, well rinsed, fully dry. Do these consistently, and mold has nothing to work with.

The ocean, swimming and my own confession

I love to scuba dive, and when I am on a diving trip my dreadlocks spend hours in the sea. Salt water, long days, hair that is wet over and over. If you swim a lot, you may notice your dreadlocks start to smell a little off after a while.

So here is what I do. When I have finished diving for the day, I wash my hair with a dreadlock shampoo that deep cleans and removes odor. Then I take a hair dryer and dry my dreadlocks until they are completely dry, all the way through. I never go to bed with wet hair.

I will be honest with you. It is annoying. It takes time, and there are evenings when I really do not feel like doing it. When it comes to my own hair, I can be quite lazy. I can stand for hours caring for my clients' hair without a second thought, but my own is another story.

I still do it, every time, because I know it is what keeps my dreadlocks fresh. If you spend a lot of time in water, it is worth building this into your routine too.

Colored hair and the wet dog smell

If you bleach or color your dreadlocks, take extra care when you rinse out the color. Wash your hair one to three times afterwards, so nothing is left sitting inside the dreadlocks. As the story above shows, color residue that builds up over time is exactly what you want to avoid.

And if your dreadlocks ever start to smell like a wet dog, you will know it when it happens. That smell usually means bacteria have settled in where hair has stayed damp.

In that case, a deep-cleansing antibacterial body wash and shampoo, the kind used to clean the skin thoroughly before surgery, can help. These are usually sold at pharmacies. Because product names differ from country to country, ask your pharmacist for this type of wash and check that it is suitable to use on your hair and scalp. You may need to wash with it a few times. After that, go back to washing with a shampoo made for dreadlocks, and make sure your hair dries completely every time.

A word of caution about shampoo bars

I want to share one more thing I have seen many times. Some solid shampoo bars are marketed as safe for dreadlocks. But over the years, I have seen several people using them who had a lot of soap residue built up inside their dreadlocks.

Residue that stays in the hair over time is one of the conditions that can lead to mold. So if you use a shampoo bar and notice a waxy or filmy feeling, a dull look, or a lingering smell, it may be leaving more behind than you think. Keep it for your body, and choose a shampoo that rinses out cleanly from your dreadlocks.

So, can dreadlocks get moldy?

Only when they are cared for in the wrong way for a long time. Dreadlocks that are washed with the right shampoo, rinsed well, and allowed to dry completely do not mold. In 26 years I have seen it once, and that one time taught me exactly how to prevent it.

If you are struggling with mold or a persistent smell in your dreadlocks right now, please do not feel ashamed. Reach out to me, and I will help you find a way forward. All I ask is that you are open to doing some things differently and investing in the right care, so we can solve it together.

And if you have other questions about caring for dreadlocks, or about becoming a loctician, leave a comment below or send me a message. I have a lot of knowledge to share, and I would love to share it with you.

With love,

Ann-Marie