Dreads "killed" by crocheting - how to save them?

Hi to everyone,

At first I have to mention that my English isn't that good....

It's wonderful that I found this site - but I think it is nearly too late^^.10 days ago someone made me dreads with the backcombing and crocheting method. I haven't known it would ruin my hair...

My dreads feel very stiff now and I'm worried about the coming locking process. Will my crocheted dreads will lock one day if I leave them by now?

Or should I comb them out and make a new beginning?

I wouldn't like to restart them :/ I hope time will fix my dreads.... I promised them that I never would use a crochet hook or comb again

So my question is:

Will they recover by leaving them? (Just washing with baking soda and apple vinegar and let them rest in peace...)

The photos are day 10 (after washing with baking soda) Before washing they were much more stiff....Now they feel a bit more natural^^

And this is a photo of an older dread (2 years) .It's stiff as steel. But has never seen a crochet hook...Do you have an idea how to get it softer?

I just want some beautiful and natural looking dreads in the future and I hope they will recover by itself....with the help of time.

Or not?

updated by @silvine: 02/05/15 10:12:49AM

First, i want to say that your locks dont look too bad, but the crochet hooks do some permanent damage. I started mine a year and a half ago with the backcombing method and palm rolling ALOT. When I found this site, i found out why palm rolling was harmful & stopped altogether, now my locks are softer and i dont worry about the bumps and zigzags anymore( just think as them adding more personality!) If you just keep washing how you are now and leave them alone, they will lock in time, its a long process but its worth it.

How was the 2 year old dread started? You can use jojoba oil to try to condition it and soften it a bit.

Anyway, they don't look too bad. If you did it once to start off with, it'll be fine your hair will loosen on its own, and then it'll start to dread up again, so don't worry!

Thank you! Now I can breathe a sigh of relief!

The 2 years old dreads were made with TnR. After making I forgot them They lived a happy life between my normal hair and got shorter and shorterandstiff.But I'll try jojoba oil.

Thanks for your help

They'll be fine. Just wash them as you are doing. You can leave the ACV in for a few minutes longer for a bit more conditioning, coconut oil is excellent for conditioning. Get good quality coconut oil, put it on with your hands, rubbing it all over, the day before you are going to wash. The more they loosen the better.

peace

were you washing with standard shampoo the stiffness maybe buildup if so use a anti residue or clarifying shampoo...once they are extremely toxic so only use them yo remove buildup not as a everyday wash

everything else said so far is right they will recover but slowly crochet recovery takes a long time and it delays proper dreading

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Yes, the first year I washed with normal "silicone shampoo" and then I washed with a natural hair soap. I tried clarifying shampoo once because I wanted to remove all the silicone.And since 1 month I've been using baking soda. Nothing helped for the old "steel dreads" But I never tried oil...So I will try this.

I think my dreads are lucky because they only have been crocheted once So I'm full of hope!