I've had dreads for about ten years, and the loose hair around the roots has always grown out to longer than 6 inches, sometimes much longer. I tend to tie the roots in with cotton thread about once a year, and it works fine. It might make the dreads thinner, though, and it always takes a fair while.
I wash them often (with only shampoo), and I surf all the time, but they never seem to grow back in by themselves. Any suggestions on why that might be, or hints on how to get them to grow back into the dreads without assistance?
updated by @cameron-f: 01/13/15 09:07:54PM