ideas for taming massive dread clumps

I have 15 month old TnR dreadlocks. I don't do anything to them--no palm rolling or anything. I started with approx 140-160 small locks and many have congoed--I pull them apart if they are gonna be too massive, but for the most part I have let my hair do what it is doing happily. I have 1 exception here--I have dread CLUMPS on most all of my tips and not just a bump or kink, but like a golfball {not quite as round, but just as big}. They formed when the length of my hair just repeatedly folded over on itself and I didn't know any better so I didn't do anything until it was kinda too late--now I have lost 75% of my length and have huge dread clumps that are heavy and take a longgggggg time to dry. Luckily, I am fine with only washing my hair 1x a week or less {I was washing more often and started to get stinky/moldy smell so started going longer in between and that resolved it}.

anyways--i don't like them at all, in form or function, and have thought of many things I could 'do' to them, but everytime I gear up to do something I realize that I am too lazy to actually do anything that requires lots of work {i was gonna make dread extensions out of my old hair--WAYYY too much work!}. So, can someone give me ideas of things that I can do to get through this phase and/or will they tighten up and get smaller or get bigger?

I am thinking of wrapping them a few at a time, but don't want to impede their maturing. What does wrapping do? Will it tighten them up or will it just slow down the process? How long do I need to keep the wraps on for it to tighten them up? The rest of my lock is pretty mature and tight, but then towards the bottom of most all of them I have like 2, 3, or 4 dreads that separate and/or form one giant clump that isn't totally locked together yet.

any other ideas on how to get these clumps to be more manageable? I know I am going to hear a lot of 'just be patient' but I have been and continue to be and yet still need to see something change in order to feel like I want to remain on this journey.

Thanks!

updated by @mama-harrison: 02/14/15 06:12:47AM

I have 15 month old TnR dreadlocks. I don't do anything to them--no palm rolling or anything. I started with approx 140-160 small locks and many have congoed--I pull them apart if they are gonna be too massive, but for the most part I have let my hair do what it is doing happily. I have 1 exception here--I have dread CLUMPS on most all of my tips and not just a bump or kink, but like a golfball {not quite as round, but just as big}. They formed when the length of my hair just repeatedly folded over on itself and I didn't know any better so I didn't do anything until it was kinda too late--now I have lost 75% of my length and have huge dread clumps that are heavy and take a longgggggg time to dry. Luckily, I am fine with only washing my hair 1x a week or less {I was washing more often and started to get stinky/moldy smell so started going longer in between and that resolved it}.

anyways--i don't like them at all, in form or function, and have thought of many things I could 'do' to them, but everytime I gear up to do something I realize that I am too lazy to actually do anything that requires lots of work {i was gonna make dread extensions out of my old hair--WAYYY too much work!}. So, can someone give me ideas of things that I can do to get through this phase and/or will they tighten up and get smaller or get bigger?

I am thinking of wrapping them a few at a time, but don't want to impede their maturing. What does wrapping do? Will it tighten them up or will it just slow down the process? How long do I need to keep the wraps on for it to tighten them up? The rest of my lock is pretty mature and tight, but then towards the bottom of most all of them I have like 2, 3, or 4 dreads that separate and/or form one giant clump that isn't totally locked together yet.

any other ideas on how to get these clumps to be more manageable? I know I am going to hear a lot of 'just be patient' but I have been and continue to be and yet still need to see something change in order to feel like I want to remain on this journey.

Thanks!

PS they look NOTHING like in my profile pic--that was when they looked great at around 9 months--they are close to my ears now from shrinkage and look like golfballs are hanging from the ends : (

lets see pictures cause we havent seen an update in a lkong time and your dreads were always soooo beautful so i cant imagine nort being happy with them dbut id need a pic to see what exactly yoir dealing with

but wrapping will squeasgh them down thin and straighten them out

id guess a couple months for a real permenatt effect

but i wanna see em b4 u do anything

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I am on a borrowed comp right now so can't take web shots, but I will try to shot a couple tomorrow before I wrap my first one. Its not that I am unhappy with them, per se, but I need this phase to be over SOON! My hair is so short and the clumps are so unsighly when I wear my hair up, which is always. I really love the rest of my locks--the roots, the shaft, they are maturing well and I love the way they feel in my hands--I just need more length or less clump--hahah--ASAP {and of course I mean, in ASAP dreadlock time, which would mean 3 months is totally acceptable}.

thanks for the response SE.

tying em up all the time maybe whats caused that i knew an australian chick named kaya the tyedyeah who always wore hers up wrapped in a wrap with the ends propping out the top and she had nothing but balls on the ends the rest wasnt dreading very much at all just the balls that stuck out the top

try not tying em up for awhile and see if that dont help too

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I have this same problem and I am also at the 15 month mark. You can try wrapping them...I did...but I don't really like the results. It seemed to shrink the golfballs down...but because such a mass of hair is involved, the lump is hard as a small boulder! Now, sleeping is even worst! I feel like I am sleeping on a bag of walnuts. I hope this stage goes away soon...but, I have a sick feeling that sometime in the months ahead I will just have to cut the worst ones off. A couple of other members have written about this and I know of one (her name escapes me) who did cut the bumps off not too long ago...anyone have a better solution?

dont sleep on them when you lay down pushthem up to lay above your head or off to the side

any lump under your backs not comfy to sleep on so i keep em up out from under me aty all times

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

SE--I don't wrap them up--I pull them back off my face in a ponytail and it is necessary because they are the length that will sit in my eyesif not pulled back + I have a toddler who I chase around all day + I live in FLorida and it is hot as hell + i really do not like the way they look down at all and only wear them that way at home in the evenings. The rest of my dread is locked up nicely though, not at all like you describe your Auzzie friends'--they are actually tightest through the shaft and then they either branch off into two, three or four individual dreads or they form the clump{which is not very tight--more like flat, glued together hair that I can put my finger through where they are different dreads}.

So, yea...even if that was the solution, it wouldn't work for me because I am not a hair down kinda gal--I must have my hair back and out of my face most of the time. ; )

soaring eagle said:

tying em up all the time maybe whats caused that i knew an australian chick named kaya the tyedyeah who always wore hers up wrapped in a wrap with the ends propping out the top and she had nothing but balls on the ends the rest wasnt dreading very much at all just the balls that stuck out the top

try not tying em up for awhile and see if that dont help too

I took a look at your pics and yes, our look similar in length and clumpiness ; )
However, {it is hard to tell from photos} I feel like mine are a bit more mature/tight/formed through the shaft {also, mine are TnR not neglect and that could account for the difference there, too}.

I kinda feel the same as you--I feel like I may have to cut them loose once I am ok with losing the length {right now they are too short for that otherwise i would}--however, i did cut one a few months agao and to my dismay it is kinked and trying to fold over on itself {the precursor to the dread clump!} even though it is only 4 inches long--so--even that may not be a solution

I do not have a hard time sleeping on them {tough head}, so if that is your only complaint with the after effect of wrapping then i may do fine there. how long did you wrap them for? what method/material did you use? i think the phase will pass as they grow long enough to not sleep on the 'walnuts' and keep wrapping them to get them to shrink down/tighten up. no? can you share a before wrap/during wrap/after wrap pics?

Panterra Caraway said:

I have this same problem and I am also at the 15 month mark. You can try wrapping them...I did...but I don't really like the results. It seemed to shrink the golfballs down...but because such a mass of hair is involved, the lump is hard as a small boulder! Now, sleeping is even worst! I feel like I am sleeping on a bag of walnuts. I hope this stage goes away soon...but, I have a sick feeling that sometime in the months ahead I will just have to cut the worst ones off. A couple of other members have written about this and I know of one (her name escapes me) who did cut the bumps off not too long ago...anyone have a better solution?

I don't have any pics to show anything specific...I wish I did...I am sorry. I wrapped mine with a wool yarn. I tried hemp and embroidery floss, but they both kind of slid off (like trying to wrap a basketball in wrapping paper!). The wool stayed put alittle better. To give you an idea though, one big blob by my temple was about the size of a half dollar and now it is about the size of a quarter, so it shrunk quite a bit. I think I kept it wrapped about a couple of months, that is usually how long before I change it. I am dismayed to hear what happened when you cut the clump...oh no! But thanks for letting me know that, I appreciate it. I guess that is not a very good option You know, SE was saying to move the dreads to the side or above your head so you don't sleep on lumps...but at the length I am it is not easy to do, especially with multiple lumps. I am glad that they don't bother you with sleep...maybe you can get past this stage easier than I at this pont. I know it must be hard with your little baby though...hmmmm, this really sux. If I find anything that helps even alittle, I will be sure to let you know. And, when you do the wrap...see if someone can help you and do it pretty tight...leave no spaces between the yarn...incase the dread in the wrap if possible...it seemed to make it better.

Mama Harrison said:

I took a look at your pics and yes, our look similar in length and clumpiness ; )
However, {it is hard to tell from photos} I feel like mine are a bit more mature/tight/formed through the shaft {also, mine are TnR not neglect and that could account for the difference there, too}.

I kinda feel the same as you--I feel like I may have to cut them loose once I am ok with losing the length {right now they are too short for that otherwise i would}--however, i did cut one a few months agao and to my dismay it is kinked and trying to fold over on itself {the precursor to the dread clump!} even though it is only 4 inches long--so--even that may not be a solution

I do not have a hard time sleeping on them {tough head}, so if that is your only complaint with the after effect of wrapping then i may do fine there. how long did you wrap them for? what method/material did you use? i think the phase will pass as they grow long enough to not sleep on the 'walnuts' and keep wrapping them to get them to shrink down/tighten up. no? can you share a before wrap/during wrap/after wrap pics?

Panterra Caraway said:

I have this same problem and I am also at the 15 month mark. You can try wrapping them...I did...but I don't really like the results. It seemed to shrink the golfballs down...but because such a mass of hair is involved, the lump is hard as a small boulder! Now, sleeping is even worst! I feel like I am sleeping on a bag of walnuts. I hope this stage goes away soon...but, I have a sick feeling that sometime in the months ahead I will just have to cut the worst ones off. A couple of other members have written about this and I know of one (her name escapes me) who did cut the bumps off not too long ago...anyone have a better solution?