I don't know what to do about my dreads! They look so ratty!

I recently dreaded my hair about a month ago. I know they're still babies but they looked so nice until i went to jamaica and had some girls 'fix' them for me! Now they look so skinny and loopy up at the roots (they looped my hair through itself and the roots look like two dreads meshed together with the two still unattached real close to the root). I'm not sure how to fix them or if they'll start looking better over time. I love them so much and refuse to cut them out but i'm desperate for some advice on how to fix them up a bit...the ones that turned our good are nice and tight but some are coming undone halfway down. Please help me.

The first picture attached is before they got 'fixed'
The second and third are now...

updated by @brittany-scott: 01/13/15 09:51:54PM

it sounds like your roots were interlocked, which is actually really bad for the dread! dreads shouldnt ever be forced or "fixed" there is never any need for "touch ups" or "tightening" your hair dreads naturally its technically impossible to dread in a day, or a month, it takes a very long time to acctually look mature and be mature some never fully mature! so id say just leave them 100% alone and see how that goes! use any wax?? or products?

If they have not tightened up at the root area where they interwined, are you able to reverse the process? Was it just one flip through? It might be too late, but maybe not...peace

I commented on your page about this, before I saw this post. So, that's what I though you were talking about. She interlocked your hair. How long ago was this "maintenance" done? If within a week, you may be able to fix some. If longer, don't try. If it was only done this 1 time, you're ok. Don't freak out. But if you can see EXACTLY where the lock was looped through, try and GENTLY (I can't express that enough) pull the lock back through the way it was originally.

Interlocking winds your hair around itself, creating coils. These are not knots, nor do they eventually form knots. They stay coiled for the rest of your locks life. Because they tighten in that shape, they create weak spots that don't have the spring and elasticity that dreadlocks should have. Eventually, if done over and over, they can snap in those places.

It's always a bad idea to let someone "fix" your locks. Healthy locks don't need to be fixed. They will tighten and mature on their own. And the roots always tighten up eveually. There's nothing you should do to try and force roots to tighten. Baby locks under 1 year generally have between 1-3 inches of straight hair at the root. As they get older, you have 1/4 - 1 inch of straight hair there. It's normal, and shouldn't be messed with.

Since you only did it once, don't freak. They will tangle together and become 1 lock sooner or later. I have a few that I interlocked years ago, and you can't tell from looking. In fact, I only know 1 that was interlocked because of how it feels. But the others healed themselves completely

I can't unloop them! I'm just so scared they look god awful now

They look frizzy and messy, but not terrible. Mine look god aweful for the first year. Your's will look just fine in a week or 2. In a few months, you won't even be able to tell anything was done just by looking at them

Perfect, thank you so much

Baba Fats said:

They look frizzy and messy, but not terrible. Mine look god aweful for the first year. Your's will look just fine in a week or 2. In a few months, you won't even be able to tell anything was done just by looking at them

It's been almost a week now since it's been done. I managed to unloop a few of them, the ones i could and they look a little better. They're still skinny and ratty looking, but with each passing day they look a litttlee bit better. I have incredible faith that in a little bit of time they'll heal and look alright, but right now they just look so silly. Oh well...dreads are a journey, right? Can't go the right way 100% of the time!

Baba Fats said:

I commented on your page about this, before I saw this post. So, that's what I though you were talking about. She interlocked your hair. How long ago was this "maintenance" done? If within a week, you may be able to fix some. If longer, don't try. If it was only done this 1 time, you're ok. Don't freak out. But if you can see EXACTLY where the lock was looped through, try and GENTLY (I can't express that enough) pull the lock back through the way it was originally.

Interlocking winds your hair around itself, creating coils. These are not knots, nor do they eventually form knots. They stay coiled for the rest of your locks life. Because they tighten in that shape, they create weak spots that don't have the spring and elasticity that dreadlocks should have. Eventually, if done over and over, they can snap in those places.

It's always a bad idea to let someone "fix" your locks. Healthy locks don't need to be fixed. They will tighten and mature on their own. And the roots always tighten up eveually. There's nothing you should do to try and force roots to tighten. Baby locks under 1 year generally have between 1-3 inches of straight hair at the root. As they get older, you have 1/4 - 1 inch of straight hair there. It's normal, and shouldn't be messed with.

Since you only did it once, don't freak. They will tangle together and become 1 lock sooner or later. I have a few that I interlocked years ago, and you can't tell from looking. In fact, I only know 1 that was interlocked because of how it feels. But the others healed themselves completely

it takes about 1 to 3 years for dreads to mature, im at a year still not there , patience my friend

Just want to add that skinny sections fatten up as they mature. They will one day be the thickness of where that section meets the scalp. You are in for a wild journey, embrace it and don't worry...Peace