Cause of thinning dreadlocks?

1st Picture: I'm wondering why this happened? Really bummed out when I realized it was thinning. Few days ago I tried finding it again but realized it fell out. It's already a small dreadlock, so my guess is that it wasn't holding on to too much hairs? 

2nd Picture: Found another one that's similar to the one that fell off. The area where I'm pointing is where it's thinning, feels like it's barely hanging on.

   The rest of my dreadlocks seem to be doing fine. It's just these two that I noticed so it's not really a problem. Unless they all start to do that then yes I'll be freaking out haha. I have read that not conditioning will cause breakage. 2 months ago I purchased the Transcend Conditioner from dreadlockshampoo so I've been using it once a week. (Btw I HIGHLY recommend that to everyone, it smells INCREDIBLE!!).

   As far as maintenance goes, I haven't done absolutely nothing to them other than washing and separating (31 months and counting). Didn't crochet, twist n rip, palm roll. Nothing at all.

Any input?

had you washed with the baking soda? had you worn them up with bands?

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

do not tie a knot to fix, if anything push the 2 dreaded areas up till they meet so the thinned areas just mashed up between them then wrap from at least an inch or 3 above and below for a month to 3 and they should heal..

like  putting on a cast and letting them mend

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

   Well dang I completely forgot about the bs/acv! OF COURSE!! Yes I used it from Jan 2016 to Jun/July 2016. Around 6 months. July is when I switched to the shampoo bars from Vicky and haven't used anything else since. But why now? Wouldn't the breakage occur during the time I used the bs/acv wash, not half a year later? 

   I don't tie them up with bands, but I do hold them all back frequently by tying them all using 2 dreads from behind my head, and I don't leave them really tight either, just enough to hold them in place.

 But I'll take your advice and put the 'cast' on! Thanks for the advice Soaring Eagle! Does it have to be something specific though?

 

hemp or embroidery thread

its hard to guess what else might be the cause then

that should help however

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

As I was about to comment on how I was going to keep you updated, I checked the area that was thinning and noticed it already fell off! haha Guess it happened over night. Not that worried though, as only it was those two that were doing that, the rest seem to be alright. When and if that happens again I'll now know what to do :P 

as long as u switched to the shampoos i doubt you'll have issues again, are u using bars yet or still liquid

when i switched  they got instantly healthier and way less ends falling off  but it took awhile to slow to none  so although they probly instantly got healthier there may have been some harm that was just lingering waiting to  fall off

it was just a couple inches right?

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I started with the bars and never switched. I don't know what made me buy the bars over the liquid but yes I have been using the bars for a while now. And I see what you mean, those ends were probably damaged already from when I did the bs/acv wash last year, and it was just time for them to fall. 

 Yep I'd say the sections that fell off were between 2-2 1/2 inches. 

he bars are best the liquids just help dreads dread faster and not everyone needs or desires that

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Hate to come back here and write this but after my first post and until now, 5 more dreadlocks have thinned so badly that I pulled them out. And there's 6 MORE that are thinning at midpoint. At first I wasn't worried, but now more than before. All I can ask is why? So I came to a couple possible reasons:

1. All of the ones that are affected by this thinning are dreads that are fairly thin in the first place. But I'm sure that I'm not the only ones with thin dreads and that there's plenty of ya'll that have them and are doing just fine.

2. I do air dry, but before I step out the shower I use to grab them and squeeze them as hard as I can. But I mean SUPER hard. I'd grab a handful and and squeeze and turn them to get the water out. But I'm realizing that could be doing more harm than good because I'm thinking that as I'm grabbing them and turning and twisting them I could possibly be ripping or tearing the core of the dread. So I stopped doing that. Though I still squeeze them, but not like the Hulk I was before. 

I did take the advice from SE and hemp thread and wrapped 3 of them last month.