My dreads are mature and I want to loosen them a bit...how?

My locks are 4 and a half years along and very mature...maybe a bit too mature.

They seem to keep tightening and have lost a lot of thickness. Most of them have shrank and are now hard and too tight! I originally started my dreads with the back combing method. However, I never used wax and my locks were quite loose for the first year or so...

I want to loosen them up and make the locked-up hair fluffier like it was before they were locked so hard.

Has anyone had this problem?

What would you recommend?

I was considering soaking my locks in conditioner and/or different kinds of oils. Also, I'm making it a point to stop palm rolling the mature hair that is locked up...

Any help would be much appreciated.

I'll include a pic from when my locks were a little over a year along and then a second pic from when they were about 4 years...

Ps-FIRST POST!

updated by @derek-ageless: 01/13/15 09:05:03PM

Dreads are fluffier the first year or so. My dreads have gotten a little thinner as they have grown and compressed. Mine are firm , but not hard. I never ever palm roll.

Conditioner may loosen em up a little. Making them a bit softer. Maybe taking your thumb and first finger, starting at the tip and squeeze, move it up a bit and squeeze, all the way to the roots. This may soften it up some. But don't palm roll.

At 4 years, your dreads are mature. They can't revert back to the way they were in the first year again.

They look amazing! I'd suggest maybe some conditioner if you want to go that route not a lot but just some in a spritz maybe or leave ac/v on a bit longer? Sorry I'm still in my first year I don't have the awesome experience yet Hopefully SE can help!

why were u palm rolling? looks like u palm rolled obsessively and thinned the roots a bit

ive never paslm rolled in my life either

yea ok id do an extra long baking soda soak foolowed by an extra long extra strong acxvg soak with a good glob of aloe (onlyy pure aloe no other ingredients) maybe cocoa butter or jojoba or even a small ammount of olive oil or vitamin e

while thats soaking try to work it in deep then rinse it out

u can use a decent amount of the aloe like a few tablespoons in a gallineven a 1/4 cuop the rest tho use very lil like under a dropper full or 1/8 teaspoon at a guess or less

if need be after u do it once if theyres still too tight do it agan next wash and only 1/2 rinse it out leavubg some in fill nexct wash

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Reviving this thread...I stopped palmrolling, for the most part. I've done some soaks, tried some different conditioning methods and my locs have remained about the same. I've realized that it's just the nature of my hair to lock densely, so be it.

As of a few days ago, I made the decision to stop sewing loose hairs and to let my locks freeform from now on. Also, I've started washing with liquid african black soap and it's been great so far. Although I think I still need to throw in some ACV soaks.

why were u sewimng in hairs thats probably a big reason why theyt are that way!

try these ww.dreadlockshampoo.com the bars your dreads wil feel amazing

but i think alot of your problem was caused by sewing in loose hao=irs

that and the obessive palm rolling

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I was sewing because I had a loose hairs that wouldn't seem to lock up, and I hoped it would strengthen the locks by adding more hair to the roots. But, I'm tired of the maintenance and I want to see what develops when I stop sewing.

I might give those shampoo bars a try once I run out of the African black soap.

strengthen them by perforation?

you know how a roll of stamps has those lil holes along the edges the perforations there to weaken it so when you rip the stamps ot]=ut it hopefullyh rips along the weakest points,.the perforations

by poking hi[oles in the dreads your weakening that area not strengthening it

look at the strength ratis of cotton nylon hemp ropesand for that matter steel cables

most of the strength comes from the length of the in tacht fibres cotton haselatively short fibles so is easiest to break

hemp an d steel have longest so are hardest to break

a healthy natural dread ..1 dread 1 inch thick..is strong enough to lift 3..or was it 8.. full grown elephants (once you got an elephant hanging from a dread does it matter if it can only hold 2 or 7 more?)

on the other hand..a 1 inch dread thats been crochetted way to much can break under ounces of pressure cause tghe average in tact hair length might be less then an inch

ps lil trivia..every 7 years u shed every hair on your head so even though yiur dreads may reach 6 feet in 21 years that 6 feet is composed of hairs only 5 or 6 feet each individualy so since dreads shrink and u would expect the straight hair to be 3 times as long,..or 15 feet there a reason u never see anyone without dreads with hair that long..it cant grow fast enough to get past that point before shedding

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

When I first started my dread journey I was told to never ever palm roll. We were sitting at our coffee shop and the friend gave me a dread that he had palm rolled and said they get really hard like the one I was holding.

I've never heard of sewing loose hair in? But...never mind..I probably don't need to know