Lint and Paddles :/

I'm having problems with lint and paddles. I don't mind that most of my dreads have kinks and bends after 20 months of natural dreading (though i would love for them to relax a bit) but the paddles really bother me, would it be bad to chop them off? There is so much lint in my hair as well mainly where the paddles are. I'm not sure where iv got wrong. Does anyone have any advice for me or similar experiences

updated by @jenni-macnair: 01/13/15 09:16:11PM

maybe im having a lapse of brain function, but i dont know what you mean by paddles lol

i'm assuming she means flat, wide paddle shapes at the ends of her dreads. a lot of mine have dreaded from the bottom up so i have quite a few of them as well. i had one that was about 3 1/2" wide and bugged the crap out of me. i ended up cutting it. its personal preference. i haven't had a problem with lint even with two chihuahuas sleeping in my bed so i don't know what to tell you about that.

yeah ok thats what i was thinking just wasnt sure i could see that irritating me as well, i get them kinda from loose hair that fell out a month ago just making its way down i guess, and they knot up then becomes a ball, or a paddle,attachedby a few hairs. i pull some of em out

What about reigning them in with some thread or string? I don't have any paddles, but I have some out of control zigzag and looping going on. The loops that were getting uber wide and flat (probably destined to be paddles lol) I used a needle and thread and sewed them into something more appealing to me. They're still lumpy, but I'm glad I did it.I'm not sure about the lint. Is it from towels? Sheets? Check for a source I guess. If you can't pick it out you could henna it

Thanks guys, im not sure where all the lint comes from, i do wear a lot of woollen jumpers and hats but no more than most people here i guess :/ i'll maybe just dye my hair. I've tried wrapping threads around em for controlling the loops but never actually threaded it through them which may be a plan :D xxxxx

I kinda sewed a figure 8--or an infinity loop thru them and then pulled it tight and knotted it. After the hair knotted up I carefully snipped the thread and pulled it out Probably would've been just fine leaving it in though. The ones that were really knotted before sewing I just left sewed.

Thanks i'm going t give that a go this week :] x