Damage caused from salon methods such as crocheting, twisting, and wax.....PLEASE HELP!

We can't know for sure, but my guess is that the hair they added that wasn't yours may come out, unless it's dreaded into yours already. They may also feel kind of loose to you because the wax is making them feel packed and tight. Loose hair is okay so don't be upset if some hair comes loose, it will eventually find a place to be. Also, don't put the rubber bands on please. No matter how loose the bands are they only will cause further damage. You can keep the sections separated by gently pulling each dread away from the rest during washing. That is all you will need to do with them. If you absolutely have to you could put beads on, but honestly I would just let them be for awhile. Then you can see what they will do once everything is removed.

definately no rubber bands they will be looking better and better as more wax comes out but u may revert to a teenstage that was skipped so thry may get a lil wild

loose hairs around the roots protects the scalp from sun damage..and skin cancer it belongs there it will sort o=itelf out as it grows

now about the cutting loops and all the crazy things they sdid if the dreads are dreaded they will stay dreaded and not fall apart but wilkl be weaker then they should be however how strong they should be is incredibly strong stephani maybe you can correct me in this but i believe a full head of dreads suports about 3 full grown elephants at 10 tons each thats 30 tons so a 1 incch dread should supoport 1000 to 2000 pounds

thats with the hairs intact

if every hairs been broken a few times into 3 inch sections it still will suport 100 pounds probly it takes extreme damage to break under a pound .. which you could have gotten that bad in a few years but more likely your dreads are still strong enough to survive most day to day stuff though interlocking removesthe elasticity that alows for stren[tch so it more easily "snapped" at those pints

heres where keeping the new growth healthy and naturtal becomes important your dreads can last you a lifetime the last damaged foot may someday be losr=t but by that time you'll have a foot or 2 of healthy dreads grown in

I'm not positive on the amount of weight a full head of dreads can handle, but dreads can support a great amount of weight you're right. The hair is all locked together making it stronger then an individual strand of hair. If the hair is locked decently then they dreads will still be strong even if damaged. But, if all those broken piece's of hair aren't locked in then they could possibly fall out which would for sure weaken the dread somewhat.

and just having the hairs broken into shi[]=orter peices weakens it somewhat as well as the interlock which acts very much like a knot in a rope a knot in a rio]ope will majke that point 30% weaker then the rest..or more

i know all this talk of weakness may sound scary but its in comparisu]on to something very very strong your not lel[kily to need to pull a fully loaded tractor trailer with your hair so your not likely to test the full strength of it

Thanks for all the feedback and advice everyone. I wanted to let everyone know about my progress and add pictures. I have done the vinegar soak twice and washed with dawn soap. I can already tell a difference in my dreads. They feel softer and lighter after each wash. Its hard to squeeze the vinegar out the ends because my ends are tightly rounded and blunt. After the second wash i have noticed some of my ends becoming undone and loose. I put a picture comparing the rounded ends and the ones coming undone. I also added pictures of my new growth and loops and loose hair....

the ends aree better off loose thats alotta fuzziness for sure but just shhows u 2 things 1 how much the wax was just gluing hairs in place and 2 how much the crochet caused loose hairs to pop out all over dont worry it will be kinda messy awhile but it will settle down in no time when the wax is gone and u resume regular but less agressive washings

already tho loks way softer way cleaner

it may seem like a step backwards as they loosen and stuff but think about it this way..they were 3 years ok]ld there shouldnt be any way they would get so loose if they were truly dreaded! the wax and crochet was preventing dreading..so it wont be surprising at all if they revert to what seems like 3 month old dreads but they will most likely progress extra quickly once the wax is gone and the actual dreading begins

WOW!!! I have no words, taking all this in..... First, I think it's a travesty what those salons did to you and all of the untrue incompetent advice that was given would otherwise set in motion a law suit!!

I'm really sorry to hear all of that bad news. I myself am an african american who have had my dreads since 1997 in which I started on my own. Not too many people liked them and I didn't get too many complements because I just let my hair do what it does. They dreaded naturally without all of the products and never ever have I been to a salon because I never wanted any other person to put their hands in my hair because I didn't want to pick up any negative energy or any other negative sources in my hair or aura.

That's amazing advice that S.E. gave to you and it seems that I have been doing most of the things that he recommended that you do as well aside from the advice that I too received from someone telling me to use beeswax on my dreads. I did that when I first started, but soon realized that it wasn't good for them. I put on here the other day that my dreads weren't tight at the roots, but after reading this conversation, it occured to me that they are just fine and that they should be just a tad bit loose at the roots. I'm so thankful and lucky that I have found this group because after all of these years of doing my own thing with my dreads and not really listening to people telling me to get them professionally done and go to someone, or go to a salon and let them muck them up!!!

I can muck them up on my own, but after all of these conversations on this site, I have really learned to love love love my hair and I'm just going to continue to let it do what it does on it's own.

So truly sorry for your disappointments and setbacks, but have no fear, I believe that you have come to the right and the best website out there. Bless S.E. and all of the other on this site and bless you too and good luck with your continuous journey now that you have been steered in the right direction.

lol, hilarious yeah i don't think any of us will be pulling a tractor trailer to document that point for sure. Me,,,, myself will just take your word for it. lol
soaring eagle said:

and just having the hairs broken into shi[]=orter peices weakens it somewhat as well as the interlock which acts very much like a knot in a rope a knot in a rio]ope will majke that point 30% weaker then the rest..or more

i know all this talk of weakness may sound scary but its in comparisu]on to something very very strong your not lel[kily to need to pull a fully loaded tractor trailer with your hair so your not likely to test the full strength of it

lol lol, hilarious yeah i don't think any of us will be pulling a tractor trailer to document that point for sure. Me,,,, myself will just take your word for it. lol
soaring eagle said:

Lmao I was gonna say something about the tractor trailer bit cuz that's just great. ;p  In a year or two when my dreadies are mature and if my car ever gets stuck in the ditch.. yeah I'll still just take your word for it.

Emma-dawn, you should give us an update on how they're looking now!