They're visibly thinner. I think hair has actually come out of the dreads because there's a lot of short loose hair in the area.
I've attached a photo of one of the dreads in question. It does have a slightly thicker root than the others though.
Hey guys. I joined here when I first started out dreading, and now my dreads are over a year and a half old.
I've noticed that some of my really thick dreads have extremely thin roots. I mean less than a millimeter thick. I brushed out the only "paddle" mat I ended up getting earlier today, which also had very thin roots, and when I got to the top it just broke off. I'm really scared now that my other dreads will end up doing the same thing.
I haven't done anything to them at all. I don't do any root maintenance or, actually, any maintenance at all.
If I crochet some loose hair into the top of the dread (where it's thicker) will it eventually join the roots?
so here's the deal:
i currently have a section of my hair that's purple.
i just decided today to dread my whole head, as opposed to the half-head i was originally planning.
i want to dye the purple section blonde, but i want the dreads in that section to stay on their own; i don't want blonde hair swirling into my brown dreads.
any tips for keeping them separated?
etsy is wonderful, but the downside is that some of those people don't make their beads, and they may not be a good fit to your dreads.
i thought so, thanks!
i actually ended up redoing most of them anyway because i decided i wanted to experiment a little bit with them.
i personally don't like blunt tips, so i'm thankful for that inch of loose hair. 
so my dreads will be a month old monday. obviously i chose tnr.
i have two significantly smaller ones on the top layer of my hair (only maybe 1/4" thick) and they've given me no problems at all. there's about an inch of growth in the roots, no loose hair, and the knots have remained tight at the top for about an inch, followed by about two inches of slightly looser knots and an inch of loose hair at the tip.
but on the bottom, some have come completely unraveled, and have not shown any signs of redreading.
i know unraveling is a stage of all dreads, but is completely unraveling? could it be just because they're thicker? the one at the base of my neck even looks like i've been brushing it, when i haven't touched them outside of washing since i put them in. :/
i know i'm probably just being paranoid, and that if i leave it alone it'll eventually do its thing, i'm just wondering if i should be concerned.
hey guys, thanks for the tips.
most of the bands broke after a few days, and like i said,i only used them to stop the migrating because they were moving to places that were very uncomfortable on my head. they're fine now though.
also, my hair at the roots is different than the rest of my hair, as i frequently change my colour - the knots would stop an inch or more down, so i backcombed a little just to get them to start higher up. mostly to prevent catching the hair with my nails.
i've been washing them a bit more frequently because i work out every day, and even on days i don't wash them directly, they still get rinsed by the shampoo from my loose hair so they stay clean.
piercings:
current:
6x lobes - 1/2", 12g, 12g.
16g lip, 16g septum, 14-12g tongue, 14g navel, 16-14g nipples.
retired:
14g bottom/side navel, 16g nostril, 18g lobes, 16g lip (had spiderbites).
tattoos (chronological order):
V for Vendetta symbol - right wrist.
star - left wrist.
The Used tribute (Wake The Dead + bats + In Love And Death heart) - left side, ribs to hipbone.
nailed-in ballet ribbons - right foot.
spiderweb - left ankle.
rainbow crescent moon + heart chakra - left calf.
ankh + aquarian waves - back of neck.
heart - left pinky finger.
Snow Patrol lyric ("I need your grace to remind me to find my own" ; got it with my best friend) - right arm.
stars - left ear.
I will soon be adding a line of music wrapping around my right thigh in memory of my friend Trey, and a quote by Bert McCracken with his signature along my right shoulder.
Vonnegut is quite good.
My journey:
Six years ago, I started making/wearing/selling synthetic dreads. I was a) not ready for the commitment of real dreads, and b) at fourteen, too young to be accepted for making such a decision by my parents.
I started my dread journey in March. I had heard all my life to just backcomb and use wax and keep them tightened, so that's what I did. Thankfully, about three days afterwards, I stumbled upon (I believe it was this site actually) a website that explained why you shouldn't use wax. I immediately went to my friend's sink, and washed my dreads three times with dish soap, and twice more the next day when I got home. Thankfully, it was early enough to get the wax out.
I have two small ones on the top layer of my hair, that I put in on April 13. The next friday, the 20th, I dreaded the bottom half of my hair. I'm only doing half because I rather like the way loose hair looks flowing into dreads, as well as to see how my hair dreads before I make a decision about doing my whole head.
I used the twist and rip method to form my dreads. I backcombed the roots because the knots from the ripping wouldn't go all the way up in my hair. I am currently using poly bands (loosely! only wrapped four times.) to keep them separated, because they were migrating and it was easier than pulling them apart constantly.
I decided to get dreads because I've always loved the way they look and feel, the personality in the way they each take their own unique shape, and all the cool decorations you can easily do with dreads that are not so easy in loose hair. I'm also a very cultural person, as I'm a Russian/Native American mix, and for that reason I lead a rather alternative lifestyle. I'm a LaVeyan Satanist who believes in peace, ATWA is how I live my life.
Maintenance/Washing:
As of now, they're a couple of days over three weeks old, so they're mostly loose and the bottom half of most of them are undone. The majority of the top half of them are locking up though, so I'm sure the rest will follow in soon. The two on top are locking up nicely, and haven't come undone at all aside from the tips.
I'm not doing any maintenance or anything aside from tightening the tips every now and then on the top ones. I generally wash them once a week - on Fridays - unless I work out harder and feel that they need washing that particular day.
Me:
My name's Niya (knee-uh) Haven. I'm a 20 year old, living in Lancaster, SC, USA.
I've been dancing for 17 years (ballet is my speciality), I gogo dance for Pop-Scar Industries/the band Astrid Haven. I'm a semi-retired alternative model, and an aspiring Forensic Scientist/Criminologist.
I am a lover of The Used and Charles Manson (I promise, he's not who you think he is.). I spend my days reading (Chuck Palahniuk, A.M. Homes, Dickinson, Poe, Shakespeare, Capote, and lots of philosophers) and with my pets. My girlfriend and I share two lovely dogs, Manson (American Bulldog) and Ringo (Boxer), and I also have an amazing cat, Arshes-Nei. My best friend is 450 miles away, in Baltimore, MD. (Go to Mustang Inn and tip her!)
I have 10 tattoos, and 12 piercings (If interested, inquire).
That's probably more than you care to know, but I figured I'd go ahead and get it all out there.
Happy dreading!
xo
