Repairing mechanical damage?

[Obsidian]

Is there anything to be done for mechanically damaged hair? My daughter has fine straight hair that is in dreadlocks and we are in the process of picking them out. The hair is getting stretched and broken badly. She knows a lot will need to be cut off but I'd like to save as much as possible, it was waist length when she started the dreads 10 months ago.

[wilderwein]

I have no experience but I remember CRX<3 managed to comb out her dreads.
CRX<3 share your wisdom please!

[lapushka]

Don't be freaked out by the amount of sheds that might come out when picking them apart! This is 10 months' worth of shed hair that is probably going to come out, so don't be scared by that.

Good luck. I hope you can salvage the hair. How far along are you in the process?

[meteor]

Are you still in the process of picking the dreadlocks out? If so, you might want to check out this very recent thread with some good advice on this ;) :http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=134834 Wishing you the best of luck, lots of patience and smooth sailing in this process! :cheer:

About your question on damage, nothing permanently repairs it but some things can minimize it as well as temporarily patch-repair chipped cuticle... There are a few things that can help:

1) hydrolyzed protein treatments, for example, Aphogee 2 Step, DIY gelatin treatment (http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/gelatin-protein-treatment-recipe-update.html), Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken CAT...
More on protein: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2015/10/protein-101-lots-of-basic-information.html and http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2013/09/more-about-protein.html and http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2011/08/mysteries-of-hydrolyzed-proteins.html

2) heavy oiling - use a penetrating oil, for example coconut oil, preferably as a pre-poo treatment, but also added to conditioner and/or used as a "sealing" oil post-wash.
More on how to make oils work: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html

3) regular deep treatments like the SMT and products marketed for "damaged hair", many of them will contain proteins, silicones, ceramides, 18-mea...
More on ceramides: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/08/ceramides-patching-up-damaged-hair.html
More on silicones: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2011/07/riffing-on-silicones.html
More on deep conditioning ingredients that penetrate porous hair: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2012/10/deep-conditioning-what-ingredients-in.html

And I'd highly recommend wearing hair in protective styles, covering it with hats/scarves/buffs when it's windy or sunny, sleeping on silky smooth pillowcases (or using silky bonnets/scarves) to prevent further damage.

Also, check out Nightshade's excellent article on how to "rehabilitate" damaged hair:Damaged Hair: Understanding, Preventing & Rehabilitating http://web.archive.org/web/20120125071723/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79

[Obsidian]

Yes, we are still picking them out. We aren't very far into the process, they didn't form right and are much tighter/tangled then they should be. I'm not worried about the loose hairs but because of the way they formed, we have to rip through the ends to get the removal process going. The ends of the dreads have basically folded back on themselves so the ends of the hair are about two inches from the bottom and all felted together.

I'll check out the links, thanks:)

[Anje]

How were her dreads put in? As I understand it, the method used (and when) greatly influences the amount of damage to the hair. (Naturally formed < twist & rip < backcombed < felted or permed)

Protein treatments are good, and I'll bet her hair could use a ton of moisture given that conditioning often causes too much slip and makes forming dreads come out. Conditioner conditioner conditioner. :)

[Obsidian]

She started with back combed then did twist and rip. She felted a couple but read how damaging that was so she stopped. She's been using harsh clarifying shampoo and no conditioner for months. It going to be a slow process, it's taking around a hour for each dread and at last time she counted, there was 74. We have picked out maybe 15 so far.

[lapushka]

She started with back combed then did twist and rip. She felted a couple but read how damaging that was so she stopped. She's been using harsh clarifying shampoo and no conditioner for months. It going to be a slow process, it's taking around a hour for each dread and at last time she counted, there was 74. We have picked out maybe 15 so far.

That's about 60 to go. Phew... Courage on picking them out. How's the hair quality of the picked out ones, so far?

[Obsidian]

There is a lot of breakage and unevenness from pulling and the hairs are kinked from being stretched. I'm hoping I can talk her into cutting to armpit length to remove the most damage.
I plan on a protein treatment as soon as we get them all removed.

[lapushka]

Personally, I would be careful with protein. I'd do a deep moisture treatment instead. But YMMV!

[meteor]

There is a lot of breakage and unevenness from pulling and the hairs are kinked from being stretched. I'm hoping I can talk her into cutting to armpit length to remove the most damage.
I plan on a protein treatment as soon as we get them all removed.

Once the dreads are removed, and all the shed hairs are completely combed out (there will be a lot of sheds accumulated over this time, being trapped in locks), I'd start off by doing a heavy overnight pre-poo oil treatment first.
Check how the hair looks and feels after a clarifying shampoo (to remove the waxiness that must have built up on length over time) and lots of moisturizing conditioner... Hydrolyzed protein is needed the most in cases of very serious damage, and, who knows, maybe (hopefully) it's not the case here? :blossom:

As you are removing dreads, try to immediately section away and braid the detangled sections. It will help keep hair from re-tangling and complicating the process.
Best of luck! :cheer: Please keep us updated on how it goes! :D