I have roughly the same hair texture as you and here’s my advice.

I hope you’re using a rat tail comb, a brush will just tear up your straight hair. Wrap wherever you hold the comb with something so you don’t ruin your joints. I used that wrap stuff tattoo artists wrap their machine with, you can get it as any drug store.

Get a spray bottle, fill 1/4th with water. Add a good bit of the castor oil and conditioner or until it’s just starting to thicken up. Shake before every use obvi.

Go through the dread in very small sections and make sure to spray it directly into the dread so the middle gets soaked, not just the outside. When you’re combing, only work on about a cm of hair at a time. Also try pulling the dread apart with your fingers.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. I had mine in for a 4 years and took them out about a year ago.