NAPTURALOCS

History Of Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks have been around almost as long as we have written history. The earliest known written reference to dreadlocks we have is in the Veda scriptures of India. The earliest piece found is dated to approximately 1800 B.C. but there are many more tribes and people who have worn dreadlocks throughout history.

Egyptian Locks

Dreadlocks were worn in Ancient Egypt by the pharaohs. There have been many artifacts such as statues, locked wigs, and even mummified bodies of pharaohs with locked hair have been discovered in recent years. The Egyptians saw appearance as an indication of social status and believed that dreadlocks made them appear more powerful. Ancient Egypt is one of the earliest known societies to wear locks.

Dreadlocks in Hindu Culture

The Hindu deity Shiva was described in the scriptures as wearing “tajaa” or “twisted locks of hair.” Shiva’s followers wore dreadlocks as a symbol of their spiritual devotion. Locks were worn by spiritual men and women as an expression of their denial of earthly vanity and to say that looks were unimportant.

Hebrew Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks are even found in the Christian Bible! The most widely known reference is to Sampson in Judges, chapter 16. Sampson’s incredible strength was said to have come from his seven locks, and when Delilah cut his locks off, his strength left him. It is believed also that there are other Biblical characters who wore dreadlocks because they had taken the Biblical Nazarite vow to never allow a razor to touch their head. The belief in Hebrew religion was that the Nazarites (priests) could never cut their hair, and so they let it grow naturally as a way to please God and deny the vanities of the world.

Rastafarian Dreads

Many people think that dreadlocks came from the Rastafarian culture, although Rastas did not wear locks until the 1950s. The Rastafarians wear dreadlocks as an expression of spirituality and to remain “whole.” The Rastas first wore dreads so that they would look like the Biblical “Lion of Judah.” The Rastafarian belief is that the African people are descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and that they are among the lost tribe of Judah.

Notes:

Glazier, Stephen D., Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions. Oxford, UK: Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 279.

Prophet, Kenia, "Dreadlock Myths."BET.com, 2008

Five Stages of Locs

1. Coils — Coils resemble tightly coiled springs that look like baby spirals and can be as small as a watch spring or fluid and loose as fusilli. Hair can be as short or as long as one likes. The key factor here is that your hair is able to form and hold a coil, but the hair within the coil has not yet begun to intertwine or mesh.

2. Sprouts and Buds — Known as Sprouting or Budding in that miraculous moment when the magic has begun. First, you shampoo your hair and notice that all of a sudden, the coils don't all wash out like they used to. You may notice that some of your coils have little knots of hair in them, about the size of a small pea. This knot is more or less the nucleus of each lock; the hairs in your coils have begun to intertwine and interlace. Individual coils may seem puffy and lose their tightly coiled shape; this is part of the process and shouldn't be disturbed. What is important here is to keep the original scalp partings, to allow the spinning process to become established for each individual lock. Don't redivide your budding locks, twist them to death, or get to patting them down, trying to make your hair look "nice," because you'll just end up with a badly packed, busted-out do.

3. Teen or Locking Stage — This is when the buds and sprouts truly begin to look like locks and few, if any, locks shampoo out or come out during sleep. The peas you saw and felt in the budding stage have expanded, and the hair has spun into a network of intertwining strands that extend throughout the length of individual locks. The locks may be soft and pliable or feel loosely meshed, according to your hair's texture. This is the growing stage of lock development, and it extends into the lock's mature stage. Shampooing doesn't loosen these locks. They have dropped, which means they have developed enough to hang down versus defying gravity. This is when you start to relax and feel more confident about locking.

4. Mature Stage — Each individual lock is firmly meshed or tightly interwoven. Some loosely coiled hair textures may retain a small curl or coil at the end of the locks, but most will probably be closed at the ends. You will begin to see consistent growth because each lock has intertwined and contracted into a cylindrical shape. Think of each individual lock as a hair strand in itself. The new growth is contained in the loose hair at the base or root of each individual lock, and regular grooming encourages it to spin into an intertwined coil that will be integrated with the lock.

5. Beyond Maturity — Think of this stage as akin to the shedding stage of hair growth. After many years, depending on the care you have lavished on your locks, some locks may begin to thin and break off at the ends. For the most part, this deterioration can be minimized and controlled by monitoring the ends of your locks for signs of age and getting regular trims.

Dreadlock Do's, Don'ts and Misconceptions!

Locs aren't just a hairstyle, it's a lifestyle! There are many misconceptions about locs, but I would like to clear them up!

Locs are NOT for the lazy, they actually have higher maintenance than you may think.
Locs are NOT filthy and smelly, especially when regularly maintained.
You DO NOT have to cut your hair all off if you would like to rid of them.
Locs should be treated with care because they can become brittle, break, thin and fall out.
DO repair locs that have broken and/or thinned.
For those that are loc'ers please remember to DETOX your hair at least twice a year. The ACV rinse is well needed to remove buildup and restore the pH balance of your hair.
DO use a silk or satin scarf because locs attract lint.
Having locs DO NOT limit you to certain hairstyles; you name it, you can do it! Just remember tight isn't always best! When locs are pulled too tight it can cause the hairline to recede and hair bumps to form.
DO NOT use beeswax, it cause major buildup and it isn't the easiest to wash out!

Loc Extensions

Napturalocs specializes in all services for your Locs! Services include loc maintenance, starter locs, loc repair, loc styling, two strand twists, comb coils, color, cut/triming, oil treatments and detox. All services include wash and scalp conditioning.

Contact Information:

Stylist: Tiffany

Email:Napturalocs@gmail.com