- Dreadlocks have existed for centuries and respected amongst many nations.
- Dreadlocks tend to grow longer than normal hair because there is less interference to dreadlocks.
- You can either use a comb, crochet, or twist your dreadlocks when wanting to lock them.
Dreadlocks have been around since time immemorial but remain on trend. Khwezi Magwaza chats about why and tells us how to get your dreadlock on.
Origins
Dreadlocks have their roots in various cultures and religions. From Africa to South and Western Asia people have worn dreads for as long as humans have been around. Ancient artefacts show images of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles with wigs. Mummified remains have also been recovered from archeological sites.
The monks of the Ethiopian orthodox Tewahedo Church often wore locked hair and the Maasai found in the northern regions of Kenya have always worn dreadlocks and continue to do so today. Maasai warriors are well known for their thin locks dyed with red ochre while the Kenyan freedom fighters, the Mau Mau, resisted British colonial rule by letting their hair grow wild which formed dreadlocks.
“In Namibia there are tribes such as the Damara and the Himba women who also grow hair in a locked form,” says Jabu Stone, pioneer of the eponymous leading locks brand in the country.
“In the Zulu Kingdom, King Dingaan’s warriors from white Mfolozi had long locked hair called iziyendana. Some of our traditional also have long locked hair, which, in my understanding, helps them communicate with their ancestors. I was also told by Phethekile Holomisa that Xhosa people have a name for this beautiful hairstyle: ivithane.”
Hindu holy men and women, Sadhus and Sadhives wear twisted locks of hair known as jata. The locks are sacred and express disregard for profane vanity.
But dreadlocks are most associated with the Rastafarian movement, which can be credited for keeping the hairstyle from fading off the popular scene. As a symbol of the religion it resonates with ideologies of socialism and black power.
Initially dreadlocks were thought of as a disgusting and frightening because of the misconception that the hair was not washed – hence the word “dread.” But the Rastafarian later reclaimed the word and made the hairstyle fashionable.
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Why dreadlocks grow longer than normal hair
“Locks grow long and well because you are not interfering with the movement and direction of the hair. It grows in a tight curl with no chemicals weakening the shaft. When you twist the hair, you are pulling it away from the scalp allowing new growth to occupy that space,” says Jabu.
“Because the hair is woven or married together, the bond makes the strands stronger so they don’t break easily,” adds Mojatu Lebogang, managing director of Modjo hair, a franchise that specialises in dreadlocks. “The more the locks are washed and twisted, the more speedily the length increases. Visiting the salon twice or three times a month adds between three and five centimetres length to your dreadlocks.”
How to lock your hair – The different methods
If you stop combining your hair, it will start to lock but it will be wild and the size of your locks will be thick and unwieldly. These are more structured approaches.
1. The sponge or rag technique
Rubbing clock wise against the head with a washing rag will form small locks. “This is the DIY approach. Some people prefer to use their palm. The disadvantage is that you are creating no lines, so there is no formatted foundation,” Majatau points out.
2. Salon dreadlocks
These are made using bees wax or moulding cream, which help nourish the hair and protect the dreadlocks’ natural colour, width and flexibility. The technique ensures equal-sized locks. Hair must be a minimum of six-centimetres long to start and needs to be shampooed beforehand. The hair is heat dried after twisting.
3. The finger threading technique (often called the instant lock)
Using your fingers you twist hair strands one at a time. With this technique, relaxed and even Caucasian hair can be turned into beautiful locks.
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4. Comb dreads start
Separate the hair from a guideline (also known as the ear formation) from one ear to the next. Separate hair further into small sections of one-and-a-half-centimetres squared. Using a tail comb, twist the strands of hair clockwise around the shaft and hold.
5. The double twist
Take two strands of hair and twist them together in the shape of a coil like koeksister.
6. The crochet (also known as interlocking)
Using a crochet hook or needle, draw the dreadlock through its unmatted root repeatedly in varying directions to manually and instantly weave the hairs at the base. The crochet can be used on straight or relaxed hair. Once the hair is styled into a defined pattern, the locking process occurs as the hair begins to lock.
