Why dreads are awesome

Created by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell in , sisterlocks resemble micro braids and are typically worn by women. Brotherlocks , on the other hand, are slightly thicker than sisterlocks and usually seen on men.

Much thicker than sisterlocks and brotherlocks, traditional locs feel heavier, but they also require less upkeep. Best created on clean, unrelaxed hair, locs should be shampooed and conditioned regularly contrary to popular belief. Although locs are low maintenance, they still require proper care and attention. Faulk suggests re-twisting locs every six to eight weeks using your fingers or palms.

Wrapping your locs every night in a silk or satin scarf keeps them looking fresh and prevents them from attracting lint and other debris.

The easiest way to remove locs is to cut them off. They can be combed out , but the process can span over several hours or days. Not to mention, a significant amount of hair loss may occur. Dreads have always been worn to make a statement. Some just like the way they look.

The way mainstream media perceives dreads when they appear on white versus Black folks. Spoiler alert: Every person with dreads is not a smoker who listens to Reggae music, contrary to popular and foolish belief. The epitome of freedom. Locs are divine. Princess Gabbara is a Michigan-based journalist whose work has been published in several national publications, including Jetmag. Visit her site or follow her PrincessGabbara. Our commitment to showcasing the best and brightest as well as highlighting disparities in Black life has been, and will always be, cornerstone to EBONY.

All Rights Reserved. Gain access to exclusive interviews, videos, special events, and product giveaways delivered right to your inbox! Black History , Hair , Style. The History of Dreadlocks. By Princess Gabbara October 18, Tags black hair Detangling Our Roots hairstyles history. Margena A. So, after a few months of growing my hair I went to a barber in Nepal where it took four guys with little to no experience eight hours to dread my hair.

These were easily the most painful eight hours of my life. Walking back to my hotel that night, I noticed the way people treated me had already changed. When you're a foreigner in Nepal every second person on the street offers you pot: "Scuse me sir, want smoke? I spent the next four years with dreadlocks and slowly got so used to the way people treated me that I thought it was normal. Yet after cutting them off last year, I quickly realised that I was living in a different world to everyone else.

Here's what changes when you have dreads. Chicks flirt with you because they want to tick a dreadlock dude off their list "I love your hair, it's so cool! Not worth it. The attention is nice, but getting hit on just because you're some sort of cheap exotic trophy gets repulsive pretty quick. You're automatically part of the white dreadlock dude secret society Whenever some other white dreadlock guy walks past he'll give you a cheeky eyebrow raise and a nod. It's as if you are in some sort of secret club, but what the fuck, you never signed up, and it is cringy as hell.

People will ask, "How do you know that guy? Your dreads will break down social barriers This is the only thing I truly miss about dreadlocks. The types of people your mum is scared of will be super friendly and welcoming to you.

Dreadlocks give you an image of being chilled out and non-judgemental, and because of that you'll get to know a whole lot of people you otherwise wouldn't have. People are super open about their lives from the get go, opening-up about their life problems and dirty habits. I'd meet someone for 10 minutes and they'd already be telling me about their meth problem.

I never would have realised how rough so many New Zealanders have it if I didn't have dreads. You get offered sessions all the time It always happens when you least expect it: you can be buying groceries, on your way to present a university project, or hiking through the bush.

People say it's a trophy to smoke out someone with dreads, so bite the bullet and better society with your service. I'm objectively terrible at drawing yet I've had a bunch of people go on about how deep and creative my doodles of stolen ideas were. You're basically a slave to your hair The time spent on constant dread rolling and crochet needle repairs seriously adds up.