Dreadlocks
Ivan Gorgiev 082232
male,Strumica,student

How to make dreads & Facts&Rumors

HOW TO MAKE DREADS !

Methods:

 There are several methods that can be used to start dreadlocks. We will attempt to give you as much information as possible about using each method to start dreads as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each one so you can decide which method is right for you. 

Backcombing

Advantages: Hair looks like dreads the same day and reaches maturity faster than other methods. You can control the size and shape of the dreads, anywhere from thick and smooth to thin and sexy. It is an all natural method. Backcombing will work on all hair lengths 3" and longer.

Disadvantages: The initial dreading takes a few hours and is pretty labor intensive, nothing a good friend or two can't handle. The best way to back comb is to take your time and make the dreads as smooth and tight as possible.

Instructions:

First section the hair into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads. The sections can be secured temporarily with rubberbands. After the hair is sectioned use a dread comb to comb the hair backwards. Start close to the scalp, not more than an inch away. Comb repeatedly towards the scalp. Eventually hair will start to pack up at the roots. It is not necessary to twist the hair. It is helpful however to roll the hair you are holding between your fingers a little while you are backcombing. Continue backcombing, slowly working towards the ends of the hair, making the dread as tight as possible as you go. When you reach the ends you can secure the dread with a rubberband. Another rubberband on the roots will help the dread stay tight at its base. The rubberbands can be removed after the dread has a chance to mature. After the rubberbands are applied to each dread the dreads should be waxed with a dread wax that does not contain petroleum. A good dread wax will tame loose hairs and help the hair dread much faster.

Dreads formed by backcombing look very much like dreads right after you do them, however they will tighten and smooth out a great deal as they mature. Using a good soap and wax is key to the development of the dreads. Well maintained dreads can reach maturity in as little as 3 to 4 months! The hair continues to dread as it grows in some cases by itself but in most cases it will need a little help. You can wear a rubberband on the root of stubborn dreads to help them lock up. Rubbing the root of the dread clockwise against the scalp also helps.

Tips: Starting with clean, residue free hair makes the process go much faster. Any residue in the hair tends to help the hair slip out of knots as you backcomb. Also be sure that the hair is completely dry when you back comb it.

If you do not have any friends that feel comfortable doing this for you most salons have at least one adventurous stylist who will be willing to help you for about $20-$30 per hour, which isn't that bad considering you won't ever have to pay for another hair cut! It is a very good idea to bring with you the products you want to use and the instructions for backcombing. Many unfortunate white children have had dreads started with the twist method and were more than a little disappointed. We have several all natural dread products that we recommend for starting dreads listed in our Products and Accessories section.

Wool Sweater or Wool Hat rubbing

Advantages: The main advantage to the rubbing method is that if you happen to own something wool you can get started right away. It is an all natural method. You can do it yourself.

Disadvantages: It hurts like hell and the dreads that it makes vary greatly in size and do not look very good. Hair will usually need to be cut after trying this method so you will have to grow out your hair again before trying another method.

Instructions: Take a wool sweater or hat and rub it in circles on your head. After about 15 min, if your hair is long enough, knots will start to form. As the hair knots together you rip it apart and try to separate it into dreads. After you rip it apart you resume rubbing for another 15 min. or so. Repeat this process over and over and over until all your hair is knotted. Lots of loose hair is common with this method and the neglect method, just try to stick them into the nearest dread.

Neglect

Advantages: You can do it without assistance. It is the easiest method. No special tools or products are needed, just time.

Disadvantages: It takes at least 3 years to start looking like dreads in most hair types. You need to have about 10" of hair for the knots to start forming. The dreads form unevenly, some dreads will be huge and flat, others skinny. People usually get sick of having nasty hair and cut it off long before they get dreads.

Instructions: The neglect method is pretty much just that. You do nothing but keep the hair clean. (Some people don't even do that but not washing your hair is unsanitary and it slows down the dreading process) Just let it grow and in a year or so it may start to knot up or it may take 3 years Hair texture and hair length has a lot to do with how long it takes. You can rip it into dreads and try to combine dreads that are too small with rubberbands if you like, but in the spirit of true neglect most people don't. I don't really think that people that use this method are really after dreads, I think they are just pissed off at their hair and decided to let it do what it wants. When I meet someone that has dreads obviously formed by neglect I always complement their dreads anyway and I don't usually offer advice, because they do not really want it.

Twisting

Advantages: It is all natural. You have control over the size of the dreads and how they form. Many salons are familiar with this method and the cost is usually much lower than a dread perm.

Disadvantages: It only works in African textured hair but that doesn't mean salons won't try it on Caucasian hair!

Instructions: Hair should be sectioned into squares. Square sections make round dreads. Between 1" and 2" squares works well for most people. Smaller sections make thinner dreads. As you section the hair you can secure each section with a rubberband. When the whole head is sectioned twist each section clockwise using a comb to snag the hair at the ends and twist. As each section is twisted dread wax should be worked in to hold the twists. Thick waxes without petroleum hold the hair much better when starting the dreads. After the dreads mature thinner waxes can be used to add fragrance and sheen. Rubberbands can also be used at the roots and tips to hold the hair for the first couple of weeks. Be sure not to attach the rubberbands too tightly, nice and snug will do the job just as well and should not break any hairs. Hair should be twisted by hand regularly to help it lock up.

Dreads can also be started in short black hair without sectioning by hand. The hair can actually section itself. To do this you need short curly African textured hair about 1/2" thick. Take a soft bristled brush and rub it gently in clockwise circles on the surface of the hair. As you rub the hair will magically form little nubs or balls of hair. These little nubs can be twisted by hand into dreads. Twisting and working in a little bit of thick dread wax will help them hold together and mature much faster. The nice thing about these sections is that they are chosen naturally by the hair and for this reason they dread nicely by themselves as they continue to grow..

                             

      

Rumor: You do not wash dreadlocks. Hair must be dirty to dread.
Fact: If you do not wash your hair it will stink. Dreadlocked hair needs to be washed regularly just like un-dreaded hair. You can wash dreads just as you would wash a sponge, by working the soap in and then squeezing and rinsing repeatedly to get all the soap out. Clean hair will actually lock up faster than dirty or oily hair. Because nearly every soap and shampoo on the market contains residues it was thought that clean hair does not dread quickly, when in fact it is the residues (conditioners, moisterizers, builders and fragrance holders) in the soaps that prevent hair from locking up. This is why we reccommend washing you dreads only in residue free soaps and shampoos.

Rumor: Simply not combing your hair is the only way to get nice dreads.
Fact: This is called the neglect method. Under some circumstances simply not combing hair will make it dread. The best example of this is African-textured hair. Left alone, African hair will eventually dread. Unfortunately the results, although technically called dreads, are usually less than pleasing to the eye. The hair forms giant matts at random all over the head. Some caucasion hair, if it is curly enough, will also dread by neglect but the same problem exists. It takes several years for the hair to lock fully and when it does it generally looks un kept, kind of like you might expect hair to look after not combing it for a few years. We do have tips in the methods section for caring for you dreads as you neglect them, but please note that the neglect method is not the only way to go about getting dreads and that the dreads you will get are rarely "nice" looking.

Rumor: Only black people can have nice dreads. Nice dreads are high maintenance.
Fact: While it is easier for black people to have nice smooth dreads it is completely possible for other hair textures to dread tightly and smoothly. Dreads are difficult to start and the first month is a pain, but as they tighten and mature they become virtually maintenance free. They look great all the time, all you have to do is keep them clean.

Rumor: Natural dreads are those that are made by neglect.
Fact: There are two types of natural dreadlocks. Those that are required by religion to be natural, and natural for you or I, which means non-chemically processed dreads.
If you are rastafarian or in some sects of middle eastern religions you are required to not interfere with the growth of your dreads. You have probably not seen many truly natural dreads as most of these religions also require that no one, not even your spouse in some cases, see your dreads. These truly natural dreads can be washed but they can not be cut trimmed or ripped in any way and no combing or products can be used to maintain them.

The second type of natural are those dreads that came to be without the use of any chemical proccesses. You can wash them, cut them, comb them, rip them, tie them and wax them as you like but they are started and grow naturally without any chemical dread perms or synthetic additions. This is what is commonly thought of as natural and what we reffer to throughout the site. All methods listed in our methods section are natural methods except for the dread perm. We belive that dreads should be natural and only natural products and methods should be used to care for them. For a list of natural dread products see our Products and Accessories section.

Rumor: Rubberbands break hair and can thin dreadlocks.
Fact: Rubberbands used correctly help roots and tips tighten, especially when dreads are new. If rubberbands are applied too tightly they can compress an area of the dread and cause a thin spot. However, proper tension will speed the locking proccess and prevent loose hairs especially when washing newer dreads.

Rumor: Dreads damage your scalp and can lead to thinning hair.
Fact: If cared for using the proper methods and products dreadlocks are actualy a very heathly hairstyle. Natural dreads do not require the use of any chemical processes making them better for your scalp than any hair style that requires your hair to be chemically permed or straightened. The residue free soaps that dreadlocks are washed in actually increase hair growth and cause hair to grow thicker and faster by removing residue from the hair folicles.

Rumor: If you decide you no longer want dreads you have to shave your head.
Fact: It is true that you have to cut dreads to take them out but you do not have to shave your head. You can usually leave at least 2" inches of hair when you cut the dreads, so your hair will be short, but not shaved.

Rumor: Mayonase, Honey, Toothpaste, Glue, Rubber Cement, Mud, Chewing Gum, Peanut Butter, Shae Butter, Candle Wax and Hair Gel all work great for starting dreadlocks.
Fact: People will try anything but there are products that do the job fast, clean, and with no danger to your scalp or furnature.

Rumor: Any product you find that says it works for dreads will work for starting dreadlocks.

Fact: Many products on the market that mention they work for dreadlocks are actually intended to add shine and fragrance and to make corn rows look neater but they don't acually help the dreading process at all. The majority of these shine waxes are made with petrolium as the primary ingredient. Petrolium is a lubricant and products that contain petrolium will feel greasy and cause your dreads to slip apart rather than holding them together. Petrolium products are better suited for African textured hair which has already been dreaded.

History & Popularity

Middle East

Hindu Belief: Shiva takes the weight of the mighty Ganges in his locks and imprisons her. She is released through the locks of his hair, which prevents the river's force from destroying earth, and the waters bring purification to the planet.
Among the Sadhus and Sadhvis, Indian holy men and women, locks are sacred, their formation a religious ritual and an expression of their disregard for profane vanity, and a manifestation of a spiritual understanding that physical appearances are unimportant. This Sannyasin, the particular phase of life in which the person develops Vairagya, a state of determination and disillusionment with material life, does not merely follow a public pattern (that includes letting his or her hair grow in matted locks), but goes through an inner transformation. The public symbol of matted hair is thus re-created each time an individual goes through these unique experiences. In almost all myths about Shiva and his flowing locks, there is a continual interplay of extreme asceticism and virile potency, which link up the elements of destruction and creation, whereas the full head of matted hair symbolizes the control of power.

Locks in India are reserved nearly exclusively for holy people as well as shamans in many of the ethnic groups that still maintain such practices. According to the 'Hymn of the longhaired sage' in the ancient Vedas, long jatas express a spiritual significance which implies the wearer has special relations with spirits, is an immortal traveller between two worlds and the master over fire.
The Shaiva Nagas, ascetics of India, wear their jata (long hair) in a twisted knot or bundle on top of the head and let them down only for special occasions and rituals. The strands are then rubbed with ashes and cowdung, considered both sacred and purifying, then scented and adorned with flowers.

Carribean

Dreadlocks, as popularized worldwide by Bob Marley, has come to bring more fame to Jamaica than any other export. In Jamaica the term dreadlocks was first recorded in the 1950s as a derogatory term when the "Young Black Faith", an early sect of the Rastafari, which began among the marginalized poor of Jamaica in the 1930s, ceased to copy the particular hair style of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and began to wear locks instead. It was said that they looked 'dreadful' with their locks and were thought to be disgusting and frightening, hence the term ‘dread’ or dreaded which gave birth to the modern name 'dreadlocks' for this ancient style and was later reclaimed by the ‘Rasta’ community.

Rastafari



 
Rastafarianism however is something entirely separate. Rastafari associate dreadlocks with a spiritual journey that one takes in the process of locking their hair. It is taught that patience is the key to growing locks, a journey of the mind, soul and spirituality. Its spiritual pattern is aligned with the Rastafari movement. The religion resonated with the ideologies of the day, for example socialism, marxism, nationalism and black power. It was therefore, seen as a threat to Christianity and came under attack by the authorities that tried to suppress the ‘Rasta’ movement and imprisoned those who possessed ‘ganja’. Rastafarians smoked cannabis because they thought it prompted a clearer state of being.

Many Rastas eat limited types of meat. Many Rastafari maintain a vegan or vegetarian diet all of the time. Food approved for Rastfari is called ital. The purpose of fasting is to cleanse the body. Usage of alcohol is also generally deemed unhealthy to the Rastafari way of life, partly because it is seen as a tool of Babylon to confuse people, and partly because placing something that is pickled and fermented within oneself is felt to be much like turning the body (the Temple) into a "cemetery".

So close is the association between dreadlocks and Rastafari, that the two are sometimes used synonymously. As important and connected with the movement as the wearing of locks is, it is not deemed necessary for, or equivalent to, true faith.
Islam
Certain sufi groups such as the Qalandari sects don't cut their hair and don't comb it. This leads to natural formation of dreadlocks. However, some of them will be very thick and others thin or untwisted because the actual making of dreadlocks and giving it a regular look is frowned upon.This process of dreadlock formation takes many years.
Western Culture
In the West, dreadlocks have gained particular popularity among certain subcultures, though, while dreadlock hairstyles are widely associated with these sub-cultures, they are not exclusive to them. This is to say that, for instance, being spotted with dreadlocks does not automatically mean that you subscribe to the Rastafarian faith, are a hippy or smoke loads of dope, because when all is said and done, the dreadlocks remain just a variety of hairstyles should not come across as belonging to a certain faith or sub-culture.
Political motivations

The rise in popularity of reggae music in the 1970s prompted an interest in locks internationally. The anti-establishment philosophy of Rastafari, echoed in much of the reggae of the time, had a particular resonance for left-leaning youth of all ethnicities — especially and primarily among African Americans but among counterculture white people as well.

Like the afro, locks had social and political ramifications. For some people of African descent, locks are a statement of ethnic pride. Some see them as a repudiation of Eurocentric values represented by straightened hair. Others wear locks as a manifestation of their political beliefs and view locks as symbols of black unity and power, and a rejection of oppression and imperialism.

In white counterculture, locks have become popular among groups such as the "anti-globalization" movement and environmental activists  sharing a sense of a rebellion against the establishment and established norms. Dreadlocks are also popular in the punk and rave subcultures. Apart from anti-establishment politics and spiritual reasons locks also can be a means of creative self-expression, a symbol of individualism and a form of rebellion against traditional ties and restrictions. For example the members of the Cybergoth movement in Europe set out to shock with creative hair displays like wildly coloured lock wigs, dread falls and elaborate extensions complemented by dramatic make-up to oppose representations of authority and conformity.

Popularity





 

 The hairstyle brought into mainstream culture through the worldwide success of reggae artist Bob Marley. Sporting locks himself, he prompted an international interest in the style, and the anti establishment philosophy of Rastafarian culture. When the reggae music in the 1970s gained popularity and mainstream acceptance dreadlocks became a fashion statement, a trend for the secular, worn by prominent authors, actors, athletes, politicians, rappers, and were even portrayed as part and parcel of gang culture in movies.

With the Rasta style in vogue, the fashion and beauty industries capitalized on the trend. A completely new line of hair care products and services emerged in salons that catered to a Caucasian clientele, offering all sorts of "dreadhead" hair care items such as wax, shampoo, and jewelry. Hairstylists created a wide variety of modified locks, including the popular multi-colored cyber synthetic lock extensions. Locked models appeared at fashion shows, and Rasta clothing with a Jamaican-style reggae look were sold. Even exclusive fashion brands like Christian Dior created whole Rasta-inspired collections worn by models with a variety of lock hairstyles.

Fast forward a few decades and things have changed but dreadlocks remain prevalent. They have became increasingly popular and there are many reasons in various cultures for wearing them. They can be an expression of deep religious or spiritual convictions, a manifestation of ethnic pride. They can make a political statement, or simply be a fashion preference.

History of Dreadlocks

History of Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks, sometimes called simply locks or dreads, are matted ropes of hair which will form by themselves if the hair is allowed to grow naturally without combing. Or intentionally formed using various methods to encourage their formation such as backcombing sections of the hair, twisting or a process involving the weaving of the hair with a crochet hook to form knots.

Although the term 'dreadlock' was originally associated with the Rastafari community, people of various cultures have worn, and continue to wear locks, including the Hindu Shiva worshippers of India, European Celts, various African communities, and the Sufisof Pakistan.

History

The precise date of origin of the hairstyle is unknown. However dates range from 5000 BCE to 1500 BCE. The roots of dreadlocks can be trailed to the Rastafarians of Jamaica, and further, to Indian sages and yogis, but they have never been more popular or widespread than they are today. It is said that dreadlocks originated with eastern holy men, possessing nothing, renouncing the world and possessions (not even a comb) and even personal grooming, hence the inevitable dreadlocks.

The first known examples of dreadlocks date back to North Africa. In ancient dynastic Egypt examples of Egyptians wearing locked hairstyles have appeared on artifacts as well as mummified remains from archaeological sites.

The locked Hindu deity shiva and his followers were described in the scriptures as "wearing twisted locks of hair". The Celts also wore dreadlocks and were described as having 'hair like snakes'. Germanic tribes, the Vikings, the Greeks, the Pacific Islanders, the Naga people and several ascetic groups within various major religions have at times worn their hair in locks, including the monks of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Nazirites of Judaism and the Sadhus of Hinduism. The very earliest Christians also may have worn this hairstyle. Particularly noteworthy are descriptions of James the Just, brother of Jesus and first Bishop of Jerusalem, who wore them to his ankles. Locks may have also been part of Mexican culture before the 16th century spanish conquest.

Variations such as the Polish plait were initially treated as an amulet supposed to bring good health and was often worn in combination with extremely long fingernails. These fashions were reserved mainly for noblemen and ascetics, who wished to advertise their freedom from menial labor and earthly attachment.
The Baye Fall, arising from Senegal, wear locks which are called ndiange or 'strong hair' in imitation of Ibrahima Fall, chief disciple of the spiritual guide Shaykh Aḥmadu Bàmba Mbàkke with the goal to cultivate a unique relationship with God through the Shaykh. The Ngati Dreads or Māori Rastafarians, indigenous people of New Zealand, combine the Rasta teaching with the teachings of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, a Māori leader and the founder of the Ringatu religion who preached belief in God and the rejection of Māori tohungaism.