Dreadlocks: Not Just for Jamaicans and Reggae Fans Anymore

The History and Current Trend of the Hairstyle

The hairstyle dreadlocks, also spelled dredlocs or dredlocks and sometimes referred to as dreds or dreads, is a style that is commonly associated with the Rastafarian religion. But, is that assumption false?

Well, it's not exactly false, but it's not exactly entirely true, either.

While many Rastafarians do wear dreadlocks, they are not the only group of people who wear dreadlocks, nor are they even the originators of the hairstyle. There are many theories as to where exactly dreadlocks got started, but it is clear that they existed long before the Rastafarian religion, thus one cannot label all people with dreadlocks as being Rastafarian.

Many believe that Egypt was the origin of dreadlocks, since ancient Egyptian artifacts clearly depict people with dreadlocks. Mummified remains have also been recovered that wore dreadlocks.

While the term "dreadlocks" was actually coined by the Rastafarians, this hairstyle even has roots in the Bible. There are many references in the Old Testament that imply that many Biblical people wore dreadlocks, including the story about Samson and Delilah. It makes a statement about "the seven locks in his head" and how a man's potency is related to that.

Dreadlocks are considered to be a spiritual hairstyle because of the old belief that the spiritual energies are released through the top of one's head. It is believed that if the hair is knotted, the spiritual energy cannot escape, which leaves the person with knotted hair stronger and healthier in spirit.

India is another place where dreads are said to have originated. During the Industrial Era, most people wearing dreds were from India.