What I Wish People Would Have Told Me About Locking My Hair

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Is it locs or dreadlocks?

Recently, there’s been some discussion about whether we, black people, should refer to dreadlocks as locs or… well, dreadlocks. The discussion came about when people started claiming that “dread” came from the British who thought the way the Rastafarians wore their hair was “dreadful.” So folks decided to stop calling them dreadlocks. But I did my own research and found that the word dread might have come from the dread or fear of God. I kind of like the latter definition, so I use the terms locs and dreadlocks interchangeably, without feeling any type of way.

*Bonus*

Second Best Hair Decision Ever

If you look through the tome that is my hair chronicles, you would see a variety of styles. I’ve had a relaxer since I was 5 and had more than my fair share of styles from bobs, to braids, from mohawks to mullets, weaves to t.w.as I’ve done a lot of it. But after the decision to go natural in the first place, locking my hair has been my best hair decision to date.

Images via Shutterstock, Corbis, Shea Moisture, and author’s personal collection.

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