Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks are a hairstyle in which hair forms long, rope-like strands through matting, twisting, or natural locking. They have distinct histories and meanings across communities and cultures.

Backcombing: A hair-styling technique that combs hair toward the scalp to create tangles and volume. Backcombing creates tangles that can be rolled into new locks.
Ancient Egypt: A civilization of northeastern Africa spanning more than three millennia, known for distinctive art and material culture. Egyptian images and remains provide early evidence of locked hairstyles.
Jata: Matted hair worn by some Hindu ascetics, often associated with spiritual discipline and devotion. Jata offers a distinct South Asian religious tradition of locked hair.
Bob Marley: A Jamaican singer and songwriter who became an international figure in reggae and Rastafari culture. His public image helped make locks globally recognizable.
Twist and rip: A method of forming locks by twisting sections of hair and pulling them apart to create knots. This technique deliberately tangles sections as locks begin to form.
Hindu asceticism: Renunciant religious practice in Hindu traditions, often involving austerity and withdrawal from ordinary life. Some Hindu ascetics wear jata, matted hair associated with renunciation and devotion.
Lion of Judah: A biblical symbol associated with the tribe of Judah and, in Rastafari, with Haile Selassie I. The symbol connects Rastafari interpretations of locks with African identity and sacred history.
Reggae: A Jamaican popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s from ska and rocksteady. Reggae carried images and associations of Rastafari locks to international audiences.
Sisterlocks: A trademarked system for creating small, uniform locks with a specialized tool and training. This named method produces particularly small, precisely maintained locks.
Sadhu: A Hindu renunciant who pursues spiritual liberation through religious discipline and ascetic practice. Sadhus are among the best-known wearers of jata in South Asia.

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Ruud GullitRelated: Gullit's distinctive hairstyle became a widely recognized part of his public image.