Rasta

Dreadlocks or dreadlocks are a type of hairstyle made up of tangled and woven hair, characteristic of Rastafarians. Sometimes, People who wear dreadlocks are Rastafarians, but the hairstyle should not be directly associated with Rastafarian culture, as people from many ethnic groups have worn dreadlocks throughout history, including many ancestral groups such as the Semitic peoples of the Near East and Asia Minor., the Maori of New Zealand, the Maasai in East Africa, and some sadhus, some Sufis and some fakirs in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Multiple sources attribute Vedic writings of Indian origin to documenting the first evidence of twisted locks of hair since 1800 BC.

History

The earliest known examples of dreadlocks date back to East Africa and some parts of North Africa. Maasai men – found in the northern regions of Tanzania and southern Kenya – wear dreadlocks with a red dye extracted from the earth. It is unknown when they started this tradition.

In Ancient Egypt there were examples of Egyptians wearing apparently rasta-style hairstyles or wigs that have appeared in bas-reliefs, statues and other artifacts. Mummified remains of ancient Egyptians with their hair twisted, as well as wigs with dreadlocks, have been recovered from various archaeological sites.

The Hindu god Shiva and his followers are described in the scriptures with the use of yataa, which means 'braid' or more possibly 'long tangled hair'. This word yatá possibly derives from the Dravidian word sadai, which means to turn or envelop.^{[citation needed]}

The Greeks, peoples of the Pacific Ocean, the Naga people, and various groups of asceticists in various major religions have sometimes worn their hair twisted, including monks of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Nazarites of Judaism, Qalandari Sufis, sadhus of Hinduism and the dervish of Islam, among others. Early Christians may also have worn this hairstyle. The descriptions of James the Just, first bishop of Jerusalem, who wore "dreadlocks" up to his ankles.

Pre-Columbian Aztec priests were described in the Aztec codices (including the Durán Codex, the Tudela Codex, and the Mendoza Codex) with their hair intact, allowing it to grow long and matted.

In Senegal, Cheikh Ibra Fall – founder of the “baye Fall” sect – popularized the style occupied by dreadlocks and multicolored suits as if it were a mystical detail.

The warriors of the Fullani, Wolof, Serer and Mandika tribes wear braids in youth, which become dreadlocks in old age.

In Jamaica the term dreadlocks was first recorded in the 1950s as a term to describe the "black youth of the faith", a predecessor sect of the Rastafarians, which emerged among the marginalized poor of Jamaica in the 1930s, when they stopped copying the particular hair style of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia—who considered himself a reincarnation of Jesus Christ—and instead began wearing dreadlocks.^{[citation needed ]} It was said that the bearer experienced "fear" in life or a life in which he feared God, which gave birth to his dreadlocks, the modern name for this ancient style.

Many Rastafarians attribute their dreadlocks as a dedication and pact with God, which Rastafarians call 'Jah', which is an abbreviation of the Jewish divinity 'Jehovah', as well as to the three Nazarite vows, which appear in the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Bible.

Tangled hair is considered the protest of the race. Many of Haile Selassie's followers do not have long, tangled hair because they believe it is not necessary and that the protest lies within.

It is not known with certainty when this hairstyle was born, but it can be said that it is widely used in Africa and India. In Africa it is used by the Rastafarians and in India by the Sadhus ("Holy Men"). Rastafarians use them based on passages from the Old Testament - Leviticus 21:5 -, which says: "They shall not make baldness on their heads...". Dreadlocks were made widely known by reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981), who attracted attention due to his long hair.

To protect this hairstyle, Rastafarians use berets, which they call "tam."

For people with mottled hair it is simple to make dreadlocks, since all you have to do is rub the lock of hair between your palms and they form. For people who do not have mottled hair, it is more complicated and many times it is necessary to go through a process worked by professionals to achieve a good result.

Despite being popular, society still sees myths about dreadlocks, as well as a frequent problem with police authorities due to their aesthetics.

Procedure and care

Dreadlocks are basically hair woven and tangled to give it a tube shape, which has variable thickness. The most common way to do them, although there are other methods, is the following:

1. Sex your hair, separating the hairs that you want to scratch. It is recommended that the sections begin from the base on the head and that the base of each mattress be square, triangular or circular.
2. The pigeon is wrapped with the help of a comb, passing the comb from the bottom up to start shaping, entangled.
3. Since the base has become firmer and circular, the hair is taken and wrapped aside, then it is divided into two and pulled to the root forming a kind of knot. This step is repeated until reaching the tip trying to tighten the knots as much as possible.
4. Once you have the base form you will weave the hairs that are out in with the help of a knitting crochet (crochet) number 10 or 8. It crosses the scrap with the hook and on the outstanding side of the hook the hair is wrapped from where it comes out and then put it to the scrap until the hairs are left out. It should be tightened and changing sides to achieve a cylindrical and regular form.
5. Finally, the rasta is rubbed with the hands from one side to the other, to applaud the outstanding hair and applaud it in the rasta.

If the person's hair is very straight, it is recommended to wash it first with pasta soap so that the hair loses moisture and the dreadlock forms more easily.

To keep dreadlocks clean, it is very good to wash the roots with coconut soap and before washing, elevate the ends to prevent the soap from entering the dreadlock tissues. If it is necessary to wash them lengthwise, squeezing movements are enough, as if it were a sponge; But they must be perfectly rinsed and dried, preferably in direct sunlight, otherwise the excess moisture will rot the hair, and the excess soap will generate residue inside. You should not use conditioner because it breaks them down. Especially in the first days, the dreadlocks should be continually groomed, weaving the protruding hairs to prevent them from tangling with each other, and subsequently each wash the base should be weaved to incorporate the new hair.

Dreadlocks evolve over time, so you must be patient, as they develop to obtain the desired result. As the hair grows, the roots will need to be woven, and they should be rubbed very frequently as in step 5 to maintain their shape.