Locs, an African Evolution

Greetings, the following blog article is not to offend anyone. I'm simply going to give you all an insight into the world of Locs. Welcome to locology 101, so sit back relax ," Overstand" and unlock your mind.

Locs are mentioned no fewer than seven times in the Bible. Sampson, the strongest of the Israelites, wore seven Locs upon his head. It is said that there laid his strength. If you research the ancient Egyptian race, and look at the pictures or drawings in the tombs; the Kemetians had Locs that were beautifully adorned with precious stones.

The Himba women in Nambibea twist their hair with Sheep's wool and coat it with a mixture of mud, fat , and a clay-like iron reddish tinge. The result, LOCS.. The men if the Kenyan Pokot tribe encourage their hair to loc into a large flat, mud packed bun, which they call " Ancestor Hair". Now the Rastafarian Brothas prefer their Locs to grow naturally with out any parting other than nature and JAH. They looked unkept to the untrained eye. Those Locs are clean, healthy, and shampooed .

In 1950, the Kikuyun soliders of the Mau Mau tribe in Kenya fought  the British  and won a revolt against them. The Rastafarians took a pledge  in honor of this revolt and said they would not cut their Locs. They refer to 3 scriptures of the Bible: Leviticus 19:27, 21:5, and Numbers 6:5, that simply put, state that a man should not cut his Locs. The Rastafarians took the "a" out of the word " dread ", to take away the negative connotation the word holds when spelled like Websters. Now, lets clear this up: The correct terminology is " loc" not " dred". Dread means to hate or to fear. Slave traders referred to the newly arrived Africans slaves hair as " dreadful" . Needless to say , their hair would be dreadful too if having to lie in their own waste, and waste of family and friends.

Locs do more signifying than the Afro ever could , in my opinion. They say , I will not compromise my ideals, I AM that I AM. Anyone can start the loc process, but a "Loctician" will be able to give you positive reinforcement about wearing and caring for your Locs. He or she will also know the proper oils and correct parting to start your Locs., as not every crown is the same. Here at Ashe' , I use products that contain no wax, petroleum , or alcohol. Wax clogs the pores of the scalp , collect debris and will hold any odor. Wax also leaves the hair with a grey coating. The Locs will eventually begin to shed and " break off". They are also hard to shampoo clean when full of wax. If your natural texture is tightly coiled or extremely curly , your hair will loc anywhere from six to eight months depending on the texture. And yes, know that your hair can and should be shampooed. I use products that contain natural herbs, such as peppermint or rosemary for oily scalp, aloe or basil for moisturizer, olive and tea tree as anti- dandruff treatments. Growing Locs is a spiritual awaking which consists of embracing patience and a love for YOUR SELF. I hope the " third eye" opens for everyone reading this article.


ASHE'