Difference Between Dreads and Locks

May 2022 · 5 minute read

Main Difference

The main difference between dreads and locks is that the dreads are the hairstyle of creating ropes, whereas locks are the hairstyle of creating hair ropes of different sizes.

Dreads vs. Locks

Dreads and locks trace back to the same word dreadlocks. Dreads and locks are different from each other in a matter of perception and personal expression. Dreads are the hair that is naturally knot together and forms mats or dreadlocks. Locks are the grooming technique of the people of African and Nubian descent. Dreads are the knots of hair that imply an unkempt look. Locks are a cultural identity. Dreads are a hairstyle in the hair is sculpted into ropes. Locks are an African type of hairstyle. It is a hairstyle that implies creating rope-like strands of various widths. There are many ways of creating the dreads and locks with hair. These ways include by backcombing, rolling, or braiding. Dread and locks are the types of hairstyle that do not need to be neat or combed. They are rather different kinds of hairstyles in which the hair is tangled. Dreads and locks style looks messy and unkempt. Dreads can be done by braiding, twisting, coiling, or palm rolling (without combing). Locks hairstyle is easy to make for people whose hair locks naturally. It is difficult to bring back lock hair to its normal position. However, it is not impossible, but it takes a lot of will. Dreads became popular with the evolution of commercial reggae music. It is also known as Rasta, indicative of the Jamaican route it took into Western civilization. Locks hairstyle is a sign of warriors and spiritual leaders in the African culture. So many African Americans opt for this look concerning their culture and to connect with their roots.

Comparison Chart

DreadsLocks
The hairstyle of creating ropes strands with the natural hairThe hairstyle of creating hair ropes of different sizes
Style
People themselves made itIt is left to be made naturally, or sometimes people make it themselves
Hairstyle Of
East and WestAfrican and Nubian descent

What is Dreads?

Dreads, also known as dreadlocks, represent a hairstyle in which the hair is sculpted into ropes. Dreads are a universal phenomenon in the East as well as in the West. There are so many ways of making dreads, e.g., by backcombing, rolling or braiding. The hair is tangled a lot to make this hairstyle. It is a kind of hairstyle that represents a complete messy and unkempt look. So many spirituals belonging to different faiths and religions around the world adopt this hairstyle symbolizing their disregard for physical appearances and vanity. Also, these spirituals or Sufis often cease to comb, cut, or dress their hair. Such hair becomes thick and unable to be tangled, and this is how dreadlocks are born. On the other side, dreads are also a favorite style to be adopted by rock musicians. Dreads became popular with the evolution of commercial reggae music. This hairstyle is also known as Rasta. The indicative of the Jamaican route it took into Western civilization. Some say that the term dreadlock comes from the 18th-century slave trade. When the Africans were brought on ships after long voyages, and they could not manage to undergo their normal grooming rituals for the hair (which was different in texture and behavior than that of Caucasians) then their hair become so untidy and rough that it gets locked and tangled. This kind of hair locks was natural. The slaveowners referred to these slaves as looking “dreadful,” hence known as dread-locks.

What are the Locks?

Locks, as their name reveals, are a kind of hairstyle in which so many tresses of the hair is locked up in the form of so many ropes. Locks are an African type of hairstyle. There are so many methods of making the hair locks. But all of these methods are so simple. It is not any hairstyle that requires a proper saloon or technique; rather, it is a hairstyle that represents simplicity and extremely untouched look. The common ways of doing locks are coiling, braiding, twisting, or palm rolling. The hair is not combed during this process. Lock is a style of creating rope-like strands of different width. Locks hairstyle is easy to make for the people whose hair locks naturally. The locked hair is difficult to take back to its normal position. But it is not impossible to unlock, although it takes a lot of will and time. Some people stop combing on hair to form free locks. Such types of lock vary greatly in size. There is also a kind of locks hair known as cultivated look. It is neat with a uniform size to each unit and throughout partings. The cultivated locks are made step by step. These steps involve coiling, braiding, twisting, or palm rolling hair. In African culture, locks are a sign of warriors and spiritual leaders. Many African Americans opt for this look to connect with their roots. Also, Locks allow for a range of possibilities in styling hair, including dying, streaking, etc.

Key Differences

  • Dreads are a universal phenomenon in the East as well as in the West, whereas locks are the grooming technique of the people of African and Nubian descent.
  • Dreads are the hair that is made or naturally knot together and form mats or dreadlocks on the flip side locks are made naturally, but cultivated locks are made with a proper process.
  • Dreads are a hairstyle in the hair is sculpted into ropes conversely locks are a hairstyle that implies creating rope-like strands of various widths.
  • Dreads became popular with the evolution of commercial reggae music. It is also known as Rasta, indicative of the Jamaican route it took into Western civilization while locks hairstyle is a sign of warriors and spiritual leaders in the African culture.
  • Conclusion

    Dreads and licks both are closely similar yet different hairstyles in which hair takes a form of the strands of rope.

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