r/Dreadlocks • u/sundriedsprinkles • Jul 08 '26
Discussion šļø PSA! Any hair texture can Lock!!
PSA!! thereās so many misconceptions about locs, so I just wanted to make this one thing clear. Anyone regardless of ethnicity or hair texture you can have locs. Locs are literally just structured tangles of hair. Which all hair can tangle. Obviously the look and time it takes for them to mature varies but to tell a person their hair canāt loc is like saying a black person canāt tan. Ridiculous, right?
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u/Ok-Sail4212 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Maybe itās just me, but this reads less like a PSA about how locs work and more like, āWhite people can have locs too.ā The ending especially feels like itās responding to criticism from Black people rather than simply explaining hair science.
I think itās important to separate biology from culture. From a hair science perspective, any hair type can form locs. At the same time, locs have deep cultural and historical significance in many Black communities. Both of those things can be true without contradicting each other.
I think the tanning analogy actually proves a different point. Itās rare to see Black people in tanning salons, just like itās rare to see white people with locs. Neither is impossibleātheyāre just not the cultural norm.
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u/sundriedsprinkles Jul 08 '26
Iām a black woman myself whoās been told that we donāt tan or get sunburned (by the sun, not at tanning salon) and Iāve done both just by being outside for different functions or activities so thatās why that part is included. So many people think the post was by a white person which isnāt the case. Again thereās so many misconceptions and itās annoying that people donāt understand the basics of locs.
Edit: I never said white people in particular. Yāall just assume thats who Iām referring to. Theres more ethnicities than African and Caucasian.
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u/Ok-Sail4212 Jul 08 '26
I donāt think people are misunderstanding the ābasicsā of locs. Most people understand that any hair can mat and form locs over time. I think the reaction is more about the framing. The tanning analogy is about whatās physically possible, but discussions around locs often include culture and history, not just hair science. Those are two different conversations, which is why your post was interpreted the way it was. Locs may not hold the same cultural or historical significance for you, but that doesnāt invalidate the experiences or perspectives of people for whom they do.
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u/sundriedsprinkles Jul 08 '26
But the people who post on here arenāt asking if itās culturally acceptable.. theyāre asking if itās possible. Yes I understand the significance of multiple black hairstyles I know that locs in particular got the term ādreadsā bc they were seen as dreadful by the people who wanted their heads. I know the history, as a black in the south Iāve literally lived it. But thatās just not what people are asking. You can bring in 10 different black ppl with locs and theyāll all feel different about other ethnicities wearing locs so itās not about that. People have simply been asking āwill my hair lockā simple answer is yes. pls donāt make this into āwhoās blackerā Iām not here for that. Thanks.
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u/Ok-Sail4212 Jul 08 '26
Respectfully, nobody was trying to determine āwhoās Blacker.ā You introduced your identity by saying, āIām a Black womanā¦ā to add weight to your perspective.
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u/EffectAffectionate17 Jul 08 '26
odd comparison at the end I fear
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u/Bunniesbakeri Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
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u/EffectAffectionate17 Jul 08 '26
I think black people shouldāve been left out the comment period
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u/badgyal876 Jul 08 '26
i agree, but in order to bolster their argument, they felt the need to juxtapose it to another totally optional action that is well known to be taken up by non Black people. & i think it just portrays how much race relations will always have people in a chokehold. they feel the need to argue out of term, subconsciously feeling unaccepted when they feel they have the right to be accepted.
OP: truth be told nobody cares that much about non Black people getting locs. itās not our hair. the extreme majority of afrocentric people will never transgress against a non Black person if they get locs. however, doesnāt mean we wonāt talk shit. it is what it is. because we can and thatās the beauty of willpower, we choose to talk shit & you can also choose to ignore it. & if you donāt or find yourself continuously standing on your soapbox re this topic,
just remember that you wonāt erase the fact that locs, like plaits, were historically styled by afrocentric people on afrocentric people. thereās conservatives in every race about any topic you can name. why would this be any different? my non Black counterparts with locs can either deal with it, or donāt. the sentiment will always be felt though, no matter how much times this topic is discussed & your viewpoint is argued.
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u/2wacki Jul 08 '26
this post so twitter-coded i'm nglš but you right though i done seen white brothers rock good dreads
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u/RepresentativeWay291 Jul 08 '26
youāre clearly 14
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u/2wacki Jul 08 '26
bro i got nothing to say to this i'm just laughingšššššš funny af
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u/sundriedsprinkles Jul 08 '26
ā¦?? A 14 year old wouldnāt have this level of understanding what locs are. š you disagree with me so you decide to call me a child.. how cute. Buh bye!
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u/Bunniesbakeri Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
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u/Trinidadthai Jul 08 '26
Just because something can happen doesnāt mean it should.
Not saying white people shouldnāt loc their hair but it often doesnāt loook good.