Loc History
Dreadlocks: n. a compound word. Rastafarians believe that “dread” refers to a reverent fear of the Lord while locks represent a state of commitment to the faith.
Deeply rooted in spiritual expression, long, sinuous, hair has always symbolized strength, spiritual devotion, and wisdom.
If you travel back in time you’ll find ancient Egyptians and Hindu deities adorned with twisted locks as early as the 5th century AD. From Greeks and Pacific Islanders to Nazirites and Muslims, locks represent a cross-cultural tradition spanning continents from the Gold Coast to the Gulf of Mexico.
Not until the 1960s did the Rasta movement take off in the United States. Still the style became synonymous with rebellion, resistance and Black Power.
Loc Formation
Part of the process of becoming a Goddess Loc Master is having a thorough understanding of Locs. You should be able to talk freely, confidently and comfortably about locs to anyone. There's so much information to learn. In this video I will cover a brief history about locs, discuss the details about natural loc formation and show you the inspiration that lead to the re-creation.
***An important note about the term "Dreadlocs"
Although we cover the origin of the name as it relates to the Rastafari and the derogatory way the term was used by colonizers to describe the style, not everyone who uses the term is aware of the history. Now that your are enlightened, when someone uses the word, don't react defensively. Just use it as an opportunity to educate them on the history. You never know, this conversation may lead to you getting a new client. 
The Process of Loc Formation:
Budding- when the hair begins to mat, forming a small knot or bud in the hair. Buds start off soft in the beginning of the loc process and begin to harden as the loc matures. The loc starts budding in the middle of the loc and extends to the ends of the loc. Finer hair types and looser curl patterns may have ends that never fully mat and loc so they remain loose. The budding stage is the longest stage and can last up to 16 weeks. Tighter curl patterns can start to bud in 8-10 weeks. Everyone who locs their hair will go through this phase. While the hair is budding and the loc is forming, the hair can be frizzy. To help with the frizz, you can wrap loose hairs around the forming loc with a little product to keep it neat. Also, if the budding locs are long enough, braiding in plaits, cornrows or curls can help keep the hair neat and stylish. During this phase you also want to avoid conditioners and any products that will soften the hair. This can cause the locs to unravel and increase the time it takes the hair to mat and bud.
Forming/Loc'ing- After the hair begins to bud, the section of the hair created for the loc begins to puff up and round out. The size of the loc begins to expand larger than the size of the loc during the initial installation as a result of the budding and matting of the hair strands within the loc. If palm rolling, the locs may expand to inconsistent sizes. Locs that are interlocked, typically remain consistent in size. The forming phase happens simultaneously with the budding phase and continues for up to a year.
Solidifying- Once the locs are completely formed they will begin to solidify or harden. During this phase, some people feel like the locs shrink to a smaller size. This is because the hair has remained in a tightened cylinder shape for so long, the hair strands continue to tighten around themselves, causing the hair strands within the loc to become more compact. This phase can take up to 2 years.
Mature Loc/Lengthening- After the locs have completely solidified they become a mature loc and they continue to grow long and lengthen.
Atrophy- When the loc ages and the ends of the locs begin to break away. With regular maintenance and proper care of the locs, atrophy may be experienced after 7 years.