2,500 BCE
The exact date and group of people that begot locks is hard to pinpoint, but Slater notes that they may have lived as far back as 2,500 BCE and practiced various religions.

As Dr. Bert Ashe, professor of English and American studies at the University of Richmond, points out in his forthcoming book Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles, the first written evidence is in what is now India's Vedic scriptures, which show the deity Shiva wearing the style. "The word used in the Vedic scriptures is 'jaTaa,' which means 'twisted lock of hair,'" he writes. The style was also found in ancient Egypt: Anthropologists have discovered mummies with their hair still intact with locks. And, in the Old Testament, some interpretations say that Samson is mentioned as having dreadlocks and, when Delilah cuts them, loses his unsurpassed strength.

"People from different faiths look at their hair to be holy and as a form of strength and power," says Slater. "To not comb your hair, to some, is a disregard of vanity and things of the world." But, it's more than just a dismissal of the physical world; it's a Rastafarian belief that knotted hair prevents energy from escaping through the top of the head and hair, allowing it to remain in the body and aid in the strength of mind, body, and spirit.

1970s
Even though dreadlocks have been around for thousands of years, when many people think of the style, their mind goes to one person: Bob Marley. When the late singer came on the scene in the '70s, many began to associate locs with all things Marley, which included reggae music, Jamaica, and the Rastafarian culture.

Which isn't wrong — the dreadlocks phenomenon emerged from Jamaica before spreading to the U.S. And, for the Rastas there, the style was more a way of life than for vanity purposes. "For a Rastafarian, you grow your hair in dreadlocks as an homage to Samson...they're seen as a sign of virility, strength, and inner power," says hairstylist and loc wearer Johnnie Sapong. "Traditionally, they're something that you cultivate, nurture, and grow." He adds that, in the Rasta culture, whenever a parent passes away, it's custom to shave your locs to begin a new cycle as a sign of respect.

The decision of Rastafarians to wear dreadlocks also stemmed from the desire to provoke society, by going against the norm and sending a message of difference. As with any act of rebellion, this has been met with uncertainty. "At first, the hair choices of the Rasta brethren were seen as frightening to children, destabilizing to society, and possibly even sacrilegious," writes Ashe in his book. "It was a kind of finger-pointing hairstyle that really allowed for an unconventional persona on the part of the wearer.”

1980s
While loc-wearing artists like Marley and Jean-Michel Basquiat served as sources of inspiration for many, it wasn't until actress Whoopi Goldberg came on the scene in the '80s that they truly reached peak in the mainstream. With the explosion of cable television as a catalyst, America was introduced not only to the new actress, but to her 'do.

"It was Whoopi, beginning in 1985, who gradually gave Black Americans what might be called cultural permission to wear dreadlocks... And, she did it by establishing a context around the hairstyle that had nothing to do with Jamaica, reggae, or the Rastafari," writes Ashe. "Gradually, her enormous fame gave dreadlocks a certain odd, quirky normalcy that allowed for — or, at least, coincided with — the flourishing of the hairstyle."

And, flourish it did. The '80s and '90s were something of a golden era of dreadlocks, with all races and genders donning the style — Lauryn Hill, Ani DiFranco, Boy George, and Lenny Kravitz being just a few of them.

2000s-Today
Nowadays, celebs like Zendaya, Brandy, Ciara, and even Kylie Jenner (to much backlash) have taken on locs as more of an "on-trend style" than for spiritual pride or to make a political statement. "I think the natural hair movement has basically taken [dreadlocks] up a notch and inspired people to look at other [natural] hairstyles, and it’s returned us back to something that’s been around," says hairstylist Kim Kimble. "I was doing faux locs back in '95, so it's resurfacing now as a fashion statement."

But, locs are still commonly associated with all things Jamaica. "You would think that as [the style] becomes more common, it would become more Americanized and that doesn’t seem to be the case," notes Ashe. "It’s almost as if the cultural DNA of the hairstyle is Rasta, Jamaica, reggae music, and the farthest it gets from that source, it still retains some critical strands of that cultural DNA and it simply cannot be unwoven in a way that is interesting. And, I don’t know if it will remain that way, but it sure seems like it. It’s 2015, Bob Marley died in 1981, and the connection still seems to be there."

Which just goes to show why it's so important to know the true history behind any given hairstyle. Hopefully, by educating ourselves and talking about locs more openly, we can help erase the stigma for those who choose to wear them.
 
This article first appeared on Refinery29

The history of hair brushes do not have a definite inception date. The one thing that is known is that they were all made from natural materials. Handles were formed from wood, bronze or copper. The bristles could be anything stiff. Animal hairs, such as wild boar or horse, were rigid enough for brushing. Porcupine quills were even stiffer. Shards of sea shells, stones and bone could be sized to untangle a snarl or knot. One theory is that the paint brush used for millions of years was slowly transformed into a hair brush. When someone decided to drill holes in a handle and somehow add bristles that stayed, is still unclear.

Portraits and sculptures of ancient Greeks and Romans showed tidy, braided or styled hair. Unearthing Egyptian tombs revealed hair brushes along with combs and mirrors. Their carvings and paintings on walls and pyramids also showed neatly kept hair or wigs. To this we assumed was due to some style of a hair brush. In ancient times, grooming was necessary to reduce the amount of head lice. Brushing hair or producing wigs to look refined was a luxury only afforded by the prominent people of that time.

As society grew and became more civilized, the need for a hair brush was more for aesthetics, rather than for general grooming, but it still remained in favor for the wealthy. Hair brushes were commonly given to new brides and new mothers. They were a popular gift for a husband to give a wife. An ornately designed set that contained a hair brush, a comb and a mirror were enjoyed.

Eventually the demand for hair brushes increased. William Kent founded the first hair brush manufacturer, Kent Brushes, in 1777 in Great Britain. It took as many as 12 people to complete one hair brush. The bristles were hand stitched. They still remain one of the oldest companies in Great Britain. Another Englishman invented the automatic brush boring machine in 1885. This way more brushes could be manufactured at a faster rate. Mason Pearson also created a pneumatic rubber cushioned brush that same year. This style still remains popular.
 
Hair Brushes in the United States

The United States had their fair share of hair brush innovators. Hugh Rock was the first to patent a hair brush design. He was known to create beautiful gift sets with metal handled brushes with matching combs and mirrors. Quite often they had scalloped edges to add to their beauty. Samuel Firey put in a patent in 1870 for his elastic wire teeth. He combined them with natural bristles to get the best of both worlds. In 1898, a patent for synthetic bristles was presented by Lyda Newman. She also created detachable handles and air chambers for ventilation. These air chambers, known today as vented brushes, still work well for today’s hair blow drying society.

In 1906, Alfred Fuller shared the hair brush by selling door to door. He created a better brush and created his Fuller Brush Company. His goal was to make a long lasting brush that was affordable by all. As his company grew, his products grew to keep up with the modern world.

Modern Hair Brush

Now hair brushes are in every home and thankfully they are not just for the wealthy any longer. Handles are still made by wood, but plastic ones are light weight and less expensive. Nylon bristles, both with and without tiny balls on the end, are manufactured today. Hair brushes can be found in all sizes, shapes and colors today and many at affordable prices. They are available for different uses, for example, everyday brushing, styling and to be used with blow dryers.

The Future of Hair Brushes

Today there are an enormous variety of hair brush types available. There are flat brushes, round, half round, and vented to name just a few as well as brushes made for specific hair types, such as straight, wavy or curly.  Most hair brush companies design a new brush for each of these specific functionalities. For the average person and even professional hair stylists and salon owners this can be a confusing and expensive endeavor. So we came up with a unique idea, create hair brushes that will work great for the maximum number of these different functionalities and hair types in each brush. That is why Brigitte’s Brushes are designed with tips and bristles in the same brush, which allow them to work well with all types of hair including wet, dry, and tangled hair. The history of the hair brush may not be well known, but the future seems crystal clear, check out one of our brushes and experience the future.

This article first appeared on Brigitte's Brushes

The barbershop has been an important institution in the African-American community for generations. But what many don’t know is that up until about the Reconstruction Era, pretty much all barbers in the United States — whether they cut the hair of white men or black men — were African-American, and that barbering provided many black men a good enough living to enter the upper middle class.

In this podcast the interviewer talks to historian Douglas Bristol about his book recounting this lost part of American male history. It’s called Knights of the Razor: Black Barbers in Slavery and Freedom.  They discuss the rise of the black barber in slaveholding states in the South, the influence black barbers had in the white community, and how black barbers paved the way for the modern barbershop. They  also discuss the factors that led to the segregation of the barbershop and why it maintained a stronger allegiance among black men compared to their white counterparts.
 
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