Why are people so obsessed with “good hair”?

Words & Research by Alex Gwaze (Curator)
Additional words & Creative Project by Usher Nyambi (Writer / Curator)

On average Africans spend around US$6 billion a year on hair products, and that’s just the women. Furthermore, #AfroTax accounts for approximately 25% of African-American women’s monthly expenses (four times more than other races) – that’s big business. However, when it comes to men “good hair” simply means a haircut. A haircut for older men often translates to a formal “chizkop’’ or a “baldie” – basically cutting it all off. But for the younger generation haircuts are not about formality, they are attention-seeking and emphasize style and individuality. There’s something brash and carnal about young men’s cuts these days. So much so that it made me think ‘simply having locks has become the new formal’.

Locks, or dreadlocks, dreads or locs, have been around seemingly since the beginning of time. The earliest written account of locks are Hindu texts dating back to 1500BC, that refer Lord Shiva’s hair as “jata” or twisted locks. In Africa, Egyptian sculptures and mummies from around 3100 to 1400 BC have been unearthed with their locks still intact. In addition, Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church’s first priests are known to have sported locks as early as 500 BC. However, locks did not become commonplace until Bob Marley’s conversion to Rastafarianism in the Seventies.

Rastafarians grow their hair as part of the “Nazarite Vow” and other dietary laws (Moses, Samson and John The Baptist are believed to be Nazarites). Post the emancipation of Jamaica, the hairstyle was often referred to as “dreadful” by Euro-centric Jamaicans who borrowed the exact term from British colonialists who were fighting Kenyans with a similar hairstyles in the 19th century. All the same, “dreadlocks” came to be seen as a poor man’s hairstyle, associated with rebellion and the Rastafari. This is why one of my friends cut her locks – she didn’t identify with the Rastafarian culture and she was tired of being called “sista” or “rasta” by random people in the streets. It’s a pity because she had such beautiful hair.

I know some of you might be thinking locks can’t be beautiful because they are often associated with dirt, sweat and lice. But contrary to popular opinion, not all locks are held together with grime and not all people with locks are rastas. However, as a side-note, it’s worth noting there’s a persistent myth that “Bob Marley had between 19 to 70 different types of lice in his hair when he died”. While this is obviously fake news, this falsehood endures because “binary” thinking (black vs white, good vs bad, iPhone vs Android, Coke vs Pepsi etc) associates dreads association with the “unclean”.

I hope by now you’ve noticed I’ve shied away from using the word “dreads” or dreadlocks to avoid subscribing to such dull notions of Africanness. Using locs or locks, for me is more tune with this hairstyle’s over- arching narrative, throughout time. Dreads still bear the mark of “Rebel music”, poverty and it’s misconceptions. As a consequence, job seekers who sport them often face discrimination from corporations. Leaving some barber’s to recommend that they cut their hair to secure employment. Begs the question what constitutes a formal hair anyway?

Unfortunately we love in a world still suffering from the hangover of colonialism and slavery. When African hair is presented in its natural state, some nostalgic Euro-centric idealists fear the second coming of the “Black Power” movement and attempted to cut it, cover it up or just relax it. Just look at how much hoo-ha Zulaikha Patel and company caused at Pretoria Girls High in South Africa a few years ago – #StopRacismATPretoriaGirlsHigh. And she was just a school girl! Maybe there is some kind of power in the Afro – Angela Davis can answer this for us. Moving on to another incident of hair versus the fantasy of Whiteness – Former sexiest woman in the world, Lupita Nyong’o once shared her story of how Grazia UK magazine “edited out” her long African hair and “smoothed” it “to fit a more Eurocentric notion of what beautiful hair looks like”.

Closer to home and back to convectional locks – who remembers when the Zimbabwean cricket team were ordered to cut their dreads when they started losing at the 2007 Cricket world cup in the West Indies (Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, etc in cricketing terms). And they still lost! It’s never a good a idea to have your hair cut when you still need it’s power – Samson can attest to this. Jokes aside, there is something other worldly and beautiful about kinky natural hair. A few years ago I was introduced to JD ’Ohkai Ojeikere images of African hair. For me, the hairstyles do all the work, they do all storytelling . For you, for us, the most basic message his images say is, ‘there’s more you can do with your hair besides cutting it, stretching, dyeing it, or just relaxing it’. Even covering it up with Asian or Brazilian hair seems lazy and unimaginative these days.

I know the kinky curls of African crowns requires effort and they are hard to maintain, but so do most people beauty routines in this image conscious age. That’s the price of beauty? However, if you feel you cannot afford it, I suggest you opt for locks (the new formal African hair style). Locks are in between a hair cut and going “au naturel”. Plus they’re low maintenance once you’ve got them done. Its’s touch ups. In addition, they have all that zest of individuality and desire to be seen (and even touched). But don’t touch people’s hair – listen to Solange.

For me locks biggest selling point is that they have a rich cultural history, with all it’s nuances – but are stylish and futuristic enough to fit into Science- Fiction movies like Avatar: The Way of The Water (2022), Black Panther (2018) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). I think this is why so many Gen Zers (men and women) don a ‘mixed cut’. By that I mean they often shaved parts of their hair, reminiscent of the “chizkop”, but leave their natural crest of rebellion neatly groomed and maintained – #BlackPower. However, if you really want to go formal then the traditional locks are the Caesar cut of our times. To prove my point I’ll borrow some steam from Writer / Curator Usher Nyambi’s creative project.

Usher gathered a team of creatives – Usher directing the concept; Tino Chimuka doing the videography / photography; Kuda Chikwanda focused on the photography; and Tatenda Gora and Riyan Chindowa modelling. With everything in place they set off into the streets of Harare to put their locks to work in a format setting, suits and all. It was a Sunday so the weather behaved (no rain). Harare’s architecture was sublime, and they even met a florist called Elliot who had his locks for over 21 years. That means Elliot hasn’t cut his hair since Nelly’s “Hot In Here”, Ashant’s “Foolish” and Wayne Wonder’s “No Letting Go”. And his hair the same age as Billie Ellish but older than Bhad Bhabie, just to put that info in a “timeline’ you will understand. Anyway, Usher and his team posted the content on the socials and it was well received.

But we know posting some great Art won’t change everything overnight. Dreads are still seen as informal and filthy in some circles. However, Art has an innate ability to go beyond presentation into he realm of inspiration. It can further conversations and change perceptions and maybe change the culture. All the same, we hope these words, images, facts and timelines give you a new reason not to cut your hair when someone tells you look “unprofessional” – #KeepItLoc’d.

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