By: DeoVonte “Deo” Means

Admittedly, I’ve long retired my membership in the “trendy hairstyles club” for a more efficient and conservative style. I am clean shaven. Not because of a loss of hair, but because in my line of work, it’s deemed most appropriate. Still, I am always intrigued by the new varieties of trendy hairstyles that tend to rise seasonally for men. This season’s trend seems to be the “loc-bun.” The male bun is popping up everywhere! From European runways and fashion layouts to the trendy streets of our most cosmopolitan cities. Dreadlocks, “locs”, are nothing new. In fact, the history of this style dates back to our ancestors in Africa. Until recently, with few exceptions, society has looked down upon locs and viewed them with a generalized stigma. Many of us have been guilty of seeing the young men in inner city ghettos with unkempt/raggedy locs and correlating them to the Chief Keef mentality (drugs, crime, uneducated and society rejected). It has been a running joke within the upwardly mobile black community that “they all look alike. The crime reported on the nightly news shows men that all fit the same Chief Keef description.” The recent Giuliana Rancic scandal and her commentary on Zendaya’s loc hair is further proof of this mindset. Yet this season this has all began to change as gentlemen of society has found new and provocative ways to stay true to the “loc” culture, while distinguishing themselves from the normality of ghetto culture. Men are now adding a trendy & sexy sense of individuality to their look and redefining the public perception of locs.

The male “loc-bun” has become the top trend and my does it look sexy! I reached out to gain more understanding of the movement. My brother Moziah –a solidified expert on the loc culture- informed me that the process of locs is indeed a spiritual journey. Organically, locs are supposed to symbolize a process in which you have committed to. Much like the rings of a tree, locs are your timeline that holds all you have experienced. “I am not a fan of styling your locs. I’ve only had mines styled three times in five years” states Moziah.  He went on to express a concern that most people do not know the history behind loc’s. He argues they’re special to our people. Most people that loc view their hair as a journey that resembles the rings on a giant Sequoiya. You can tell how a person lives by their hair. Stress causes hair to fall out and healthy usually means healthy hair, nails and skin. Shaved heads are respected too. They are mostly viewed as symbolic of a clean cut- working man. Traditionally, although locs can come with a stigma, those of the grown and sexy can attest to never having an issue with corporate America if proper care and conditioning is utilized. “It’s not what you do, but how you do it!” Tension rises with the mention of “fake-locers” because they are viewed as fake loc stars! It’s stated they want the image but don’t want to put in the time or work. Most will state your hair is your timeline. Fake hair can be most offensive to the organic man with five years of history, blood, sweat and tears hanging from his head. In 2015, locs has made a comeback and I am thoroughly intrigued by where and how the trend will manifest itself… #LoveOfLocs…. Deo